HOUSE OF UMOJA, INC. LAUNCHES "CALL TO ACTION" TO MOVE CHILDREN IN PHILADELPHIA TO COMMIT TO NONVIOLENCE

CONTACT:
Queen Mother Falaka Fattah
Founder and Chief Executive Officer - House Of Umoja, Inc.
215) 473-5893
E-MAIL: falakafattah@aol.com


PHILADELPHIA, PA (USA) – 7 MARCH 2010 – The House Of Umoja, Inc. (http://www.houseofumoja.org) is initiating a Call To Action beginning on Sunday, 28 March 2010 (Palm Sunday) through Sunday, 4 April 2010 (Easter Sunday) in an effort to move the City of Philadelphia and its children to commit to nonviolence and create solutions for the critical underlying issues that may have triggered two disturbances involving teenagers in Center City Philadelphia on 16 February 2010 and 3 March 2010.


“The House Of Umoja, Inc. is initiating a Call To Action to parents, educators, legislators, law enforcement professionals, business and religious leaders, and concerned community members to form Partnerships of Peace with the House of Umoja, Inc. Let’s work together to move the City of Philadelphia and its children to commit to nonviolence through the signing of the IMANI Pledge™; to create a nurturing environment for our children at school and at home; and to bring healing to our communities. As we move to design and implement solutions to the underlying issues that triggered the events of 16 February 2010 and 3 March 2010, it is imperative that our children become active participants in this process. We must also include our children’s voice in any and all dialogues and decisions about bringing peace and healing to our communities and our city,” remarked Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the House Of Umoja, Inc.


On January 1, 1974 Queen Mother Falaka Fattah coordinated a conference which was attended by over 400 gang members. David Fattah was the chief negotiator with the attendees who signed an agreement he authored called the IMANI Pact. Through its Faith Of Our Fathers Peace Campaign and the IMANI Pledge™ launched in 2006, the House Of Umoja, Inc. is moving a new generation of children in the City of Philadelphia to commit to nonviolence.


“The IMANI PledgeTM is a contractual agreement signed by children and youth of the City of Philadelphia that they will not engage in acts of violence in and outside of school. In signing the Pledge, the youth and children acknowledge that their forefathers brought peace to the City of Philadelphia as youths, and that they too, can do the same. The Pledge ends with the commitment statement ‘Let my word be my bond’,” explained Mr. David Fattah.


The House Of Umoja, Inc. has provided a life line for over approximately 3,000 young urban males between the ages of 15 through 18 in Philadelphia. The internationally acclaimed organization’s successful track record of transforming and working with youths has moved universities and institutions that include, but are not limited to, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Prevention and the Center for Disease Control to seek the expertise of Queen Mother Falaka Fattah and her husband Mr. David Fattah in the areas of gang reduction, youth programming, and community organizing. Former United States Presidents Jimmy Carter and the late Ronald Reagan have recognized the House Of Umoja, Inc. for its pioneering work which has been documented in published articles such as A Summons To Life, by Robert Woodson of the American Enterprise Institute in 1981 and The Violent Juvenile Offender by Paul DeMuro and Richard Allison of the National Council On Crime And Delinquency in 1984.


For further information about the House Of Umoja, Inc.’s “Call To Action” and the IMANI Pledge™, contact the House Of Umoja, Inc. by telephone at (215) 473-5893 or send an e-mail to: falakafattah@aol.com.