BOSTON (January 27, 2023) – Uncornered, an organization known for its unique approach to ending generational urban poverty through the cessation of gang violence, has named Dr. Bernard Franklin as Managing Director.
Uncornered is a movement that engages and supports Core Influencers – active and former gang-involved individuals – to become positive change agents in their communities with academic, mental health and financial supports. The organization is grounded in the belief that Core Influencers, those who are the closest to, and most directly impacted by, violence are the solution to ending that violence.
As Managing Director of Uncornered, Franklin joins the executive leadership team to both amplify Uncornered’s mission and bring resources to help the organization grow and to build and strengthen the mental health approach of Uncornered.
“I know this population and understand their pain. Uncornered tells them we believe in you and we are willing to invest in you” Franklin says. “I’ve long felt a calling to help support Black and brown men toward a path of recovery.” Uncornered sets high expectations and provides Core Influencers with both weekly stipends and mental health support from peer mentors, so they can focus on their studies. Franklin joined the organization in the fall of 2022.
Franklin brings more than 30 years of mental health, nonprofit and higher education experience to Uncornered. “Bernard Franklin is an accomplished, brilliant leader dedicated to our vision of transforming cities by supporting and engaging those closest to the violence,” says Uncornered co-founder Michelle Caldeira. Franklin earned a PhD in Counseling and Higher Education Administration with an outside emphasis of Family Studies at Kansas State University. He has vast experience as a senior university administrator including serving as President of Kansas City based Metropolitan Community College – Penn Valley. He has also served as executive director of the Kauffman Scholars, guiding, and supporting urban Kansas City youth in graduating from high school and college. He was part of the Kansas City Chiefs’ counseling team as well as being team chaplain. Franklin recently completed a fellowship with Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative. He is the proud widowed father of four adult children and seven grandchildren.
Uncornered is unique in that its work is to turn the already influential gang leaders into positive, rather than negative, influences in Boston. One percent of Boston’s youth are involved with 50 percent of the city’s violent crimes. Uncornered aims to help that one percent create new, successful, and fulfilling lives off the street corners thus changing the trajectory of individuals and families for generations to come, while also improving the economics and livability of Boston and potentially other cities.
Nine in 10 Uncornered students did not return to violent activity. In the last four years, Boston Uncornered paid nearly three million dollars in weekly stipends to Core Influencers who were enrolled in school and the results achieved have been impressive. Each Boston Uncornered student saves the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and taxpayers at least $70,000 per year, as education is less expensive than incarceration or being involved in the judicial system. This translates into a total savings of $5.5 million to the city of Boston.
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About Boston Uncornered
Uncornered is an approach to gang violence and systemic generational urban poverty that was launched in 2016 in Boston. Uncornered provides neighborhood-based mentors, mental health support, college-focused education, and financial assistance in the form of guaranteed income for highly influential Core Influencers as they become positive change agents – breaking cycles of poverty and violence by transforming neighborhoods. Uncornered is a national model for using education to end systemic generational urban poverty and violence. For more information, please visit www.uncornered.org.