Be The Best You
Can!1
By E. d
PROJECI' BArr
MANHOOD a nonprofit or
ganization with a new concept,
new vision, a new paradign.
This is theirl uniqueness; their
concern and objective is "Help
ing Boys Become Men."
Mr. Tommie Summerville is
Executive Director of "MAN
HOOD" now in its fourth year.
This organization was designed
to bring together African
. American boys in the Detroit
area and adult males who have
the skill, desire, time and
patience and love. The adult
men are trained to serve as sur
rogate fathers (father-son
relationships) to one or more
boys between the ages of four
and-a-half and twelve-years of
age.
MANHOOD, furthermore,
encourages the surrogate son to
participate in other character
building organizations. Four
teen churche in the
D
show
SAVE OUR BOYS
"Helping Boys Become Men"
.
1919 MICHIGAN CI'I1ZEN
I
the'
-.MANHO
tion;
- More than 10,000 Black
males between the ages of 15
and 19 die each year in
homicide;
metropolitan area work with family. - One of six Black males will
MANHOOD also the Boy MANHOOD is concerned be arrested before they ream
Scouts of America, 'Young . about the social, economical, age nineteen;
Men's Christian Association, educational, moral and spiritual - 51% of violent crime in
Michigan Department of Social development of black males America is committed by Black
Service, Public Schools, Little from boyhood through man- youths.
League and Junior Achieve- hood . . - Forty percent of Black
ment Involvement with these According to the NAACP children are being raised in
organizations and the surrogate Legal Defense and Educatio!l fatherless homes, thereby,
father instills many of the fol- Fund, the young, Black male 15 destroying the protection,
lowing qualities: feeling good "an endangered species," To wit: strength and modeling provided
about themselves, developing - 86% of Black youths live by two-parent families. In addi
pride, strength of character, ac- in poverty; tion, the mobilization of our
cepting responsibilities, values - - 72% of Black males drop society has eroded the extended
and goal setting and love of out of school before comple- family that existed in previous '
,
Officials claim
ewpri 0
y
CIlpillll News Service
LANSING - Building new
prisons can have a positive ef
fect OD communities, even
though the Michigan Depart
ment of Correctio . facing
some tough times with . aeas
. prison po bon, )oQl offi-
. said
_ # Robert Bra
n help communities
oy
'generations. Consequently,
Black men must become com
mitted and organized and solve
I problems peculiar to growing
up as a Black male in society.
According to the National
Bureau of Economic Research,
participation in character
building organizati ns made a
significant difference in the lives
of Black y uth. For example,
youths involvement in illegal
ads had 12% participants while
non-participants 'W twice as
high 24%. Youth in olvement
in drugs had 30% participants
while 70% were non-par
ticipants. Remaining in school
had 71% participants while
45% were non-participants.
Summerville concluded that
trade skills needed to be en
couraged. Youth Programs for
jobs beyond summer, such as
the Peace Corp with-in the city;
mandatory military training,
trade and domestic corp. Com-
bining resources of Federal,
State and City, Summerville
stated that each year 6,000 stu
dents leave school (including
dropouts) without prospect of a
future or when they come out of
college.
Building a Better
eigh hood
_-..._ FJJi weD as create it's own b 1-
Detroi - Building a better nesses,
neighborhood· the ojectibe of In the area of housing CCN
Core City Neighborhoods, says is working to renovate old hous
Executive Director Theresa � The most recea project
Blaquiere. to purcha e and renovate a I
. Core City Neighborhoods multi-family apartment build
Inc. (CCN); a 4-yur-old DOD ing, On December 14, 1988
profit, community based, I CNN dedicated the re ovated
economic development or- building. They are considered a
ganization works together with plan to offer the building to area
the COJDJDunity and is totally residents as a co-op .
comprised of community and The long-range plan is to
business residents. revitalize a three and half
CCN's agenda is to fulfill � square mile area of Detroit's
neighborhood's areas of need. inner city, supported by funds
The two-fold purpose of Core from the City of Detroit as well
City Neighborhoods is to as churches.
develop leadership of the The plan recently won the
people and promote, inspire CNN a 1988 honor award from
and develop community based the Michigan Society of 'Plan
economic development. The Ding Offica1s.
primary focus has been housing. The current agenda includes
although CCN addresses �e upgrading existing housing, says
areas of vacant lots, developmg Sister Theresa, by repairing
local leadership, attracting them as well as employing local
commercial and residential in- re idents to do the - needed
vestments to the area, also repairs. The revitalization plan
wo�king closely wit� area I """"
tnssmeses to geoerate JObs �oDtlnued on �
. \
said "We try to make money "It's sort of giying the people
availab e to local govem�nts back a little labor for k�ping .
for developing ne initiative them in jail," Brown said
type programs, that are meant Hackel said there isn't a
for judges to use as an alterna- public works program at the
tive to sending people to, Macomb County Jail, but there
pri n, " are other jobs.
"Many people :y if· does "I don't think that was the in-
any good or not, it's saving tent for th� regioul prisoo,·
beds, • Brown said. Hackel said. "They do it· ide
• Brown said 0IlC dYaDtage· the OODfiDes."
departme t, d more � manylocalresideD baveanop- -He said the jail prisoners
ldIlODS are �� . the ID- portuDity to be employed by the provide many services, uch as
mate count ns . ewzy year.. departmeDt buildiDg mamtelWl(e, laundry
-w� the pc 1Il populatJon I 'We try and staff 60 percent and kitchen help. They also
cr mg by . t 2SO �ple from the local area and 40 per- may be in a work-release
per IDOn,th and. the pnso eeat I"�nc:ed staff for the N"Nrr21ft
�t eve built, about every supe� be said. r'";,'M-'-;y have- outside job
DIlle • • Deed It? opea a BI'OWIl said he beliau Iow- where they go to work during
• pnson, �rown said. -ob- security priso may provide die day and come back at �t •
V10 ly that 15 a very costly, additional beDe6 to the com- Lou Olappe� commumca-
tremendous s�alD on taff, munity. . boas spCciaJist for the Depart-
�ndo stram on resources, "Additional jail beds are ment of Corrections, said other
l� means a trem"endous needed out' tbece (in the sys- prisons have more exten ive
stram on � taxpayers. • ' tem), b I don't think they�ve programs, such as the Prison In-
. B.ut Macomb C:ounty S� to be secure," Brown said. - dustries Program. The inmates
'Y�mHackelwdmuch POSI- "Priso ersservingincountyjails perform various jobs, fr�m
me IDlpact � benefit comes can go 0 and wor 0 public making license plates to making
&om new pnsoDStot· • f . work projects under super- furniture that i released to the
"There's a 0 CO�I,! vision. " community.
growth a�ouDd th� pn 0!l, Brown said high security jail "By earning money inside,
!lackel �d. "t. will �OVlde space i needed for people they help to pay back their court
Jobs, servlce� III sprmg �p awaiting trials or sentencing. costs and provide a benefit to
ar:ound the I!"ISOD, and housmg but other pri oners could be the county," be said
will develop. . . productive. Chappel said although some
Brown S31� the corre� "Ge eraDy, theYre not an es- don't like prisons located in
department . always loo�g ca ris and don't have to be in their area many people do.
f�r ays to. a1d communlbeS a�xpeDsive cell: he said. "There are about 250-350
with prJSO . m the &rea; . "They could be in a dormitory, people employed at an aver�e
"The major money 15 m the low- itv type facility and 00 of S25,(XX) per year,. <llappel
. .. and L_� to fmd secur -.1 C ' • I!L_ • dus
iDstltubons, . Wh", • out everyday working under the said. "It uu; an ID try com-
a �y t� r�u� th dram that" supervis ion of a crew chief ing into the community, and
the t on .L.__ e they ol"nr.1"ally I!L_ t·t· I
IDS pu � - doing somethjng for the county. r:r-- OM;