VIDEO: Former President Barack Obama Talks The Damaging Effects Of Toxic Masculinity To Yonkers Students

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OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 19: Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during the MBK Rising! My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Summit on February 19, 2019 in Oakland, California. MBK Rising! is bringing together hundreds of young men of color, local leaders and organizations that are working to reduce youth violence, create impactful mentorship programs, and improving life for young men of color. The My Brother’s Keeper initiative was started by President Barack Obama following the death of Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“If you’re confident about your strength, you don’t need to show me by putting somebody else down.”

Former President Barack Obama and Golden State Warrior Steph Curry spoke about the importance of creating vulnerable spaces for young boys and men, specifically of color, at the annual My Brother’s Keeper summit in Oakland.

“The notion that somehow defining yourself as a man is dependent on, are you able to put somebody else down… able to dominate… that is an old view,” Obama said.

The initiative, which was launched in 2014, is aimed at closing the opportunity gap for boys of color by connecting them with mentors in their desired fields.

Obama, who introduced himself as “Michelle’s Husband” and referred to Curry as “Ayesha’s Husband,” was surrounded on stage by several young men who traveled from Yonkers, New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville.

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