Founded in 1996 by Phillip Jackson, The Black Star Project is committed to improving the quality of life in Black and Latino communities of Chicago and nationwide by eliminating the racial academic achievement gap.  Their 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.

In order to achieve their goal of eliminating the racial academic achievement gap, they concentrate on three main areas of initiative: student engagement, parental development and advocacy. 

The Black Star Project operates with a belief in the strength of parental and community involvement in education to eliminate the racial academic achievement gap.  Better parents produce better communities, better schools and better students!

It Is Time for a National Movement of Black Men!!!

When we talk about the violence in our communities, we have to ask, "Where are the Black men?"  When it is time to take responsibility for the education of Black children, we have to ask, "Where are the Black men?"  When it is time to raise little boys into strong, positive men, we must ask, "Where are the Black men?"  And when it is time to prepare our communities for the globalization that threatens to eliminate our communities from cities across the country, our children scream out to us, "Where are the Black Men?"     

There are some great Black fathers, husbands, community leaders, mentors, businessmen, men of God and generally good guys in the Black community.  But my question is this: When the blood of Black children is literally running in the streets, where are those Black men?  Where is the Black men's movement that can revitalize the Black community?  The answer: It is nowhere!

Black men must re-define what it means to be a Black man.   

• Real men nurture their children
• Real men educate their children
• Real men mentor children not their own
• Real men provide security for their families
• Real men build their community
• Real men create jobs and control the economic destiny of their community
• Real men ensure the safety of their community
• Real men organize to solve problems in their community 
• Real men take care of the elders in their community

The Three Essential and Dynamic Principles for Black Men: 

1) Black men must become the catalytic force in rebuilding the Black family.  By rebuilding the Black family, you rebuild the Black community.  Everything that is important to life flows through the Black family - education, economics, spiritual values, resistance to violence, character, reverence for our elders and more.  In fact, it flows through all families, through any family.  That is how nature and society is made.

2)  Black men must take control of the education of Black children - formal and informal.  They must set high standards and become the teachers of the knowledge and principles that will cause the Black community to survive and thrive into the 21st century.  There is absolutely a place for government, Black women and people of other races in this effort, but Black men must take the lead for it to impress Black boys.

3)  Black men must create and control a new sub-economy in the Black community.   In 2008, the whole world is hustling except the Black community.  Sure, there are a few Black billionaires, but they do not teach young Black boys how to get off of corners selling drugs or how to hustle goods and services legitimately in our communities.  They don't teach them to open up stores, to start business or to hire their relatives.  The Black community is a community that has forgotten how to hustle legit!  The Black community is being hustled.  Black people beg for others to give Black children jobs but for the most part, we do not work to create jobs for our children.    

In the Black community, the harvest of young Black boys is plentiful but the laborers of Black men committed to working with them are few. 

We need black men!  Women!  Please pass this on to a strong, positive Black man.

Phillip Jackson

Executive Director

The Black Star Project

773.285.9600 

Phillip Jackson is the Founder and Executive Director of The Black Star Project, based in Chicago.  Its mission is to improve the quality of life in black and Latino communities of Chicago and nationwide by eliminating the racial academic achievement gap.  You can e-mail Mr. Jackson at blackstar1000@ameritech.net.

The above text was excerpted from The Black Star Project Newsletters.  Click here to visit the official web site of The Black Star Project.

 

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