We're facing some connectivity issues at the hotel. Joe wrote the following post last night, but was unable to publish directly. I'm including it now for you to ponder. "Drums" or "Bells"?
Enjoy,
u.
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Greetings from Chicago,
I'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
I'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
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