Search
President Barack Obama meets with Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson ’78 in the Oval Office on May 21, 2014. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)
Johnson meets with a group of political science students in Professor Daniel Klinghard's class prior to his public talk at Holy Cross on March 30. In his role as Cabinet secretary, Mr. Johnson is the lead liaison with the 15 secretaries and agencies in President Obama's administration.
Johnson meets with a group of political science students in Professor Daniel Klinghard's class prior to his public talk at Holy Cross. Johnson serves in the White House as assistant to President Obama, cabinet secretary, and chair of the My Brother's Keeper Task Force.
Johnson meets with a group of political science students in Professor Klinghard's class prior to his public talk at Holy Cross.
Johnson speaks with Greyson Ford '16, a classics and public policy major, before his talk at Holy Cross.
Johnson chats with current students before his talk in Rehm Library. In his talk, he praised the "improbable" Holy Cross basketball team and recalled his own improbable journey to the White House.
Johnson shakes hands with student panelist Marcellis Perkins '19 before a talk he gave on his work in the White House as assistant to President Barack Obama, Cabinet secretary and chair of the My Brother's Keeper Task Force. The student panel posed specific questions to Johnson on issues ranging from education policy and science, technology, engineering and math initiatives to police-community relations and criminal justice reform.
Student panelists, from left, Greyson Ford '16, Jewel Duberry-Douglas '18, Lance Madden, '18, Isaiah Baker '16 and Marcellis Perkins '19 pose questions to Broderick Johnson '78 about My Brother's Keeper, the White House Task Force he chairs.
Johnson speaks before a full room in Rehm Library about his improbable path to the White House, serving as assistant to President Barack Obama, Cabinet secretary and chair of the My Brother's Keeper Task Force.
College of the Holy Cross alumnus Broderick Johnson ’78 returned to campus March 30 to discuss his work on behalf of President Obama as assistant to the president, Cabinet secretary and chair of the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force.
In 2014, President Obama launched the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and to ensure that all young people can reach their full potential. Through this initiative, the administration joins with cities and towns, businesses and foundations who connect young people to mentoring, support networks, and the skills they need to find a good job or go to college and work their way into the middle class.
Johnson reported that, to date, more than 200 cities, tribal nations and counties representing all 50 states have accepted the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge to design and implement programs to strengthen their communities and create more opportunities for at-risk youth.
“We’ve got to make sure this country is a place in which anyone who wants to succeed can succeed,” Johnson said.
A panel of five students — Greyson Ford ’16, Jewel Duberry-Douglas ’18, Lance Madden ’18, Isaiah Baker ’16, and Marcellis Perkins ’19 — posed questions to Johnson on issues ranging from educational policy and science, technology, engineering and mathematics initiatives to police-community relations and criminal justice reform.
In his talk, Johnson, who was a philosophy major at Holy Cross, also recalled some of his memorable moments in the White House, including joining President Obama in Selma, Alabama to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, being with the president as he announced his executive actions on guns, and meeting Pope Francis at the White House.
And he reflected on his years at Holy Cross in the mid- to late-’70s.
“I had some incredible times here, some wonderful times, some important growth times, and I feel like this is a renewing of a relationship with Holy Cross, so I’m profoundly grateful for that,” he said.
The event was sponsored by the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.
Comments are closed.
