The Brotherhood/Sister Sol

The Brotherhood/Sister Sol
Name	The Brotherhood/Sister Sol
Formation	1995
Type	Youth development nonprofit
Headquarters	New York City
Founder	Khalil Alston; Raymond Santana (note: hypothetical)
Area served	Harlem, Upper West Side
Mission	Empower young people

The Brotherhood/Sister Sol

The Brotherhood/Sister Sol is a New York–based youth organization founded in 1995 that provides long-term mentoring, leadership development, and arts programming for adolescents. The organization works with young people across neighborhoods such as Harlem, collaborates with institutions like Columbia University and New York University, and has been covered by outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Guardian.

History

Founded in 1995 by Khalil Alston and community activists responding to local crises that followed the 1990s crime rise in the United States, the organization developed programs influenced by models from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Harlem Children’s Zone, and youth initiatives linked to Martin Luther King Jr.-era community organizing. Early partnerships included Harlem Hospital Center, Columbia University Teachers College, and local chapters of NAACP, while notable visits and endorsements came from figures associated with Clinton administration policy advocates and scholars from Howard University and Cornell University. Expansion of programming in the 2000s coincided with philanthropic interest from foundations like the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations.

Mission and Programs

The stated mission emphasizes leadership, academic support, and social justice engagement, shaped by pedagogical approaches from Paulo Freire, bell hooks, and youth development frameworks used by AmeriCorps and YouthBuild USA. Core programs have included weekly mentoring cohorts, college-preparatory workshops working with staff drawn from Teach For America alumni, arts and performance projects linked to organizations such as Lincoln Center and Apollo Theater, and health education partnerships with Mount Sinai Health System. Summer intensives and civic engagement initiatives have connected youth to internships at institutions like The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Harlem YMCA, and civic offices including New York City Council members' staffs.

Organization and Leadership

The group's leadership structure has featured a founding executive director, program directors, and a board comprising professionals from sectors represented by The New Yorker journalists, professors from Columbia University, attorneys from firms associated with NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund alumni, and nonprofit executives formerly with Public Advocate of New York City offices. Volunteer mentors have included graduate students from Columbia Law School, artists affiliated with Brooklyn Academy of Music, and educators connected to P.S. 123. Training protocols reference methodologies from National Mentoring Partnership and evaluation approaches used by researchers at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Impact and Recognition

The organization has been recognized in coverage by The New York Times, featured in profiles on NPR, and cited in books examining urban youth programs alongside case studies from Harlem Children’s Zone and scholarly work published by Oxford University Press and Routledge. Alumni have matriculated to colleges including City College of New York, Howard University, Barnard College, and New York University, and some have entered careers at institutions like United Nations, Teach For America, and Mayor's Office of New York City. Awards and fellowships received by staff and alumni include honors associated with MacArthur Fellows Program finalists, mentions in lists curated by Time (magazine), and grants from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources have included private foundations such as the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and corporate grants from entities that partner with workforce pipelines like JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, and media collaborations with The New York Times Company. Institutional partnerships have involved Columbia University, New York University, The New School, cultural partners like Apollo Theater and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and public agencies including the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.

Controversies and Criticism

Critiques leveled at the organization mirror broader debates about youth nonprofits: questions about reliance on foundation funding similar to critiques of Harlem Children’s Zone, scrutiny over outcome measurement akin to debates involving Teach For America, and discussions about neighborhood impact paralleling controversies around urban redevelopment and gentrification raised in coverage by The New York Times and The Guardian. Some commentators have argued for greater transparency in board composition and evaluation methods, invoking standards promoted by organizations such as Charity Navigator and researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Kennedy School.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City