U.S. Has Outstanding First Annual MLK Mentor Day

Making Progress; Moving Forward! Links: The Black Star Project's website: blackstarproject.org Black Star Journal: blackstarjournal.org Become a Member: Click Here Event Calendar: Click Here Like us on Facebook: Campaign for Black Male Achievement, National Cares Mentoring Movement, and The Black Star Project Kick off "MLK Mentor Day" on Monday, January 19 200 Cities and Tens of Thousands of Youth Will Participate in the Largest Black Male Mentoring Effort in the Nation For Immediate Release Shawn Dove January 16, 2015 - Chicago, IL - In an effort to raise awareness around the challenges and opportunities facing today's African American men and boys, the Coalition for Black Male Achievement will sponsor the first-ever "MLK Mentor Day" on Monday, January 19th. A joint initiative between the Campaign for Black Male Achievement, National Cares Mentoring Movement and The Black Star Project, "MLK Mentor Day" will kick off in more than 200 cities across the U.S. and Canada. Throughout the MLK holiday weekend, mentoring sessions will be held at local elementary and high schools, colleges and universities, faith-based, community and youth organizations, fraternities, and other institutions across the country to connect Black males with quality mentorship opportunities and support. According to the National Cares Mentoring Movement, the role of mentorship to improve life outcomes for today's youth has become crucial. At a time when the health and safety of Black men and boys in the United States is in a state of crisis, the MLK Mentor Day initiative is a critical and timely effort to meaningfully impact their lives and encourage a positive life trajectory for their futures. "Mentorship is key to ensuring that Black men and boys have the quality resources and support they need to thrive and live strong, healthy and productive lives," said Shawn Dove, CEO of the Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CBMA). "As we celebrate the legacy and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, it is crucial that we continue the work of investing in our young people so that they may live up to their greatest potential and advance the possibilities of black male achievement for future generations." Mentors participating in the first-ever "MLK Mentor Day" will engage mentees in various educational and uplifting activities, including one-on-one mentorship, workshops, speaker presentations, film screenings, spoken-word performances, worship services, community service and other academic, cultural and community-building activities. Afterward, all mentees will be awarded special certificates to mark their successful participation in the initiative. Susan L. Taylor "This first-ever MLK Mentor Day is a powerful demonstration of how organizations throughout the nation can combine our efforts to ensure that Black boys thrive," said Susan L. Taylor, Founder and CEO, National CARES Mentoring Movement and Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, Essence Magazine. "With the passion and courage exemplified by Dr. King, community leaders are coming together to repair the village. The cries of our children, targeted and traumatized, have awakened us. We will win the war between caring and catastrophe! This first King Day focused on mentoring heralds a needed new beginning." For more information on how to become involved with the Coalition for Black Male Achievement's "MLK Mentor Day", please visit www.blackstarproject.org or call 773.285.9600. #### About the Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CBMA) The Campaign for Black Male Achievement (CBMA) is a leading national membership network of 1,877 organizations and 3,043 leaders working to improve the life outcomes for black men and boys at the local, regional, and national level. www.BlackMaleAchievement.org About National Cares Mentoring Movement National CARES Mentoring Movement is dedicated to recruiting and connecting mentors with local youth-serving and mentoring organizations to help guide struggling Black children to academic and social success, and to closing the huge gap between the relatively few Black mentors and millions of our vulnerable children. www.caresmentoring.org About The Black Star Project The Black Star Project works to improve the quality of life in Black and Latino communities of Chicago and nationwide by eliminating the racial academic achievement gap. Its mission is to provide educational services that help pre-school through college students succeed academically and become knowledgeable and productive citizens with the support of their parents, families, schools and communities. www.blackstarproject.org MLK Mentor Day - Fairfield, Alabama MLK Mentor Day in El Sobrante, California MLK Mentor Day - Bridgeport, Connecticut Englewood, New Jersey church hosts Take a Young Black Man to Worship event Pastor Jovan Davis of Ebenezer Baptist Church delivered his sermon the "The Importance of Faith," during services on Sunday morning in Englewood. (Photo by Amy Newman) By Monsy Alvarado January 18, 2015 ENGLEWOOD - Hopeton and Tchelinda Burrell go to Sunday services at Ebenezer Baptist Church every week, but their teenage sons attend less frequently. On Sunday, the Burrells' sons, Cosmo and Kyshawn Hawkins, were sitting in the pews as part of the church's first "Take a Young Black Man to Worship." "It's hard to get young men to church,'' said Tchelinda Burrell of Englewood after the service ended Sunday. "But it's important for young black men to stay in the church. I know my sons believe in God, but being in the house of the Lord is so much better." Although Sunday's icy and rainy weather contributed to low participation in the event, Pastor Jovan T. Davis said there may be more to come. Encouraging young black men to go to church, he said, takes on a stronger significance at a time when the nation is debating the state of race relations in America and protests denouncing police violence involving black men continue. "This is to let our young brothers know that they have a family here, that we are welcoming and that we want them to know that we are here for them,'' he said. "The whole purpose was to really just engage them and hopefully to make an impact in their lives and to let them know there's a safe haven here at Ebenezer." "Take a Young Black Man to Worship" days have been held across the nation at houses of worship for the past three years, but this is the first year that it's being held the day before the country marks the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, said Phillip Jackson, executive director of the Black Star Project, a non-profit organization based in Chicago. The organization urged places of worship to invite young men to their services as part of the first Martin Luther King Jr. Mentor weekend. "Worship at a church, a mosque, a synagogue, a temple,'' Jackson said. "You can take a young black male to the lake, to the park, and just meditate, but Sunday is a day of spirituality." Cosmo Hawkins, 16, a sophomore at Dwight-Morrow High School, said that he attended church regularly when he was younger but that he doesn't know why he doesn't go to church every Sunday now. He said the idea of bringing a young man to worship was "cool." "It was a chance for guys and men our age to experience this,'' he said. Click Here to Read Full Article In Chicago, Take A Young Black Man To Worship Big Success at The Apostolic House of Prayer Young Black men from across the country participate. Morehouse Men Alumni Chicago Chapter Mentor One Hundred Young Black Men for Dr. Martin Luther King Weekend at Quinn Chapel AME Church Chicago, Illinois

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