Join the Effort to Mentor and Educate Black Children; 70 Cities Join National Black Male Achievement Mentoring Effort; Pray The Devil Back To Hell

Freedom is not free!!! Progress is priceless!!! The Black Star Project needs your support to continue our work.  Dear Friend of Progress,  This has been a tough year of fundraising for The Black Star Project.  Some of it is our fault.  We have to do a much better job of managing our membership and development efforts. Additionally, we must do a better job of communicating our work to our current members.  Even so, we have a fundraising goal for current membership drive of $50,000 by January 31, 2012. All of the funds raised will go toward supporting our Saturday University (free school) and our programs that support Black men and boys. These initiatives need your support as a community of concerned citizens so that we will continue this important work.   In Chicago this week, a Toys for Tots program announced that someone had embezzled $25,000 from the agency and that some children would not get toys for Christmas.  Immediately, multiple $25,000 donations were received by the agency and now they have received easily over $100,000.    At The Black Star Project, no one has embezzled money and we have sound fiscal practices, we just need money to educate Black children, and other children, and to mentor Black boys.      If you value our efforts to educate Black children, mentor Black boys, reduce violence in communities, rebuild strong families, will you become a member today?  At The Black Star Project, the more we have, the more we do.     You can make a one-time contribution/investment online or you can set up monthly contributions.    Or you may send contributions/investments to:   The Black Star Project, Suite 2B 3509 South King Drive Chicago, Illinois For each $100 contribution/investment, we will send you an Educate or Die T-Shirt For each $200 contribution/investment, we will send you 1) a copy of The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, 2) a copy of a DVD of Professor Alexander speaking in Chicago and 3) an Educate or Die T-Shirt.     Please call 773.285.9600 for more information.  There are many organizations in your city that are doing similarly important work as the work that we do at The Black Star Project.  You should find them and support them. No one organization is going to solve the issues of our nation, our cities or our communities.  We, organizations of change and progress, need your help and we all need to work together.    Thank you.  Happy Holidays!   Sincerely,    Phillip Jackson  Executive Director The Black Star Project     The Black Male Achievement Mentoring Initiative wants 100 cities in America to mentor 100 young Black boys and men during the month of January 2012.  Will your city join this effort? Join the Black Male Achievement Movement  during January and February 2012, as we mentor tens of thousands of Black boys and young men across America.    The only way you can get this.... ....is with this!!!   To become one of the the Servant Leaders in your city planning and directing this effort, please call 773.285.9600. We will provide you with an organizing kit that will help you step-by-step to create, manage or support an outstanding mentoring program in your city.  We will also provide technical assistance and ongoing support. Schools, faith-based organizations, fraternities, Masonic organizations, veterans associations, community-based organizations, affinity organizations, military service personnel, social service agencies, companies and corporations will participate in this effort. Most mentoring events will occur on January 31, 2012.  Please see cities that are expected to participate as of December 19, 2011:    Albany, New York Atlanta Georgia Baltimore, Maryland Baton Rouge, Louisiana Blandensburg, Maryland Boston, Massachusetts Buffalo, New York Chicago, Illinois Chicago, Illinois - South Suburbs Cincinnati, Ohio Colorado Springs, Colorado Dallas, Texas Danbury, Connecticut Danville, Illinois Delray Beach, Florida Detroit, Michigan Denver, Colorado Durham, North Carolina East Chicago, Indiana Englewood, Colorado Flint, Michigan Gary, Indiana Gilbert, Arizona Harvey, Illinois Hillside, Illinois Houston, Texas Irvington, New Jersey Jackson, Mississippi Kansas City, Missouri Kenesaw, Georgia Lexington, Kentucky Lithonia, Michigan Los Angeles, California Louisville, Kentucky Macon, Georgia Manassas, Virginia Matteson, Illinois Milwaukee, Wisconsin Minneapolis, Minnesota Nashville, Tennessee New York City, New York - Manhattan New York City, New York - The Bronx New York City, New York - Brooklyn New York City, New York - Queens New York City, New York - Long Island New York City, New York - Harlem Newark, New Jersey Oakland, California Oak Park, Illinois Omaha, Nebraska Peoria, Illinois  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Phoenix, Arizona Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Richmond, Virginia Riverdale, Illinois San Bernardino, California Santan Valley, AZ Seattle, Washington Shelbyville, Indiana  Southaven, Mississippi St. Louis, Missouri St. Paul, Minnesota Tampa, Florida Toledo, Ohio Tshwane, Botswana University Park, Illinois Washington, D.C. Waukegan, Illinois White Plains, New York     This event was inspired by the life and life principles of Muhammad Ali (Rumble Young Man Rumble!).  The Black Male Achievement Movement was born in Louisville, Kentucky in September 2011.  Guidance, support and encouragement for this movement is provided by Open Society Foundations' Campaign for Black Male Achievement.  The National CARES Mentoring Movement and Mentoring U.S.A have signed on as national supporters.  For more information, please call 773.285.9600. Pray the Devil Back To Hell!!! Help end the war of youth violence that is killing thousands of our children in the streets of America.  If the women of Liberia can end violence by praying and acting, so can we.  Join the women of Chicago as they pray the devil of violence in Chicago back to hell.  Join us for the film -- Pray The Devil Back to Hell! on Monday, December 26, 2011 Film: 6:30 pm  Discussion and Prayer: 7:30 pm at  The Black Star Project 3509 South King Drive, Suite 2B Chicago, Illinois $5.00 for members - $10:00 for non-members.  Space is limited. You must RSVP and arrive at least 10 minutes before film time to be guaranteed your seat. All seats will be sold starting 10 minutes before film time. Please call 773.285.9600 to RSVP your seat.   Being sick and tire of being sick and tired is not enough!  You must pray and you must act. On Monday, December 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2011, the women of Chicago will gather to see the powerful movement and documentary of women that brought peace to war torn Liberia, Pray the Devil Back to Hell.  And the women of Chicago will work to pray the devil of violence and despair that is in Chicago back to Hell! Join them. Women across America can join this movement to Pray the Devil (of violence) Back to Hell in your city or town by calling 773.285.9600. Click Here to view a trailer of the documentary.  Those who have attended previous showings of this documentary will be admitted free.