On a recent sunny morning on Fort Worth’s eastside, boys grinned from ear to ear as they filed out of school buses to begin playing football, basketball, checkers and chess as part of the much-anticipated May Day in the Park Celebration.
The event, sponsored by Chesapeake Energy, is put together by UMOJA, a non-profit mentoring group that was started in 1994 by retired Fort Worth Police Lt. Luther Perry. Umoja is the Swahili word for “unity,” and Perry believed the word – all in caps -- best represented what his organization tries to accomplish for youths.
As a former cop, Perry says he knows how tough it gets on the streets, especially for boys who can so easily get caught up in the misdirected allure of gang violence. So Perry, with help from others, decided to step in by starting UMOJA to help show boys the right path to take.
Like Perry and the other mentors from UMOJA, Chesapeake wants to help kids who seem to be heading for trouble. If that help comes early enough, Chesapeake believes, lives will be turned around and future generations will be stronger.
For those reasons, Chesapeake has made contributions for the past two years to help support UMOGA picnics, such as the one on May 27 in Sylvania Park.
“May Day in the Park is a way for the boys of UMOJA to unwind from a work-filled school year, and it serves as a stepping stone for our annual summer camp,” Perry said.
He added, “Chesapeake has graciously been able to help support two of the five events we hold year round. Without such financial assistance, UMOJA wouldn’t be able to reach out to as many kids as we’d like to.”
The UMOJA program is designed to help promote non-violence and keep young boys in school. It also teaches them how to be role models in the classroom and community.
The mentoring staff is comprised of about 30 African-American men from an assortment of professions. They help boys from 13 different schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District.
During the recent picnic at Sylvania Park, once play time was over, the men of UMOJA sat the boys down and encouraged them to work hard through the summer and into the next school year. Shortly afterwards, the boys dispersed and began cleaning up the park -- a task they seemed to do willingly as a way to show their appreciation for the men who are helping them.