Earlier this month, President Obama announced Gina McCarthy as the new administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency and Ernez Moniz as the Secretary of the Department of Energy. These nominations are only a catalyst for a stronger focus on environmental-related policy this term.

Kezia Williams serves as Chair of Capital Cause, a DC-based fiscally-sponsored nonprofit dedicated to engaging young philanthropists in giving. Her work with this organization has included growing the organization from five vested members to over 5,000 young professionals influenced by the message of young philanthropy.

I will never forget the time when I visited my parent's church on "Diabetes Sunday," a program of the American Diabetes Association to raise awareness about the disease within the African-American community. A brochure in the church bulletin highlighted the dangers and prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the African-American community and how obesity is a causal factor. After the service, we made our way to the fellowship hall to celebrate Black History Month. As we began to chow down on unhealthy foods and sugary drinks, nobody blinked at the hypocrisy.

In the mind’s eye, in the press, in the common vernacular, the African American man is not a responsible parent as there are so many single women raising the children alone, in poverty. Often children are raising their siblings while the mother works, but we rarely think or speak of them. To understand how we came to this place it is necessary to take a trip back to the future.

Michael Blake of the White House Office of Public Engagement discusses the White House and President Obama's outreach efforts to African Americans at the 2011 Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference.