 |
May 2020
Dear MBK Community,
The response to COVID-19 has impacted all of us in unprecedented ways. Among the drastic changes that have taken place, school closures have brought many uncertainties and concerns.
At New York State My Brother's Keeper, we thought it was important to reach out with
words of encouragement and direction to our MBK Fellows across the state. In total, our Fellows represent nearly 200 young men of color who are committed to strengthening themselves and their communities. To our MBK Fellows:
You are leaders, you are our future, we value you, you matter, and we love you.
In an effort to continue our engagement with the MBK community, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) recently collaborated with the Partnership for After School Education (PASE) to present a virtual
MBK Village Meeting. The meeting's focus was on the Needs, Deeds and Impact of the 2018, 2019, and incoming 2020 MBK Fellows.
Finally, the COVID-19 emergency has also provided opportunities for us to get better. The recent pandemic has highlighted the inequities that we face in our society. Schools moved to online learning platforms. This shift emphasized inequities in resources and access to supports. Moving to online doesn't necessarily serve all students. And simply providing a computer and Wi-Fi access doesn't necessarily mean that students will be as engaged as they would be in the classroom. It did however force educators to rethink how we deliver and assess instruction. In his recent column, "What the Pandemic Teaches About the Need to Redesign Education" Senegal Mabry discusses potential changes to the education system as a result of the pandemic.
Sincerely,
Dr. Anael Alston
Assistant Commissioner
Office of Access, Equity and Community Engagement Services
|
 MBK Cares
Members of the NYS Board for Regents and NYS MBK leaders are reaching out with words of encouragement for the nearly 200 MBK Fellows across the state who are committed to strengthening themselves and their communities.
|
|
| MBK Cares - Chancellor Rosa |
|
|
|
|
| MBK Cares - Dr. Anael Alston |
|
|
|
| MBK Cares - Dr. Jim Bostic |
|
|
|
| MBK Cares - Mr. Greg Joyner |
|
|
|
Virtual MBK Village Meeting
On April 23, 2020, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) collaborated with the Partnership for After School Education (PASE) to present a
virtual MBK Village Meeting.
The meeting's focus was on the Needs, Deeds and Impact of the 2018, 2019, and incoming 2020 MBK Fellows. 405 people were in attendance.
Participants included Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa, Regent Lester W. Young, Jr., Interim Commissioner Shannon Tahoe, members of the senior leadership team of NYSED, New York City Department of Education Chancellor Richard Carranza, along with his leadership team, and district administrators and staff from our 25 MBK communities.
The event, hosted by Dr. Anael Alston, began with remarks from Chancellor Rosa and Regent Young. Dr. Alfonso Wyatt delivered a keynote entitled "From Adversity to Advantage." Many of our talented MBK Fellows shared selected stories of their trials and triumphs during the COVID-19 crisis.
Dr. Edwin Quezada, superintendent of Yonkers City School District, delivered closing remarks.
|
Senegal Mabry: "What the Pandemic Teaches About the Need to Redesign Education"
|
|
|
Senegal Mabry |
In a recent column in the publication
Governing entitled "
What the Pandemic Teaches About the Need to Redesign Education," Senegal Mabry reflected on the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity for the education system to prepare for future crises. These include better technology, preparation for online learning, and focusing on equitable assessments.
Senegal Mabry is a student at Binghamton University and a member of the national My Brother's Keeper Alliance Advisory Council.
|
Additional Resources
NYSED's Dedicated COVID-19 Web Page
The Board of Regents and NYSED are providing important information to P-12 schools related to school closures, meals, childcare, continuity of learning, mental health, accountability, special education, and test administration in response to COVID-19.
National MBK Alliance COVID-19 Web Page
The National MBK Alliance has provided a web page dedicated to resources for organizations and initiatives in underserved communities impacted by COVID-19.
|
Find out more about New York State's My Brother's Keeper initiative by visiting our
MBK website, which provides details about the grants mentioned in this newsletter. The website also includes shareable videos about MBK, featuring young men of color from New York.
|
If your school or community would like to share a story to include in a future edition of this newsletter, please email photos and news items to
NYSMBK@nysed.gov. Similarly, if you are hosting an upcoming event, please let us know. We will add it to our calendar and help you get the word out!
Don't forget to follow us on
Twitter,
Facebook, and
LinkedIn and tag us in your posts so we can follow you and share your success stories. Be sure to use the #NYSMBK hashtag!
|
|
|
|
|
|
