Have you heard about the Catherine Ferguson Academy? CFA is an innovative and successful school for pregnant and parenting teenage girls in Detroit.
Catherine Ferguson Academy (CFA) is a Detroit public high school for pregnant and parenting teen girls- the only one of its kind in the nation. Providing an excellent education and services for both the teen mothers and their children, CFA has received international attention, numerous awards and is the subject of several documentaries.
"When people at my regular high school realized that I was pregnant, I was told my chances of being a success in life were over. At Catherine Ferguson, they told me they wouldn't allow me to be anything BUT a success. I love CFA, and I am prepared to fight to keep it open, not only for myself, but for all the girls who will come behind me," said Ashley Matthews, a junior at CFA.
With approximately 200 students who come not only from Detroit, but also from the surrounding suburbs, every year Catherine Ferguson achieves a 90% graduation rate and 100% of those who graduate are accepted to two- or four-year colleges, most with financial aid. (source)
How perfectly, beautifully pro-life is that? Isn't that what we (well, some of us) have been saying all along? Pregnant women shouldn't have to choose between their children and their future, and CFA is helping to ensure that they can have both.
So pro-lifers should help fight to keep this school open. Due to budget cuts, the Detroit school district has slated the Catherine Ferguson Academy for closure unless a private buyer can be found to convert it to a charter school. The students and educators at CFA believe that privatization would lead to cuts to the very programs that make the school so valuable for the population it serves — young mothers. Students even staged a sit-in over spring break to bring attention to their cause.
If you'd like to help keep Catherine Ferguson Academy open and serving young women and their children, here are some links that you can use to get more informed and take action:
- The Rachel Maddow Show did a segment on CFA and the sit-in, and posted informational links on their blog.
- Defend Public Education and Change.org have petitions to sign.
- You can also donate to the students' legal defense fund (when filling out the form, make sure to specify that you are donating toward the Catherine Ferguson Academy effort).
Remember to post to Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Digg, etc., and get the word out!
