A recent White House report calls out an alarming fact — a 25-year-old Black male in America has a "roughly 1 in 2 chance of being employed today" due to obstacles such as "early death, incarceration, low labor force participation, and high employment."
These facts are not new. But President Obama's administration makes it clear that these disparities affecting Black men and other groups of disadvantaged youth continue to hold back the economy's overall productivity. Many youth face recurring obstacles that push them back from reaching their full potential, the document further emphasizes.
"Participation among working-aged men of color is centrally important to the American economy, and America could grow its economy for all by bringing these men more fully into the labor force," the report states. "However, addressing barriers to educational opportunity and attainment can begin to prevent the labor participation gap before it starts."
President Obama launched the My Brother's Keeper task force in 2014 to create educational and employment opportunities for young people using specialized programs and mentoring to connect youth with the tools to close the gaps that exist between them and their greater accomplishments. 
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