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America's Promise Alliance logo

  • Recommit to Kids| The Summit for America's Future
  • What does every young person need most to realize their American Dream? YOU!
  • #Recommit2kids

Once again, the nation came together
to recommit to our nation’s children

On April 17-18 America’s Promise Alliance marked its 20th Anniversary in New York City with Founding Chair, General Colin L. Powell (Ret.) and Chair, Mrs. Alma Powell.
 
Recommit to Kids | The Summit for America's Future honored progress that has been made in delivering the Five Promises and saluted the champions who have been on the forefront of seeing that our country’s underserved children are a priority.
 
We called on all adults and the nation to recommit to the critical work that remains, which we articulated in a new youth framework laying out all that we must do to help every child realize their American dream, Our Work: A Framework for Accelerating Progress for Children and Youth in America.

Weren’t able to make it? Watch the full day’s performances, remarks, and panel discussions below.  

 

April 17 - 18, 2017
New York City, NY

Co-Hosted by

Hosted by General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) and Mrs. Alma J. Powell

Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) and Alma Powell

Honorary Co-Hosts

President, Jimmy Carter

President, George H. W. Bush

President, George W. Bush

President, William J. Clinton

President, Barack H. Obama

Key Note Speaker
President Bill Clinton
President Bill Clinton
42nd President of the United States
Founder of the Clinton Foundation
Featured Speakers
Nicole Anderson
Nicole Anderson
President
AT&T Foundation
Father Greg Boyle
Father Greg Boyle, S.J.
Founder & Executive Director
Homeboy Industries
Nadine Burke-Harris Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Center for Youth Wellness
Nadine Burke-Harris MD, MPH, FAAP
Founder and CEO,
Center for Youth Wellness
Founding Physician, Bayview Child Health Center
Eric Dawson, Peace First
Eric Dawson
CEO and Co-Founder
Peace First
Anna Deavere Smith
Anna Deavere Smith
Playwright
Actor
Professor
Arne Duncan
Arne Duncan
Managing Partner
Emerson Collective
Lisa Early
Lisa Early
Director, Families Parks & Recreation Department
Dale Erquiaga, Communities In Schools
Dale Erquiaga
President and CEO
Communities in Schools
Mayor Greg Fischer
Mayor Greg Fischer
Mayor
Louisville Kentucky
Nikole Hannah Jones
Nikole Hannah Jones
Award-Winning Investigative Reporter
On Civil Rights & Racial Injustice for The New York Times Magazine
Melissa Harris-Perry
Melissa Harris-Perry
Maya Angelou Presidential Chair
Wake Forest University
Deon Jones
Deon Jones
Producer
Glenn Kaino Studio
Suzanne McKechnie Klahr, BUILD
Suzanne McKechnie Klahr
CEO and Founder
BUILD.org
Alicia Menendez
Alicia Menendez
Anchor and Special Correspondent
Andrea Mitchell
Andrea Mitchell
Veteran Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent
NBC News
Aaron Morrison
Aaron Morrison
Senior Staff Writer
Identities team at Mic.
Soledad O'Brien
Soledad O'Brien
Founder & CEO
Starfish Media Group
Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker
Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker
President & CEO
Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
Michael Petrilli
Michael Petrilli
President
Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Tricia Raikes
Tricia Raikes
Co-Founder of the Raikes Foundation
Jake Schwartz
Jake Schwartz
General Assembly
Michael Sorrell
Michael Sorrell
President
Paul Quinn College
Jose Antonio Vargas
Jose Antonio Vargas
Journalist
Filmmaker
Immigration Rights Activist
Darren Walker, Ford Foundation
Darren Walker
President
Ford Foundation
Laysha Ward
Laysha Ward
Executive Vice President
Chief External Engagement Officer
Target
George Weiss, Say Yes To Education, Inc.
George Weiss
Founder & Chairman
Say Yes To Education, Inc.
Tiffany Yu, Founder, Diversability
Tiffany Yu
Founder
Diversability
People of Promise Awardees
Yasmine Arrington
Yasmine Arrington
Founder and Executive Director,
ScholarCHIPS
Sixto Cancel
Sixto Cancel
Chief Executive Officer
Think of Us
Alejandro Gac-Artigas
Alejandro Gac-Artigas
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Springboard Collaborative
Lawrence “Law” Loving
Lawrence “Law” Loving
Coodinator
CareerConnect Program
Niswonger Foundation
Quardean Lewis-Allen
Quardean Lewis-Allen
Founder and CEO
Made in Brownsville
Performances by
The Brooklyn Boy
The Brooklyn Boy
The CityKids Foundation
The CityKids Foundation
Impact Theatre
Impact Theatre
Austin Paul Jr.
Austin Paul Jr.
Musician
Apollo Theaters rising new star
Matthew Whitaker
Matthew Whitaker
Composer
2016 Showtime at the Apollo Amateur Night Winner
Summit Agenda

Recommit to Kids | The Summit for America’s Future

New York Marriott Marquis Times Square

Monday, April 17

6:00 - 8:00 p.m. | Founding Partners’ Welcome Reception
5th Floor Westside Ballroom

Hosted by:

  • Boys & Girls Clubs of America
  • Communities In Schools
  • Corporation for National and Community Service
  • MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership
  • Points of Light
  • United Way Worldwide

Tuesday, April 18

7:00 - 8:30 a.m. | Registration and Breakfast
6th Floor Pre-function Area

8:30 - 10:00 a.m. | How is the American Dream real and at risk?

State of the American Dream

Moderator: Alicia Menendez, Journalist

Panelists:

  • Darren Walker, Ford Foundation
  • Michael Petrilli, The Thomas J. Fordham Institute

Adversity and the Dream

Moderator: Alicia Menendez, Journalist

Panelists:

  • Father Greg Boyle, Homeboy Industries
  • Nadine Burke Harris, Center for Youth Wellness
  • Anna Deavere Smith, Playwright - Actor - Professor

Place and Belonging

Moderator: Alicia Menendez, Journalist

Panelists:

  • Jose Antonio Vargas, Journalist, Filmmaker, Activist
  • Arne Duncan, Emerson Collective
  • Tricia Raikes, Raikes Foundation

10:15 - 12:00 p.m, | How can we make more progress, for more young people, more quickly?

People of Promise Awardees

Introduction: Nicole Anderson, AT&T

Moderator: Aaron Morrison, Mic

Panelists:

  • Yasmine Arrington, ScholarCHIPS
  • Sixto Cancel, Think of Us
  • Alejandro Gac-Artigas, Springboard Collaborative
  • Quardean Lewis-Allen, Made in Brownsville
  • Lawrence “Law” Loving, CareerConnect

Pathways in Learning and Working

Moderator: Melissa Harris-Perry, Professor, Author, Intellectual

Panelists:

  • Suzanne McKechnie Klahr, BUILD.org
  • Michael Sorrell, Paul Quinn College
  • Michael Lomax, United Negro College Fund

The Power of Relationships

Moderator: Melissa Harris-Perry, Professor, Author, Intellectual

Panelists:

  • Soledad O’Brien, Broadcast Journalist
  • Elaine Wynn, Communities In Schools
  • Deon Jones, Glenn Kaino Studio

Keynote Address

President Bill Clinton, Founder of the Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States

12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch and networking
5th Floor Westside Ballroom

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | What can each of us do to recommit to kids?

Dream Big, Do Great Things

Tiffany Yu, Diversability

Partnership Announcement

Eric Dawson, Peace First

Heeding the Call to Commit, 20 Years Ago and Today

Marc Benioff, Salesforce

Private Sector, Public Commitment

Moderator: Andrea Mitchell, NBC

Panelists:

  • Laysha Ward, Target
  • Jake Schwartz, General Assembly

Powell Legacy Award Presentation

Parramore Kidz Zone, Orlando, FL

Communities Coming Together for Kids

Moderator: Andrea Mitchell, NBC

Panelists:

  • Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
  • Mayor Greg Fischer, Louisville, KY
  • Nikole Hannah-Jones, Journalist

Recommit to Kids

General Colin L. Powell, America’s Promise
Mrs. Alma J. Powell, America’s Promise
George Weiss, Say Yes to Education

A Call to Action

General Colin L. Powell, America’s Promise
Mrs. Alma J. Powell, America’s Promise

Updated April 17, 2017

Additional Resources
  • U.S. Presidents Join Gen. Colin Powell and Mrs. Alma Powell to Urge Americans to Recommit to Kids
  • Lodging information
  • FAQ
  • Learn more about the Recommit2Kids campaign
  • Media registration: Media registration is strongly encouraged for media wishing to attend the summit.

Members of the media please email [email protected]  or [email protected] if you would like to speak with someone about the 20th Anniversary.

Video Clips and Photographs from the 2017 Summit

×
  • Recommit2Kids - The Summit for America's Future
  • Recommit2Kids - The Summit for America's Future
  • Recommit2Kids - The Summit for America's Future
  • Recommit2Kids - The Summit for America's Future
  • Recommit2Kids - The Summit for America's Future
  • Recommit2Kids - The Summit for America's Future
  • Recommit2Kids - The Summit for America's Future
  • Recommit2Kids - The Summit for America's Future
  • Recommit2Kids - The Summit for America's Future
See full album on Flickr

Video about America’s Promise Summit Declaration

Media Mentions

Philadelphia Inquirer
April 27, 2017

Let us recommit to helping young people

Ebony
April 18, 2017

Common Talks Adversity and Young People of Color

The Wall Street Journal
April 17, 2017

Two Nonprofits Join Forces to Boost Student Success

Time
April 16, 2017

Gen. Colin Powell On His New Effort to Help Kids Succeed

AOL
April 11, 2017

Colin Powell, Alma Powell reflect on 20 years with America's Promise in 'A Letter to America'

LOOK TO THE STARS
April 10, 2017

America's Promise Alliance Names Artist Andra Day And Malcolm Mitchell 2017 Promise Heroes

The Huffington Post
December 15, 2016

After A Tumultuous Year, The Time To Recommit To Kids Is Now!

  • Philadelphia Inquirer
    April 27, 2017

    Let us recommit to helping young people

  • Ebony
    April 18, 2017

    Common Talks Adversity and Young People of Color

  • The Wall Street Journal
    April 17, 2017

    Two Nonprofits Join Forces to Boost Student Success

  • Time
    April 16, 2017

    Gen. Colin Powell On His New Effort to Help Kids Succeed

  • AOL
    April 11, 2017

    Colin Powell, Alma Powell reflect on 20 years with America's Promise in 'A Letter to America'

  • LOOK TO THE STARS
    April 10, 2017

    America's Promise Alliance Names Artist Andra Day And Malcolm Mitchell 2017 Promise Heroes

  • The Huffington Post
    December 15, 2016

    After A Tumultuous Year, The Time To Recommit To Kids Is Now!

Title Sponsor

Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation

Presenting Sponsor

Target
Target

Presenting Underwriter

Citi Foundation
Citi Foundation

Welcome Reception Sponsor

Ritz-Carlton Hotels
Ritz-Carlton Hotels

Travel Sponsor

Southwest
Southwest

Powered by

MetroStar
MetroStar

Contact Information

For more information, please contact the events team.

202.459.0857
[email protected]
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