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DuSable Museum proposal from U. of C. professor gets heated response
Proposal for DuSable Museum 
met with instant opposition.

The DuSable Museum of African American History on Monday sought to calm community concerns set off by a University of Chicago professor's proposal that the school take over programming at the South Side museum.

 

Responding to community concerns that U. of C. was trying to take over DuSable, the museum downplayed the proposal, saying it was simply Gates' suggestion for a "growth plan" for the museum. The proposal was presented to the DuSable's executive committee, but it was never presented to the full board or placed on the agenda for any upcoming board meetings, Clarence Bourne, chairman of the DuSable's board of trustees, said in a statement.

 

Still, the proposal struck a nerve among some South Side residents who believe that the DuSable should remain independent. It also reignited long-held fears by some in the community that the U. of C. is trying to expand its reach in the neighborhoods surrounding the university.

 

The Concerned Committee for the Support of Independent Black Cultural Institutions lists several well-known Chicagoans among its members, including author Lerone Bennett, Jr., historian Timuel Black, Ald. Willie Cochran and Northeastern Illinois University professor Conrad Worrill.

 

"This is not an attack on University of Chicago, but we understand that they would be the benefactors if this plan were to go through as designed," said Kim Dulaney, who also teaches at Chicago State.

 

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Please call 773.947.0600 to ask the DuSable Museum Board of Trustees to reject the Theaster Gates proposal and to work with The Concerned Committee for the Support of Independent Black Cultural Institutions to grow and manage the DuSable Museum!


Faces of Hope: Patrick Oliver Teaches Kids to Be Successful Readers and Writers
New Book: Turn The Page 
and You Don't Stop!


By Patrice Gaines
August 29, 2013

Patrick Oliver traces his success back to this scene: As a little boy in his home in the projects of Little Rock, he shared the morning newspapers with his parents and his grandfather. Each person grabbed a section of the newspaper and passed the other sections around. He and his grandfather, who lived nearby, shared the sports pages.

Years later when he worked himself up from a low level job to one as a material analyst and senior contract administrator in the defense industry, he remembered those scenes at home. His reading and writing skills allowed him to easily understand systems and write proposals that suggested more efficient ways of operating, thus gaining him attention, respect and promotions from upper management. Oliver never forgot the connection between the rituals at his house and his success at work.

"The success of me being a success in corporate America is because of my reading," he said. "Our house was full of newspapers and magazines," he said.

Now a literary consultant, program manager and radio host in Little Rock, he devotes most of his life to developing programs that introduce black youth to literature and the importance of reading and writing well. In 1993, he founded "Say It Loud! Readers and Writers," the nonprofit that provides opportunities for youth ages 10 - 18 to participate in literary arts activities and events designed to enhance their appreciation for literature as a tool for empowerment. Today, in addition to programs in Little Rock, he has partnerships with programs in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.

The journey to his life's work began after his company downsized and he lost his job as a contract administrator in the aerospace industry in California. He decided to return home to Little Rock for a while. He wound up staying longer and opening a bookstore/gift shop.

When someone asked him to serve as program director of an after school program, he gave that a try, too.   He helped reshape the after school program so that it centered on literacy arts.  "We used poetry and creative writing as a focal point," Oliver said.

Later, he became Director of Sales and Marketing at the historic black-owned Third World Press in Chicago and program director for a citywide after school reading program.

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Call The Black Star Project 
If You Are A Man or Woman 
in the Chicago Area
Who Wants To Become An
Electrician

You must be interviewed, have a valid driver's license, be drugfree, have proof of citizenship, have a social security card, be at least 17 years old, pass a basic skills and academic test, be in good physical shape, clear a background check,  and a have a letter of recommendation.  Limited slots available for an August 3, 2015 interview. 

Please call 773.285.9600 today for this limited opportunity
Join The Black Star Project in Support of Father Michael Pfleger for a Peace Walk on Friday, July 24, 2015, 7:00 pm, Meeting at St. Sabina Church, 1210 West 78th Place, 
Chicago, Illinois

Join Us and Wear Orange for Peace In Chicago and PEACE In The Hood
Please call 773.285.9600 to join us.

Questions: What if Black people could choose their own teachers and their own heroes?  What if Black people could focus on finance and institution-building rather than sports and entertainment?  What if Black people taught their children about their history and culture rather than the distractions and diversions of our society? Then you would have: 

 

The Sunday University
Learn about the Best Arguments in Support of Reparations: Internal Reparations and External Reparations with Professor  Kamm Howard of N'COBRA on Sunday, July 26, 2015 
Kamm Howard - Professor of African-Centered Thinking, Logic and Action
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Learn about Banking, Personal Finance and Young People, Sunday, August 2, 2015 
Otis Monroe - Professor of Banking Theory 
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Learn that Health Is Wealth and 
How to Keep It for a Life Time, Sunday, August 9, 2015
Dr. Paul L. Hannah - Professor of Healing Energy

All classes of 
The Sunday University 
will take place on 
Sundays
2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
after church, mosque or temple
at
The Black Star Project
3509 South King Drive
Chicago, Illinois

Please call 773.285.9600 to RSVP, for more information or to create a Sunday University in your city. 
The Family and Community that  Educates Together,
Elevates Together
Parents, Educators and Community Members Should Attend the 
The Black Star Community PTA Meeting
  • Preparing for the Next School Year
  • Summer Tutoring and Mentoring Programs for Children
  • The Million Father March 2015

 

Saturday, July 25, 2015, 

9:30 am to 11:00 am

at The Black Star Project

3509 South King Drive

Chicago, Illinois  

Please call 773.285.9600 for more information.

12 Things Students Should Never Do on Social Media

By Stephanie Buck 

September 4, 2012

 

The last thing young people want is another set of rules. But these days, social media comes with great responsibility, whether you're just starting high school or finishing up college.

 

The fact is, irresponsible social media conduct could potentially ruin your education and negatively impact your career, not to mention hurt others in the process. (And we're not just talking kids, either.) But most of those consequences are preventable, often with just a little foresight.

 

We've pinpointed 12 social media mistakes that students should avoid at all costs, because after all, it's never as simple as "be responsible." And it's never as finite as "don't friend your teacher on Facebook." Social media circumstances are nuanced and vary by situation, school and user.

 

Please add your own contributions and advice for young adults on social media.  Young people should never post or do:

 

1. Post Illegal ActivitiesGranted, high school and college students experiment with many activities and substances. But the second you post a video of last weekend's bong hit or trash-can tipping adventure, you become vulnerable not only for school expulsion but also for criminal prosecution.

2. BullyingBullying is one of the most serious problems in schools today. Vicious treatment and hateful words between students often lead to violence, suicide, depression and discrimination among the student body.

 

3. Trash Your TeachersBullying doesn't just apply to student-to-student interactions. Students who speak poorly of their teachers (or post embarrassing photos of them) run a huge risk, too. After all, your instructors have a right to privacy and respect.

 

4. Post Objectionable Content From School Computers or Networks - Many schools prohibit all computer activity on campus not directly related to coursework. That almost always includes social media use, especially that which is objectionable (e.g. profanity, harassment, etc.). 

 

5. Post Confidential InformationThis piece of advice goes for every social media user, not just students. But young people are especially vulnerable to online predators and identity thieves.

 

6. Overly Specific Location Check-InsSimilar to protecting your identity, try not to get too specific with your social check-ins. Although your parents may appreciate the heads-up, posts like these make it easy for predators to locate you. 
 

Click Here to Read Last Six "Never to Post or Do's" and the Full Article

Stop blaming black parents for underachieving kids

Improving black students' learning 

doesn't "start at home."

Students take take a test at New Orleans school. Showing their commitment to education, black families stood in line for hours to enroll their children in choice schools this month. (Photo by Edmund D. Fountain for The Washington Post)

By Andre M. Perry

July 30, 2014 
 

Mayors, teachers unions, and news commentators have boiled down the academic achievement gap between white and black students to one root cause: parents. Even black leaders and barbershop chatter target "lazy parents" for academic failure in their communities, dismissing the complex web of obstacles that assault urban students daily. In 2011, then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg exemplified this thinking by saying, "Unfortunately, there are some parents who...never had a formal education and they don't understand the value of an education." 

 

Earlier this year, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Tony Norman diagnosed that city's public schools' chief problem: the lack of "active, radical involvement of every parent." And even President Obama rued last week that in some black communities, gaining education is viewed as "acting white."

 

Clearly, there is widespread belief that black parents don't value education. The default opinion has become "it's the parents" - not the governance, the curriculum, the instruction, the policy, nor the lack of resources - that create problems in urban schools. That's wrong. 

 

Everyday actions continuously contradict the idea that low-income black families don't care about their children's schooling, with parents battling against limited resources to access better educations than their circumstances would otherwise afford their children.

 

In New Orleans this month, hundreds of families waited in the heat for hours in hopes of getting their children into their favorite schools. Parents unhappy with their child's assignment must request a different school in person at an enrollment center, with requests granted on a first-come, first-served basis. This year, changes were made to the timing and location for parents to request changes. A long line began forming at the center at 6 a.m. By 9:45 a.m., it stretched around the block. By 12:45 p.m., officials stopped giving out numbers because they didn't have enough staff to meet with every parent.

 

When judging black families' commitment to education, many are confusing will with way. These parents have the will to provide quality schooling for their children, but often, they lack the way: the social capital, the money and the access to elite institutions. There is a difference between valuing an education and having the resources to tap that value.

 

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Justice or Else!!!
October 10, 2015
Washington, DC