[1] Over the past 30 years, in the fields of education, social policy, youth development, cultural theory, philanthropy and religion, he has created a series of structured venues as pathways for how citizens might live life in communities as individuals and as members of groups where peace, meaning, and innovation are nurtured.
He received a diploma from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and an Honorary Doctorate for Public Service from Central Michigan University.
As executive director of the National Task Force on African American Men and Boys he edited the groundbreaking report Repairing the Breach: Key Ways to Support Family Life, Reclaim Our Streets, and Rebuild Civil Society in America's Communities.
In the study distinguished African-American leaders provide solutions to the problems faced by young black men in the U.S., based on findings by a task force assembled in 1994 by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
Chaired by Andrew Young, the Task Force founded its carefully researched recommendations largely on grassroots programs around the country which have been successful in rebuilding lives and communities.
William Raspberry, Washington Post columnist called the strategies outlined in the book, "the plan to save America."
"[6] Austin is the former Chairman of the Planning Committee on the Status of African American Men, convened by Congressman Danny Davis.
The Harvard University Graduate School of Education's Dean's Advisory Committee on Equity and Diversity and the Morehouse Research Institute hosted a conference reflecting on 20 years since the groundbreaking report by the National Task Force on African-American men and boys; "Repairing the Breach: Key Ways to Support Family Life, Reclaim Our Streets and Rebuild Civil Society in America's Communities."