HOUSE OF UMOJA, INC.'S "LEAD TO READ" FATHERS LITERACY CAMPAIGN TO REDUCE VIOLENCE UNVEILED AT 31 JANUARY 2020 - 11:00 A.M. (E.D.T.) FOURTH FLOOR CAUCUS ROOM - CITY HALL PRESS CONFERENCE

CONTACT:
Queen Mother Falaka Fattah
House of Umoja, Inc.
(215) 473-5893
E-Mail:  falakafattah@aol.com

             PHILADELPHIA, PA (USA) – 31 January 2020 – The fourth floor Caucus Room in City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will serve as the venue for the House of Umoja, Inc.’s (www.houseof umoja.net) unveiling of its Fathers Literacy Campaign which is being orchestrated to reduce violence under the theme, “Read To Lead” and its long range 2020-2025 plan on Friday, 31 January 2020 from 11:00 A.M. (E.D.T.) through 12:00 P.M. (E.D.T.).    Speakers at the press conference will include The Honorable Curtis Jones, Jr. who represents Philadelphia’s Fourth District, Messrs. Anthony Banniser and Hakim Starkey Tendaji of the House of Umoja, Inc.; Maurice Brian Henderson, Ph.D., Founder and President of the Men Of Color National Association; Mr. Bilal Abdul Qayyum, President of the Fathers Day Rally Committee; and Ms. Monique Dudley, an educator. 

African American History Month  -- February 2020 – will serve as the launch date for the “Fathers Literacy Campaign”.  New York Times Bestseller “The Book Of Joy: Lasting Happiness In A Changing World”, penned by Nobel Peace Laureates Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness The 14rh Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu along with Douglas Carlton Abrams, a former Editor at University of California Press and Harper San Francisco has been selected as the African American History Month literary work that Fathers and children participating in the “Fathers Literacy Campaign” are being encouraged to read.  Why?  The bestselling literary work offers powerful life lessons about courage, thinking of others, overcoming adversities, and gratitude.  Queen Mother Falaka Fattah who had an opportunity to meet with The Dalai Lama is currently reading the book.  

“I am reading the book’s chapter on gratitude.  This chapter has a quote that resonates with me:  ‘When you are grateful, you are not fearful.  And when you are not fearful, you are not violent.’  In view of the rising violence in our city, across the nation, and around the world, this quote is powerful and it is a quote that I hope will also resonate with the Fathers and children who will read it.  When you are grateful you are appreciative and happy.  You feel worthy and you see the worthiness in others.  You understand that life is a gift.  It will be difficult for you to commit violence against another soul . . . to take the life of another soul,” Queen Mother Falaka, the CEO of the House of Umoja, Inc. remarked.

Children enrolled in the third and fourth grades and NonCustodial Fathers, Military Fathers, Homeless Fathers, and Incarcerated Fathers – fathers who are not always physically present in their child’s life – will be the primary focus of the Fathers Literacy Campaign.  Designed to increase the literacy skills of children and help Fathers and children who do not spend time together on a regular basis bond with one another, the Fathers Literacy Campaign plans to expand through the creation of Literacy Partners and support from corporate sponsors.

          What lies ahead for the House of Umoja, Inc?   During the press conference scheduled on Friday, 31 January 2020, The House of Umoja, Inc. will explore how it is  greeting the new decade with leadership development; a five-year – 2020-2025 long range plan which includes, among other things, transitioning from a residential facility to a campus; and embarking on a building renovation campaign. Educators, Fatherhood Practitioners and Advocates, members of the electronic and print media, social entrepreneurs, community activists, the Interfaith Community, social services professionals and providers, health care professionals and providers, school administrators, librarians, publishers, law enforcement professionals, legal professionals, and concerned community members.

             Established in 1968  by Queen Mother Falaka the House of Umoja, Inc., the House of Umoja, Inc. has a successful track record of positively transforming the lives of over 3,000 adolescent males. .  In 1974, the House of Umoja Inc. helped to end years of bloody and deadly gang warfare that played out in school yards and in the streets of Philadelphia by moving gang leaders to sign a peace treaty.  The peace treaty took the form of the Imani Peace Pact™ which was penned by the late Mr. David Fattah.   The Imani Peace Pledge™ was utilized in 2006 to help end rising incidences of violence and reduce the number of persistently dangerous schools in Philadelphia and is based on the Imani Peace Pact™    Universities and institutions that include, but are not limited to, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Prevention and the Center for Disease Control, have sought the expertise of Queen Mother Falaka Fattah and her late husband Mr. David Fattah in the areas of gang reduction, youth programming, and community organizing.  Former United States Presidents The Honorable Jimmy Carter and the late Honorable 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.  

                  To learn more about the "Fathers In Literacy" Initiative and how you can contribute to his empowering endeavor through the creation of, among other things, Literary Partnerships, in-kind giving, donations, and sponsorships, contact The House of Umoja, Inc. at (215) 473-5893; send an e-mail to: falakafattah@aol.com; or visit the organization's website at www.houseofumoja.net.