With Current Obstacles In America, It's A Wonder That Any Black ManCan "Breathe"! - Black Male Achievement Is the Best Solution!

Making Progress; Moving Forward! Black Male Achievement Is Best Response 130 American Cities Mentor Young Black Men and Boys Take A Young Black Man To Worship Day Links: The Black Star Project's website: blackstarproject.org Black Star Journal: blackstarjournal.org Become a Member: Click Here Make a donation: Like us on Facebook: Follow us on Twitter: Black male achievement is best response to issues of black males in America A Morehouse College Graduation By Phillip Jackson December 16, 2014 At the exact same moment that 30,000 people were marching in Washington, DC chanting, "No Justice, No Peace" in support of Eric Garner, Michael Brown and other victims of police killings, a 15 year-old Black boy, Demario Bailey, was being shot in the chest under a viaduct on the south side of Chicago for his jacket by other Black boys. He died. In 2012, there were at least 313 murders of young Black men and boys by police, security guards and vigilantes, which pales in comparison to the estimated 15,000 black-on-black murders of mostly young Black men by other young Black men almost every year. Where is their justice? Where is their peace? God bless all of the protestors who have donned "I Can't Breathe" T-shirts and mimicked, "Hands Up - Don't Shoot" scenarios in cities and towns across this country. However, their actions alone will do almost nothing to change the plight of the masses of young Black men in America. Young Black men in America are the most despised, stereotyped, disregarded, and feared people in this country; more likely to be poor, more likely to be undereducated, more likely to be unemployed, more likely to live without their fathers, more likely to be locked up in prisons, and more likely to be murdered than anyone else in America. Unjust incidents that shock our sensibilities are easier to mobilize around than are the all-pervasive, deeply institutionalized, systematic injustices that Black males endure in their lives every day. Usual and easy responses to the plight of Black males in America always include historic indignation, protest and demands that raise public awareness-the stuff "moments" and not "movements" are made of. However, what is lacking is a comprehensive, well-conceived, sustained response, which requires massive community building efforts, direct-actions with and on behalf of Black men, and a redirection of dollars from incarcerating Black men to educating and developing Black youth. Together, these actions will develop and support Black men and boys in becoming strong, positive, powerful, contributing, compassionate and courageous American citizens. Even if American police, security guards and vigilantes do not murder another Black man ever, the existing socio-economic, educational and institutional factors in America will continue to destroy young Black men and boys at an ungodly rate. Unless and until these horrendous life-force crushing energies against young Black men and boys are positively transformed, their lives in America will continue to be a hellish catastrophe. Even President Barack Obama got caught up in the symbolic frenzy of responses by requesting congressional support for $263 million to train police forces across America and for body cameras. Yet, the moment-by-moment, spirit-breaking forces nourished by the social/economic policies coming out of Washington, DC (and the states) continue to cement Black men's positions at the bottom of the American social, economic and education structure and at the top of the mortality, incarceration and unemployment indices. It's a wonder that any Black man can "breathe" in America with these kind of obstacles to overcome! Black Male Achievement is the much-needed, missing and best response to the issues of Black men and boys in America. On January 19, 2015, the Coalition for Black Male Achievement will mentor 50,000 young Black men and boys in 200 cities-towards survival and success in America-as part of the Martin Luther King (MLK) Mentor Day initiative. The mentors are Black men and the curriculum is based on Black Male Achievement and human excellence. Please visit www.blackstarproject.org to get your city and your young Black men involved or call 773.285.9600. The best way to improve the conditions of Black men in America is not simply to protest them, but to change them. Phillip Jackson is the Founder and Executive Director of The Black Star Project. He can be reached at 773.285.9600. Click Here to sign up your organization to mentor young Black males in your city on Monday, January 19, 2015. 131 American Cities Will Provide the Best Response to Ferguson and New York by Mentoring An Army of Black Males for Success and Survival with a Black Male Achievement Curriculum! Apparently, other American cities don't have the challenges educating and socializing young Black men and boys that the rest of America has. If your city does, ask your mayor, your school leader, your pastor or community leader to call 773.285.9600 to join this effort or click here to register. Some young brothers from the Nation of Islam (Source) These cities have signed up to help mentor 50,000 Black males on Martin Luther King's Birthday -- MLK Mentoring Monday, January 19, 2015. Why isn't your community or city participating? Albuquerque, New Mexico Antioch, California Asbury Park, New Jersey Atlanta, Georgia Baltimore, Maryland Bastrop, Louisiana Biloxi, Mississippi Brooklyn, New York Bronx, New York Brentwood, Maryland Brunswick, Georgia Camden, New Jersey Canton, Mississippi Carbondale, Illinois Champaign, Illinois Chandler, Arizona Cheverly, Maryland Chicago, Illinois Chicago Heights, Illinois Columbia, Missouri Conyers, Georgia Coppell, Texas Davenport, Iowa Dayton, Ohio Denver, Colorado Detroit, Michigan Dolton, Illinois Durham, North Carolina East Cleveland, Ohio Elisabeth, New Jersey El Sobrante, California Europa, Mississippi Evanston, Illinois Evansville, Indiana Fairfield, California Florissant, Missouri Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fond du lac, Wisconsin Forest City, North Carolina Gaithersburg, Maryland Gary, Indiana Grand Prairie, Texas Grayson, Georgia Greenville, Mississippi Gulfport, Mississippi Hampton, Virginia Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hawthorne, California Hayward, California Hercules, California Hillside, Illinois Holland, Michigan Houston, Texas Indianapolis, Indiana Indianaola, Mississippi Inglewood, California Irvington, New Jersey Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, Tennessee Jacksonville, Florida Jetersville, Virginia Jonesdboro, Georgia Kankakee, Illinois Kansas City, Missouri Kingston, New York Lakeland, Florida Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lansing, Michigan Las Vegas, Nevada Lavergne, Tennessee Leeds, Massachusetts Leesburg, Florida Lexington, Kentucky Lindenhurst, Illinoiis Lithonia, Georgia Long Beach, California Los Angeles, California Louisville, Kentucky Macon, Georgia Manor, Texas Marshall, Texas Maywood, Illinolis Mechanicsville, Virginia Meriden, Connecticut Meridian, Mississippi Miami, Florida Milwaukee, Wisconsin Minneapolis, Minnesota Mound Bayou, Mississippi Nashville, Tennessee Newark, New Jersey New Haven, Connecticut New York City, New York Norfolk, Virginia Oakland, California Omaha, Nebraska Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Owings Mills, Maryland Park Forest, Illinois Petersburg, Virginia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Piedmont, South Carolina Quartz Hills, California Radcliffe, Kentucky Renton, Washington Richmond, California Richmond, Virginia Riverdale, Georgia Riverside, California San Diego, California San Francisco, California San Jose, California Santa Monica, California Sarasota, Florida Seattle, Washington Silver Spring, Maryland Smyna, Georgia South Holland, Illinois Spartanburg, South Carolina St. Louis, Missouri Staten Island, New York Sumter, South Carolina Tacoma, Washington Tampa, Florida Tempe, Arizona Tougaloo, Mississippi Trenton, New Jersey Tunica, Mississippi Washington, D.C. Westbury, New York Ypsilanti, Michigan Brothers from Morehouse College Achieve Success Click Here to sign up and receive everything you need for a super-successful MLK Mentor Day! You may also call 773.285.9600 to register. Click Here to ask President Barack Obama to support this initiative financially and to mentor young Black males on Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday. On The Day Before MLK Mentor Day, Thousands of Young Black Males Across America Will Worship with Black men in Take A Young Black Man to Worship Day Sunday, January 18, 2015 at a place of worship near you Please call 773.285.9600 for more information or to register your place of worship.

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