Foxx visits Fayetteville State University to promote 'My Brother's Keeper'

Following the meeting, the pair took questions at a public forum. The former Charlotte Mayor said turning the lives of disadvantaged young men around has economic benefits for the entire country.

“There are lots of example of successful African-American men and women who survived almost insurmountable odds to be successful,” Foxx said. “What we want young people to do is to help us make that not insurmountable, but to make that the norm, not the exception.”

Foxx said many communities have several programs in place targeting disadvantaged youth. He said My Brother’s Keeper is an effort to pool those resources into one organized effort to make a real difference in the lives of young people.

"Many of them come from the same backgrounds of students who don't succeed," said Fayetteville State University Chancellor, Dr. James Anderson. "We want them to be the next wave of young leaders to carry this baton forward and to really make a commitment themselves to helping younger peers."

Foxx told the crowd that the project is a long-term commitment, and that it starts with local communities pulling their resources to turn young lives around.