Inspiring the Nation’s Best and Brightest African American Men - Bill Keyes
“Men with the greatest potential should be challenged to pursue the highest achievement.” - Bill Keyes
Bill Keyes, the founder of The Institute for Responsible Citizenship is a committed advocator for young talent, especially for young African American men. He believes that those who strive to be successful should be acknowledged for their achievements and challenged further so they can reach their fullest potential. As an experienced leader, he emphasizes that when working towards creating an impact, working together holds greater power.
This is why Bill Keyes started the Institute for Responsible Citizenship, to help young African American men with an aptitude for greatness attain their aspirations.
Bill spoke on the creation, purpose and outcomes of the organization.
“About 17 years ago I realized that I knew a lot of really talented young African American men who had the potential to do something extraordinary with their lives but simply weren’t receiving the support from their community they deserved. So I decided to create a program where I would identify 12 of the most talented African American men in the country, bring them together for an intensive program and give them the advantages that would help them fulfill their dreams and reach their fullest potential.
“Our guys work at high-level internships in whatever fields they’re interested in. We’ve had men doing internships on Capitol Hill, the White House, in the public sector, the private sector; it really depends on what their interests are. We arrange great internships for them. In the evenings, they do a seminar on economics in the Constitution. When they are not in class or their internship, they are out meeting with prominent people both from the public and private sectors. We want to make sure that the men meet these individuals on a private and personal basis so that these people can inspire them to really go far in life.
“Throughout the 17 years of the organization, we’ve had about 200 young men go through this institute. They become PhDs, MDS, they’ve done all kinds of things.
“If you ask me what I want to see happen at the Institute: it’s more really great young men coming through this program and afterwards going out to be a blessing in the lives of other people”
