THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING SATURDAY UNIVERSITY IN OUR COMMUNITY

Hadiya Pendleton:

murdered honors student

and symbol of Chicago violence

Karen McVeigh - New York

31 January 2013

She was the 42nd gun death victim in Chicago this year, a 15-year-old girl in the "wrong place at the wrong time", according to police. Now the killing of Hadiya Pendleton, an honours student, shot dead just days after performing at President Obama's inauguration, has become a symbol of the city's stubbornly high murder rate amid a national debate over gun control.

Hadiya, a student at the elite Kings College prep school and majorette in the school's marching band, performed with her classmates at several inauguration events last week in Washington. She dreamed of going to Northwestern University and talked about becoming a pharmacist, a journalist, or maybe a lawyer, according to the Chicago Tribune.

She was shot dead on Tuesday afternoon after school, sheltering from torrential rain sweeping Obama's home town in a park in the South Side with a group of friends, police said.

The area, which is three blocks from Hadiya's school and about a mile from the president's home, is a known gang hangout, and police believe she and her friends were mistaken for rivals.

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Tune In to Listen to Pastor Corey Brooks "AKA - The Roof Top Preacher And the Gang Funeral Pastor" and Phillip Jackson Educate or Die!!! on At Issue Sunday, February 3, 2013 with Mike Krauser 6:30 am on WXRT-FM Click Here to Stream 9:30 am on WBBM-AM Click Here to Stream 9:30 pm on WBBM-AM Click Here to Stream 11:30 pm on the SCORE-670-AM - Click Here Listen to Pastor Corey Brooks and Phillip Jackson talk about solutions to youth violence in America and creating high educational achievement, especially among African American students. Please call 773.285.9600 for more information about The Black Star Project.

Tune In to Listen to Black Tiger Moms on Saturday, February 2, 2013 6:00 PM Chicago Time On WVON -1690 AM These Black mothers will do anything to protect their children and ensure that their children receive an outstanding education. Listen to their keys to success for their children. Join us at 7:00 pm Eastern; 6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaskan; 2:00 pm Hawaiian. Listener Call-In Number 773-591-1690 Listen to The Black Star Project's Internationally Acclaimed Radio Program The Parent Revolution Every Saturday on WVON 1690AM Click Here to Tune In. The Black Star Project thanks the Board of Directors of The Field Foundation of Illinois, Illinois State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins and Illinois State Senator Kimberly A. Lightford for their generous support for our parenting programs. Please call 773.285.9600 for more information about The Black Star Project.

A Great Night of Chess for Fathers and Their Families at The Black Star Project on January 30, 2013 Join us February 27, 2013 for our next Fathers and Families Chess Night. Fathers, men, their children and spouses are encouraged to attend this event. Please call 773.285.9600 for more information.

There are those who cry, complain and lament the destruction of Black boys in the American education system and, on the other hand, there are those who do something about it. The men from Morehouse College In February 2013, 50 Saturday Universities will open around the country that will focus on best practices for teaching Black boys and young men. We need you to open a Saturday University in your school, church, community or city for Black Boys and young men? Here is why you need a Saturday University for Black Boys. In Chicago, only 3 out of 100 Black boys will graduate from a 4-year college by age 26 Only 4% of U.S. college students are Black males Less than 2% of U.S. teachers are Black males Only 9% of Black young men attending Rochester, N.Y. Public Schools graduate from high school Only about 50% of all Black young men in the U.S. graduatee from high school Only 12% of U.S. black students perform at grade level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress Black students in the U.S. are getting a lesser education than many students in third world countries according to the 2011 International PISA assessment The average 17-year-old American Black student has the reading and math scores of the average 13-year-old American white student Black males are suspended more, expelled more and arrested more in U.S. schools than any other American students according to the U.S. Dept. of Education. Low educational achievement among Black boys and young men feeds high educational failure, high unemployment, high incarceration, a propensity towards violence and high mortality in Black boys and young men. Please call 773.285.9600 to get a free organizing guide and technical assistance to start a Saturday University in your school, church, community or city.

Equal Internet Access Is a K-12 Must-Have COMMENTARY By Helen Brunner January 30, 2013 The days when spiral notebooks, No. 2 pencils, and a backpack full of textbooks served as the mainstays of the American classroom are rapidly giving way to a new school environment. Interactive whiteboards, online classes, streaming lectures, and digital textbooks are revolutionizing the way students learn and communicate with their teachers. Technology is blurring the brick-and-mortar boundaries of learning in 21st-century schools. As a result, access to the Internet has become a need-to-have-not just a nice-to-have-when it comes to student success. After all, according to documents the Federal Communications Commission's broadband task force released in 2009, about 70 percent of teens said the Internet had been their primary source for a recent school project, and at least 65 percent went online at home to complete their homework. Teachers routinely assign homework that requires Internet use to complete, and more than half of American schools expect to adopt e-textbooks in the next two to three years. But with this increased reliance on the Internet as a basic resource in our education system, we can't forget about the infrastructure that makes it all possible. We must ensure that all students-no matter their location or socioeconomic status-have access to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet both in and outside the classroom. Even if students have reliable Internet access at school, many become digitally disconnected once they leave. This is especially true for those who live in rural or low-income communities, and it makes their homework harder to complete. Click Here to Read Full Article

Calling All Fathers, Stepfathers, Foster Fathers, Grandfathers, Godfathers, Uncles, Brothers and Male Caregivers! Join The Black Star Project's Million Fathers Club to see the best Men's College Basketball (FREE) The University of Illinois Chicago Flames vs. Cleveland State University Vikings Saturday, February 2, 2013 at The UIC Pavilion 525 S. Racine Street Chicago, Illinois Game starts at 7:00 pm. The Black Star Project has transportation from our offices at 3509 South King Drive, Chicago, Illinois, to and from the game. Please call 773.285.9600 to RSVP or for more information about this game. Men and women of all races, ethnicities and faith backgrounds may and should attend this event with their children.

In Chicago, We Will Help Fund and Open at Least 100 Bank Accounts for Children and Youth with Money Provided by Black Star Project Supporters and the Monroe Foundation Join Stephanie D. Neely Treasurer, City of Chicago And The Monroe Foundation in the EVERY CHILD NEEDS A SAVINGS ACCOUNT CAMPAIGN ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2013 Program Starts at 9:00 am Press Conference at 9:30 am WVON LEGACY ROOM 1000 East 87th Street Chicago, Illinois The Monroe Foundation seeks 100 low-income families to open accounts for 100 children at Guaranty Bank, First Midwest Bank, Marquette Bank and PNC Bank for up to 2 children/minors/young adults under 18 at this event Please joined with City of Chicago Treasurer Stephanie D. Neely, to "kick-off" the campaign, "EVERY CHILD NEEDS A SAVINGS ACCOUNT". Parents and guardians must attend with their children and sign appropriate papers. Please call 773-315-9720 to RSVP or email omonroe@themonroefoundation.org for more information.

Daughters Grab Your Fathers for The Black Star Project's Million Fathers Club 2013 Daddy Daughter Dance Saturday, February 9, 2013 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm at The Black Star Ballroom 3509 South King Drive Chicago, Illinois Daughters will give their fathers this coin. Click Here to learn more about the TEAMDAD coin or to purchase a coin for your father. Fathers will give their daughters a red rose. Young women 4- to 14-years old are invited to dress up and show their fathers a good time at The Black Star Project's 5th Annual Daddy Daughter Dance. Cost $30.00 per couple and $5.00 per extra young lady. Please call 773.285.9600 to register your couple or to get a free organizing kit to bring the Daddy Daughter Dance to your city. Attire: Dress To Impress Music - Dancing - Food - Fun - Crafts - Pictures!!!