Education, Employment/Economics, Incarceration/Crime

Over the past 20 years, the plight of Black men in America has consistently gotten worse, but over this last year, it has become catastrophic! By virtually any measure -- education, family matters, economics, employment, health, incarceration -- the life spirit of Black men in America is being crushed! Now is the time for action and change or it will be too late.

The latest education completion rate data from the National Student Clearinghouse and the Schott Foundation for Public Education show that only 2.5% of Black male freshman students from Chicago public high schools graduated from college by the time they were 25 years old; nationally, only 41% of Black male students graduated from high school; and of the too few Black males who enrolled in college, only 22% graduated after six years. This is an educational holocaust that guarantees utter and complete devastation in Black communities across America in coming decades! As Black men have little success in education and less access to the economic mainstream of America, many Black communities will not be able to survive.

Recently, staff at The Black Star Project was told there should be no more reporting of the facts about the sorrowful plight of Black men in America. Unfortunately, it is not the reporting of the facts that is the problem. The problem is the “hellish” factual reality that millions of Black boys and men live through everyday in America. This outrage must be reported until the Black community and America rise to the level of action required to solve this problem. Simply reporting or not reporting the news will not improve the lives of Black men, the lives of their children or the communities in which they live. We must have positive, concerted and coordinated action from the Black community and from America.

Growing our awareness and understanding of the problem helps to raise the consciousness of the community enough to design, implement and complete a successful action plan. To solve this problem, we must organize, plan, act and evaluate, and then continuously act again and evaluate again until the problem is solved. The Black Star Project needs your help for an historic and accelerated movement to lift up the Black “invisible” and suffering men in America whose plight is inextricably linked to that of us all.

During the months of May and June in 2006, throughout America, organizers of hundreds of “leaderless,” grassroots, town hall meetings will host sessions (in Wisconsin, California, New York, New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois and in other states) to align on the solutions to the problems of Black men. Solutions and next steps outlined in these highly structured meetings will be shared in communities throughout America. We need people to host meetings in cities, towns, universities, churches and community centers across America.

Pass the word that we must make the change. This is not only a Black male problem—this is an American problem. Black men need to lead the effort to educate, organize and mobilize to lift up Black men, but all of America has a powerful role to play in solving this ongoing, deepening plight of Black men. Black men must become the change that they seek.

For more information on how to sponsor a town hall meeting in your community, please call 312/842-3527, email blackstar1000@ameritech.net or visit www.blackstarproject.org.



By Phillip Jackson, Executive Director,

The Black Star Project,

1333 South Wabash, Box 20, Chicago, Illinois 60605

312/842-3527 or email at blackstar1000@ameritech.net

May 3, 2006