President Obama signed the "White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans" on July 26, 2012. This executive order recognizes that many "African Americans lack equal access to highly effective teachers and principals, safe schools, and challenging college preparatory classes, and disproportionately experience school discipline and referrals to special education" (Obama 2012). School libraries can play an instrumental role in achieving the goals outlined in this executive order. Preparing students for college, a career, and a lifetime of learning are fundamental responsibilities of the school library community. A report, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and distributed by the School of Information & Library Science at the University of North Carolina, argues that designing effective library programs and services for African American youth requires five elements: (1) School administrators who provide the necessary infrastructure for developing and delivering library services; (2) Culturally competent and caring school librarians who interact with African American youth as individuals, set high expectations for them, and help them develop their sense of agency; (3) Library programs that connect literacy to the real world and enable African American youth to act in their own communities; (4) Library resources that nurture the resolve of African American youth; and (5) Library spaces that are welcoming places for African American youth and enable them to increase and express their literacy (Hughes-Hassell et al. 2012). This article provides descriptions of each of these elements.