Nick Cannon Foundation will continue its work with the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. Inmates at the D.C. jail and Howard University students learned alongside each other this spring, and Nick Cannon recognized them every opportunity he gets. More than 150 participants graduated from the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, which covers the criminal justice system and aims to "facilitate dialogue across difference."

Nick Cannon Foundation will continue its work with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Inside-Out Program, a 10-week arts and social justice course at the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) Youth Services Center to be taught by Nick Cannon and Howard University Professor Dr. Bahiyyah Muhammad. Tailored to DYRS youth, this is the first such Inside-Out Program in the District and the first to be offered at a Historically Black College or University that will unfold inside a secure juvenile facility. The Inside-Out program works to bring various Howard University resources into the facility to engage with all residents in order to help facilitate successful reentry back into their families and communities. The program and curriculum will follow the DYRS approach to education and the Positive Youth Justice (PYJ) framework that seeks to empower youth by meeting them where they are. Each course offering will be guided by feedback and leadership of the detained youth from various units.

Nick Cannon Foundation will continue its dialogue with the Religious Action Center (RAC) of the Union of Reform Judaism (URJ) and explore ways to partner in gun violence reduction methods and other areas of advocacy. Deep-rooted systemic racism is deeply impacting People of Color across the U.S., including Jews of Color. Last fall, Nick Cannon visited RAC of the URJ to speak with Reform Jewish leaders about this crucial topic. 

Here is a clip that appeared on ABC’s Soul of a Nation, featuring a segment of Cannon's discussion with Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center, and Yolanda Savage-Narva, URJ Director of Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Others who took part in the conversation, though not featured in the clip, are Evan Traylor, rabbinical student, Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion; Dr. Deitra Reiser, owner, Transform for Equity; and Rabbi Esther Lederman, director of congregational innovation, URJ. 

Nick Cannon Foundation has partnered with the 400 Years of African-American History Commission. The Commission will develop and facilitate activities throughout the United States to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans in the English colonies at Point Comfort, Virginia in 1619. The Commission is recognizing and highlighting the resilience and contributions of African Americans from that seminal moment forward, while simultaneously acknowledging the painful impact of slavery, racial discrimination, and racism on our Nation. Because of the efforts of the Commission, Americans of all ethnicities will be more aware of the immense sacrifices and prodigious contributions made by African Americans to our Nation over the course of the last 400 years.

Nick Cannon Foundation will continue its commitment to supporting and participating in Peace Games around the nation. In Charlotte (below), the Peace Game included a pick-up basketball game with students, the community, and off duty police officers to foster greater police-community trust and legitimacy. 

What started in 2012 as a partnership with St. Sabina Church has transformed into an impactful stand against violence in the city of Chicago. Culminating in the Peace Games annually, the Peace League’s mission is to mentor at risk youth to find and achieve their purpose by providing them an outlet. The Peace League has become a safe and friendly alternative for local teens and the community and has helped youth to be champions both on and off the court. The Peace League has made a measurable impact in the city of Chicago. The games start with basketball, but the program extends off of the court. Through the program, teens have been encouraged to complete GED class and job training. Furthermore, the games have helped to address gang violence in Chicago. “We have brought six different gangs together to build relationships with each other,” recalls Father Mike. “We believe that if we provide options, if we show that we care, if we reach out and offer alternatives, we can not only build peace, but we can change people’s lives.”