Evanston on Wednesday night kicked off a civility program, to address the growing problem of youth violence in the community, with a speech by the mother of Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan.
Deloris Jordan, a mother of five, told the approximately 600 people who came to Evanston Township High School that family values and supporting children is critical to addressing youth violence in society.
“Parents have to tell their children that they love them and to have hope,” Jordan said. “Love and nurture them from day one. It starts at home.
“Our top priority as parent should be our family and our children.”
The civility campaign, created by high school officials in the wake of youth-related shootings, was unveiled after a task force spent 18 months designing a program they hope will teach people that simple civility can prevent disagreements from escalating into destructive confrontations.
“People always ask me what I did to help Michael turn out to be such a good person,” Jordan said. “I tell them it didn’t start on the basketball court. It started at home with nurturing and loving.”
The Wednesday night event is the first of many such programs.
