Jahmal Cole: IEF Mentor to Scholar Andre Bacon
Tell us a little about yourself: I work for WH Trading as a Microsoft Systems Engineer. My wife, Tiffany, and I have a one year old daughter named Khammur. She’s the light of my life. She enjoys watching The Cleveland Show theme song. I also have a dog. His name is Kobe and he’s a German Shepherd. I’ve recently released a book The Torch of Decency which was inspired by the legacy of the Chatham Community on the South Side of Chicago.
Why did you become a mentor?
I wanted to influence underserved youth to dream bigger than their surroundings.
Andre Bacon: IEF Scholar and Mentee
“Jahmal came into my life at the right moment. I have not met anyone like him. Jahmal has shared many personal experiences with me that are similar to my upbringing. I found it fascinating because he has managed to overcome the obstacles he has faced. I am able to receive great advice from him. Since we have the same passion for music, we were able to build a stronger and stable relationship. I feel comfortable talking about anything with him; it does not matter what the topic is. I really enjoy having Jahmal as a friend. I can’t think of anyone else who could replace him. “
Chatham Foods welcomes community activist Jahmal Cole for a book signing on February 5th, 2012. Stop by Chatham Foods at 327 E. 79th St. and pick up a copy of Jahmal Cole’s latest book “The Torch of Decency,” a book inspired by the legacy of the Chatham Community.
Jahmal Cole will be there on February 5th, to sign copies. Chatham Foods Market has identified itself as a true community store through its interaction with local businesses, churches, block clubs, and community organizations. They are proud to be more than a grocery store; and will continue to cultivate relationships with the community they serve and the organizations that share their commitment to sustainability.
Chatham Foods Market maintains an ongoing commitment to having a positive effect in our community, both economically and ecologically. Each year they give thousands of dollars to local non-profits, schools, activist organizations and artists. More importantly they also donate their time to local fairs.
Read more about this post at The Sixth Ward Blogspot
Zach Isaacs of 2 City News interviews Jahmal Cole about his latest book release, “The Torch of Decency.”
AUTHOR’S TORCH OF DECENCY DOCUMENTS HISTORY AND BENEFITS CHATHAM’S FUTURE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(CHICAGO, ILLINOIS) – Chatham resident, author, and keynote speaker Jahmal Cole announces the release of his latest book, The Torch of Decency, Rekindling the Spirit of Civic Organizations. Available December 17, 2011, The Torch of Decency documents the historic past of Chatham and its residents, while exposing the turbulent changes which threaten its impressive standing as a revered African American middle-class residential neighborhood.
Cole’s deep investment and commitment to the preservation of Chatham’s history and culture is evident throughout the book. Descriptive passages reveal the diverse personalities and rich culture that make up the flavor and diversity of this community. The Torch of Decency discusses Chatham’s growth from infancy to the present day, and encourages all Chatham residents to become involved and give back to their community. As a testament to his commitment, a portion of the proceeds from every book will be donated to the Greater Chatham Alliance.
In his book, Cole discusses Chatham’s founders, entrepreneurs, celebrities, and politicians and how they shaped the community. He also delves into the increase in criminal activity and economic woes which currently plague his beloved community, while providing readers with solutions and ways to rekindle the community pride that was once Chatham’s claim to fame. According to Cole, assuming responsibility for the preservation of the acclaimed accomplishments of Chatham’s previous generations is a torch of decency all should carry.
The Torch of Decency can be purchased online at www.rolemodelmovement.com/shop for $12.99. It is also available at Chatham Foods Market, 327 East 79th Street, Chicago, IL. Chatham residents who would like to have a copy of the book personally delivered to them should contact Jahmal Cole by calling 312-882-5028 or emailing jcole@rolemodelmovement.com. For every book purchased, Cole will donate $1 to the Greater Chatham Alliance.
Jahmal Cole, founder of Role Model Movement and Role Model Publishing, is available for book signings and speaking engagements. All speeches in and around the Chatham community will be supplemented with copies of The Torch of Decency.
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Jahmal Cole is the founder of Role Model Movement, a not-for-profit branch of Role Model Publishing, where he serves as a mentor to underprivileged youth. He is the author of Athletes and Emcees, a motivational book that inspires youth to embrace opportunities beyond their surroundings. Jahmal is an associate board member of the Children’s Research Triangle and Children’s Home + Aid and a mentor for the Illinois Education Foundation. He is the President of the 6th Ward Young Democrats and Vice Chairman of the Greater Chatham Alliance Education Committee. In 2011, he was presented with the Chicago Ideas Week Fellowship Award from Rahm Emanuel and is a recipient of a certificate of appreciation from the Illinois Officer of Governor Commission for Volunteerism and Community Service. Interview requests and media inquiries should be directed to Jahmal Cole by calling 312-882-5028 or emailing jcole@rolemodelmovement.comTop of Form
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Superintendent of Chicago Police Gary McCarthy is a very passionate and down to earth person. This same passion is the reason why he played tackle football until age 49. He say’s that “If it weren’t for size, speed, talent & strength, he’d be in the NFL.” All jokes aside, this guy is still in very good shape.
He told the Hales Franciscan audience that the key to success is finding something that makes you excited. Find something that inspires you and God will handle the rest.
1) What advice does he have for people that are stopped by the Cops?
Comply, Comply, Comply. Police Officers are taught to take control of a situation. Studies have shown that they end up shot when they don’t take control. Superintendent McCarthy says he’s teaching officers how to speak cordially once they have taken control of the situation.
2) Where are the Illegal guns in Chicago coming from?
Mississippi, and Indiana. Superintendent McCarthy said that in 30 years he’s only seen one murder with a legal gun. The CPD recovers 7 illegal guns for every 1 recovered in NYC. (NYC is three times bigger than Chicago)!
McCarthy will cut crime down by putting cops where they’re supposed to be. Superintendent of Chicago Police Gary McCarthy Speaks at Hales Franciscan High School
First Lady Michelle Obama returned to her native South Side Chicago on Tuesday to promote her initiatives on healthy eating for children as well as her quest to eliminate food deserts.
Obama stopped by a refashioned Walgreens on 75th and State Street. Last year the chain started stocking its shelves with fresh fruits and vegetables in neighborhoods where crisp produce is scarce. Often, such food deserts either lack healthy stores or are home to stores where processed and junk foods prevail.
The First Lady said the issue of food deserts speaks directly to her.
“I saw this growing up in my own community,” said Obama, who grew up in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. “Starting out with wonderful grocery stores but slowly, but surely, as the economies changed, many of these resources just disappeared into thin air. This is true for so many communities across the country. This just isn’t happening in Chicago or on the South Side.
“If folks want to buy a head of lettuce for a salad or some fruit for their kids’ lunch, they’d have to take two or three buses to do it.”
Obama invested time and considerable political capital in a program called “Let’s Move,” which aims to reduce childhood obesity.
Her visit coincides with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s daylong food access summit. Mayors from around the country gathered in Chicago to explore best practices to expand fresh food in underserved communities.
Written by JP Paulus of thesixthwardblogspot.com
October 10-16, 2011, Chicago Ideas Week (CIW) will bring the world’s top speakers together with Chicago’s best thinkers to create an ecosystem of innovation, exploration, and intellectual recreation.
The Idea Awards were created to acknowledge some of Chicago’s most innovative individuals, as distinguished by their use of new ideas and the positive, measurable impact they have in the community.
Idea Awards: Fellows
Mayor Rahm Emanuel
CIW Fellows are talented individuals under the age of 35 who are making a difference in their community or industry through the positive force of their energy and efforts, and who are distinguishing themselves through innovation. These are the leaders and change agents of the world tomorrow, who are making a huge impact on their local and regional communities today.
On Monday October 10, 2011. A Chatham resident will be awarded the CIW Fellows award.
Jahmal Cole: Founder, Role Model Movement
Jahmal Cole is an author, speaker and community leader. One of Cole’s first inspirations toward public service came from his father, who ran for City Council. Today, Jahmal is using that inspiration to service and mentor inner city youth. As the founder of Role Model Movement, a not-for-profit branch of Role Model Publishing, Cole strives to make the community a better place to live as he inspires and helps teens and young adults to rise above their present circumstances and upbringing.
For more information on CIW http://www.chicagoideas.com/
Ruggles Elementary School is located on the South Side of Chicago, where the majority of schools lack funding. The CPS budget crisis is no secret.
The Greater Chatham Alliance was alerted that this school didn’t have any air condition and the temperature was becoming a distraction for students at Ruggles. That’s when we all decided to take action!
With the help of Chatham Foods CEO Allen Kreit and the Education Committee of the Greater Chatham Alliance, we were able to donate 12 cases of water to Ruggles Elementary School.
This is just a quick fix solution to a bigger problem, but at least it’s a start. I want to thank Chatham Foods for partnering with civic organizations in the community they serve. I also want to thank the members of the Education Committee for their fundraising efforts. This school is in our community so we’re obligated to do whatever we can to help them.
On June 16th, hundreds of people came out for an evening dedicated to the academic and personal achievements of UCAN’s youth. Youth who have suffered trauma can become our future leaders. It was an extraordinary evening at the Four Seasons – before dinner, guests mingled with UCAN youth while enjoying a silent auction and reception. Dinner was followed by acceptance speeches by the award winners and an unveiling of UCAN’s latest video. On this night, UCAN raised almost $550,000! Thank you to those of you who helped UCAN reach this amazing level.
Mellody Hobson of Ariel Investments inspired us all with her keynote speech with a theme of financial literacy and “doing what you can with what you have now,” or taking responsibility and challenging yourself to be the best possible. She captured the crowd by sharing some of her life story and was blown away herself by the stories of our award winners, exclaiming, “Sometimes you wonder why you’re here or why you were asked to be a part of something – I was supposed to be here tonight to learn from those UCAN scholars. It’s unbelievable to meet people like these young adults. This is real – these kids are incredible!”
She’s easily one of the best speakers I’ve ever heard. She’s engaging, funny, brilliant and yet she could relate to every person in the room. She stayed after the speech mingled with the crowd. I truly enjoyed this event.
1) Description of project, including the final form that it will take:
This proposed project involves producing a documentary entitled, “Chatham, The Pride of Chicago.” Chatham, a south side community, was once one of Chicago’s finest assets. However, recently, rising murder and crime rates threaten our safety. While restoring pride and history, this documentary will also address community heritage, outreach and involvement.
Chatham, a community of pride and dignity, has played an instrumental role in Chicago’s culture. Rich with notable celebrities and influential residents, Chatham has contributed community and civic leaders, businesses, and a united spirit to the history of Chicago. Its neighborhoods have earned admiration and recognition throughout the decades.
By celebrating Chatham’s past in an unprecedented, timely documentary, we can reunify and exemplify our long-standing community pride and restore our reputation as one of Chicago’s finest assets. Chatham, The Pride of Chicago joins together Jahmal Cole and Role Model Movement with Chatham’s long-time residents, professionals, and community leaders to document the contributions of yesteryear and firm our commitment to Chatham’s future.
This groundbreaking documentary will be featured throughout the community. Not only will it preserve Chatham’s rich history, but it will also reignite our commitment to the future. Featuring interviews and insight from lifelong residents, educators, professionals, community and civic leaders, this documentary will enrich our community spirit and enhance our dedication to regaining the dignity for which we are renowned.
In addition, the documentary will play an integral role in bringing attention to Chatham’s critical security needs, including the need for security cameras and community involvement in an effort to deter crime and promote safe neighborhoods for Chatham residents, businesses, and visitors. It is hoped that by integrating Chatham’s respected past into its future, and joining together today’s youth with past generations, we can work together to again be Chicago’s finest exemplary community.
2) Main influences:
Memories of a striving, well-respected community are mired with the present downfall of Chatham, once a stellar example of community pride, especially among minorities. Residents are rightly concerned, yet block clubs struggle to provide a safe environment for our children. A lack of opportunities has plagued Chatham’s inner-city youth, resigning them to accept their fate and escape the reality of a bleak future through basketball and hip-hop music. In my book, Athletes and Emcees, I reveal how I overcame the same obstacles and encourage today’s youth to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness that plagues them.
The documentary will enhance my efforts to motivate teens to pursue their dreams and make positive contributions to their community. By enhancing our heritage and encouraging generations to work together, we can provide our youth with a better future and restore the pride and safety that was once Chatham’s claim to fame.
3) How this project takes an original and imaginative approach to content and form.
This documentary will provide youth with people they can relate to and identify with. Via interviews with Chatham residents, history unfolds and takes us back to the 60’s, when Chatham was a prestigious community. Today’s generation will learn about the influence of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, and how the “Urban Migration” and strict adherence to our principles shaped Chatham’s ethnicity and esteem, across Chicagoland and the nation. It is through our past that we can rejuvenate dignity, ethnic pride and heritage, and our standing as one of the most promising minority communities in which to raise children.
4) What kind of impact-artistic, intellectual, communal, civic, social, etc. impact do you hope your project will have?
Because I am honored and privileged to be from this neighborhood, I hope this project will uphold Chatham’s tradition and standing in Chicago. Rather than allow our rich history and esteemed values to die, I intend to reignite them and encourage others to join me in this honor. I respect that our forefathers fought for the ability to establish renowned communities among all ethnicities. I strive to invoke my respect for their sacrifice among the community and compel them to join a respectful black history, where our ethnic background is a source of pride, not despair.
5) Who are the specific audiences/communities that you hope to engage with this project? Please think beyond the broad art community where possible. How are you hoping to reach them?
By featuring this documentary at schools and among youth groups, civic organizations, and diverse community events across Chatham and Chicago, I hope to reach a widespread audience. The scope of this project includes past and present leaders, politicians, historians, business owners, educators, and religious leaders, as well as teens and young adults. By revealing to them what was, and still is, possible, I hope to invoke widespread enthusiasm in restoring Chatham as the prime example of a thriving black neighborhood that exemplifies civility, prestige, neighborhood pride, and unity, especially among the youth who will become tomorrow’s leaders.
6) What would be the ideal venues for your work? Do you have existing relationships with or access to any of these venues?
Chatham and Chicago are rich with venues to showcase this groundbreaking documentary. Among them is the I.C.E. Theatre in Chatham, where audiences will have the opportunity to experience their culture and beauty. Other ideal venues approached that have expressed interest include the Chicago Documentary Festival, Frontline (PBS), and Sundance. The International Documentary Challenge, which has partnered with the Documentary Channel to feature award-winning independent documentaries, is also an excellent opportunity to receive maximum exposure. These acclaimed venues have expressed a deep-seeded interest in Chicago’s culture and history and welcome the opportunity to feature films which will make a positive impact.
7) How might your proposed project act as a catalyst for your artistic and professional growth? In what ways is it a pivotal moment in your practice?
As an author, speaker, and mentor, this documentary will allow me to expand my career and audience. Above all, it provides me with the rare opportunity to positively impact and unite the community. An advocate and motivator of inner-city youth, this project will enable me to gain the necessary trust and respect to step into public service and the political arena. A dedication to my community and the quality of life for those who reside in it, it will also bring me closer to creating Role Model Publishing, a Chicago press committed to motivating inner-city teens.
Given comprehensive systems of support, how can non-monetary services and resources helping you realize your goals for this project, as well as those for your larger artistic and professional growth?
First, any support will affirm my validity and belief in the positive impact which can be generated from this documentary. In addition, the publicity derived from bloggers and media outlets support will provide tremendous credibility to the project and increase the community’s interest in it. The making of Chatham: The Pride of Chicago is a long held passion which needs the support, resources, and publicity of the artistic community to bring it to fruition. When complete, it will greatly enhance my portfolio and experience, giving me an even greater opportunity to benefit the community and motivate others in the future.
How can you help?
There are many ways! Right now, we’re raising funds for the documentary and can use donations, as well as volunteers who will help us spread the word. I’d also appreciate it if you shared our website with your family and friends—the more people who join the movement, the better! Another thing you can do is check out our online store, where you’ll find some cool shirts and other items, like my book, Athletes and Emcees, a manual for success which is motivating many students, teens and young adults to change their lives! It’s not only an eye opening and entertaining read, but it’s also a great gift for teens and college students. All purchases will contribute to our cause and fund our efforts. Click this link to browse our store: http://rolemodelmovement.com/shop/ .
Booking Form
