Reverend Al Sharpton and NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas to Headline the Launch of Education for a Better America & NAN Career Pipeline Initiative in Chicago on Thursday at Frazier International Magnet School
Chicago – As part of the launch of the Career Pipeline Initiative in Chicago, the National Action Network and Education for a Better America will present NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas with its EBA Community Engagement Award for Thomas’ work in violence prevention in the city of Chicago and around the nation.
A Chicago native, Thomas has worked closely with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Father Michael Pfleger on the Peace Basketball Tournaments, which recently launched and will continue through February, and the Windy City Hoops program which are designed to foster safer communities throughout the city.
Isiah Thomas will appear on MSNBC’s PoliticsNation with host Reverend Al Sharpton tomorrow at 5:00pm CST.
WHO: Rev. Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network (NAN) Isiah Thomas, Basketball legend, Chicago native, founder of Windy City Hoops Initiative Leadership from NAN, EBA and the Chicago community
WHAT: National Action Network & Education for a Better America Career Pipeline Initiative Launch
WHERE: Frazier International Magnet School 4027 W. Grenshaw St., Chicago, IL, 60624
WHEN: Thursday, November 7, 2013 10:00 am
BACKGROUND: Education for a Better America (EBA) and National Action Network (NAN) will launch the Career Pipeline Initiative in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday, November 7 at 10:00am at Frazier International Magnet School (FIMS) on the West Side of Chicago. The purpose of this event is to highlight the achievement of FIMS, identify their best practices, and develop a plan to scale them up in order to transfer strategies that have proven to be successful to other schools and localities. In 2010, FIMS was the only school in the state of Illinois to achieve the 90 percent minority, 90 percent poverty (eligible for free or reduced lunch), 90 percent meeting or exceeding on the state assessment distinction. The school has repeated this feat for an unprecedented three years. Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recognized the FIMS as a National Blue Ribbon School.
National Action Network President and MSNBC PoliticsNation Host Reverend Al Sharpton will keynote the program and a “Best Practices Forum” will follow Reverend Sharpton’s address. EBA will also present FIMS with their 2013 Beacon Award for Excellence in Urban Education. NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, will be presented with the EBA Community Engagement Award for his efforts to develop youth and prevent violence in the Chicago area.
The Career Pipeline Initiative launched on Friday, November 1st at 9:30 a.m. at Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, GA, the alma mater of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Lena Horne among others. The launch featured a fireside chat hosted by David Johns, Executive Director of the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for African Americans, and the African American Male Initiative (AAMI) students from the high school and Georgia State University. The program also featured an “Introduction to STEM Careers” Workshop by Dr. Kamau Bobb, a research scientist from Georgia Tech.
EBA Executive Director Marcus Bright stated that “the Career Pipeline Initiative in Chicago will consist of mentoring and programming geared towards providing career awareness and enrichment. EBA and NAN will partner with elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, corporations, existing mentorship programs, and other community organizations. This coalition will build a longitudinal continuum in different career fields from elementary and secondary school to post-secondary educational institutions to careers.”