President Barack Obama Speaks To ‘CBS Mornings’ Co-Host Nate Burleson About The State Of Gun Violence In the U.S.
On Tuesday, CBS Mornings' Co-Host Nate Burleson will sit down with former President Barack Obama in Chicago to discuss the state of gun violence in the U.S. and the latest initiatives of Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK).
During the exclusive interview, Burleson explored the challenges of reducing gun violence, examining the issue from mass shootings to the gun violence that continues to pervade urban communities. According to data provided by CBS News, the U.S. recently surpassed 200 mass shootings so far this year, and it is only May.
"I think somehow — and there are a lot of historical reasons for this — gun ownership in this country became an ideological issue, and a partisan issue, in ways that it shouldn't be," Obama told Burleson. "It has become sort of a proxy for arguments about our culture wars, you know? Urban versus rural. Race is always an element in these issues. Issues of class and education, and so forth."
The exclusive interview on CBS Mornings covered a conference that occurred last week (May 10), where a new initiative sponsored by My Brother’s Keeper was announced. MBK is a part of the Obama Foundation focused squarely on positioning Black and Hispanic boys and young men towards a pathway to success.
The MBK Model Communities will expand the implementation of evidence-based practices in communities of color across the nation. These practices have proven to be successful in four model communities across the country by employing various tactics to reduce gun violence, maintain retention in schools, and increase graduation rates for these young men of color. The model communities chosen include Newark, New Jersey; Omaha, Nebraska; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Yonkers, New York.
“The MBK Model Communities initiative represents the next phase of the MBK Alliance’s work to help communities take on their biggest challenges – and I look forward to continuing this work alongside them for years to come,” Obama said in a statement.
The interview with Obama is said to go even deeper, following a surprise visit to the Guitars over Guns program that receives funding through the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, offering a message of hope to some of the young men who are a part of the program while also revealing what still keeps him up at night.
The interview will air on CBS Mornings on Tuesday, (May 16).
