Jackson, MS Town Hall Meeting DATE: Saturday, September 18, 2010 TIME: 11:00 AM – 4:30 PM LOCATION: Tougaloo College Woodworth Chapel 500 West County Line Rd Tougaloo, MS MORE: Sign-in begins at 10:00 AM. Please pre-register to participate in a planning workshop by clicking here.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=m7u6uhcab&v=001-9B9G95DKuqPf3icfW0wM7Ykh778PmR8i5hICxTLAJv-pEl61v8SDSvb3mkF3qxuBS8I8JcjCkhLOg-8OLS2vVjZHdDaU2kDPKjuwiM__jZHjQrji1mIVQ%3D%3D

Associated Press writer Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is taking to the nation’s airwaves once again, this time to tell America’s schoolchildren that nothing is beyond their reach as long as they dream big, work hard and focus on learning.

Obama will make that point Tuesday at a Philadelphia school when he delivers his second back-to-school pep talk.

“Nobody gets to write your destiny but you,” Obama says in the speech, which the White House released a day early Monday so people could read the remarks beforehand and judge the contents for themselves.

“Your future is in your hands. Your life is what you make of it. And nothing — absolutely nothing — is beyond your reach. So long as you’re willing to dream big. So long as you’re willing to work hard. So long as you’re willing to stay focused on your education,” he says.

After the White House announced last year’s speech, some conservatives accused Obama of trying to foist a political agenda on children. Some parents threatened to pull their children from class rather than have them hear directly from the president.

A similar outcry is largely missing this year.

In his speech the president urges students to stay in school, study hard and take responsibility for their education. Obama long has said an educated work force will help the U.S. compete globally in the 21st century.

He’ll hit that note again, telling students that nothing will affect their success in life as much as their education.

“The kinds of opportunities that are open to you will be determined by how far you go in school,” Obama says. “In other words, the farther you go in school, the farther you’ll go in life.”

Raised by a single mother who often rose before dawn to tutor him before they went to work and school, Obama said government, educators and parents have a responsibility to prepare students for classroom success. But students have responsibilities too, he says.

“Here’s your job: Showing up to school on time. Paying attention in class. Doing your homework. Studying for exams. Staying out of trouble,” Obama says. “That kind of discipline and drive — the kind of hard work — is absolutely essential for success.”

Obama says he knows that’s true because he didn’t always have the drive. He uses his earlier-in-life slacking-off as a motivating example.

In the speech, he recalls a conversation with his mother about his slipping grades, how he hadn’t started filling out college applications and how he was being “casual” about his future. He started to tell her he didn’t need to hear that, but Obama says she cut him off, gave him a hard stare and asked if he remembered what it was like to put in a little effort. Obama says hearing that from his mother jolted him.

“But eventually, her words had their intended effect,” he says. “I got serious about my studies. I made an effort. And I began to see my grades — and my prospects — improve. And I know that if hard work could make the difference for me, it can make the difference for you too.”

Obama went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a law degree from Harvard University, two of the nation’s best schools. He served in the Illinois state Senate and the U.S. Senate before being elected president in 2008.

In the speech, Obama is also announcing the second Commencement Challenge, a nationwide contest in which schools compete to land him as their graduation speaker. He spoke at Kalamazoo Central High School’s graduation in Kalamazoo, Mich., last June.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

http://www.thegrio.com/politics/obama-students-should-work-hard-focus-on-school.php

Governor Paterson, Chancellor Klein, Russell Simmons, Allan Houston, Elected Officials to Attend Opening

New York, NY – September 2, 2010: The Eagle Academy Foundation, which runs all-boys public schools in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, will open a $50 million state of the art school in the Bronx at the start of the new school year on September 8, 2010 at 8:00am. Governor David Paterson, Chancellor Joel Klein, Russell Simmons, a supporter of the school, Allan Houston, members of the U.S. Congress and other elected officials will be present at the opening to celebrate the launch of the new school.

Two thousand or more are expected to attend the opening, which will close off several streets in the area. Those attending will include students, parents, community leaders from the Bronx, school officials and local residents.

In 2004, One Hundred Black Men, Inc. and The Eagle Academy Foundation opened the first Eagle Academy for Young Men at a temporary facility in the Bronx, starting the movement to help save our sons with the help of the City of New York, the Department of Education, former New York Senator Hilary Clinton and other elected officials. Now six years later, the new permanent school will serve as a home and epicenter to the national movement to save our young men of color.

“The Eagle movement was founded by One Hundred Black Men, Inc. and the launch of the new school is a culmination of the movement to save our sons,” said David C. Banks, President of the Eagle Academy Foundation. “We look forward to continuing this national movement and our model of success in the new building.”

The new $50 million, 78,500 square foot, state of the art facility features:
· Wireless Internet connectivity throughout
· Apple computers in every classroom
· A music room with a sound booth recording studio and a floating floor
· A Senate room for debate
· A full sized, regulation basketball court and volleyball court in the gym, and a wall-to-ceiling partition to divide the room
· An impressive, modern weight room
· An art room with a vaulted ceiling, a 20 x 10 ft window to allow natural light throughout the day, pottery wheels and a kiln
· Outside terrace
· Central air and heating
The Eagle Academy schools educate and mentor young men, assisting them in becoming future leaders committed to excellence in character, scholastic achievement and community service. One Hundred Black Men, Inc. and The Eagle Academy Foundation are committed to making the Eagle Academy a national model for other initiatives that promote educational excellence by instituting comprehensive after school programs, a lengthened school day, a mandatory Saturday institute, a mentorship program that guarantees a mentor for every student, a summer bridge program, greater demands on parental involvement, peer to peer support systems, a comprehensive teacher development institute, strong principal leadership, and other tools. Efforts are tied to an acute understanding of the unique needs of young men, who are unfamiliar with the requirements of a college preparatory, educational experience.

Interview Opportunities Include:

7:00am – 8:00am: Interviews with parents, students and teachers
8:00am – 9:00am: Ribbon cutting ceremony
8:45am – 9:15am: Press avail with Governor Paterson, Chancellor Klein, Russell Simmons, Allan Houston
9:15am – 9:45am: Indoor dedication ceremony
The Eagle Academy for Young Men is located at 4143 Third Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457. To cover the opening or to interview David Banks, contact Sara Davis at 646-723-4344 or Sara@thetascgroup.com.

About the Eagle Academy Foundation
The Eagle Academy Foundation funds the Eagle Academy for Young Men. The Foundation is committed to the development of a network of all-male, college-preparatory public schools from grades 6 through12 that educate and develop young men into future leaders, who are committed to excellence in character, scholastic achievement and community service. The Foundation is focused on creating Eagle Academies in challenged, urban communities with excessively high rates of incarceration. Current Eagle schools are located in the South Bronx and Ocean-Hill Brownsville in Brooklyn and the third school is scheduled to open in September in Southeast, Queens.
One Hundred Black Men, Inc. is the founding partner of the Eagle Academy for Young Men. One Hundred Black Men, Inc. continues to work in partnership with the Eagle Academy Foundation. OHBMI supports mentoring programs at the schools and provide scholarships for Eagle students.

August 28, 2010 | 11:00 am | Dunbar High School | 1301 New Jersey Avenue Northwest | Washington, DC

on saturday, august 26, reverend al sharpton and the national action network are organizing buses to head down to washington d.c. in honor of the speech Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made there 47 years ago prophesying a day in which america would fulfill the ‘true nature of its creed.’

this saturday, tea party members will be marching on washington as well, as stated and confirmed by this article in the new york times.

the tea party has a long tradition of hate speech against blacks and homosexuals. in addition, their politics help to further the divide between haves and have-not. this is absolutely contrary to the message that Dr. King delivered 47 years ago at the Lincoln Memorial.

in my opinion, the tea party’s marching on the anniversary of this momentous speech is tasteless, but they have every right to be there. but so do we! join the national action committee and get down to D.C. this saturday! 11 am!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

11:00 a.m. Rally

Dunbar High School

1301 New Jersey Avenue NW

Washington, DC

Reclaim the Dream Flyer

Bus Departure Locations

‘The American education system is systematically failing Black males,’ according to the ‘Black Boys Report’ released by the Schott Foundation this past July. According to the report, only 50% of all black males are graduating from high school. With these figures, it seems that President Obama’s bold goal of becoming the world’s forerunner in education again by 2020 will not be attainable if the success rates in education continue to vary by race, gender, and zip code.

The report also highlighted the states that are currently failing black males miserably. They are listed as the States of Emergency. They are: Wyoming, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Michigan.

The states that are reporting major issues are concentrated in a few large concentrated metropolitan areas and aren’t necessarily indicative of the entire state. These cities are New York, Detroit, and Chicago.

On the other hand, the report does well to stress the fact that some states are indeed performing very well. The best example of this is New Jersey whose implementation of the ‘Abbot’ program has fared extremely well in closing the education gap.

While there is much work to be done moving forward, the Black Boys Report listed a comprehensive list of tangible solutions. It is important to remember that closing the educational gap is not a philosophical issues in need of a great deal of academia to understand and improve. The solutions to the problem are quite tangible and, with funding and initiative, will be effective if there’s commitment behind them.

The solutions include: (page 7)

• Equitable Resources
• Universal pre-school education
• Programs dedicated to the social and health services in the communities they serve
• New and rehabilitated facilities
• State accountability

Please read the report, tagged below, and join Beyond the Bricks in the effort to foster a national movement to see these changes implemented to help our black children succeed. Let’s work to get these kids off the ‘school-to-prison pipeline’ and to college! Share the report with friends and family members and continue the discussion on Facebook, Twitter, at the dinner table, and at the water cooler.

The Black Boys Report : find out information concerning your specific state

Further Reading:

The Black Star Project

The Black Youth Project

The Young People’s Project

The United Negro College Fund

The controversy surrounding the building of a Mosque near Ground Zero in New York City is as much about power and control as it is about fear and religion.

In case you have not heard: Americans are in an uproar over the construction of a Muslim community center two blocks away from Ground Zero. Although the building permits have been cleared, there has been political and social commotion concerning the building.

Those against the building argue that it’s insensitive and disrespectful to the victims’ families of 9/11. But those who support it, like Michael Bloomberg and President Obama says the building of a Mosque is a testament to freedom of religion and equal treatment for all Americans.

In reality, challenging the construction of the Mosque is a civil rights issue. Of course the First Amendment guarantees the freedom to practice religion, but this issue goes beyond that. Opposing the mosque (which is only a portion of the community center to be built) is an exertion of power that citizens pretend to posses. Although freedom of religion is overtly expressed in our constitution, a collaborative mass will oppose one’s access to that freedom if their views are not in alignment with theirs.

With the Tea Party on the rise, protecting civil rights is an important issue as ever. The Tea Party is notorious for abridging the constitution to make it adhere to their perspective on life and so-called freedoms.

Read more about the building of the Muslim Community Center:

Ground Zero Mosque

A Mosque by any Other Name

What is Legal is not Always Right

dead prez with director derek koen photo by emeraldcarter

Stic.man of Dead Prez: The Experience

i loved school at first. i loved to read, draw, write. i was very interested in learning and got As up until the 3rd grade. one day some white boy ran up on me and my friends and said ‘niggaz.’ so there was a big fight. the school labeled us as a gang, there were police reports, and they separated me from my cousins and my friends. we didn’t even know what a gang was at that time. we were alienated and railroaded. we were just defending ourselves. that’s when i realized there were two sets of rules.

ms. green, a black teacher, who asked me to write and perform something for black history month when i was in high school. but i was like, ‘what is black history?’ she gave me  a book and information and turned me on to hip hop as a means to connect with the community and the people and my emotions. so i started reading about our history, our ancestors and i wrote ‘black as i could get.’ ‘i ain’t no uncle tom. to hell with uncle sam.’ that’s when the white principal turned off my mic, my freedom of expression, screaming about hip-hop. the audience started yelling to let me express myself and my point of view. the NAACP, Nation of Islam, black church, cameras all got involved. they said we started a riot. it was a community movement and we took control of the black history program.

if she hadn’t given me that book, my life would’ve taken another route. that stuff wasn’t in my household. i was in the 9th grade and had never heard of Malcolm X.

Stic.man photo by emeraldcarter

Stic.man (Dead Prez): The Solution

We need to create more Independent African Schools for our children. We’ve been keeping them in a system designed to miseducate them and prepare you to be a worker. They teach you that success is getting a good job in the white man’s system so they train you for that. Real education is when you provide for yourself.

stic.man and m1 photo by emeraldcarter

M1 (Dead Prez): The Experience

School is a 12-step brainwash camp. whether you break dance, rock suede adidas, rhyme, write… school was not a place that was full of life. it was empty. spiritless. i loved to learn, but school was a popularity contest, a fashion show. a place to kick it with peers.

i loved math. numbers don’t lie, or their not supposed to. school was just a place to pass the day. there were the wild kids and those who sat in front of the class, coasting. i was somewhere in the middle. that was my formal american education experience. the best part of school for me was the ability to play sports. they allowed me to learn determination and discipline. those were the real tests. english tests were biased and not founded.

M1 (Dead Prez): The Influences

KRS-1 was and is my favorite teacher. he came at a relevant time in my life. back when that was the only thing i would listen to. i’m just glad i could return the favor to hip-hop. glad i got there in high school. i went to college. it was a hustle. there weren’t many other choices: jail or the military, or the option of school. coming from working class community, college was a professional play school. there were more parties and bullshit.

robbie morgan photo by emeraldcarter

Rob Morgan, creator of I <3 Black People tees : Influences

my greatest influences were my grandfather and my uncles, but most definitely my grandfather. every summer from when I was 8-13 years old I would go down to north carolina tobacco fields. my grandfather would pick everyone up before sunrise and head out there. i was an 8 year old in the hot tobacco fields and we wouldn’t come home until after sundown. instead of relaxing, he would get food and go around to less fortunate and drop off food, sit and talk to them. he’d be out till ten doing things for others. i’m thankful for my grandfather. he thought me that it’s not about me, or you, it’s about the community. it’s about the people you encourage and show them you love them. calvin augustus simmons. thank you.

Beyond the Bricks would like to say thank you to Dead Prez and Robbie Morgan for taking time out of their busy schedules to do these PSAs and share their stories.

Support Dead Prez’s up and coming project entitled Information Age

And cop some of these ‘I luv Black People’ tees. they’re fly.