2002

Summer
ICI launched its Academic Achievement Outreach Initiative at Centennial High School (CHS) during the summer of 2002 with three hundred students present for our first Outreach Student Achievement Celebration. Labeled as marginal and "at-risk" these were the very students ICI intended to identify. Due to the support of several celebrity guests, ICI's first rally was a huge success.

Jurnee Smollet of Eve’s Bayou shares encouraging words with students

Fall
ICI began the semester with a series of "Power Lunches" which allowed guest speakers to share their experiences and "meanings of success". We also took the participating students to the Museum of Tolerance. This provided students with meaningful exposure to life outside of the inner city culture. Unfortunately, several weeks into the first semester we lost Joseph Carter, a program participant. Killed in a senseless shooting, Joseph's essay was based on his desire to find a way to avoid getting involved in local gangs in order to pursue a professional dancing career.

Winter
With 1300 students in attendance, Inner City Industry hosted its second Academic Student Achievement Celebration honoring Joseph Carter, with Celebrity support from Lamonte Bently of The Moesha Show, rappers Lona "M.C. Lyte" Morrer, and "Lil Maxso" (pictured below). The energy from this celebration was phenomenal.

We received 28 essays within two days following the event.