ABSTRACT
A visit from an old friend In the summer of 2007, I had just begun my new job as the Vice President of Programs and Chief Program Officer for the Northwest Area Foundation. I had spent the summer working with the board of directors on developing a new strategic plan for the foundation that would focus on poverty alleviation and sustainable prosperity in rural, reservation, and urban areas of our eight-state region.* Around that time, I was paid a visit by an old friend and mentor, Dr. Joseph White. Dr. White and I had worked together from 1999 through 2005 to create the African American Men Project, which focused on the lives young African American men living in Hennepin County, Minnesota, specifically those living in the poorest communities in Minneapolis. Dr. White, at my request, came to talk about the lessons we had learned from this project and to think about what the next steps would be in rebuilding and repairing the breach within the urban African American community.
