Summer academy for black youth planned By Madeleine O'Neill

Bishop Dwane Brock on Tuesday announced the establishment of the African-American Boys Academy, a program that will target boys from ages 9 to 12 to "place them on a trajectory toward success."

Brock said the program will begin June 19 with as many as 60 boys under the leadership of Angela Vincent, chief of the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania police department, who will serve as dean.

The announcement came at a discussion on race and criminal justice attended by about 100 community members and leaders. One of Brock's groups, the Eagle's Nest Leadership Corp., presented the discussion with the Erie law firm Knox, McLaughlin, Gornall & Sennett.

Brock, of the Victory Christian Center, said the summer program might serve as a platform to establish a private school that would serve the same purpose.

Brock said too many young men are on a path toward prison or death.

"The welfare of the community is wrapped up in its ability to stop that trajectory," he said.

Brock said the program will teach participants about citizenship and African history, as well as life skills such as handling money and conflict resolution. He said the source of the funding for the program is to be determined, while Vincent said the program has sponsors from the community.

Applications for the five-week summer program are available online at eaglesnestleadership.org. Accepted students will be asked to pay a $25 fee, and will be connected with an adult mentor at the conclusion of the program, she said.

The academy will be held at the Eagle's Nest headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue, she said.

The subject of Tuesday's forum was "Race and Criminal Justice: The Pipeline from Cradle to Prison." Attendees, who included local politicians, members of law enforcement and educators, broke into groups to discuss topics such as education and policing and their relationship to race.

Several local jurists spoke, including Erie County President Judge John J. Trucilla and U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.

Baxter said a federal R.I.S.E. court, or a special court program focused on re-entry services and preventing recidivism, is under consideration for Erie. She said a similar program had been successful in Pittsburgh. R.I.S.E. stands for Reintegration Into Society Efforts.

Madeleine O'Neill can be reached at 870-1728 or by email. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNoneill.