Change is Here!

This is a historic moment in American History! Barack Obama is the Democratic Nominee. I am so proud of how he carried himself with such grace throughout this campaign. Change is here! Education for people of color will finally be taken seriously. Read more about Barack Obama's plan for education here: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/

FEATURE STORY

Searching for Global Literacy
By Christie Jones, M.Ed., M.J.

The blood that flows through her veins connects her to a rich heritage and gives her a deep appreciation for human life in the world. Nicole Osei’s international travels to far off places like Ghana, Belgium, and France have allowed her to view the world through a larger lens than most Americans.

Nicole decided to study political science and international relations at Georgia State University, but her experience yielded different results than she expected. Although Atlanta, Georgia is a bustling metropolis that attracts more than 400 people to move there daily, it still is a place that is drowning in a sea of narrow views, and plain ignorance. “I was the only one who knew who Kofi Anan was in a classroom filled with political science majors, and at that moment I realized how sheltered Americans really are,” said Osei. “At that moment I knew I needed to be back in London.”

She had previously studied in London, but the deep yearning in her heart to be reunited with loved ones led her back to the states. Her broad scope of knowledge about international law and third world countries surpassed her peers, making her feel like a pariah. Going to class was a constant battle trying to force feed new information to people that operated in a segregated world.

The confederate flag adorned cars, homes, and t-shirts; racism, bigotry, and intolerance seemed to be a ritual for the people she encountered in school and throughout the city. To Nicole, people in Atlanta were lacking global literacy, something that was essential to the life a political science major.

It became very difficult for Nicole to understand her peers’ resistance to her global perspectives. “I felt so misunderstood because my world views were alien to them.” Disgusted with her experience at Georgia State, Nicole ventured across the Atlantic Ocean back to London to fuel her desire to study among international students and to be in a place where her ideas would be embraced.

“Growing up, my family traveled the world, so I was enticed at an early age by cultural differences.” London was the perfect place for her to spread her wings and express herself freely without fear of ridicule. Nicole finished with her undergraduate degree in political science and international relations from the Richmond International University of London.

Her academic endeavors in London were refreshing in that she experienced a cultural baptism. She lived and studied among a diverse population with just as diverse opinions and views of the world. She was submerged in an academic oasis where her critical thinking and global literacy skills were fine tuned. When she finished her undergraduate degree, she reflected upon her experience and decided that it would be most beneficial to move back to America to study journalism so that she could expand the minds of other Americans.

Nicole Osei graduated from the University of North of Texas with a master’s degree in Journalism. Her career goal is to become a broadcast journalist. She wants to cast a new image of African-Americans to the world by promoting global literacy to everyone.


Read more about the Richmond International University of London:

http://www.richmond.ac.uk/

Model of Instruction for African-American Students

The Global Literacy Model
By Christie Jones, M.Ed., M.J.

When students participate in a learning community of researchers, they will develop global literacy. Global literacy is being able to read the world and everything in it. I have developed the Global Literacy Model based on years of teaching writing and studying sound pedagogy. The Global Literacy Model places the student at the center of learning. Learning is social and cultural, so as students collaborate and learn about themselves and others, they will become socially conscious. This social consciousness provokes students to take action, which leads them to create change. This model of instruction was developed for African-American students to train them to become leaders and world changers. My method of teaching and training is unlike mainstream instruction that you are used to. My method of instruction recognizes the African-American experience and ethos.

POETRY

URBAN NOISE
By Christie Jones, M.Ed., M.J.

I AM FROM THE CORNER OF CURIOSITY AND DESIRE,
WHERE I WAIT FOR THE BUS TO TAKE ME SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY FROM HERE.

I SEE FEAR, RAGE, DESTITUTION, POVERTY, VIOLENCE, AND DRUGS.
SOMEONE IS TRYING TO VANDALIZE THE BUS, BUT IT TAKES OFF TOO FAST.

I SEE YOUNG PEOPLE BOARD THE BUS, LOUD AND UNRULY.
THEY GET OFF ON THE CORNER OF CONFUSION AND HOPELESSNESS.

I AM THE PERSON TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM TO KEEP RIDING TO THE END OF THE LINE WHERE THEY CAN TRANSFER BUSSES, AND CONTINUE ON TO NEW POSSIBILITIES, BUT MY ENCOURAGEMENT IS DROWNED OUT BY URBAN NOISE.

I AM DETERMINED FOR THEM TO HEAR ME. ONE DAY THEY WILL HEAR ME. ONE DAY THEY WILL HEAR ME.

I AM AN ADVOCATE.
I AM EXPERIENCE.
I AM AN EDUCATOR.
UNTIL THE DAY I DIE.

THE BLACK EXPERIENCE WILL BE RECOGNIZED.

Image taken from: http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A9G_bF9Aow5I8F0BQZijzbkF/SIG=130qo83fd/EXP=1209005248/**http%3A//www.damianbpipkins.com/South_Central_Los%2520Angeles_Tour/album5.html

Soul Sistas

"Music is every moment of our lives," says Helene Faussart, one half of the Afropean hip hop/R&B duo Les Nubians. Helene and her sister/bandmate, Celia, found that this feeling connected them with people in Jamaica, Egypt, Cameroon, Chad, London, their native Paris and other locales around the world as they embarked on the journey that led to their newest album One Step Forward.

Their 1999 U.S. debut Princesses Nubiennes (HigherOctave/Virgin) became the most successful French-language album in more than a decade on Billboard charts. The sisters have traveled the world, soaking up the sounds of reggae, afro-beat, pop and electronica while collaborating with a host of respected musicians.

Listen to beautiful music now: http://www.lesnubians.com/

and http://www.myspace.com/lesnubians

Image taken from these sites.

Book Review

Black Journalists
The NABJ STORY
By
Wayne Dawkins


In the book Black Journalists, The NABJ Story, Wayne Dawkins answers this basic question: why did The NABJ form as an organization? The author does a great job of giving a historical background to help the reader understand the motivation of forming this organization. Throughout the book, the author thoroughly documents the social complexities of the past and weaves it to the profession of journalism for Blacks from the Civil Rights Movement up until December 12, 1975 when the organization was officially formed by forty-four journalists in Washington , D.C. The author, a Black journalist and member felt compelled to write this book so that people just learning about this organization for the first time can learn about how far the organization has come.

From the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most prominent figures to lead the Civil Rights Movement in America , a fight to end legal racial discrimination. During the 1960s, many laws were passed, such as voting rights, fair housing, and equal employment. These laws changed the landscape of America and helped to facilitate Black Americans’ career expansion. Blacks were beginning to move beyond preaching, teaching, and undertaking- the only jobs that were available to well educated Blacks during this time era. When legal segregation ended in this country, Blacks were given the opportunity to compete in the workplace. Many Blacks felt that they needed to maximize their potential to survive in the job market. In order to cultivate more Black professionals, and offer support to one another, Black professionals started to organize themselves into dozens of national associations.

According to the author, the news media played a very significant role in the civil rights revolution. “The pictures on the evening news of black demonstrators in the South being assaulted by police with guard dogs, nightclubs and water cannons exposed America and the rest of the world to the disgrace of legal segregation (page 2).” Although the media exposed many racial injustices of the time, ironically it was the mainstream news media that perpetuated segregation and racism. For example, the 1968 report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Disorders (appointed by President Johnson and led by Illinois Governor Otto Kerner) examined the causes and symptoms that set off the explosion of riots by Blacks in American cities in the mid-to-late 1960s. The report concluded that America was moving toward two societies, and that much of the media maintained segregation and discrimination in the newsroom while they were exposing segregation and discrimination in other institutions.

According to the author, Black reporters who worked and got their stories published in the newspapers battled with their white editors over objectivity. Many Black reporters attempted to cover Black Americans with more depth and breadth than just crime reports or riots, but they were dismissed by Whites as advocacy reporting. The Black perspective was mostly ignored. Black journalists during this time era were mostly politicized because of constant exposure to racism and bigotry; they felt that the journalistic doctrine of objectivity was a farce. Black journalists felt the heat in the Black communities they tried to cover. White editors criticized them for being “pro-black,” while some community activists and spokesmen dismissed them as “Uncle Toms” and “sellouts” to the Black struggle. Black journalists struggled with the constant pressure and frustration of how to deal in a daily newsroom culture while staying true to themselves and the Black community.

This book is vital in regards to exploring the journalism/mass communication canon in regards to studying the history of Black journalists in America and the struggles they endured to get their stories published. When I think of my own scholarly pursuits as an educator and journalist, I am vexed at how the media ignores marginalized people’s perspectives. I am even more vexed that as an African-American woman that it is likely that I will not get a job in journalism upon graduation. I feel that a journalism program should arm minority students with enough knowledge and practical training to help them overcome these obstacles that still exist in the newsroom. I suggest this book for any scholar to read because it reinforces the power of the media to affect how people think and feel about other minority groups.

Dawkins, W. (1997). Black Journalists, The NABJ Story. August Press.


Additional Readings:

Dawkins, W. (2003). Rugged Waters: Black Journalists Swim in the Mainstream.

Ainely, B. (1998). Black Journalists White Media.

Image taken from: http://www.augustpress.net/nabj.html

Washington Prep High is now a Performing Arts Magnet in LAUSD

I graduated from Washington Prep High School 11 years ago. I was in the Math/Science Magnet. Mrs. LaMotte (my principal, speaking at the beginning of the video) is still a fierce leader in the community today. I remember giving a speech at graduation……………so many memories!
Washington Prep is located in South Central Los Angeles. The band was #1 then, and they are #1 now! PREP!

Watch them now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qvo8qcCd9s