On December 1, 2014 in response to the untimely death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and the ongoing issues of police brutality targeted against men and boys of color, Tides, in partnership with The Advocacy Fund and Oakland Rising, hosted a listening conversation in Oakland, California with 20 men and boys of color ages 16-24 and a host of concerned community leaders and influencers. Over 220 people attended the event which engaged young men and boys from Bay Area communities in a forward focused examination of the following question: What must happen in America to make sure that what happened in Ferguson, Missouri never happens again? The purpose of this evening, led by Toby Thompkins – Tides VP of Community Initiatives and Global Partnerships - was to ensure that the voices, lived experiences and critical thinking of our community’s most impacted citizens are fully engaged in generating a future of their own design, what we like to refer to as a “preferred future.”