June 14, 2013

Elders Line-Up to Teach Young Males How to Be A Strong, Positive Black Man; Michelle Alexander Gives One of the Best Speeches of the 21st Century; Rites of Passage Conference in Baltimore; Summer Saturday University

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Making Progress; Moving Forward!
Elders Lead Mass Black Male Graduation
Occupy The Streets with Father Pfleger
National Rites of Passage Conference in Baltimore
One of the Best Speeches of the 21st Century
Team Dad Introduces The Father Factor
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Some of the most powerful Black men in America will lead 500 Black males to manhood, including these Elders below!
left to right, U.S Senator Roland Burris, Professor Timuel Black, Congressman Danny K. Davis and Attorney James Montgomery.
 
Elders Confirmed to Participate Include:
 
Dr. (Honorary) John Batson - Concerned Community Defenders of Rosemore, (Retired) Chicago Police Department)
Professor Timuel Black - Historian
Wallace "Gator" Bradley - President, United In Peace 
U.S. Senator (retired) Roland Burris
Justice William Cousins - retired
Alderman Willie Cochran - 20th Ward
Congressman Danny K. Davis - 7th Congressional District
Representative William Davis - 30th District
David Day - Regional Director (78 stores), Macy's
Dr. Paul Hannah - Hannah's Inner Healing
Tio Hardiman - formerly with CeaseFire
State Representative Thaddeus Jones -29th District
CEO/Dr. Sokoni Karanja - Centers for New Horizon
Attorney Theodore London - Law Office of Theodore London
Dr. Terry Mason - Chief Medical Officer, Cook County Health and Hospital Systems
Otis Monroe - CEO, Monroe Foundation
Attorney Jim Montgomery - Law Offices Of Cochran, Cherry, Givens Smith & Montgomery, L.L.C.
Dr. Gregory Primus - Chicago Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Surgery
State Representative Elgie Sims -34th District
Cook County Commissioner Robert Steele - 2nd District
State Representative Andre Thapedi -32nd District
Every young Black man in America should be at this ceremony. Young Black men must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, teacher, pastor or mentor.  This event is open and free to everyone, with or without a young Black man.  Chicago State University is the place to be for young Black men on June 29, 2013.  All young Black men attending should wear a shirt and tie.  Dress to excel!!! Admission by free ticket only. Please call 773.285.9600 for free tickets or for more information.
The Black Star Project
supports
Occupy The Streets of Chicago
with 
Father Michael Pfleger 
 
and the 
Faith Community of Saint Sabina
Friday, June 21, 2013
7:00 pm - 500 free t-shirts at 6:00 pm
78th Place and Throop (1250 west)
Chicago, Illinois
We invite people throughout Chicago to stand up and declare their commitment to occupy our streets this summer to bring about Peace!
Call St. Sabina at 773.483.4300
Call The Black Star Project at 773.285.9600
 

    
The National Rites of Passage Institute's 
2013 Youth and Community 
Building Conference 
Friday, July 19, 2013 through Sunday, July 21, 2013 
at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum 
Baltimore, Maryland
 
The gathering, which is themed "Exploring Our Passage to Purpose", will bring together 200-300 youth participants, adult youth advocates, and the foremost experts and scholars on rites of passage in North America. This gathering will showcase the learning of over 30 years of employing rites of passage in different settings, as well as, celebrate the accomplishments, benefits, and results of Rites of Passage (ROP) as a strategy for youth and community development in the United States and Canada. 
 
The unique weekend experience will allow the intergenerational participation of youth, practitioners, parents and scholars to engage with one another on a variety of issues facing youth and communities and how they have employed the strategy of rites of passage and culturally specific programming to make a difference. By sharing stories, experiences, and best-practices they will learn new ways to support youth and be inspired to return home with a new sense of purpose to implement the Rites of Passage process as they work to make their community and programs better.
 
 
Click Here to Learn More About Conference 
Click Here to Register for Conference
  
This video should be the most watched video on Youtube! This video is the answer to the why we need change in society, in America, in the world. If this video get's to it's peak, the world will inevitably be on it's way to change!  MLK would be proud of Michelle Alexander!  I know I am! 
 
Karen Glover Burkett 
I am so very happy that she called it redesign and saying she was against this kind of thinking. I am so glad she has awaken and taking action. I love this video.
 
Very insightful ! I did my thesis on black males and education and a lot of what you mentioned was in my paper. It is sad that these stats have not changed since I last did my research.
 
I hope Michelle Alexander runs for public office some day. She has my vote!
 
This is the realest of the real. Thanks M. Alexander. You nailed it. Plain and simple. 
 
rahim mcneil
What a fantastic speech! This is the type of person we need representing race relations in the country.
 
Awesome research and a real EYE opener!  Racism is not dead and can only be attacked through our own minds. Change the conditions and thought process.
 
She is the truth!
 
I have watched several of Michelle's videos--her research is very thorough- undisputable
 
Where do i sign up to help bring about change? Change really needs to happen!!!!
 
Please click here to see and hear Professor Michelle Alexander speaking on "The New Jim Crow"!
 
Click here to purchase and read her book, "The New Jim Crow'
 

In Michigan, record number of school districts operating under budget deficit, officials say
 
It's not just urban school  districts, like Detroit, Ecorse and Pontiac, that are operating with deficits, state School Superintendent Mike Flanagan told legislators Thursday morning.
 
Fifty-five districts, including Mt. Clemens, Brighton, Pinckney and White Cloud, are spending more money than they're taking in and are subject to state review.
 
It's the largest number of deficit-ridden schools  the state's seen, Flanagan said.
"Some may have experienced an enrollment  decline over the summer, or maybe you don't have a good financial person," Flanagan said. "Sometimes there are boards that don't want to make the tough decisions and they have assumptions in their budgets that just aren't reasonable."
 
He told legislators on a joint House and Senate Appropriations subcommittee that if he had his way, there would be countywide school districts and he would have the authority to dissolve districts that clearly weren't emerging from deficit.
 
Such is the case in the Buena Vista school district, which temporarily closed its doors in May because it had run out of money.
 
"The world is full of critics and we need playwrights," he said. "Why don't you give us a county system to look at. We're not capable or have the staff to do something like that. I would welcome you guys telling me what laws and what procedures we have to change."
 
Click Here to Read Full Story
TEAMDAD Launches An Indiegogo Campaign Entitled: The Father Factor
May 28, 2013 Barrington, IL - 

WHAT - TEAMDAD launches The Father Factor Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to put proven fatherhood resources into public schools around Illinois and across the nation. "Perks" range in price from $2 to $5,000. The three year goal is to provide 500,000 dads of students in public schools, with proven fatherhood resources. Every $100 raised puts a Great Dad Starter Kit, which provide five dads with copies of:
- the award winning, national best-seller Be A Better Dad Today!
by The Honorable Gregory W. Slayton,
- the What My Father Means To Me guide including 24 essays
and the 7 session ICAN's framework (Involvement, Consistency,
Awareness, and Nurturance),
- the TEAMDAD Self Assessment Tool worksheet to provide some
immediate feedback on four areas of fathering: Financial, Physical,
Emotional and Spiritual, and
- the TEAMDAD Great Dad's Coin, which can be carried daily or displayed
at work or home to serve as a 24-7 reminder about being a great dad.

WHEN - starting today and through Saturday, June 22, 2013

WHERE - at www.indiegogo.com then proceed to The Father Factor page.

WHY - Research shows 4 out of 10 or and estimated 24,000,000 children are growing up today in father-absent homes. Children from fatherless homes are more likely to live in poverty, drop out of school, use/abuse drugs and alcohol, become teen parents commit suicide, commit crimes and become incarcerated.
TEAMDAD - is a social business venture with a double bottom line. The first is to have a social impact as noted above. The second is to be a successful self-sustaining business. Peggy Hirsch is president of TEAMDAD LLC, a woman-owned social business venture, whose primary purpose is to inspire and equip men to be great dads.  "We believe every child needs a dad they can count on. The research is clear: children thrive when they have an involved father-someone who is present financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually." said Peggy, "We inspire and equip men to be more involved fathers and father figures."

For More Information- go to www.teamdad.com

Summer Saturday University
This summer, ensure that your children excel in their learning at a Saturday University. Saturday University is one of the newest and most effective educational concepts in America for educating students of color.  It is family- and community-driven education at its best.  As many/most Black children in American schools are failing academically, the only way to successfully educate them is with the support and actions of their parents, families and communities. Register now for one of our 20 free Chicago-area Saturday Universities beginning now. 
Please Call 773.285.9600 to register. 

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