My Brother’s Keeper Milwaukee
An MBK Alliance Certified Community — Anchored by GLUE
National Movement, Local Leadership
Milwaukee has been committed to My Brother’s Keeper since 2014, when our city first joined the national movement launched by President Obama. Nearly a decade later, in Fall 2023, Milwaukee became one of the first two cities in the nation certified as an MBK community.
From the beginning, we have been part of the MBK Alliance, which is rooted in a powerful belief: communities are the unit of change. Progress happens when leaders, residents, nonprofits, corporations, and philanthropy align around shared goals for boys and young men of color. The Alliance is cross-sector, inclusive, and national in scope—and Milwaukee is proud to stand as both a leader and a learner in this work.
GLUE as the Backbone
Great Lakes Urban Empowerment (GLUE) serves as the backbone organization for MBK Milwaukee, providing strategy, coordination, and sustainability. With support from partners like Marquette University’s Center for Urban Research, Teaching, and Outreach (CURTO), we are building durable infrastructure for citywide systems change.
Our Milestone Focus
MBK Milwaukee is committed to the six milestones set by the MBK Alliance. Our current priority is education, centered on:
- Milestone 3: Graduate from high school ready for college and career
- Milestone 4: Complete postsecondary education or training
At the same time, we are laying groundwork for progress on:
- Milestone 5: Successfully enter the workforce
- Milestone 6: Reduce violence and provide second chances
This emphasis reflects our capacity grant, which strengthens local systems while
contributing to the national MBK mission.
From Certified to Model
Milwaukee is advancing from being a certified MBK community to a model MBK community—demonstrating measurable systems-level change that other cities can learn from. This shift makes our work both locally impactful and nationally significant.
Our Conviction
We believe Milwaukee’s boys and young men of color deserve systems designed for their success—not their failure. That conviction drives our work and reflects the broader MBK Alliance vision: unleashing the power of communities to improve life outcomes.
Great Lakes Sister Cities
As we strengthen Milwaukee’s work, we are also building with the entire national MBK network—and in particular with our sister cities across the Great Lakes region. Together, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, and Cleveland represent a powerful bloc of communities committed to transforming opportunity for boys and young men of color.
Join Us in Making a Difference
MBK Milwaukee invites schools, colleges, employers, nonprofits, and civic leaders to partner with us. Together, we can expand opportunity, dismantle barriers, and strengthen the national MBK movement—starting here in Milwaukee.