About the Project

The Beyond the Bricks Project is a media and a national community engagement initiative to promote solutions for one of America's critical problems in education: the consistently low performance of black males in public school. Statistics like the fact that only 47% of black males nationwide are graduating high school; they are consistently the lowest performing students in 36 states; more than 60% reside in fatherless homes, 45% live in homes that fall below poverty level and not surprisingly, these types of stats lead to some of the most dismal incarceration rates of any group in the nation. BLACK MALES ARE IN CRISIS!

The "Beyond the bricks" film follows African-American students Shaquiel Ingram and Erick Graham as they struggle to stay on track in the Newark, NJ public school system. Weaved into the boys’ stories is commentary from some of the country’s foremost leaders, experts and scholars focused on black boys and their education including Newark Mayor Cory Booker, the Reverend Al Sharpton, Schott Foundation for public education President Dr. John Jackson, Dr. Pedro Noguera, and Dr. Ivory Toldson, among others. Though the film focuses primarily on students from Newark, NJ, the issues addressed there extend to urban enclaves throughout the nation.

The Beyond the Bricks project seeks social change especially in communities where black male youth are most vulnerable, by creating grass-roots dialog and action plans that challenge all the stakeholders; educators, parents, policy makers, community members and the students themselves, to examine their roles as role models and community citizens. We work to establish partnerships through the country to encourage communities to address not only the educational and social inequities that contribute to failure, but also look at the change that’s necessary within so that everyone is accountable and takes responsibility for the education of our children, recognizing them as untapped resources in building better leadership for the future. The project aims to create a national network of communities, organizations, and individuals who are committed to shifting the trajectory of all our young people towards success and community advocacy.

The Beyond the Bricks National Community Engagement Campaign set out to accomplish 3 overarching objectives as a social change project - And at the core of these objectives is the concept that collaboration is key - people working together towards success must be the thread throughout to ensure maximum impact.

1. 1) Help refocus the agenda away from merely identifying the problems among black males in the public school system to one that encourages, promotes and strengthen community-based solutions to increasing educational outcomes.

2. 2) Increase positive public engagement in the lives of African American boys in the communities where they are most at risk for failure in the pursuit of a quality education.

3. 3) Encourage the development of public policy and practices that incorporate the research and lessons learned by scholars, educators and community groups who have demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the challenges facing school age black males and who offer successful models to address those challenges.

We welcome everyone who understands that they have a role to play and are ready and committed to change. Please join us and a nation of concerned citizens in helping our children build brighter futures.