For what "profit" is it to a man if he gains
the whole world, and loses his own soul?
Matthew 16:26
|
Liberty Bank & Trust |
 |
|
|
|
WANTED: A Few Good (African
American) Men! |
 |
|
Recruiting NOLA High School
Seniors for Special Black Male
Achievement Initiative @ Southern
University
NEW ORLEANS - Imagine having the
seemingly enviable task of visiting
NOLA high schools this Spring to
inform low-income, academically
at-risk graduating students about an
opportunity for Fall 2012 that could
provide them with what some might
consider a nearly "free ride"
through college, including living
accommodations on campus. So, what's
the catch? A requirement of the
program is that the graduate spends
a minimum of two years as a public
school classroom teacher as the
payback for all the resources
invested in his education!
That's the task facing former
journalist and erstwhile higher
education professional Warren Bell
in his latest role as the Interim
Director of Southern University's
Honore Center for Undergraduate
Student Achievement, established
last year as the brainchild of
Southern's president Ronald Mason.
The center was named after Lt.
General Russel Honore (Retired) who
commanded Task Force Katrina after
the devastating 2005 hurricane had
ravaged New Orleans and the Gulf
Coast, and who himself has embraced
the program goals and objectives.
The overall mission is to implement
a pilot program that would not only
reverse the declining numbers of
African American males graduating
from college, but also create in
them a cohort of black men who will
give back to their community by
serving as classroom teachers and
likewise become role models at their
respective schools.
Says Bell, "Our task is to recruit
and ultimately select up to 24 low
income black male high school
graduates from the Class of 2012
with borderline ACT scores and
borderline grades for a program that
will provide them with substantial
financial support and resources
including campus housing & meals at
the SUNO campus, textbooks, a laptop
and other resources needed to ensure
that they will successfully complete
their undergraduate degree with
classroom teaching certification
whether they major in education or
some other academic discipline.
Their commitment to us is a minimum
of two years service as a classroom
teacher upon completion of their
degree program."
Naturally, says Bell, it is hoped
the majority of Honore students will
embrace education as a career beyond
those minimum two years of classroom
teaching that is required of them,
adding: "We intend to prove the
naysayers wrong about the
predictable fate of most of these
young Black men, so many of whom are
ending up incarcerated instead of
educated; so we are determined to
produce this first crop of future
servant leaders who will give back
to their communities."
President Ronald Mason assumed
leadership over the Southern
University System two years ago,
after serving as President at
Jackson State University. Mason's
larger vision is that the Honore
program will establish a model that
can be duplicated by HBCU's in other
states with similar concerns over
increasing the numbers of young men
entering the pipeline to a
successful college education, versus
the alarming pipeline-to-prison
trends being revealed in study after
study.
|
|
Tommie L. Triplett: 3rd Annual
"Bishop's Kids" Golf Tournament |
 |
|
Bishop Tommie L. Triplett's
Kids Academic Excellence Program
We are writing to offer you an
exciting opportunity to join us in
enriching the lives of youth at
United Fellowship Full Gospel
Baptist Church that may not
otherwise get an opportunity to see
our beautiful country.
We sponsor an academic excellence
program named "Bishop's Kids". This
program rewards youth (ages 8-17)
who are a member of United
Fellowship FGBC and have maintained
high scholastic grades for the
school year with an all expense paid
trip to select cities within the
United States and now other
countries. Previous trips have
included visits to Washington D.C.,
Baltimore Maryland, Chicago
Illinois, and Wisconsin Dells
Wisconsin, to name a few. This year
Bishop's Kids will experience a
lifetime opportunity of traveling
abroad to CANADA!!
Due to the increased number of kids
maintaining high scholastic averages
and the increased cost of travel we
would like to welcome you to
become a sponsor and/or golf
participant of the 3rd Annual
"Bishop's Kids" Golf Tournament to
be held Saturday, April 14, 2012.
Your sponsorship or golfer
participation will help bring to
fruition an opportunity that could
change the way our youth view life,
community and the rewards associated
academic excellence.
Some of the sponsorship
benefits include:
- Your company/institution
will be recognized on all
Bishop's Kids Academic
Excellence Program material
received by community leaders
and event attendees.
- Your company/ institution
will be recognized at the Annual
Bishop's Kids Academic
Excellence Award Ceremony
- Donations are tax deductible
to your company/institution
Please know in advance that your
contribution is greatly appreciated
and we look forward to whatever
support you can offer and we look
forward to speaking with you soon.
For more information about the
"Bishop's Kids" 3rd Annual Golf
Tournament or Academic Excellence
Program, please contact me at (504)
909-3255 or visit our website at
bishopskids.org.
Sincerely,
Trudy Kent, Program Coordinator,
Bishop's Kids Academic Excellence
Program
|
|
Stephanie Jordan debuts Tribute CD
to Lena Horne at Café Istanbul on
Friday, April 13 |
 |
|
CD Preview Now Available @
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stephaniejordanbigband
Please join us for the long awaited
debut album by New Orleans jazz
vocalist Stephanie Jordan. The
Stephanie Jordan Big Band will host
a CD Release Party at Café
Istanbul during French Quarter Fest
weekend in the New Orleans Healing
Center located at 2372 St.
Claude Avenue, New Orleans.
Louisiana on Friday, April 13, 2012
at 8:00 pm, doors open at 7:30 pm.
The new CD; "Stephanie Jordan
Sings A Tribute to the Fabulous Lena
Horne" honors the legendary
Grammy Award winner who starred in
many films and whose one-woman show,
Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music
(1981), was hailed as her
masterpiece.
"The program offers Jordan a
magnificent platform on which to
showcase her exuberant spirit and
abundant talent, but also contains
an autobiographical component . . ."
"Great lyrics permeate this
beautifully rendered homage, and
Jordan has the skill sets to do them
justice-a voice that projects from a
whisper to a scream, impeccable
diction, dead-center pitch, fluid
phrasing. Backed by a breathe-as-one
8-piece unit of top-shelf New
Orleanians that sounds twice its
size . . . melding into a personal
argot elements garnered from such
distinguished mentors as Shirley
Horn, Abbey Lincoln, Nancy
Wilson-and Lena Horne herself-while
sounding like no one other than
Stephanie Jordan."
Admission to this exclusive New
Orleans Preview Concert/Party is
only $20 and includes a free signed
copy of the Stephanie Jordan
Sings A Tribute to the Fabulous Lena
Horne; Yesterday When I Was Young
CD with the first 100 tickets
purchased.
For additional information or to
schedule an interview with Ms.
Jordan, please contact us via email
at Vincent@SylvainSolutions.com.
|
|
BLACK WOMEN'S ROUNDTABLE NATIONAL
WOMEN OF POWER SUMMIT AMPLIFIES THE
VOICES OF WOMEN AND GIRLS |
 |
|
Washington, DC - The slaying of
Trayvon Martin and other innocent
teens was foremost on the hearts and
minds of nearly 400 Black women from
across the country that assembled
recently in Washington, DC for the
Black Women's Roundtable (BWR)
inaugural National Women of Power
Summit, three days of
down-to-earth discussions
"Amplifying the Voices of Women and
Girls in 2012 and Beyond."
"It is important for the world to
hear the voices of Black women from
all walks of life on the Trayvon
Martin issue and other issues that
impact our community," said Melanie
L. Campbell, president and CEO of
The National Coalition on Black
Civic Participation (The National
Coalition) and convener of BWR. "We
are mothers, sisters, aunts and
wives of Black men being gunned down
on the streets. Enough is Enough.
Our voice will be heard today and on
Election Day."
To help amplify the voices of the
physicians, lawyers, homemakers,
labor workers and other attendees,
the summit was broadcast live on the
Internet (view at:
http://tinyurl.com/744254g). Also,
during a town hall and rally calling
for the arrest of Trayvon's killer,
a WUSA reporter aptly captured
remarks from participants. Emotions
were high as several BWR members
were just arriving from protests on
Trayvon's behalf in Sanford,
Florida. Watch the video at
(http://tinyurl.com/83ajt6v).
A kick-off prayer breakfast and
civic engagement training featured
Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, founder
and Senior Pastor, Ray of Hope
Christian Church in Decatur,
Georgia, who clearly articulated the
need for women to come together as
our sister's keepers.
"African American women have higher
rates of disease and health problems
than any other women in the
nation... We should be concerned
that Black women are more likely to
be uninsured because we can't afford
it... We need the Affordable Care
Act," said Rev. Hale. She continued,
"We must stand up, speak up, and not
shut up until we turn this thing
around."
During her opening remarks for
the BWR Mentor/Protégé Luncheon and
BWR Leadership Awards, Susan L.
Taylor, founder and of CEO of
National CARES Mentoring Movement
told the standing room only crowd,
"The village is on fire and we are
the healing waters that our children
are screaming for. We don't have to
do what Sojourner truth did... what
Harriet Tubman, Mary McCloud Bethune
or even Dorothy Height did. We just
have to think critically, have an
agenda and stand behind it. Number
one is voting rights."
Honored for their innovating and
unwavering commitment to mentoring
young aspiring leaders and for their
exemplary civil rights, voting
rights, women's rights and social
justice BWR Leadership Award
recipients were: Dr. Avis
Jones-DeWeever, National Council of
Negro Women; Tamika Mallory,
National Action Network; Thomasina
Williams, Sankofa Legacy Fund; Tanya
Leah Lombard accepting for AT & T;
Honorable Barbara L. Ballard,
National Black Caucus of State
Legislators; Eleanor Hinton Hoytt,
Black Women's Health Imperative; Dr.
Barbara Williams-Skinner, Skinner
Leadership Institute/The Masters
Series; Barbara Arnwine, Esq.,
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
Under Law; and Chanelle P. Hardy,
Esq., National Urban League
Heather Foster, associate
director of The White House Office
of Public Engagement gave an update
on White House activities of
importance to Black women followed
by public policy panels on Jobs and
Economic Opportunity, Workers'
Rights, the Affordable Care Act Two
Years Later, and technology and
broadband expansion and access in
urban and rural Black communities,
Environmental Protection Agency
Administrator Lisa Jackson told the
group that the EPA should be on
their radar because, "the air that
we breathe every day has an impact
on our health and an even greater
impact on the health of our
children. The water we drink has an
enormous impact on whether a
community can be prosperous."
Other BWR summit highlights
include an International Diaspora
conversation lead by Rev. Marcia
Dyson, an international panel with
Nicole Lee of TransAfrica, voter
protection and mobilization
trainings, and daily health walks
and exercise sessions. Inspirational
speakers included Dee Marshall of
Girlfriends Pray, MESHELLE the Indie
Mom of Comedy, Command Sgt. Maj.
(ret) Michele Jones, director of the
External Veterans/Military Affairs
and Community Outreach for President
Barack Obama's administration, and
Dr. Julianne Malveaux, president
Bennett College for Women.
Nearly one hundred local teens
from D.C. metropolitan area - many
from Maryland-based Teen Sircles led
by Sharon Cummings - joined the
national youth for Community Day
festivities held at First
Congregational United Church of
Christ.
"We had a health fair and mini
expo, health panels as well as
financial planning and entrepreneur
workshops," said Dr. Patricia
Hobson, co-chair of BWR local host
committee. "There were also several
teen entrepreneurs on hand to talk
about starting and maintaining their
businesses."
Made possible by the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation and AT&T Foundation, the
summit was the culminating event for
a national BWR Healthy Wealthy and
Wise Tour that traveled the country
promoting a healthy, wealthy and
wise lifestyle and educating and
uplifting underserved women and
girls.
Black Women's Roundtable is an
intergenerational network of The
National Coalition bringing together
diverse women to motivate Black
women to engage in all levels of
civil society. The National
Coalition is a non-profit,
non-partisan organization dedicated
to increasing civic engagement in
underserved communities. For more
information visit www.ncbcp.org.
|
|
Marc H. Morial: African American
Producers Bring All-Black Revival of
"A Streetcar Named Desire" to
Broadway |
 |
|
To Be Equal #15: Syndicated
Weekly Column by National Urban
League President & CEO Marc H.
Morial
"The landscape of any
Tennessee Williams play is the human
heart, and I have a cast of people
with heart." - Emily Mann,
Director of the new Broadway revival
of "A Streetcar Named Desire" with
an all-black cast
APRIL 11, 2012 - Like Hollywood,
Broadway has historically been
reluctant to cast African Americans
in mainstream classics, especially
those originally created for white
thespians. But, unlike "Tinseltown,"
the "Great White Way" has moved much
more forcefully in recent years to
open up new avenues for black
actors. The latest example is a new
all-black revival of Tennessee
Williams' Pulitzer Prize winning
play, "A Streetcar Named Desire,"
set to open April 22nd at Broadway's
Broadhurst Theatre. Marlon Brando as
Stanley Kowalski first screamed the
immortal line, "Hey Stella" in 1947
when "Streetcar" originally
premiered on Broadway. The other
leading members of that original
cast included Kim Hunter, as
Stanley's wife, Stella; Jessica
Tandy as Stella's delusional sister,
Blanche DuBois; and Karl Malden as
Blanche's scorned suitor, Mitch. The
story centers around the emotional
unravelling of Blanche, a Southern
belle hiding a tawdry past, who
moves into Stanley and Stella's New
Orleans apartment causing all manner
of conflict and tragedy.
In this first all-black Broadway
revival, Blair Underwood is cast as
the brutish Stanley; Daphne
Rubin-Vega plays his wife, Stella;
Nicole Ari Parker is Blanche; and
Wood Harris is cast as Mitch.
Five-time Grammy winning jazz
trumpeter, Terrence Blanchard has
composed original music for the
play.
The revival is being co-produced by
Stephen Byrd, founder of Front Row
Productions and his business
partner, Alia Jones. Byrd and Jones
are the African American producers
who brought the all-black revival of
another Tennessee Williams
masterpiece, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"
to Broadway in 2008. That play,
which won the Laurence Olivier Award
for Best Revival of a Play, starred
Terrence Howard, Anika Noni Rose,
Phylicia Rashad and James Earl
Jones.
From 1890 to 1910, most of the
blacks on Broadway were featured in
African American minstrel shows,
playing to all-white audiences. In
the 1920's composers like Eubie
Blake and Noble Sissle popularized
the black Broadway musical. But it
wasn't until the 1935 production of
George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
that African Americans really hit it
big on Broadway. The momentum has
continued to build.
In the 1970's we saw Broadway
plays like Purlie, Raisin, Ain't
Misbehaven, and The Wiz. With the
80s came shows like Dreamgirls and a
number of plays by the great August
Wilson, including Fences and Jitney.
And since the 90s productions like
Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da
Funk, The Color Purple, Fela and
Sister Act have attracted mainstream
audiences.
While these productions have
resulted in more work for black
actors, Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones
are still a rarity as full-time
African American Broadway producers.
Black superstar entertainers like
Alicia Keys (Stick Fly), Will Smith,
Jay-Z and Jada Pinkett (Fela),
Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act) and
Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple) are
making inroads as Broadway
producers, but there is obviously
room for many more.
We want to congratulate Stephen
Byrd and Alia Jones and their
award-winning director, Emily Mann,
for bringing this new all-black
revival of "A Streetcar Named
Desire" to Broadway. We can't wait
to see the usually debonair Blair
Underwood in a t-shirt screaming,
"Hey Stella."
.
|
|
The 2012 National Urban League
Conference |
 |
|
|
|
Advocacy Center Releases When A
House Is Not A Home: An
investigation into conditions, care,
and treatment in select group homes
for people with intellectual
disabilities in Louisiana |
 |
|
Report Details Neglect of
People with Disabilities
New Orleans (March 20, 2012) - On
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 the
Advocacy Center released the results
of a three year investigation into
conditions at facilities for people
with intellectual and developmental
disabilities across the state,
When A House Is Not A Home: An
investigation into conditions, care,
and treatment in select group homes
for people with intellectual
disabilities in Louisiana.
Group home residents in the
facilities surveyed for this report
live in dismal, unsanitary
surroundings, they learn very little
and have limited exposure to the
community, despite a large amount of
state and federal resources
appropriated for their care. These
residents experience problems with
receiving appropriate and timely
health care, they face poor
transportation opportunities, are
provided with unhealthy and
unappetizing meals and generally
lead a life filled with meaningless
daytime activities and no chance of
employment.
According to Lois Simpson, Advocacy
Center Executive Director, "Thirty
years ago, when group homes for
people with disabilities, were first
conceptualized, they were supposed
to be family-like, comfortable
environments where people with
disabilities could live and be a
part of the greater community.
Instead, many of these homes exist
as isolated, poorly maintained,
inadequately staffed, and unsafe
environments where people merely
exist."
According to Ryan Daigle, "I used to
live at the Calcasieu
Multi-Handicapped Center. I didn't
like it there. It was nasty. I hated
it."
The facilities highlighted in this
report are located in the following
cities in Louisiana:
- New Orleans
- Baton Rouge
- Hammond
- Kenner
- Jennings
- Bernice
- Vinton
- Delhi
- Mansfield
- Mamou
- Pollock
The Advocacy Center's Community
Living Ombudsman program regularly
visits five hundred group homes and
advocates for the residents. This
investigation began after ombudsmen
identified a clear pattern of
neglect in specific group homes that
was allowed to continue, despite
repeated complaints and citations in
facility surveys. These homes were
selected because of problems that
never seem to "get fixed" for long
and are, in our opinion, the worst
group homes in the state. It is
clear that the state is not
providing services in the most
integrated setting possible, as
required by federal law and that
financial incentives keep group home
providers from providing meaningful
activities or employment
opportunities in the community.
Recommendations include:
- Providers of group home
services must be held
accountable through regular
monitoring and sanctioning
- Individuals with
disabilities must be given the
opportunity for meaningful
activities during the day
- Conditions in group homes
must improve
- Individuals with
intellectual disabilities must
be given the opportunity to live
where they want to live
The full report is available at
http://www.advocacyla.org/tl_files/publications/CLOPReport32012.pdf.
About the Advocacy Center
The Advocacy Center is a
statewide non-profit organization
dedicated to assisting people with
disabilities and seniors in
Louisiana to achieve maximum
potential and independence. The
Advocacy Center employs 50 people
statewide who assist people to
achieve employment, education,
housing, and health care goals.
|
|
Cutting Edge CE Returns for its 20th
Year! |
 |
|
nola DOWNTOWN music and arts
festival 2nd Year
Cutting Edge C.E. (formerly the
Cutting Edge Music Business
Conference) was started in 1993 as a
conference dedicated to educating
musicians and music professionals
about the latest trends in the music
industry. Since its inception, it
has evolved into entertainment
workshops covering legal issues,
filmmaking, interactive applications
and media business education.
Cutting Edge C.E. brings together
established and aspiring
entertainment professionals; it is
as much about bringing people in the
entertainment business together as
it is about the business of
entertainment . . .
|
|
AARP: Are you looking for a way to
stay healthy, active and socially
connected? |
 |
|
Join the AARP "Soul Steppers"
Walking Club
Participants receive a
Walking Club Toolkit, T-shirt and
Pedometer
Walking can reduce the risk for
stroke, improve cholesterol and
reduce high blood pressure.
Membership for the "Soul Steppers"
Walking Club is FREE and open to
individuals walking at all levels.
Join a friend or family member and
begin walking to better health. Some
of the benefits of the "Soul
Steppers" Walking Club include:
- Feel more energized
- Learn how to track your
steps with a free pedometer
- Sign up for a 10-week
walking program to log your
steps at work, home or in your
neighborhood
- Participate in before and
after assessments to document
your health progress
- Field trips, nature walks
and outings
- Special events featuring
various health, exercise and
nutrition topics
- Learn how to identify the
safest routes in your
neighborhood
- Meet your neighbors for
weekly or daily walks in your
neighborhood
To start a walking club in your
neighborhood or at church call
Linedda McIver, AARP, 504-827-2958,
lmciver@aarp.org
|
|
Job Fair: CERTIFIED TEACHERS INVITED
TO SIXTH ANNUAL NEW ORLEANS CHARTER
SCHOOLS TEACHER FAIR APRIL 28 AT
XAVIER |
 |
|
Teachers can register, review
charter school vacancies and/or post
resumes NOW online at
www.eastbankcollaborative.com
NEW ORLEANS - Certified teachers
are invited to join the New Orleans
charter school movement by attending
the Eastbank Collaborative of
Charter Schools' (ECCS) sixth annual
New Orleans Charter Schools
Certified Teacher Fair Saturday,
April 28, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the
Third Floor Ballroom of the Xavier
University Student Center, 4980
Dixon St.
"Full and part-time positions are
available for certified teachers and
those who will be certified by May,
2012," said ECCS President Kathy
Riedlinger. Interested teachers are
encouraged to register online at
www.eastbankcollaborative.com by
April 21.
Teacher candidates who
pre-register by April 21 will have
exclusive access for the first hour
of the event, from 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.,
but are required to bring a copy of
their Event Brite ticket for early
admission. Walk-ins and candidates
who register after April 21 are
welcome from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Additionally, pre-registrants will
have the option to have their
resumes posted for all charter
school leaders to review on the ECCS
website.
"Principals and administrators
will conduct on-site interviews at
the Teacher Fair and share
information about the benefits of
working at charter schools," said
ECCS Director Dr. Rose Peterson.
"Teachers and aspiring teachers
should bring multiple copies of
their resume, teaching certificate,
references and any other relevant
information for immediate
consideration."
The fair is sponsored by the ECCS
with support from the Louisiana
Association of Public Charter
Schools (LAPCS), School Leadership
Center (SLC) of Greater New Orleans,
and the Pro Bono Publico Foundation.
Charter schools from across
Louisiana are invited to attend. It
is anticipated that over 40 schools
will be represented.
Regularly updated charter school
vacancy listing are available online
at www.eastbankcollaborative.com.
For additional information, contact
Gina Dupart at gdupart@slc-gno.org
or (504) 267-7239.
|
|
Rodney & Etter, LLC |
 |
|
Rodney & Etter, LLC features a
roster of capable and energetic
attorneys. The team of talented
lawyers has litigated a wide variety
of cases, while building a
successful courtroom record. With
over 25 years of combined legal
experience, the attorneys of Rodney
& Etter, LLC are a practiced and
knowledgeable team, ready for the
next challenge.
Rodney & Etter, LLC is a diverse
law firm that is recognized by its
peers as an extremely successful
legal powerhouse in the areas of
corporate litigation, class action
defense and environmental torts. We
work with our clients to ensure that
juries understand the facts and
implications of cases and decisions.
Roy Rodney, managing partner, can be
reached at rjr@rodneylaw.com.
|
|
Liberty Bank VISA |
 |
|
|
|
Xavier University of Louisiana's
Women's Studies Conference Call For
Proposals |
 |
|
Gendered Perspectives: Recent
Scholarship on Culture and Social
Justice, October 19-21, 2012, Xavier
University of Louisiana, New Orleans
Conference Overview:
Xavier University of Louisiana's
Women's Studies Program introduces
students to a comprehensive body of
knowledge that critically analyzes
the gendering process from a
multidisciplinary perspective.
Faculty members of the program come
from many disciplines. Since 2008,
the program offers a minor and hosts
experiences that focus on feminist
perspectives and engagements for the
student body, campus and
community-at-large.
The Program will host its first
three-day conference. The first two
days offer opportunities for
scholarly presentations on all
aspects of Women's and Gender
studies. Proposals are being sought
that illuminate gender via themes
drawn from the arts, humanities,
languages, and the social and health
sciences. Scholars, students, public
intellectuals, artists, activists,
professionals, and advocates are
invited to submit proposals on any
topic of relevance to the
discipline.
The third day of the conference,
Sunday, October 21, 2012 will be
dedicated to scholarship on Black
women in New Orleans and Louisiana
in general. There is a serious lack
of research on Black women's lives
in this region and this conference
seeks to bring together researchers
and scholars in a dynamic exchange
of ideas. We seek papers and panels
dealing with the social sciences,
humanities, art, health and medical
issues, reflecting past, present,
and/or future of all aspects of
Black women's lives, including but
not limited to: cultural, creative,
transformative, historical,
sociological, psychological,
religious, etc.
The conference will consist of
plenary sessions, panel and paper
breakout sessions, roundtable
discussions, creative performances,
exhibitions, tables for information
exchange, and meet-the-author
opportunities.
Deadline for Submissions - June
1, 2012
Deadline for Submissions - June
1, 2012
- Submit Proposals for the
General Conference (days 1 and
2) to Kimberly J. Chandler,
Ph.D. (kchandle@xula.edu)
- Submit Proposals for the
theme on the scholarship of
Black women (day 3) to Kim Vaz,
Ph.D. (xulasobw@gmail.com)
|
|
NOLABeez.org |
 |
|
A project of New America Media (NAM)
and funded by the John S. and James
L. Knight Foundation, NOLA Beez
culls daily and weekly articles and
videos from New Orleans' ethnic
media, translates them to English
when necessary, and posts them
online, creating and opening up new
lines of communication among and
between ethnic and immigrant
|
|
Parents: The Missing Engine Behind
School Reform |
 |
|
New America Media, News
Report, Khalil Abdullah, Posted: Mar
26, 2012
NEW AMERICA MEDIA - A series of
first-ever forums brought front line
education reformers and community
media representatives together in
Atlanta, Memphis, Miami and New
Orleans. The consensus was clear:
improving schools is a civil rights
issue but will become a movement
only when parents are fully involved
-- and a movement in which media
must play a more compelling role.
"It's a right for the children to
have an education," said Elise
Evans, co-chair of Southern Avenue
Middle Charter School in Memphis.
"It's a civil right." Her demand was
seconded by Marleine Bastien,
executive director of the Haitian
Women of Miami, Inc., who questioned
how parents could be adequately
informed unless community media are
fully engaged in covering education
reform issues.
New America Media, a national
consortium of ethnic news
organizations, convened the forums
to foster a better communication
exchange between education reformers
and news organizations serving
communities most impacted by
low-performing school systems. The
results of the recently released NAM
poll, which surveyed 1400 parents of
K-12 students in eight southeastern
states about the quality of their
children's education, served as the
impetus to spark the symposium in
each city.
Conducted in seven languages, the
poll found parents overwhelmingly
satisfied with the quality of their
children's education and with high
aspirations that their children
would not only attend college but
pursue advanced degrees. However,
the data show that six of the eight
states surveyed are in the bottom
half of math scores when compared to
other states within the United
States; seven are in the bottom half
in reading. Yet, parents showed no
sense of urgency or outrage. "How is
it possible," asked pollster Sergio
Bendixen, "that parents seem to
think the quality of their
children's education is okay?"
Though the poll did not include
questions about where U.S. students
ranked internationally, Bendixen's
presentation underscored the decline
of America's educational
competitiveness by showing data that
placed the U.S. students 18th in
math, just behind Estonia, and, at
17th, trailing Poland in reading.
Chinese students now hold the top
spot in both categories. The U.S.
rankings were markedly lower from
only a few decades ago when the
country ranked either number one or
two respectively.
"The signals are starting to turn
in the right direction in terms of
how important the quality of
education is,' said Kent McGuire,
president of the Southern Education
Foundation. "We're starting to
appreciate that the competition is
global in nature."
Atlanta Forum Focuses on
Undocumented Students
McGuire, who served as the
lead-off panelist in Atlanta, the
venue for the first symposium, urged
parents to demand accountability and
to "ask for the evidence" of whether
the school system or purported
reforms are working, particularly
because of the demographics in the
Southeast. "Kids of color are the
ones we do the least well with," he
said, noting that their numbers will
continue to grow.
Angelo Hurtado said the media
could assist in dispelling
stereotypes ethnic students often
embrace about their inability to
succeed. However, Hurtado,
co-founder and vice president of
H.O.P.E. (Hispanic Students
Promoting Education, Inc.), said the
most pressing issue for many of her
peers was the looming passage of a
state bill in the Georgia House that
will mirror the Senate's SB 458. The
legislation would effectively bar
undocumented students from receiving
an education at Georgia's public
colleges and universities.
"Not only undocumented students
are being affected by this, but
documented students as well,"
Hurtado said, explaining that,
collectively, these students form
one community. Other speakers in
Atlanta also decried the legislation
as short-sighted and contrary to the
goals of education to yield
productive members of society. Many
in attendance agreed that the media
should devote greater attention to
the legislation and expand their
coverage of education in Georgia.
William Teasley, Director of
Evaluation and Research at Atlanta
Education Fund, challenged ethnic
media in particular to become
advocates of education reform, in
part because it "reaches audiences
our traditional media and our
traditional organizations have
trouble reaching."
New Orleans and Ethnic Media
Though reaching audiences remains
an essential priority for all media,
the resilience of ethnic media in
New Orleans during and since Katrina
in 2005 serves as a testament to the
art of the possible. Yet, covering
education reform there may prove as
critical a role for a city
experiencing profound changes in the
redesign of its school system.
Panelist Neerav Kingsland, Chief
Strategy Officer at New Schools for
New Orleans, explained that 80
percent of the city's students are
now attending charter schools and
student test scores, while not a
comprehensive measure of success,
are trending upward. In terms of
academic achievement and preparation
for careers, "10 to 20 percent of
the open enrollment schools in the
state are where we want them to be,"
Kingsland said, but he was confident
that within five years New Orleans
schools would soon surpass the
state's in terms of performance.
|
|
Kingsland said it is useful to
remember how far the school system
has come, citing the travails of a
New Orleans high school senior and
valedictorian about ten years ago
who had repeatedly failed the
then-required 10th grade level math
exit exam. "Those stories are
increasingly few and far between,"
he said.
Dr. Andre Perry, Associate Director
for Education Initiatives, Loyola
University, expressed concern about
using test scores as a true measure
of a school's success. In his
opinion, New Orleans schools have
achieved only modest gains.
He was particularly adamant about
the need for media to take the time
to understand what data means in the
context of quality of life issues.
"If you increase test scores, what
does it mean when you can't get a
job," citing lack of access to
transportation or other resources
that often weigh heavily on a
graduating student's success.
"Wealth is a causal factor of
educational achievement," Perry
argued, not just a correlation,
explaining that parents of poor
children can less afford books and
other resources that could prepare
and assist their children at an
early age. In addition, he noted
that the analysis behind education
reform is often miscast as a
black-white paradigm and that a
media focused on closing the
achievement gap will miss the real
story, the goal of attaining
excellence but one attuned to the
cultures of communities. He asked
how is it possible to read an
article about "success in schools"
in a local newspaper and "three kids
murdered" in the same edition?
Success Stories in Memphis
At the Memphis forum, attendee
Marcus Matthews, University of
Memphis Coordinator of "Teen
Appeal," a newspaper written by and
distributed to the city's high
school students, concurred that
media's role in helping parents
understand data and context is
crucial. As an example, he noted
that some parents may not know that
the ACT exam, a test that measures
college readiness, is not scored on
a scale of one to a hundred. He
recalled a student who scored a 26
on the ACT but, when Matthews asked
him about attending college, said,
"I haven't applied." Matthews said
it was plausible "that the parents
may be thinking, '26 out of a 100,
that's an F.'" On the ACT scale of
36, a score of 22 in math and 21 in
reading indicate college readiness.
Matthews said the media can help
assist in finding and documenting
the lives of young adults who have
the academic capacity to pursue
higher education but who never did:
"We don't know where they are; we
don't know what they're doing," but
media also should tell their
audiences about the individual
success stories of Memphis city
school graduates.
Similarly, Paris Byrd, a high school
student in Memphis said it is
important that media seek out the
opinions of students who are
"experts on their own education;
that's not being paid attention to."
The City of Memphis is slated to
merge its public school system with
the county's public schools. More
than a few panelists and attendees
said the media will play an even
more vital role in explaining the
issues at stake to parents given the
scale and complexities of the
impending union, especially for
immigrant parents who may be
unfamiliar with the American public
education system, much less the key
elements of education reform.
Mark Sturgis, Memphis Director,
Stand for Children, said, "Media has
a moral responsibility around this
issue to advocate for a system to
provide equity and equality for all
children, and, if the media is not
doing that, it's a problem."
College, Job Readiness at Issue
in Miami
At Miami Dade College, which also
served as the host for the
concluding symposium, Lenore
Rodicio, Executive Director of MDC3
Student Success and Completion
Initiatives, captured part of the
disconnect between the expectations
of parents in the NAM poll and their
children's capacity to perform
academically upon graduating high
school.
She said more than 70 percent of
students coming to Miami Dade for
their first year of study are
"testing as deficient in one or more
academic areas and the greatest
number of them is in mathematics."
However, she said the recognition of
the need for reform has brought
elected officials together with
business and community leaders to
find ways to address education in
ways that will enable graduates to
be better prepared for the jobs
available.
Several panelists, however, stressed
that collaboration alone, though
useful, will be insufficient in
addressing the myriad number of
issues that impact education. For
panelist Lucie Tondreau, a parent
who represented the Haitian
community, the failure to pass the
DREAM Act results in the inability
of many teens from her community to
have the legal means to pursue
higher education. "Those minds are
being wasted," she said.
The Miami dialogue highlighted
several issues on display at the
other symposia, including the need
for more adequate and better
directed funding for education as
well as the call for media to hold
education administrators more
accountable to the public. McNelly
Torres, Co-Founder & Associate
Director of Florida Center for
Investigative Reporting, agreed with
those objectives but said that
media's unique role in explaining
the need for education reform could
only be achieved by media accurately
reporting on what's going on in the
schools, talking to students and to
parents as well. "You need," she
said, addressing media members
directly, "to be out there on the
battlefield."
|
|
The MUNCH Factory - Gourmet Food in
Gentilly |
 |
|
Dine-in/Take-Out/Delivery/Catering
- 5339 Franklin Avenue
- Tuesday-Friday from 5:00 -
9:00 PM
Call 504-324-5372
|
|
Katrina Related Deaths - Let's Not
Forget |
 |
|
Ronald Madison, age 40 / Limmie
(Linda) Domango, age 67 / Rosemary C
Weber, age 74 / Justin Benjamin
Hall, age 25 / Ersia G. Henderson /
Eliza Shorter, age 81 / Dwight A.
Shorter, age 54 / Dorothy E. Signal,
age 86 / Andrew "Drew" Cowart, age
53 / Raymond "Timmy" Wilson, age 63
/ Loudy Blaise / Prentiss Miller /
Joseph Ingraham / Be Be Prout /
Tease Williamson / Bertrand Ragas /
Sheila Harvey / Stokes Encalade /
Doretha Riley / J. U. Riley / Clark
Riley / Bunny Lee Henry / Louella
Mack / Lawrence A. Dickerson, age 22
/ Michael Turner / Lisa Henry /
Gracie Williams / Ella Battle / Gugu
Battle / John Lewis III / Marline A.
Blackmore / Thelma Pinkey / Douglas
Price, Jr / Lucy Boudreaux , age 85
/ Jacqueline Dase, age 42 / Myra
Dugue Bazanac, age 67 / Minister
Lofton C. Johnson, age 60 / Julius
Peter Carriere / Darlene Jenice
Mason, age 43 / Myrtle Kroll Spears,
age 94 / Ruby Broyard Beslin, age 94
/ Michael "Big Mike" Johnson, age 54
/ Harold A. Dede, Sr, age 93 / Emory
Williams, age 70 / Eddie Anderson,
age 70 / David Mutin, age 49 / Clara
Barconey Hymes, age 96 / Vernon
Anthony Green, age 58 / Evelyn
Louise R. Dusuau / Alfred Joseph
Butler Jr., age 69 / Rosetta "Rose"
Morant Hubbard, age 67 / Frederick
"Shep" Sheppard / Earnest Bunn, Sr.,
age 79 / Lydia Armstrong / Eugene J.
"Coach" Shedrick / Kerry K. Hearns,
age 54 / Harold Babbitt, age 52 /
Marlon Lanaux, age 28 / Peter
Lanaux, age 82 / Mervin Joseph
Bachemin, Sr., age 71 / Maurine
Hebert, 70's/ Mrs Melba Sylvain,
80's / Mr. Donald Adams, 70's /Mrs.
Evelyn Comeaux, age 84 / Ethel Mae
Robertson, age 84 / Thelma Jeff, age
89 / Rosa B King, age 95 / Evelyn
Geissler Doran Burns, age 97 / Mrs.
Jean W. Griffin, age 77 / Edward
"Sheby" Kimbrough, age 70's / Mother
Estelle Berryman James, age 87 /
Charles Jones / Mrs. Swanier Jones /
Mildred Hambrick Randolph / Laura
Stevenson, age 70's / Anthony Atiim
Jones, Sr., age 32 / George
"Georgie" Poche, age 89 / Ronald G.
Baptist, Sr., age 69 / Octavia T. H.
Morrison, age 87 / Austin Leslie,
age 71 / Irvin Mayfield, Sr. /
Sister Francis, age 67 / Cecile
Alexis / Joan Blackwell / Carolyn
Blunt / Frank Elijah Caliste /
Alfred J Gourrier, Sr., age 92 /
Gregory Lucas, age 48 / Eustis
Guillement, Sr., age 92 / Louise T.
Lewis, age 75 / William S. Porter,
age 73 /
|
|
Dr. Gayla Sylvain Eagle's Landing
Skin Enhancement & Vein Center |
 |
|
Your skin is the
largest organ on your
body. Too often, it also
reveals the first signs
of aging. The skin loses
its vitality and
elasticity, and it
grays, wrinkles and sags
with the inevitable
passage of time . . .
Eagle's Landing Skin
Enhancement & Vein Center
|
|
|
Give the Gift of Life |
 |
|
|
|
Entergy New Orleans |
 |
|
|
|
The Classy Lady of Jazz! |
 |
|
|
|
Proud to Be An Official Sponsor of |
 |
|
"preserving
Louisiana's greatest
renewable natural
resource"
LMDL and the LMHOF's mission
is to educate and enlighten
Louisiana's citizens, and
the world, to the incredible
musical heritage of our
music artists, writers,
musicians and music industry
people who made Louisiana's
music the world's best for
decades, and to celebrate
our artists and musicians
while creating a key stone
to help rebuild and restore
Louisiana's music industry.
www.louisianamusichalloffame.org
|
|
|
JAQ's Acting Studio |
 |
|
JAQ's Acting Studio
is an acting boot camp
welcoming ages 3 to
adult. Whether you need
your skills fine tuned
or are just starting
out, we are here to
help.
Accepting Applications
Now!
www.jaqsactingstudio.com
|
|
|
NOLA Copy & Print |
 |
|
Short on Ideas? The
Design Team at NOLA Copy
and Print has over 15
years of experience
creating custom,
creative, and effective
documents and
publications for
thousands of area
residents, businesses,
political campaigns,
schools, churches and
organizations . . .
Open 7 Days/Week!
Click here to learn more . .
. |
|
|
Excellence Innovation Responsiveness |
 |
|
|
|
New Orleans 1994 - 2002: Renaissance
of an American City |
 |
|
"We are all bound
together by a shared
love of the city that we
call home. But New
Orleans requires love,
care and constant
renewal if it is to
remain vital and
responsive to the needs
of its citizens..."
- Marc H. Morial (May,
2002)
www.marchmorial.com
|
|
|
Gina Allen Design and Illustration |
 |
|
Affordable website,
illustration and print
design. Flash and HTML
sites.
Three-page site
normally $800 -- get a $150
discount when you reference
this email. Includes 2
months of site updates.
Visit ginaminorallen.com to
see more samples ...
|
|
|
Professor Edward J Blakely |
 |
|
Joint co-hosts Ed
Blakely and Rebecca
Lehman as they talk to
national and
international transport
planners about
imaginative and
practical things we
could do fix cities
today. The duo inspire
listeners to picture the
city we have and to take
action to fix the things
we can.
www.blakelycitytalk.com
|
|
|
SYLVAIN MUSIC NOTES |
 |
|
SYLVAIN MUSIC
NOTES is your one
stop source for your
booking entertainment
needs. We specialize in
producing jazz events
for corporate and
private clients
interested in
experiencing the New
Orleans flavor.
New Orleans, the
birthplace of jazz has often
been described as "America's
Living Museum." Let us bring
New Orleans to you.
Call us:
504-232-3499
|
|
|
Policamp Inc. |
 |
|
"21st Century
Campaigning requires a
balance of experience,
technology and the art
of persuasion."
POLICAMP is an
integrated political
consulting entity which
provides campaign services
for ballot initiatives and
candidates seeking elective
office. Specializing in
developing effective
Political Game Plans with
proven results, POLICAMP
offers multidimensional
guidance which includes GOTV
(Get-Out-The-Vote),
E-campaign, voter contact,
voter data analysis,
targeted direct mail, legal
research, grassroots
mobilization, message
development and image
building . . ..
Learn More |
|
|
THE HESTER REPORT |
 |
|
Sandra "18" Wheeler
Hester Internet Radio |
Blog Talk Radio
PLEASE TUNE IN TONIGHT
AT 11:00PM. THE LISTENER
CALL-IN NUMBER IS (818)
572-2916
THE HESTER REPORT
|
|
|
|
Vincent Sylvain, Publisher
|
|
|
|
The New Orleans Agenda
newsletter is the leading local
alternative for information on New
Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region.
A provider of turnkey Web-Based
Internet Marketing Services, we
specialize in servicing faith-based
entities, community groups,
professional organizations, and arts
& cultural interest events.
The New Orleans Agenda newsletter
has received more than 2.5
Million Page Views!
Sylvain Solutions |
Our Sponsors
AARP Louisiana
Order Your Copy Today!
DATA News Weekly
|