First, at 9:30 a.m. on April 11, Johns will be a member of the panel: “How Can Our Community Institutions Rally to Support Black Male Success?” with David James, superintendent, Akron Public Schools; Jim Tressel, executive vice president for Student Success, University of Akron; Fred Wright, president, Akron Urban League, and Trabian Shorters, former vice president, the Knight Foundation and founder of BMe. The discussion will be moderated by Russ Mitchell, lead anchor of WKYC-TV in Cleveland.
At 1:30 p.m., Johns and Lee Gill, University of Akron’s associate vice president for Inclusion and Equity and chief diversity officer, will lead a roundtable discussion with Akron Public School sophomores who participate in a mentoring partnership sponsored by the university. They will discuss efforts and strategies that are helping them overcome obstacles and improve their outcomes for success in high school, college and career.
At 2:30 p.m., Johns will lead a roundtable discussion with leaders of the Alchemy, Inc., a mentoring program created in 2003 to help urban adolescents develop a sense of purpose in life and grow socially, emotionally and academically. Johns will discuss how programs like Alchemy, Inc. complement the White House Initiative’s goals to help put boys and young men of color on the path to success.
On Saturday, April 12, at 1:30 p.m., Johns will deliver the keynote luncheon address at the Black Male Summit, discussing the work of the White House Initiative and the national significance of closing the achievement gap for all African Americans.