Contact: Shea Howell—313-282-7669 & Kim Sherobbi—313-478-7610

What: Rally at Catherine Ferguson Academy
Join Students, Parents, Teachers, CFA Principal Andrews, United Auto Workers and Labor, Congregations, Community…
and Actor/Humanitarian Danny Glover! (he’ll be available for interviews with the press)

Enough is Enough: Keep CFA Open!
When: Thursday June 16th @ Noon
Where: 2750 Selden, Detroit
Why? CFA Student Ikeeah Dozier Will Tell You: 

“It is often said that Catherine Ferguson Academy is the school for pregnant girls. This is not true, I wouldn’t even say that this is a school for teenage mothers – it is much more than that. Catherine Ferguson is not only for the continuing education of young mothers, but for the beginning education of our children. We don’t have day care here, we have early education classrooms. We aren’t leaving our children with glorified babysitters, we are leaving them with teachers. It isn’t just that our children are learning educationally, they are also learning socially. By being in the classroom from such an early age, our children are learning how to interact. Whereas children that stay at home for three years then enter preschool don’t know what to do in a room full of children their age.

Catherine Ferguson isn’t telling girls that it’s ok to get pregnant. We are saying that if you do get pregnant, there are options. I say “we”, because Catherine Ferguson is a family. We all travel great distances to get here. Some of us take one bus, some of us three. Some of us live on this side of town, some of us live east. Then there are those, like me, that don’t live in Detroit at all, but in one of the outlying cities. There are even girls that moved here from different states.

Why try to break up this school when it has everything that we need? We are learning, our children are learning, and should something happen, only a flight of stairs, or a short walk down the hallway, separates us. The nurse’s station is only a few feet away, and they are trained to handle many difficult situations.

By closing Catherine Ferguson, you are not only closing us out, but our children. It’s as if you’re saying that because we made a mistake, neither we nor our children deserve an education. Who is anyone to deny the children of teen-aged mothers an education? Children are the future, so why send them into the world with anything less than the best?”

Read more about CFA from Free Press Columnist Jeff Gerritt

What You Can Do:
1. Show up in solidarity with CFA students, Bring others AND Spread the Word!
2. Contact Emergency Manager Roy Roberts
Tell Him to Keep CFA Open, and Invite Him to the Rally:
* Roy Roberts email: roy.roberts@detroitk12.org and Phone: 313-870-3772
* Steve Wasko, Roberts’ Communications: Office Phone 313-873-4542 Cell Phone 313-212-5636
3. Those in need of transportation: BAMN is providing rides in all areas of the city and neighboring areas: Call or text 313-585-3637