OAKLAND — The young men came from far and wide to attend several events celebrating the fifth anniversary of My Brother’s Keeper. And the keynote session — a town hall Q&A led by former President Barack Obama and Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry — didn’t disappoint. Kieshaun from Fresno asked about police reform. Raul from Albuquerque inquired about his biggest childhood struggles. Leo, being from Oakland, turned the subject to music. He got an unexpected response. “I’m going to have to listen to some of your tracks now,” Obama said, prompting Leo to start dancing as the packed Oakland Scottish Rite Center crowd let out a roar. “He gave me a little taste,” Obama then joked. Recording star John Legend opened Tuesday’s event to spotlight the mission of My Brother’s Keeper, an Obama initiative to reduce gun violence and mentor boys and men of color. But there was no question who the real star was: Obama, clearly comfortable surrounded by 23 young men on the stage and bantering with his friend, Curry, as they hosted a town hall question-and-answer session. Obama masterfully moved from serious subjects such as prison reform to Leo’s question about whether Kendrick Lamar has dropped better albums than Drake. Now in its fifth year, My Brother’s Keeper has spread to 250 cities, and many young men came to Oakland from around the country to attend the week-long events. A relaxed Obama did not shy away from their questions: On growing up: “I was all kinds of screwed up when I was in high school. I didn’t have a mean spirit. I did not have a sense of purpose or a clear sense of direction. I was angry about my father not being there. Some of it was I was growing up in an environment as an African-American boy (in a place where) we didn’t have a large African-American community.” On self-worth: “We live in a culture where our worth is measured by how much money we have and how famous we are. I will tell you at the end of the day the thing that will give you confidence is not that. I know a lot of rich people that are all messed up.” On policing: “Some communities need more police not fewer police.” He emphasized “building trust, knowing who is who and just because somebody is wearing a hoodie doesn’t mean they are a criminal, that is just the style.” On full display was obvious admiration shared between Obama and Curry. Known to play a round of golf or visit when Curry is in D.C. or Obama in the Bay Area, the duo ate at Ayesha Curry’s pop-up restaurant in San Francisco on Monday evening along with Legend and his wife, Chrissy Teigen. Like a comedy team, the NBA star and 44th president measured frank talk about societal issues with cheap shots at one another. Obama opened with: “For those of you that don’t know me, I’m Michelle’s husband, Barack. This is Ayesha’s husband, Steph.” After referring to “old men, older men,” Curry paused and glanced over at the graying Obama. The former president got one of the last laughs, though, responding to a question about overcoming childhood struggles. “Steph why don’t you talk about your struggles with your ankles, man. It worked out. … He won two MVPs after that.” “I got no comeback,” Curry said. After the pair released a My Brother’s Keeper public service announcement a few years ago, about 50,000 mentors stepped forward to join the organization. For all the chemistry, Obama and Curry come from different backgrounds. Curry’s father, former NBA player Dell Curry, was a “consistent presence” growing up, while Obama said he met his father once “and that was it.” Curry, a father of three, said it was his father’s example that has inspired him to give back to the Oakland community. “One moment can be a difference maker for a lifetime,” Curry said. “For me, I can speak for my teammates and people in our league, right now (there is a) social responsibility we feel, to take a stand for things we believe in, to look out for the next generation.” To any youth in the crowd without a father, Obama pointed out it might not always have been by choice. Years of discrimination, a disproportionate number of people of color ending up in the prison system and a lack of job opportunities might have been factors. “Often times, fathers, men may not have been able to provide that consistency they may in retrospect might have wanted to,” Obama said. “We can all be surrogate fathers. We can all be big brothers. It turns out if you give somebody some attention … people respond to that. My father might not have been in my house, but there were a whole bunch of men who taught me something and guided me.” Obama founded My Brother’s Keeper in 2014, two years after George Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. Martin was unarmed. Before Obama and Curry took the stage, the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis and Oscar Grant — Sybrina Fulton, Lucy McBath and Wanda Johnson — joined a panel with Legend, who also is an activist, and shared their hopes and advice for the young men at the conference. Related Articles Barack Obama dines with Ayesha and Steph Curry, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Michael Mina Barack Obama reportedly set for role with NBA-backed African basketball league Warriors pay visit to Barack Obama during road trip Davis also was 17 and a resident of Florida when he was shot dead. Grant, a Hayward resident, was killed by BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle on New Year’s Day 2009. Martin’s mother, Fulton, spoke directly to the young men in the audience. Fulton asked Martin’s brother, Jahvaris, to stand and wave his hand. “I want you to know although Trayvon is not here for me to watch grow, to watch him excel, I want all those things for you,” Fulton said. “I want all those things for my son. I want you to be educated, I want you to be strong. I want you to be leaders and not followers.” On Wednesday, Oakland activist Alicia Garza, Oakland-born filmmaker Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan are among the speakers meant to inspire the nation’s next generation.<doc-sep>OAKLAND (KPIX 5) — Former president Barack Obama and Warriors star Stephen Curry spoke at a huge town hall in Oakland on Tuesday to empower minority youth. The event is part of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance put on by the Obama Foundation at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center. Obama was greeted by hundreds of young people, mostly boys and young men, who came from all over the country to attend the first-of-its-kind summit. The event marked five years singe Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, which has now expanded into a network of nonprofits designed to uplift boys and men of color through mentorship. “The purpose of this summit was number one to say five years after this started we’re not going anywhere,” said Obama. He said that, more importantly, the summit was a chance to connect with young people who are making a difference. “An opportunity to see young men all across the country who are not reported on enough who are doing positive work who are leaders in their communities.” Anthony Robles of the Youth Justice Coalition was one of the young men handpicked to sit onstage with Obama. “I was really grateful and humbled by the opportunity to be here,” he said. However, some attendees left wanting to hear more meaningful dialogue from Obama. “There are some more questions, tougher questions that need to be asked on issues of undocumented youth,” said Miguel Garcia of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition. It was also an opportunity to have tough conversations. Stephen Curry spoke to the attentive crowd about his own personal struggles and insecurities in his early life. “Just in general, self confidence was not always something that was natural for me,” said the three-time NBA champion. Singer John Legend performed for the crowd and then led a powerful discussion with the mothers of Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis–all victims of gun violence. The mothers told the young men that their songs’ deaths have sparked a movement. “You are our tomorrow. You are the ones who will be on the front lines,” said Wanda Johnson, Oscar Grant’s mother. “It’s not about Trayvon anymore. It’s about the young people in here,” said Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin. Some from the young crowd said the experience from the event will stick with them. “I’ll never forget because it’s my first time actually seeing them in person,” said Dinari, a young boy in attendance. The second and final day of the convening continues on Wednesday, featuring “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler of Oakland alongside actor Michael B. Jordan.<doc-sep>
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Former President Barack Obama is visiting Oakland this week to mark the first national gathering of the Obama Foundation's My Brother's Keeper Alliance that supports boys and young men of color. MBK Rising! will begin with a day of service Monday in partnership with Bay Area community-based organizations, followed by the convening of hundreds of youth and community leaders on Tuesday and Wednesday.They have come to Oakland from across the country to be part of a new solution to the problems facing many young men and boys of color in the United States. "President Obama asked who will accept the challenge. Not who will participate," says Dr. Anael Alston, who works for New York's Department of Education.He says he is one of those accepting the challenge. He is leading a team from New York that is part of the Obama Foundation's My Brother's Keeper Alliance, a program designed to close the opportunity gaps faced young men of color. "We know that children who believe they are going somewhere behave very differently than those who don't. So, we start to put those things together and start funding initiatives," says Dr. Alston.The MBK Rising is a two-day series of workshops aimed at finding solutions to the many obstacles many young men and boys of color face.It kicked off with a Day of Service that included cleaning up the campus at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary in Oakland.Among those taking part is former Oakland A's all-star pitcher Dave Stewart. He says as a black man, it's important for young black men to believe they have opportunities to achieve greatness. MBK Rising helps achieve that he says. "We are looking out for each other and making sure of the advancement of our youth and minorities. We are making sure we pave a way for them," says Stewart.Stewart says by President Obama backing MBK Rising, it will unite people and make them want to get involved. And that can be the difference from other similar programs. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf agrees. "What's different, is for the President of the United States to lift this conversation up at a national level, to pull in national resources," says Mayor Schaaf.Oakland native and high school sophomore, Ivan Garcia, will emcee one of the MBK Rising events. He says too often young men of color are often exclude from the conversations around the challenges that they face. He says MBK Rising gives them a voice. "I find it extremely necessary to have young leaders, especially young men and boys of color, to be in these conversations and to be able to create that change," explains Garcia.One of those conversations will be at a Town Hall meeting with President Obama on Tuesday. Other speakers over the next two days include Warriors star Steph Curry and music giant John Legend.David Harris and his crew from Urban Strategies Council help young men get back on track after getting out of juvenile hall. They are one of only three Bay Area organizations invited to take participate. They were also awarded a $100,000 grant by the My Brother's Keeper Alliance.He says MBK Rising event puts a national spotlight on some of the more serious issues, which will help their cause. "If they don't graduate, roughly, about 90 percent of (black men) have some exposure to the criminal justice system. We got to break that school to prison pipeline," says Harris.Senior Miguel Argumeel, who attended workshops in San Francisco, says a program like MBK Rising finally gives people like him a forum for their voice to be heard. "If school teaches me that your people were conquered, and your people were enslaved, then that's how I am going to perceive myself. Because that's how everyone else perceives me," says Argumeel.He hopes MBK Rising teaches him how to write his own history.The gathering will be held at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Drive. Mainstage sessions will be streamed live here Sessions will be held from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday.Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and San Francisco Mayor London Breed are co-chairing MBK Rising! 's host committee.