Father Of JRW Player Serves As Grand Marshal For Million Father March Parade

(CBS) -- A back-to-school tradition on Chicago's South Side, the Million Father March Parade, took place Saturday morning and it was led by the father of a Jackie Robinson West little league player.

WBBM's Mike Krauser reports Frank Jackson, the formerly homeless father of Jackie Robinson West little league champ Jaheim Benton, served as the grand marshal for the parade.

"I am just speechless today," he said.

The small but lively parade designed to drum up support for the Million Father March started 11 years ago by Phillip Jackson of the Black Star Project, who lives by the motto, "Educate or die." 500 cities are now taking part.

"I could not have imagined it and actually this is very sad, most of the other large cities are much bigger than what we are with the Million Father March," he said. "They've got tens of thousands of fathers participating."

The idea is to get fathers to take their kids to school on the first day and stay involved in their education throughout the school year.