And the Children Shall Save Chicago from Violence, Outrageous Math Race Gap In Illinois, Million Father March Updates

"And the Children Shall Lead the People of the City of Chicago Away from the Curse of Violence"
Because adults can't or won't stop the
violence, the children must!!!


Jabril Porter-Ollarvia, 7 years old (center with African dashiki), and his band 3, 4, and 5 years olds from the Chatham-Avalon Nursery School in Chicago, recently signed pledges stating that they would not participate in any kind of verbal, physical, emotional or spiritual violence. Copies of these pledges were sent to President Barack Obama asking him to help stop the violence in Chicago.

With five police-involved shootings in the last week in Chicago, Police Superintendent Jody Weis said,"People are trying to murder police officers left and right ... and if they'll do that to a uniformed officer, what will they do to civilians and innocent people on the street?"

And with 43 children and youth killed in the past 10 1/2 moths, The Black Star Project has launch the most comprehensive stop the violence campaign in Chicago history, "The Peace In The Hood" Campaign. This campaign builds on the work of the "Peace In The Hood" Campaign in Cleveland, Ohio.

The "Peace in the Hood" Campaign consists of:
"PEACE IN THE HOOD" window signs in about 2,500 businesses throughout Chicago
"PEACE IN THE HOOD" window signs in about 10,000 homes throughout Chicago
"PEACE IN THE HOOD" windshield signs in about 5,000 cars
Thousands of "Peace in the Hood" T-Shirts on Chicago youth
All information translated into Spanish - "PAZ EN EL BARRIO"
Thousands of pledges by children and youth to "Stop the Violence"
Men walking "Peace and Hope Patrols"
We need men to walk up and down their streets to bring peace and hope back to their community. So far, very few men have signed up, but we are out on patrol.
Please call 773.285.9600 for men and women to join this "PEACE IN THE HOOD" effort or for more information about "PEACE IN THE HOOD".
'Outrageous' state race gap in math in Illinois
The black-white math gaps were also unusually large in Wisconsin, Connecticut and Nebraska.



'Outrageous' state race gap in math

DISPARITY EXCEEDS NATION'S Illinois Blacks score much worse than whites
July 15, 2009
BY ROSALIND ROSSI, Education Reporter

Illinois has one of the biggest black-white achievement gaps in mathematics in the country, national data released Tuesday indicate.

Newly analyzed results from a 2007 national test show Illinois is one of only four states in which the black-white math performance gap is larger than the nation's at both fourth- and eighth-grade levels"In this land of Lincoln, we are really creating a stratified system,'' said Max McGee, president of the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and former Illinois superintendent of schools. "These results are outrageous and ought to be an immediate call to action."

The black-white math gaps were also unusually large in Wisconsin, Connecticut and Nebraska.

In fourth-grade math in 2007, white Illinois students scored 32 points higher than their African-American counterparts on the 500-point national test. The national gap was only 26 points.

By eighth grade, white Illinois kids scored 38 points higher than black peers. Nationally, white eighth-graders outpaced blacks by 31 points. The disparity was largely due to black Illinois students doing worse than African Americans nationally.

The results reflect only public school students who took the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
In reading, Illinois' racial disparity was much closer to that of the national average.
Some studies have tied the black-white achievement gap to the fact that African Americans are more likely to be poor, come from single-parent homes, face less classroom rigor and have less-prepared teachers.

McGee said Illinois needs to attack the math gap by teaching teachers to make math more interesting.

"The problem is, kids get to eighth grade and they don't like math because it's not taught in an interesting manner,'' McGee said.

A would-be fifth-grade math teacher in Illinois needs only six semester hours of math as a college student to get an elementary teaching certificate, noted Barbara Radner, director of DePaul University's Center for Urban Education.
"Nationally we have been looking at school reform with a focus on the school itself,'' Radner said. "We need to intervene where the problem begins -- at the requirements for teacher preparation.''
In North Carolina

Countdown to the Million Father March begins in North Carolina

Published Monday, July 13, 2009 by Sommer BrokawWAKE FOREST - A local planning committee expects to have thousands of fathers march their children to school Aug. 25 as part of a mass movement.

The W.E.B. DuBois Community Development Corporation planning committee has begun holding meetings for the local third annual event. Phillip Jackson, executive director of The Black Star Project in Chicago, is the brainchild behind the idea. Jackson started the national march six years ago to send a message that, contrary to stereotype, black fathers are involved in their children's lives. Since then it has grown across the country.
"Education has become a matter of national security," he said. "Because we cannot control our schools, we cannot control our economy. And because we cannot control our economy, we cannot control and protect our quality of life in America."
Bettie Murchison, CEO and president of W.E.B. DuBois C.D.C., a family counseling services center and this year's southeast regional coordinator for the march, said they became involved because they have participated in other fatherhood movements. "It's an extension of what we do anyway," she said. Murchison said the march grows every year, and this year will be different because they are hoping to get more long-term, hands-on involvement from fathers.
"There's this myth or image that all black men abandon their children and that's just not so," Murchison said. "A lot of fathers are involved in their children's lives. This is just a visual manifestation of what we know is true."
Considering the year-round calendar in several schools and varying start dates, the committee is asking fathers to take their child to school Aug. 25 to show unity and solidarity even if it's not their first day of school.
The committee is also hoping to extend the reach beyond Wake County to Durham and Orange counties this year. Volunteers will receive colorful Million Father March stickers, and fathers will receive labels stating that they took their child to school. They also hope to attract local celebrities to promote the event, and to get donations for backpack giveaways and school supplies.
Research shows that children whose fathers take an active role in their education earn better grades, score higher on tests, enjoy school more, and are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college. An estimated 600,000 men in 475 cities participated in 2008. This year, officials anticipate 800,000 men from 550 cities.
Murchison said it is more than a symbolic gesture. "We know it makes a difference in the lives of children whose fathers walk them to school," she said.
Call (919) 560-0709 for more information, or visit www.duboiscdc.org/2009MillionFatherMarch.htm.
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The 2009 Million Father March is managed by The Black Star Project, U.S.A., sponsored by the Open Society Institute's Campaign for Black Male Achievement and the Schott Foundation for Public Information, in partnership with the National Association of Black Social Workers and the National PTA. Please visit our website at www.blackstarproject.org to bring the Million Father March to your city or for complete information about the march. You may also email blackstar1000@ameritech.net or call 773.285.9600 for more information or to join the March.
Des Moines, Iowa Plans Midwest Back to School Effort with Million Father March


Million Father March Planning Category: Clubs/Groups/Organizations
Location: Forest Avenue Library1326 Forest Ave.Des Moines, IA 50314(515) 283-4152 more about this venue
Summary: This is not an actual march but an event held on the first day of school to encourage most importantly black fathers but all fathers, mothers, caregivers, foster parents to take children to school on the first day. There will be several planning meetings held at the Forest Ave Library until the first day of school Aug 27th. These meetings will be held to organize the event as well as gather volunteers to work at various schools around Des Moines. Any city across the state interested please contact me for further information.
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The 2009 Million Father March is managed by The Black Star Project, U.S.A., sponsored by the Open Society Institute's Campaign for Black Male Achievement and the Schott Foundation for Public Information, in partnership with the National Association of Black Social Workers and the National PTA. Please visit our website at www.blackstarproject.org to bring the Million Father March to your city or for complete information about the march. You may also email blackstar1000@ameritech.net or call 773.285.9600 for more information or to join the March.
340 Cities Have Signed Up for the Million Father March 2009. Please send this email to other people around the country and the world!
The Million Father March is an undeclared "National Holiday." All fathers and men should take two hours off of work on the first day of school in your city to be at a school with children. Jobs should give all fathers and men (and all mothers and women) two hours off to be at a school on the first day. This is a matter of national security. It will also help schools improve attendance, academics and student behavior. Take the holiday!!!

550 cities and 800,000 men expected to participate. Please call 773.285.9600 to register your city now.
Press Release
One Million Fathers Asked to Lead the Nation Back to School this Fall 550 Cities Could Participate in the Largest, Organized Back-to-School Effort in U.S. History
"Education has become a matter of national security. Because we cannot control our schools, we cannot control our economy. And because we cannot control our economy, we cannot control and protect our quality of life in America," says Phillip Jackson, Executive Director of The Black Star Project, U.S.A. The Black Star Project is sponsoring the Million Father March 2009 on the first day of school in nearly 550 cities across America. The Million Father March has become a special day that fathers and men use to make a commitment to their children, their families, their communities and their country with their dynamic presence at a school. This is the real fathers' day! The Million Father March 2009 will play out at thousands of schools across America and in other parts of the world. An estimated 600,000 men in 475 cities participated in 2008. This year, an estimated 800,000 men from 550 cities are expected to participate. The Million Father March also provides an escort of safety, support, and encouragement to children of all ages on their first day of school. Jackson says, "Gang recruitment, bullying and random violence goes way down on any day that a group of men are at a school." Research shows that children whose fathers take an active role in their educational lives earn better grades, get better test scores, enjoy school more and are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college. Additionally, children have fewer behavior problems when fathers listen to and talk with them regularly and are active in their lives. A good father is part of a good parent team and is critical to creating a strong family structure. Strong family structures produce children who are more academically proficient, socially developed and self-assured. Such children become adults who are valuable assets to their communities. "Better parents produce better communities, better schools, and better students with higher academic achievements," says Jackson. Participants in the event include fathers, grandfathers, foster fathers, stepfathers, uncles, cousins, big brothers, significant male caregivers and friends of the family. Although this event is created by Black men, women and men of all ethnicities are also encouraged to take their children to school on their first day. Businesses are asked to give fathers and men 2 hours off that morning to take their children to school. Men will also be encouraged to volunteer at schools throughout the year. A special effort will be made to coordinate Latino Fathers in La Marcha de los Padres. Since schools across America and the world start the new school year on different days and months, the March will be a rolling event that takes place on the first day of this school year in cities, villages, and towns between August 3, 2009, and October 2, 2009. The 2009 Million Father March is managed by The Black Star Project, U.S.A., sponsored by the Open Society Institute's Campaign for Black Male Achievement and the Schott Foundation for Public Information, in partnership with the National Association of Black Social Workers and National PTA. Please visit our website at www.blackstarproject.org to bring the Million Father March to your city or for complete information about the march. You may also email blackstar1000@ameritech.netor call 773.285.9600 for more information or to join the March.