By DAMON C. WILLIAMS | published Jul 25, 2008
PHILADELPHIA'S pioneering African-American organization House of Umoja celebrates its 40th anniversary this weekend with the Collard Greens Cultural Festival on the West Philly block where it has planted seeds of change for four decades.

The group this year started what it calls a Peace Garden, a neat plot of vegetables growing at the end the 1400 block of N. Frazier Street above Master. And some of the collard greens used in the festival will come from that garden.

But the festival also will be a tribute to the perseverance of a family that has been identified with the city's African-American struggle since the 1960s.
The House of Umoja has been at the forefront of the local civil-rights movement since 1968, becoming a force during the urban gang wars of the late 1960s and early '70s.

"We're . . . using the youths as seeds," said founder Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, who has helmed House of Umoja alongside her husband, David Fattah. U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah is their son.
"We're . . . planting seeds in the peace garden. It's a perfect way to celebrate 40 years of service."

The three-day celebration will include panel discussions, music, cook-offs and other events.
"We are going to be celebrating ourselves, our food and culture," Fattah said. "The funds raised will go towards our long-term project."

Part of that project is the long-standing effort to renovate the House of Umoja's "Boys Town" section, a row of Moorish-style, two-story houses bordering the block of Frazier Street and surrounding the group's headquarters at 56th and Master streets.
The House of Umoja (it means unity in Swahili) spent $911,989 in the fiscal year that ended in June 2007 - more than half of that for salaries and consultant fees. In that fiscal year, $681,466 of its money came from government grants and contracts.

A response to gang warfare
Born Frankie Brown, Queen Mother Falaka Fattah - the name means "a new day revealed" in Arabic - founded the House of Umoja in 1968.

It began as the communications wing of the third Black Power Conference, held in North Philly. Inspired by that effort, and profoundly affected by the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., Fattah set up a home, without funding, for wayward African-American youth.
"In terms of philosophy, I've always wanted to do something to help black people," she had said at the time.

That help was sorely needed, especially in the light of rampaging gang warfare that erupted throughout black neighborhoods. In 1973, a total of 43 homicides in the city were connected to warring gangs, and in 1974 another 33 youths were killed. In all, more than 300 homicides between 1964 and 1974 were identified as gang-related.

It wasn't until 1972 when the House of Umoja received its first grant from the state's welfare department, enabling it to house and rehabilitate 15 court-appointed youths.

That grant, for $126,000, helped Fattah move closer to her goal of building a replication of the ancient African city Djenne. "It will now become the first urban 'Boys Town,' " Fattah said decades ago. "It is a dream I have had for many years."

Fattah modeled the House of Umoja's "Boys Town" section after similar camps for wayward youths that were starting to appear throughout the country. The Moorish motif is "not only a symbol to the youth of their proud heritage, but to bring a new awareness of that heritage to the community," Fattah said in 1979.

The House of Umoja also partnered with the old Philadelphia Youth Development Center in 1973 to train the youths; that contract was for $630,000, or about $8,500 per student. "That's not a lot of money," William F. Johnson, then-executive director of the state Department of Welfare, said in 1973. "But we have been spending money on programs that weren't working. We had to try something new." That state grant allowed House of Umoja to house 15 juvenile offenders, under the guidance of the Youth Development Center.

Other grants soon followed, including one for $244,620 in 1978. That 18-month grant from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration was to go toward a neighborhood anti-crime program. At the time, U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, said that "the only way to stop crime is to involve the people who are affected."

In 1979, the House of Umoja netted its biggest grant to that point - $400,000 - from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to expand operations.

But the House of Umoja's gang-mediation work took precedence over rebuilding the House of Umoja's implementation of its Boys Town. "We delayed dealing with it because of our gang work," Fattah said in 1974. "Now, we feel an urgency to get started."

Gaining political clout
The House of Umoja began to flex its political might when it took on then-Mayor Frank Rizzo's bid for a charter change that would allow him to run for a third successive term, and supported the MOVE cult during its confrontations with police in the mid-'70s.

In 1970, the House of Umoja joined other grassroots groups to create an electable slate of black candidates. Four years later, David Fattah ran unsuccessfully to replace Hardy Williams as a state representative from the city's 191st Legislative District. In 1979, he tried to oust then-City Council President George X. Schwartz, but Common Pleas Judge Stanley Greenberg said Fattah didn't have enough valid signatures.

After Rizzo's charter-change defeat in 1978, Fattah and state Rep. David P. Richardson formed the Black United Front to promote African-American causes. Fattah said then that "the black community held the keys to the success" of the charter-change defeat. "The black community was being used [by Rizzo forces] as a whipping boy. It was a cause to us."

It was a time when police brutality often was directed against the city's black residents.
The black wards had overwhelmingly voted "no" to the charter change, with more than 96 percent of the voters in those wards turning down the measure. At the time, lawyer Charles Bowser said that "Rizzo brought us together, but I think that the important thing about the black vote is that it . . . was a denunciation of polarization.

"Black voters are not controlled voters."

House of Umoja's most controversial tactic was its early support of MOVE, including staging a rally outside MOVE's Powelton Village headquarters in 1977. A year earlier, Falaka Fattah had urged police, MOVE members and the community to cool the tension. She urged the city to drop all pre-confrontation warrants as a peace offering. In 1978, the police barricaded MOVE's headquarters, leading to confrontations.

"They are for disorderly conduct, not appearing in court," Fattah said then. "Certainly not the kinds of things that should be on the top of the FBI's wanted list."

A changing emphasis
Adapting to a changing Philadelphia and the varying needs of its youth, the House of Umoja is slowly moving from its anti-gang roots to an emphasis on green peace - using neighborhood gardens as a base for peacefully settling conflicts - neighborhoods and intergroup harmony.
These days, only a handful of youth live in Boys Town, which had been home to more than 3,000 youths during the last 40 years. The place has had new paint jobs and rebuilt facades, but Fattah points to the peace garden as the most tangible sign of regrowth.

"We are going to use this garden to feed people," Fattah said, noting that the garden was once a trash-strewn eyesore. "The garden shows people what they can do, and it gets people excited. We wanted young people to see the value of growing, and as a people, it's a way to connect generations."

original article publication: https://www.inquirer.com/philly/hp/news_update/20080725_Planting_the_seeds_of_peace__House_of_Umoja_celebrates_40_years_of_service_to_the_African-American_community.html

PHILADELPHIA, PA (USA) –  14 June 2022 -- By resolution of the City Council of Philadelphia, Friday, June 17, 2022 at 12:00 noon at the corner of Frazier and Master Streets, the City of Philadelphia will host a ceremony as the city renames the 5600 block of Master Street as David Fattah Way and the 1400 block of Frazier Street as Queen Mother Falaka Fattah Way.
 
“RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the legacy and dedicated service of David Fattah and Queen Mother Falaka Fattah to Philadelphia youth be memorialized and the 5600 block of W. Master Street shall henceforth be known as “David Fattah Way” and the 1400 block of N. Frazier Street shall henceforth be known as “Queen Mother Falaka Fattah Way.”
 
Under the leadership of Queen Mother Falaka Fattah and her late husband Mr. David Fattah and  headquartered at 5625 Master Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the fifth largest metropolitan area in the United States, the House of Umoja is an internationally acclaimed institution that has a fifty-four-year successful track record of positively transforming the lives of over 3,000 urban male youths and reducing gang violence. The House of Umoja, Inc. has designed and implemented innovative and solutions-based initiatives that are heralded as Global Models that promote peace, address many of the key challenges confronting boys and adolescent males which prevent them from maturing into productive and successful adults,  foster community development and economic sustainability, and create intergenerational collaborations.  
 
“WHEREAS, both David Fattah and Queen Mother Falaka Fattah founded the House of Umoja to serve as a sanctuary for Philadelphia youth involved in gang activity to give them a support system based on a family;
 
WHEREAS, After founding the House of Umoja, David Fattah served as its Director of Community Outreach for 50 years. In 1974, he negotiated the Imani Pact between members of several rival gangs in an effort to bring about peace in the city;
 
WHEREAS, Queen Mother’s work with the House of Umoja earned her over 100 awards and the respect of and admiration of two U.S. Presidents: Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan;
 
The House Of Umoja, Inc.’s indelible imprint in history will continue. Cognizant of the fact that our children are our “Next Generation Of Leaders,” the House Of Umoja discloses it’s transition plan and priority for the next two (2) years, the programmatic and physical development of Fattah Peace Academy. The transition began with the model program the UMOJA INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY developed by Queen Mother Falaka Fattah based on the experiences and success of the House of Umoja. April 19, 2022, the House of Umoja launched its “A Value Of Human Life After School Program,” the Umoja Youth Peace Corps, a component of the dynamic and multi-faceted curriculum offered by the Fattah Peace Academy. 
 
WHEREAS, David Fattah’s and Queen Mother Falaka Fattah’s dedication to teaching, mentoring, and nurturing over 3,000 young African Americans. David Fattah’s unwavering commitment to the strength and safety of Philadelphia communities and Queen Mother Falaka Fattah’s serve to the No Gag War in 74 Campaign, which influenced the lives of thousands, should be memorialized;”
 
Queen Mother Falaka Fattah states, “As the House of Umoja embarks on its 54th anniversary, the honor and acknowledgement of the street renaming ushers in an era of Hope and Healing for the House of Umoja.”

For further information about the House of Umoja, Inc., visit the organization’s website at www.houseofumoja.net or call (215) 473-5893 or send an e-mail to:  falakafattah@aol.com.
CONTACT:
 
Queen Mother Falaka Fattah
President and Chief Executive Officer
House of Umoja, Inc.
(215) 473-5893
E-Mail:  falakafattah@aol.com

PHILADELPHIA, PA (USA) –  14 May 2022 —  Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, humanitarian, award-winning journalist, and Founder of the House Of Umoja, Inc., an internationally acclaimed institution that has a fifty-four year successful track record of positively transforming the lives of at least 3,000 urban young males and reducing gang violence through its 1974 No Gang War Campaign that saved hundreds of thousands of lives in Philadelphia, will be inducted into the South Philadelphia High School Alumni Cultural Hall Of Fame 2022 on Sunday, 15 May 2022 at 2401 Swanson Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Festivities from 1:00 P.M. until 5:00 P.M. and include a banquet dinner in addition to an induction ceremony. Queen Mother Falaka Fattah will be represented at the induction ceremony by her grandson, Mr. Anthony Bannister-Fattah.

When asked to identify role models who influenced her, Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, who will the only female to be inducted at the South Philadelphia High School Alumni Induction Ceremony on Sunday, 15 May 2022, pointed to two women – her Mother, an educator, and Mrs. Casey, a Latin teacher at South Philadelphia High School.

“As I accept the honor that my alma mater, South Philadelphia High School has bestowed upon me, my thoughts are turned to two role models who influenced me – my Mother and my Latin teacher, Mrs. Casey. My mother was a fully certified educator in an one room school in Virginia. When she relocated to Philadelphia, the Philadelphia School District refused to accept the certification she received in Virginia. She did not abdicate from her role as an educator and supplemented the education my brother and I received in Philadelphia’s school system. My Mother would ask us to share with her what we were learning in school. She would take us on a field trip that corresponded with a particular subject we were learning and employ her teaching skills to explore in great depth with us the particular subject we were learning at school during the field trip she created. The second individual who influenced me was my Latin teacher, Mrs. Casey at South Philadelphia High School. There are two things out of the many things that I learned from her that stand out. I learned the importance of words and words are very important. It is probably the reason that words mean so much to me. ‘Noblesse oblige’ one of the many Latin phrases I learned in Mrs.. Casey’s classroom, continues to resonate with me. Translated into English, ‘noblesse oblige’ means ‘noble obligation’ and ‘noble obligation’ is the obligation of honorable, generous, and responsible behavior. ‘Noblesse oblige’ is how I have approached everything in my life,” Queen Mother Falaka Fattah remarked.

During her award-winning journalism career, Queen Mother Falaka Fattah was a writer and editor for The Philadelphia Tribune and a writer for The Philadelphia Bulletin, The Philadelphia Independent, and The Philadelphia Afro-American. In 1968, she launched UMOJA Magazine.. It was during that same year, September 1968, that the House of Umoja, Inc. was founded to address rising and deadly violence driven by gangs in the fifth largest metropolitan area in the United States. For five decades, the internationally acclaimed institution has designed and implemented timeless solutions-based Global Models for eradicating violence, fostering community development, creating economic sustainability, and addressing many of the key challenges that prevent boys and adolescent males from reaching their full potential and maturing into productive and successful adults. 

In 2007, the House Of Umoja, Inc. became the City of Philadelphia’s organizer and leader for the National Million Father March an initiative created by the late Mr. Philip Jackson and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois (www.blackstarproject.org; www.fathersincorporated.com)/. the National Million Father March encourages Fathers to take a proactive role in the education of their children and continues to redefine and reshape Fatherhood in the United States. Impressed with the House of Umoja, Inc.’s successful track record in reducing and eradicating gang violence and providing life lines for urban adolescent males, Mr. Jackson decided to expand the National Million Father March to Philadelphia and immediately offered the leadership and organizing role to the House of Umoja. The the National Million Fathers March was created in 2003 by the late Mr. Philip Jackson the Founder and was the Executive Director of the Chicago, Illinois-based Black Star Project (www.blackstarproject.org). The Black Star Project offers academic and mentoring programs for children, workforce development projects, and school services and is observed in hundreds of cities throughout the United States. The National Million Fathers March encourages Fathers to take a proactive role in the education of their child. The national leadership mantle for the National Million Fathers March has been donned by Fathers Incorporated (www.fathersincorporated.com) which is based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Currently, to address Philadelphia’s gun violence emergency, the House Of Umoja. Inc. is facilitating the UMOJA Youth Peace Corps, a component of the Fattah Peace Academy and the UMOJA Intentional Community. An after school program for youths that provides them with a well-rounded array of training ranging from conflicts resolution, communications, mental and physical wellness, Blockchain Basics, entrepreneurship, dog training, and art therapy, the UMOJA Youth Peace Corps is an influencer leadership initiative centered around peace, the family of community, culture, and healing. The initiatives designed by the House of Umoja, Inc. to help bring peace to the City of Philadelphia is based on a collaboration in the 1970s between the House Of Umoja, Inc., community organizations, and incarcerated individuals serving life without parole sentences in Pennsylvania correctional facilities. It was a collaborative effort that resulted in the orchestration of a peace conference attended by gang leaders throughout the City of Philadelphia on 1 January 1974 and a peace treaty negotiated by the House of Umoja, Inc. Facilitated by Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, gang leaders attending the peace conference signed the Imani Peace Pledge™ and ended decades of bloody and deadly gang violence that played out in Philadelphia’s schoolyards and streets. The pledge was penned by the late Mr. David Fattah, the patriarch of House of Umoja, Inc. In 2022, collaborative efforts among community organizations, the House Of Umoja, Inc., and members of SCI Phoenix LIFERS, Inc. (www.lifersincpa.org), a nationally recognized “inside-out” Criminal Justice Reform, Reentry, and Restorative Justice think tank that mirrors the collaborative efforts of the 1970s are focusing on moving a new generation of youths and young adults to peace and resolve Philadelphia’s gun violence emergency.

Over the years, institutions that include, but are not limited to, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Prevention and the Center for Disease Control have sought the House of Umoja, Inc.’s expertise on gang violence reduction, youth programming, and community organizing. Former United States Presidents The Honorable James Earl Carter, Jr. and the late Honorable Ronald Wilson Reagan recognized the House of Umoja, Inc. for its pioneering work that has been documented in published articles such as “A Summons To Life,” by Robert Woodson of the American Enterprise Institute (www.aei.org) in 1981 and “The Violent Juvenile Offender,” by Paul DeMuro and Richard Allison of the National Council On Crime and Delinquency (www.nccdglobal.org), in 1984.
For further information about the South Philadelphia High School Alumni Cultural Hall Of Fame 2022 call 267-861-0391 or visit the South Philadelphia High School Alumni’s website at www.sphsalumni.org.
For further information about the House of Umoja, Inc., visit the organization’s website at www.houseofumoja.net or call (215) 473-5893 or send an e-mail to: falakafattah@aol.com.

BY SHAWNETTE WILSON | PUBLISHED APRIL 7, 2022 11:31PM | UPDATED APRIL 8, 2022 10:33AM | PHILADELPHIA FOX 29

Philadelphia anti-violence activist begins program to keep teens safeHouse of Umoja founder starting anti-violence after-school program for teens, to help them cope with the rising cycle of violence.



WEST PHILADELPHIA - With so much violence in Philadelphia involving teenagers and targeting children, how can adults keep them from getting swept up in the epidemic?
"We have, over the years, only developed more methods and easier ways to kill each other. That’s not progress," Falaka Fattah stated.

Fattah says she’s up for the challenge of keeping children safe. She’s developed a program she hopes will help lessen murders in Philadelphia, a decades-long epidemic.
"In 1969, Philadelphia was known as the year of the gun. We were distinguished by having the most killings in the country," Fattah said.

Known as Queen Mother, Fattah is the President and CEO of the House of Umoja, located at 56th and Master, in West Philadelphia.
Umoja in Swahili means unity.
For 40 years, she ran a residential program for at-risk males. Her new program will focus on 15 to 18-year-olds. "They are the ones doing the most dying."
Fattah says they have trained professionals coming in who will teach things like coping and forgiveness.
"Social media has now become the parent. I noticed that this is a drug society and that whatever is wrong, you just take a pill. We have to begin with you think before you act and so how does the brain operate? How do you go from saying that you have a right to kill somebody to understanding that nobody has that right?" Fattah questioned.
So, the Value of Human Life after-school program was born.
"Hurt people, hurt people and we, as a people, in our DNA, are very hurt people. Over 400 years and we’ve experienced a great deal of hurt. So, we’re going to begin with trying to deal with what do you do with that hurt? How do you handle it?" Fattah commented.
Fattah and her team are also looking at a different approach to teaching compassion by bringing in a professional dog trainer, for example, in the way that it’s helped veterans and people with disabilities cope.

"When you have a pet, you know you have to take care of that pet. It must be fed, he has to have exercise. So, you’re learning how to care. If you care, you don’t kill," Fattah remarked.
She says gun violence will never be eradicated, but we can’t stop working on solutions.
"I don’t know too many families in Philadelphia where they don’t know somebody who has been shot at or someone who has been killed," Fattah added. "I’m very hopeful. I’m optimistic."
More information on the program can be found here.

“A child that is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.” -African Proverb-
 
         PHILADELPHIA, PA (USA)  -- 26 March 2022 -  The House of Umoja, Inc. (www.houseofumoja.net) will launch its Youth Peace Corps, a component of the Fattah Peace Academy and the UMOJA INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY on Tuesday, 19 April 2022.  The Umoja Youth Peace Corps is an influencer leadership initiative centered around peace, the family of community, culture, healing and an African Proverb which warns: "A child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.”
 
              An after school program, the Youth Peace Corps will nurture youths, ages 15 through 18, by providing them with a well-round array of training ranging from communications, mental and physical wellness, Blockchain Basics entrepreneurship, dog training, and art therapy.  Each day begins with a meal and Adella with Queen Mother Falaka Fattah. Adella is a Swahili word that means “just” or “fair” and is formed around the value of the extended family, creating a safe space, and a tool for conflict resolution. Adella became the order within a home of fifteen (15) boys when Queen Mother in 1969 invited the gang members of her son's gang to live in her home. d Adella is a proven model that has worked in West African societies from ancient times and throughout the House of Umoja, Inc.’s existence as a residential home, safe haven, and peacemaker in the streets.
 
                “We are in a season of Sankofa.  Sankofa is a principle created by the Akan Tribe of Ghana which reminds us that remembering the past is the pathway to making positive progress in the future.    This wise principle is based on an Akan proverb translated from the Akan language which states, ‘It is not taboo to fetch what you forgot’.  The current set of challenges that engulf our community reminds each of us that  if we intend to resolve the challenges besieging our community, we must first know who we truly are, our heritage, our history, and the world around us  we have collectively forgotten.  Until we do, we will not make positive progress and it will be very difficult for us to better ourselves and our community and effectively teach and support our community’s Next Generation of Leaders – our youth.  As The House of Umoja, Inc. retrieves past violence reduction strategies, we realize we have always moved in partnership with our youth and kinship community.   Our youth have an integral role in crafting, applying, and evaluating violence reduction strategies that are relevant in today’s society.  It is our responsibility to develop a generation of effective leaders.  We can begin by teaching our youth how to solve problems and the principles of effective leadership and  supporting their vision for the future,” remarked Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the House of Umoja, Inc. (www.houseofumoja.net).  
 
          Cognizant of the dire need to move a new generation of souls to commit to nonviolence, the House of Umoja partnered with the SCI Phoenix LIFERS Inc. (www.palifersinc.org), a nationally acclaimed “inside-out” Criminal Justice Reform, Reentry, and Restorative Justice Think Tank  in research driven solutions-based modeling to help bring healing and peace to the City of Philadelphia. The Umoja Intentional Community, born from this initiative, is a structured alignment and an acknowledgement of the strengths, intent, and actions of the House of Umoja's actual community.
 
         “This is what we call the UMOJA INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY. Umoja leverages its fifty-three years of experience with violence reduction, conflict resolution, peace treaties, safe corridors, non-violence advocacy, community-school programming, and Black male, youth, and family development to strategically employ a pilot model program built on the foundation of violence-free zones,  Carroll Park is the initial defined violence-free zone. Our youth, the most impacted by the violence, are directly involved in helping create the peace through the Umoja Intentional Community Youth Peace Corps and trained through the Fattah Peace Academy. Eleventh and twelfth grade students from Carroll Park high schools will make up the fifteen member cohorts. Each cohort is twelve weeks and meets weekly from three o’clock through five o’clock on Tuesday afternoons through Friday afternoons.  Programming includes anger and stress management, conflict resolution, music, art and gardening therapy, the power of thought and language, forgiveness and intention, WalkNWellness™, neighborhood history, financial literacy, how to find and apply for scholarships, career development, entrepreneurship, self-expression, and the Rap Council which will facilitate a multigenerational conversation through rap where students learn to use their lyrical talents to speak life, not death,” explained Queen Mother Falaka Fattah.
 
          Established in 1968, the House of Umoja, Inc. is an  internationally acclaimed institution that has, for five decades, designed and implemented timeless Global Models for eradicating violence, fostering community development, creating economic sustainability, and addressing many of the key challenges that prevent boys and adolescent males from reaching their full potential and maturing into productive and successful adults.  Its successful track record of positively transforming the lives of approximately 3,000 male adolescents and  reducing gang violence, moved universities and institutions to seek the House of Umoja, Inc.’s expertise.   The Office of Juvenile Justice and Prevention and the Center for Disease Control were among the institutions that sought the House of Umoja, Inc.’s expertise on gang violence reduction, youth programming, and community organizing.   Former United States Presidents The Honorable James Earl Carter, Jr. and the late Honorable Ronald Wilson Reagan recognized the House of Umoja, Inc. for its pioneering work that has been documented in published articles such as “A Summons To Life,” by Robert Woodson of the American Enterprise Institute (www.aei.org)  in 1981 and “The Violent Juvenile Offender,” by Paul DeMuro and Richard Allison of the National Council On Crime and Delinquency (www.nccdglobal.org), in 1984.
 
          For further information about the UMOJA Intentional Community, the UMOJA Youth Peace Corps, and the House of Umoja, Inc., visit the organization’s website at www.houseofumoja.net or call (215) 473-5893 or send an e-mail to:  falakafattah@aol.com. 

CONTACTS:
Mr. Tommy Joshua Caison, Founder and Executive Director, Philly Peace Park
Telephone:  (215) 307-7102, E-Mail:  bringblacklife@gmail.com, Website:  www.phillypeacepark.org
Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, President, House of Umoja, Inc.
(215) 473-5893, E-Mail:  falakafattah@aol.com, Website:  www.houseofumoja.net/pressroom 

          PHILADELPHIA, PA (USA) – 18 December 2021 –  Building on the success of Round One of the Gun Violence Cease Fire implemented in the Carroll Park neighborhood of West Philadelphia which resulted in no fatal or nonfatal shootings during the Gun Violence Cease Fire and a dramatic reduction in gun violence throughout the City of Philadelphia, that began on Monday, 20 November 2021 at 12:00 A.M. (E.D.T.) and ended on Monday, 29 November 2021 at 12:00 A.M. (E.D.T.), Partners In Peace, an intergenerational coalition of organizations and community stakeholders will unveil plans for Round Two of a Gun Violence Cease Fire at a Monday, 20 December 2021 - 12:00 P.M. (E.D.T.) press conference.  The press conference will convene at the House of Umoja, Inc. at 5625 West Master Street in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.   Dubbed the “Christmas-Kwanzaa” Cease Fire, Round Two of the Gun Violence Cease Fire will commence 12:00 A.M. (E.D.T.) on Monday 20 December 2021 and end 12:00 A.M. (E.D.T.) on Saturday, 1 January 2022, IMANI, the last day of Kwanzaa. January 1, 2022, the last day of Kwanzaa is being declared as “Imani Day Of Peace” by Partners In Peace. In alliance with the Philly Truce Coalition, these intergenerational coalitions have selected six neighborhoods heavily impacted by Philadelphia’s gun violence emergency as the Gun Violence Cease Fire Zones for Round Two’s “Christmas-Kwanzaa” Cease Fire.  The Gun Violence Cease Fire Zones will expand into the neighborhoods of North Philadelphia, Northwest Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia, and Kensington.

          “Partners In Peace is again calling for one hundred men and women from our impacted communities to donate two hours each day throughout the cease fire period which begins on Monday, 20 December 2021 at 12:00 A.M.  and ends on Saturday, 1 January 2021 – Imani – the last day of Kwanzaa – which has been designed  ‘Imani Day Of Peace’.   Our goal is to negotiate Mutual Code of Conduct Interim Community Agreements within the neighborhoods that are components of Round Two of the ‘Christmas-Kwanzaa’ Cease Fire Gun Violence Cease Fire Zones. One hundred  peacekeepers will form ten teams of ten leaders that will cover ten blocks within each of the Gun Violence Cease Fire Zones.   This is known as the ‘10 -10-10 Strategy’. Partners In Peace in a grassroots and intergenerational partnership between the House of Umoja and the Philly Peace Park  which has since joined hands with lead organizations such as Philly Truce App, Block Captains, the Black Male Council of Philadelphia, the Urban League of Philadelphia, the Blackwell Cultural Alliance, Fathers Rally Day Committee, along with many other organizations.  In order for the violence to stop, for the violence to cease, it’s not going to come from more money being spread around, it’s not going to come from more police being deployed. It’s not going to come from more punishment. It’s going to come from God, the master, working on our hearts…You are going to see a renaissance. You are going to see the mightiest renaissance that we’ve ever seen in the history of our people and the history of Philadelphia once we establish peace. The new reality for Philadelphia, starting here this day, is a reality of peace,” remarked Mr. Tommy Joshua Caison, the Founder and Executive Director of Philly Peace Park (www.phillypeacepark.org).

           The designation of 1 January 2022, which is New Year’s Day and the last day of Kwanzaa – “Imani” – by Partners In Peace as the “Imani Day Of Peace” is rooted in an historically transformative event that occurred on 1 January 1974.  On that date, leaders of Philadelphia’s street organizations signed the Imani Peace Pact which helped to reduce and end decades of bloody and deadly violence fueled by gang territorial issues that played out in the city’s streets and schoolyards.  The signing of the Imani Peace Pledge, penned by the late Mr. David Fattah, patriarch of the House of Umoja, Inc. and husband of Queen Mother Falaka Fattah launched the successful “No Gang War In ‘74” Campaign which she coordinated.

           “In designating 1 January 2022 as ‘Imani Day Of Peace’,  Partners In Peace under the leadership of Tommy Joshua Caison is building on the knowledge of the past – a past replete with collaborative, holistic, and African-centered solutions.  The current gun violence emergency  the City of Philadelphia is painfully reminiscent of rampant gun violence that extinguished lives throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s.   Back then, the House of Umoja, Inc. and incarcerated souls at Pennsylvania’s prisons brought warring gang leaders throughout the City of Philadelphia to the peace table in 1974.   The ‘peace table’ took the form of a peace conference planned by a group of incarcerated souls.  My late husband negotiated a peace treaty that took the form of the “Imani Peace Pledge™ which he wrote.   On 1 January 1974, leaders of Philadelphia’s gangs signed the Imani Peace Pledge™ and they continue to honor the commitment to nonviolence they made nearly 48 years ago.  They support Partners In Peace and are very proactive in establishing the Gun Violence Cease Fire Zones and implementing Mr. Caison’s ’10-10-10’ strategy designed to return peace to the streets.   We are going back to the future to save lives, plant seeds of peace, and help eradicate Philadelphia’s gun violence emergency. A new generation of young souls is being asked to honor their Fathers, Grandfathers, and Great Grandfathers who signed the Imani Peace Pact  forty-seven years ago and kept their word, by  signing the Imani Pledge which can be found at https://www.houseofumoja.net/imani-pledge.html and not taking the life of another soul,” remarked Queen Mother Falaka, President of the House of Umoja, Inc. (www.houseofumoja.net). 

            To learn more about the intergenerational collective of community stakeholders and organizations – Partners  In  Peace – and how you can usher in a “New Reality Of Peace” for the City of Philadelphia and support Round Two of the Gun Violence Cease Fire that commence on Monday 20 December 2021 at 12:00 A.M. (E.D.T.) and end on Saturday, 1 January 2022 at 12:00 A.M. (E.D.T.). the last day of Kwanzaa – Imani of the  Gun Violence Cease Fire Zones, contact Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, President of the House of Umoja, Inc. at (215) 473-5893 or send an e-mail to: falakafattah@aol.com and Mr. Tommy Joshua Caison Founder and Executive Director of Philly Peace Park at (215) 307-7102 or send an e-mail to:  bringblacklife@gmail.com. 

         For further information about Philly Peace Park which has distributed 3,000 pounds of free fresh and healthy produce to community members since 2018 and, through several school partnerships, provides students enrolled in Grades K-12 with ecologically-based programs that comprise planting, harvesting, landscape design and construction, composting, pollinators, plant identification, and art, visit its website at  www.philly peacepark.org.

         For further information about the House of Umoja, Inc. visit its website at www.houseofumoja.net..  Established in 1968, the House of Umoja, Inc. is an  internationally acclaimed institution that has, for five decades, designed and implemented timeless Global Models for eradicating violence, fostering community development, creating economic sustainability, and addressing many of the key challenges that prevent boys and adolescent males from reaching their full potential and maturing into productive and successful adults.  Its successful track record of positively transforming the lives of approximately 3,000 male adolescents and  reducing gang violence, moved universities and institutions to seek the House of Umoja, Inc.’s expertise.   The Office of Juvenile Justice and Prevention and the Center for Disease Control were among the institutions that sought the House of Umoja, Inc.’s expertise on gang violence reduction, youth programming, and community organizing.   Former United States Presidents The Honorable James Earl Carter, Jr. and the late Honorable Ronald Wilson Reagan recognized the House of Umoja, Inc. for its pioneering work that has been documented in published articles such as “A Summons To Life”, by Robert Woodson of the American Enterprise Institute (www.aei.org)  in 1981 and “The Violent Juvenile Offender”, by Paul DeMuro = and Richard Allison of the National Council On Crime and Delinquency (www.nccdglobal.org), in 1984.

​PHILADELPHIA, PA (USA) – 20 September 2021 –  Souls of African descent from ages 18 through 25 are the Diaspora’s “Next Generation Of Leaders”.  What are their concerns?  What are the most challenging aspects of their lives?  What is the vision they have for their future, their community’s future, and the future of the world they will inherit when their Elders pass the baton of leadership to them?  How will they create and nurture fully functional and sustainable family units, economically vibrant and self-sufficient communities, and a peaceful world?   Where do we go from here?

UMOJA Magazine was founded in 1968 by Queen Mother Falaka Fattah.  It is published quarterly  by the House of Umoja, Inc. (www.houseofumoja.net), an internationally acclaimed organization which has a fifty-three year successful track record in positively transforming the lives of adolescent male youths, is asking  the Diaspora’s “Next Generation Of Leaders” – souls from the ages of 18 through 25 – to provide their community with a blueprint for the future.   The publication has issued a “Call For Submissions” for its “Where Do We Go From Here?” Youth Edition which will be released on 1 January 2022, the last day of Kwanzaa – Imani – and the first day of the New Year.

Submissions for the “Where Do We Go From Here?” Youth Edition of UMOJA Magazine should be forwarded by writers from 18 through 25 years of age on or by 30 November 2021 by e-mail to falakafattah@aol.com.  A panel of judges will be convened to select the best article and the writer of the best article will be the recipient of a scholarship.  In addition to writers UMOJA Magazine is searching for panelists to review incoming articles and select the best articles and sponsors to contribute to the scholarship that will be awarded to the winner of the best article which will be published in the “Where Do We Go From Here?” Youth Edition of UMOJA Magazine.

For further information about the House of Umoja, Inc., call (215) 473-5893, send an e-mail to: falakafattah@aol.com, or visit the organization’s website at www.houseofumoja.net.