Brothers at Bard Cofounder Harry A. Johnson Jr. ’17 to Give Live Presentation at International Anti-Racist Broadcast March 21

Brothers at Bard (BAB) cofounder Harry A. Johnson Jr. ’17 will speak March 21 at Peace One Day’s Anti-Racism Live Global Digital Experience, a live broadcast to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Presented by Peace One Day in association with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the live broadcast gathers internationally acclaimed artists, actors, and prominent speakers to raise awareness of Anti-Racism Day, facilitate conversations that lead to a more diverse and inclusive world, set out action points to help individuals and organizations engage with anti-racism, and establish the link between the March 21 Anti-Racism Day and September 21 Peace Day, demonstrating that anti-racism is an essential requirement for peace. For more information, click here.

Harry A. Johnson Jr. has left an impact on hundreds of lives on Bard’s campus, throughout the mid–Hudson Valley, and around the world. Harry graduated from Bard College in 2017 with a degree in sociology and a particular focus on wealth inequality. Extracurricularly, he was a key player on Bard’s basketball team; directed Dream to Achieve, a sports-based youth development initiative; and co-founded Brothers@Bard with Dariel Vasquez ’17, a youth-owned, group-based mentorship and academic enrichment program for Young Men of Color attending Kingston High School and Bard College. His interests include youth development, international development, Black Male Achievement, design-thinking, and social entrepreneurship. 

Harry’s work has garnered national and international recognition. In 2016, Harry was selected as one of 10 people named to Allstate NABC Good Works Team—this award honors college basketball student-athletes who have dedicated themselves to bettering the lives of others through community work. Upon graduating in 2017, Harry was awarded the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, allowing him to conceive and carry out a year-long  international project. During his journey, Harry explored the ways in which youth development organizations scaled their models and created sustainable pathways for the youth they serve to return as leaders within the organizations and their communities. Harry’s exploration took him to India, Nepal, Australia, South Africa, and Brazil. 

Since returning from his year abroad, Harry reunited with Dariel to lead the expansion and development of Brothers@. Within the last year, Brothers@ has received pivotal support from foundations, accumulating over half a million dollars to expand their spaces to more colleges and universities and to new communities around the country.

Brothers at Bard (BAB) improves the outcomes of men of color at Bard College by recruiting, training, and hiring them to be mentors for high schoolers in the local community. BAB mentors form a support system, encouraging each other as they navigate life at Bard and pursue their scholarly, extracurricular, and professional goals. The brotherhood forged through meaningful work is used as a vehicle to provide vital social-emotional, academic and financial support for men of color at Bard. Through comprehensive mentorship and leadership development, BAB taps into the unique potential of male collegians of color, promoting their ability to provide support and guidance to each other and their high school peers. Ultimately, BAB encourages male collegians of color to “pay it forward,” multiplying the impact of the College’s effort to advance the life outcomes of boys and young men of color throughout the Hudson Valley. For information, click here.

About Bard College
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place estate, Bard’s campus consists of nearly 1,000 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in nearly 40 academic programs; graduate degrees in 11 programs; eight early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 161-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at our main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.

Post Date: 03-10-2021