Greetings Craig,

COAL had the honor of attending and participating in Urban Prep’s Convocation program, held on September 7, 2023, for its incoming freshman class of 2027.

Words cannot sufficiently express how proud we are of the care and effort Urban Prep provides our young men in preparing them for a successful high school educational experience. The convocation is about tradition, ceremony, culture, community, fellowship, brotherhood, family, support and encouragement – wrapped in a moving professional presentation.

The freshman class heard words of encouragement and belief from key Urban Prep leaders, as well as two of their very own fellow incoming freshmen. The freshman class donned their school blazers for the first time and recited the Urban Prep Creed.

As a part of the program, a group of successful professional Black men (of which I was proud to stand along with) recited the Urban Prep Brothers' Keeper Pledge, standing up as role models and, more importantly, standing up to underscore our commitment to do whatever is required to support these young Black men towards successfully completing high school and laying the foundation for success in whatever their chosen post-secondary pursuits.

Urban Prep’s freshman class orientation, which culminates in its Convocation program, exemplifies the well planned, targeted and creatively thoughtful special attention that benefits our young men and positions them for success.

It’s about education, character-building, community-building, caring for and investing in our next generations.

Congratulations to Urban Prep’s incoming class of 2027. COAL expects great things from each and every one of you.

Respectfully,

Craig Wimberly, President

and the COAL Board of Directors

_____________________________________________

"The time to work seriously and collectively, to improve the state of our Community, is upon us..."

Let Us be intentional in all aspects of the Work that must be done.

IT BEARS REPEATING, THANK YOU

Congratulations to Troy Boyd, Jr. Urban Prep COO, Dennis Lacewell, Urban Prep CAO, and Attorneys Eric S. Grodsky and Eric B. Bernard, all of whom masterfully weathered a political CPS assault, focused on demonstrating its muscle and shutting down Urban Prep, with little regard to the education of our Black boys and young men.

A huge thank you to COAL members Atty Jim Montgomery and Atty Victor Henderson who devoted hours working with COAL leadership to strategize on COAL’s advocacy to SAVE Urban Prep, as well as working directly with the Urban Prep team.

A huge thank you to COAL membership who took a visible stand in support of Urban Prep, including signing a strong public letter challenging the Mayor and Governor to address the travesty of shutting down Urban Prep, and in attending two press conferences to underscore COAL’s strong advocacy on the issue. 

And a huge thank you to each of you, COAL’s greater community of interest, for taking action when asked, from signing Urban Prep’s petition of support to penning letters to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and making calls to the Mayor and Governor.

Collectively, we did the right thing in standing up for the education of our Black young men.

Again, thank you.

SHAME ON OUR ELECTED AND APPOINTED LEADERSHIP

It is COAL's understanding that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) continues with an appeal in the Appellate Court, attempting to overturn the very well-written verdict giving Uban Prep its win to continue to educate our community's young men. In other words, CPS continues its fixation with shutting down Urban Prep.

Shame on Mayor Brandon Johnson, CPS Board President Jianan Shi and CPS CEO Pedro Martinez for continuing with this farce to shut down Urban Prep and to devalue the needs of our children.

Shame on Governor J. B. Pritzker, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders and ISBE Chair Dr. Steven Isoye for not stepping in to put a stop to this CPS fixation.

Importantly, not one of the above has responded to COAL's request to meet and discuss this critical issue, throughout this process.

Black children deserve a quality education. To fight against this or to ignore it completely, is morally bankrupt.

We, as a community, must challenge systems (as well as individuals in power) that do not prioritize the education of our children, that devalue our community institutions, and that do not listen to the voices of our community.

The fight continues.

ENDING ON A STRONG AND POSITIVE NOTE

Let this Brothers' Keeper Pledge apply to all of our children, across all of our community.

We are our brothers' keepers & We believe.

We believe that our destinies are linked &

That our past and present lay the foundation for your future.

We believe that you will finish college [and other post-secondary endeavors] &

That you know you can do so because we stand before you as living proof of what can be done.

We believe that it is up to you to determine and define the life you will lead & That it is up to us to light your path with our watchful gaze.

We believe that you are committed to improving our community &

That our example can inspire you to change the world.

We believe you are exceptional &

That it is our duty to carry the torch until you are ready to carry it for us all.

We believe in your goodness, your strength, your power, and your potential &

That we must continue to believe in our own.

For we are our Brother's Keepers &

We believe in you.

To all of our children, we believe and we pledge.

About COAL

COAL is an umbrella organization founded by 13 of Chicago's historic African American mens clubs. COAL's overarching mission is to identify, examine, illuminate and find resolution to issues impacting the greater community. We strive to use our collective experience, expertise and resources to improve the quality of opportunity, quality of preparedness and the quality of outcomes (expressed as 'quality of life') for our Community.

What We Believe

The Coalition of African American Leaders believes that it is important to examine the critical issues confronting the African American community where injustice, inequality and the absence of access and opportunity continue to prevail, thereby negatively impacting us as a people.

COAL is an assemblage that advocates and organizes for appropriate and responsible public policy change, system behavior change and equality of opportunity. We aim to achieve for all of our people the fullness of the life experience without any form of racism or exclusion as a deterrent.

We believe we must prepare ourselves for the opportunity of this full participation, thereby achieving the necessary education and training to participate.