As we prepare for the opening keynote for the NBEA Summit Saving the African American Child, here are some useful links for educators, administrators and
parents:
This piece on the African American Free School provides historical perspective and context
Question Bridge
a transmedia art project that seeks to represent and redefine Black male identity in America.
Great video featuring Robert Moses: Quality Education as a Constitutional Right
| A big thanks to Daphne Muse for the roundup! Are you familiar with any of the above resources? Are there any additional materials that you would recommend? | ||
Greetings from Chicago,
ReplyDeleteI'm listening to the drums calling us together for the opening plenary session of the summit. A traditional African Drum Call bringing us together. I wonder, as we look at the idea of "renaming"/restructuring schools to meet the needs of African American children & the African American Community are drums more appropriate then bells? What do bells mean to us? Does the bell signal to our youth a warm welcoming or signal "danger"?
The morning bell, is it associated with excitement of coming together as community to share, teach and learn from each other. No, the bell seems to signal power and control exercised over us and signaling to the slave/worker it's time to go and be where if not required or necessitated by economic or other external pressures most would not respond to the summons. No, we would invest our time in doing something for ourselves and our communities, for our children and families.
Drums do they have a place in our schools as important as that of math or language arts? What is the purpose of an education? If the purpose is to empower can this occur void of ourselves, our traditions, our symbols, our culture. The drums calls us together across our many separations back to village. Our village and as we know it takes a village to raise/educate a child. Billie Holiday perhaps said it best: God Bless the child who has his own!
- Joe Hudson
Dr. Wade Nobles, one of my undergraduate Professor reminded me this morning of values that were central to my "being"; central to my purpose of living and my vocational undertakings as a professional educator. However, I'm torn as I struggle with my professional training and indoctrination that seems to in practice move beyond "separation of church & state" to in our interaction with our youth in public schools to denying & invalidate our innate spirituality and hence our humanity.
ReplyDeleteDr. Nobles argues "education is the process" and "divine" humans are the outcome. I'm reminded how much my "faith", my spirituality has been in concert with my family's encouragement and support the difference maker in my education attainment, my career advancement, my marriage and family and my life. My maternal Grandmother (Granna); a stately demi-god taught me that many of the blessings we enjoy are manifestation in the physical world of the supplication and prayers of our ancestors and elders. Can we as educators given the realities and challenges of educating African American youth afford if not because of our own spirituality and humanity continue supporting a system education that insists on an unrealistic and harmful education that separates man/women from their source. Education that separate students from their core being, their past & present; their community. As the young folk say, "just keeping it real". We can't be real without acknowledging and purposely promoting spirituality and humanity as fundamental to having any degree of real success in educating African American youth.
One love - Joe Hudson.