The seven leaders who are putting the focus on Sacramento’s black children [Sacramento Bee]

The chatter of children in a bright yellow activity center is the only sign of life in south Sacramento’s otherwise desolate Phoenix Park apartment complex. Inside, children line up for an after-school snack before shuffling to supervised recess and homework help with the Focus on Family Foundation, a local nonprofit group. Many of the kids come from homes riddled by domestic conflict, said director Jackie Rose, and if not for the daily program, they wouldn’t have access to healthy foods, tutoring and a safe place to hang out. Rose, 62, has been working to improve conditions in the neighborhood for the last two decades. Dressed in a yellow blazer reflective of her vibrant personality, she looks on at the hundred or so students with the pride of a grandmother. Soon she hopes to get them more mentors, activities and other resources, with the help of the $360,000 her group will receive from a sweeping Sacramento County effort to protect more African American children at home and in the streets. more

And watch a powerful video of the leaders of seven nonprofit groups explain their motivation for being involved in the problems they see in their neighborhoods affecting the rising number of black youth deaths. VERY MOVING!  Kim Williams, from The Hub, Fruitridge says "Our children are our most valuable assets and we need to love them and protect them..."