VIDEO: Wes Moore talks second chances at town hall

Author Wes Moore praised My Brother's Keeper, a White House initiative aimed at helping "young boys of color," avoid jail and embrace education, during an informal interview before the Ringling College Library Association Town Hall Lecture Series Thursday morning.

"This isn't just about how exactly how are we helping young boys of color, this is about the fact that when you look at every single ration that boys of color are falling behind — on educational attainment, on employment attainment and the success and stability of families," Moore said. The veteran and Rhodes Scholar has personal and literary experience that show the power of positive intervention in the lives of troubled youth.

Moore's mother Joy enrolled a 12-year-old Wes Moore in military school after noticing some academic and behavioral issues.

"I found myself in an environment where leadership mattered," Moore said. Around the same time, another man with same name, born blocks from Moore, was on a course that would culminate with a life sentence in prison for murder.

Moore wrote The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates about the similarities and differences between himself and Wes Moore, the convicted felon, who both began their lives with in surprisingly similar situations. The book calls attention to the choices faced by troubled youth of color that influence the remainder of their lives — something My Brother's Keeper aims to influence positively through partnerships with public and private organizations.

"I applaud the fact that we're making this a part of a bigger national conversation because our community development and competitiveness depends on it," Moore said. "I think that we now need to make sure that there's real meat behind what that means."