WE BELIEVE IN THE PROMISE AND GENIUS OF YOUNG BLACK & BROWN MEN IN CHICAGO
OUR PROGRAM
This work is an honoring of our ancestors and our process of returning to the source.
OUR COMMUNITY
Our connection to ourselves and God is facilitated through our connection to one another.
EVENTS AND NEWS
MAAFA is growing and gaining strength every day. Learn more about what's happening, and what's next.
MAC CENTER
Our home is being remodeled, thanks to the Chicago Prize!
CONTACT US
We want to be connected to each person in our neighborhood and community.
OUR MISSION AND MOTTO
"We are the men of the MAAFA Redemption Project. We recognize that we cannot redeem our families and communities until we first redeem ourselves. Therefore, our mission is to invest in the mind, body and spirit so that we may repair and rebuild our city, one life at a time."
We believe in the promise and genius of young Black & Brown men in Chicago, and we exist to educate and empower them to lead us to better days.
WHAT DOES MAAFA MEAN?
The name of the initiative, MAAFA, comes from the Kiswahili word meaning “calamity” or “disaster.” It typically refers to the transatlantic slave trade and Middle Passage.
The MAAFA stained-glass window at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church is the largest iconic display of the Middle Passage in the world. The central image depicts a chained Black Christ whose body contains the well-known “Brooks” broadside; a graphic of ‘tight-packed’ enslaved Africans in a slave ship. Though chained, the body's head is tilted upward; rising toward redemption.
The MAAFA Redemption Project is a faith-based residential institute for emerging adult men of color located in West Garfield Park. We offer dormitory-style residential support, workforce training, character/spiritual-development, and a host of wrap-around social services. With our unique direct-service and community-building approach, MAAFA aims to drive the community’s redevelopment plan.
This Program Is Creating a Safe & Healing Space for Chicago Teens | Localish
The MAAFA Redemption Project is a faith-based program working to make a difference in West Garfield Park. MAAFA recruits emerging adult men to invest in them with housing, employment, educational opportunities! The project creates a plethora of opportunities for young men who are looking for a second chance.
