Politics. On Point.

President Obama, in his last few weeks in office,  granted commutation of sentence to 153 individuals and pardons to 78 individual s . To date, under his presidential power, Obama has granted clemency to nearly 1,200 individuals for mostly drug-related offenses. President Obama greets inmates during a visit to El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Okla., July 16, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza). It has been no secret that the United States imprisons more citizens, namely African American and other people of color, with longer sentences than  than any other group (the stain of racism) for the same drug-related offenses.   President Obama has said that his commutations and pardons have been “another step forward in upholding our ideals of justice and fairness.”  White House graphic. White Counsel Neil Eggleston wrote in a White House blog post  that, " Today’s grants signify the President’s continued commit...

The White House convened a summit today highlighting the work of the Obama administration's My Brother's Keeper (MBK) initiative, announcing even more support from community partners, businesses and governmental entities across the nation. In just three short years since its start in 2014 MBK has amassed more programs directed toward providing young boys of color a direct path to success than any other of its kind. During today's summit, the final under the Obama administration, several key successes were recognized including new federal commitments that cover the National Student Attendance, Engagement, and Success Center,  Increasing Data Transparency to Understand and Develop Strategies to Improve Youth Outcomes; and New Federal Investments to Meet the Needs of Current and Former Foster Youth. "It's almost three years ago, we launched the My Brother’s Keeper initiative to give more of our young people the tools and the support that they need to stay on track...