This spring, hundreds of youth, community leaders and elected officials convened to launch a city-wide effort to pass the School Climate Bill of Rights—a school board resolution that enacts common sense approaches to school discipline and expands programs that support all students in becoming healthy, thriving adults. Watch video of L.A. students talking about how their schools feel like prisons. Get up to the minute news on the campaign on Facebook and Twitter. The vote comes to the school board May 14, 2013.

This is the first campaign of the Brothers, Sons, Selves Initiative.

Why is this issue so urgent right now? Today low income and young men of color have the lowest life expectancy rates, highest unemployment rates, fewest high school and college graduates and most murder victims of any demographic group in Los Angeles. Every young man deserves an opportunity to thrive.

Today, school, social service, law enforcement and workplace policies punish rather than nurture African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander and Latino boys and young men. These young people are being denied the opportunity to grow, learn and mature in a supportive and safe environment.

The current crisis experienced by boys and young men of color is not an intractable, never-changing reality. It’s the result of a “perfect storm” caused by failed policies, almost forgotten court decisions, changing demographics, structural racism and other tangible – and changeable – conditions. Liberty Hill believes that there is a new reality ready to be built, a reality that recognizes the potential of this large percentage of our future adult population. These young men are our brothers, sons and selves.  They deserve the opportunity to thrive.

Liberty Hill is managing an emerging campaign, co-created in partnership with The California Endowment, of L.A. community organizations working towards a common agenda to improve the lives of young men.

Through community-based participatory research and community organizing, we will identify the policy changes to fight for, what new practices to support and how to be heard by elected officials, government agencies and voters.

Brothers, Sons, Selves is a coalition of L.A. community organizations working towards a common agenda to improve the lives of young men and was created in partnership with The California Endowment. Our coalition partners are Brotherhood Crusade, Californians for Justice, Community Coalition, East L.A. YMCA, Gay Straight Alliance Network, InnerCity Struggle,  Khmer Girls and Guys in Action and Labor/Community Strategy Center.