THE HOUSE OF UMOJA IS ON A MISSION TO CREATE A CULTURE OF PEACE AMONGST TODAY'S URBAN YOUTH
Please, SUPPORT US- Join The Faith of Our Father's Peace Campaign
Learn more... www.houseofumoja.org
Everyday the Daily Newspaper printed a box score on its front page of the number of black, male, youth killed. The year was 1969 and known as “the Year of the Gun” and Philadelphia was known as the gang capital of the United States.
A year earlier (1968) a journalist, Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, had founded a publication UMOJA Magazine. It was nationally circulated through the Black Student Leagues and basically featured articles involving empowerment for the African-American community.
Readers of UMOJA Magazine wrote letters to the editor asking why the children living in the City of Brotherly Love killed each other.
In response, Queen Mother Falaka Fattah assigned her husband, David, to research the gang issue from the grass root level up. Armed only with “street smarts” David embarked on a 90-day research project to determine:
-Who were the gang members? -Why were they in gangs? -Who and why were they fighting?
During the course of inquiry he discovered that one of their six sons was in fact a gang member!
Realizing that her own, 16-year old child could easily become one of the gory statistics, i.e. imprisoned, hospitalized or dead, Queen Mother Falaka Fattah began doing research herself. She wanted to find out what law enforcement, social agencies, city government, and/or churches were doing about the gang problem.
In an effort to save their son’s life Queen Mother Falaka and, her husband, David, took the bold step of inviting the gang to become a part of their family. President Ronald Reagan stated, “The Fattahs replaced the gang structure with a family structure.” With a promise to keep them alive and out of jail, the Fattah home became the House of Umoja Boys Town, and initially operated for three years without public or private support. In 1970 they incorporated as a non-profit organization.
The House of Umoja is now an internationally acclaimed 501 (c) (3) organization that is dedicated to the positive development of youth, reducing violence and abusive behavior, providing interventions in negative behavior and improving the quality of life for economically disadvantaged urban male youth and their families. Its comprehensive program provides a positive living environment for boys ages 15-18 who unfortunately lack a sufficient family structure and it operates on the principle of the extended family. Its rich 39-year history of service has been acknowledged with over 100 awards for work with at-risk youth, ending gang warfare and community service.
Check-out These References! http://www.houseofumoja.org/references.htm
Online Now!
