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DuSable
Museum proposal from U. of C. professor gets heated response
Proposal for DuSable Museum
met
with instant opposition.
By Dawn
Rhodes and Dahleen Glanton
July 21,
2014
The DuSable Museum of African American
History on Monday sought to calm community concerns set off by a University of
Chicago professor's proposal that the school take over programming at the South
Side museum.
South Side artist and U. of C. visual arts
professor Theaster Gates, who is a member of the DuSable board of trustees, put
forth the idea of creating a DuSable Futures Committee that would be responsible
for recruiting artists, scholars and curators for the museum, among other
things.
The committee would work in a two-year
partnership with the U. of C.'s Center for the Study of Race, Politics and
Culture and the university's Arts and Public Life Initiative, which Gates
directs.
Responding to community concerns
that U. of C. was trying to take over DuSable, the museum downplayed the
proposal, saying it was simply Gates' suggestion for a "growth plan" for the
museum. The proposal was presented to the DuSable's executive committee, but it
was never presented to the full board or placed on the agenda for any upcoming
board meetings, Clarence Bourne, chairman of the DuSable's board of trustees,
said in a statement.
Still, the proposal struck a nerve among some South Side
residents who believe that the DuSable should remain independent. It also
reignited long-held fears by some in the community that the U. of C. is trying
to expand its reach in the neighborhoods surrounding the university.
After news of the proposal leaked last week,
several South Side activists issued a joint statement vehemently opposing the
partnership, saying that it would not reflect the mission established by the
DuSable's late founder, Margaret Burroughs.
The Concerned Committee for the
Support of Independent Black Cultural Institutions lists several well-known
Chicagoans among its members, including author Lerone Bennett, Jr., historian
Timuel Black, Ald. Willie Cochran and Northeastern Illinois University professor
Conrad Worrill.
"This proposal ... will result in a radical
reconceptualization of the ideas, cultural focus, historical knowledge, and
critical black direction of the DuSable Museum," the group said in a statement.
"The defining ideas of Dr. Margaret Burroughs and other co-founders of the
DuSable Museum are being disregarded and set aside for 'new thought' and a
'major conceptual shift.'"
"This is not an attack on University of Chicago, but we
understand that they would be the benefactors if this plan were to go through as
designed," said Kim Dulaney, who also teaches at Chicago State.
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Please
call 773.947.0600 to ask the DuSable Museum Board of Trustees to reject the
Theaster Gates proposal and to work with The Concerned Committee for the Support of
Independent Black Cultural Institutions to grow and manage the DuSable
Museum!
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Faces of Hope: Patrick Oliver
Teaches Kids to Be Successful Readers and Writers
New Book: Turn The Page
and You Don't Stop!
By Patrice Gaines
August 29, 2013
Patrick Oliver traces his success back
to this scene: As a little boy in his home in the projects of Little Rock, he
shared the morning newspapers with his parents and his grandfather. Each person
grabbed a section of the newspaper and passed the other sections around. He and
his grandfather, who lived nearby, shared the sports pages.
Years
later when he worked himself up from a low level job to one as a material
analyst and senior contract administrator in the defense industry, he remembered
those scenes at home. His reading and writing skills allowed him to easily
understand systems and write proposals that suggested more efficient ways of
operating, thus gaining him attention, respect and promotions from upper
management. Oliver never forgot the connection between the rituals at his house
and his success at work.
"The
success of me being a success in corporate America is because of my reading," he
said. "Our house was full of newspapers and magazines," he said.
Now
a literary consultant, program manager and radio host in Little Rock, he devotes
most of his life to developing programs that introduce black youth to literature
and the importance of reading and writing well. In 1993, he founded "Say It
Loud! Readers and Writers," the nonprofit that provides opportunities for youth
ages 10 - 18 to participate in literary arts activities and events designed to
enhance their appreciation for literature as a tool for empowerment. Today, in
addition to programs in Little Rock, he has partnerships with programs in
Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
The
journey to his life's work began after his company downsized and he lost his job
as a contract administrator in the aerospace industry in California. He decided
to return home to Little Rock for a while. He wound up staying longer and
opening a bookstore/gift shop.
When
someone asked him to serve as program director of an after school program, he
gave that a try, too. He helped reshape the
after school program so that it centered on literacy arts. "We used poetry and creative writing as a focal point,"
Oliver said.
Later,
he became Director of Sales and Marketing at the historic black-owned Third
World Press in Chicago and program director for a citywide after school reading
program.
Click Here to Purchase
Turn the Page and You Don't
Stop
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Call The Black Star Project
If You Are A Man or Woman
in the Chicago Area
Who Wants To Become An
Electrician
You must be interviewed, have a valid
driver's license, be drugfree, have proof of citizenship, have a social security
card, be at least 17 years old, pass a basic skills and academic test, be in
good physical shape, clear a background check, and a have a letter of recommendation. Limited slots
available for an August 3, 2015 interview.
Please
call 773.285.9600 today for this limited opportunity.
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Join The Black Star
Project in Support of Father Michael Pfleger for a Peace Walk on Friday, July
24, 2015, 7:00 pm, Meeting at St. Sabina Church, 1210 West 78th Place,
Chicago,
Illinois
Join Us and Wear Orange for Peace In
Chicago and PEACE In The Hood
Please
call 773.285.9600 to join us.
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Questions: What if Black people could choose their
own teachers and their own heroes? What if Black people could focus on finance
and institution-building rather than sports and entertainment? What if Black
people taught their children about their history and culture rather than the
distractions and diversions of our society? Then you would have:
The Sunday University
Learn about the Best Arguments in Support of Reparations: Internal
Reparations and External Reparations with Professor Kamm
Howard of N'COBRA on Sunday, July 26,
2015
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| Kamm Howard - Professor of African-Centered
Thinking, Logic and Action |
----------------------------------------------------------------
Learn
about Banking, Personal Finance and Young People, Sunday, August 2,
2015
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| Otis Monroe - Professor of Banking
Theory |
---------------------------------------------------------------
Learn that
Health Is Wealth and
How to
Keep It for a Life Time, Sunday, August 9, 2015
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Dr. Paul L. Hannah - Professor of Healing
Energy
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All classes of
The Sunday
University
will take
place on
Sundays
2:30 pm to
4:00 pm
after
church, mosque or temple
at
The Black
Star Project
3509 South
King Drive
Chicago,
Illinois
Please call
773.285.9600 to RSVP, for more information or to create a Sunday University in
your city.
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The Family and Community that Educates Together,
Elevates Together
Parents, Educators and Community Members Should Attend
the
The Black Star
Community PTA Meeting
- Preparing
for the Next School Year
- Summer
Tutoring and Mentoring Programs for Children
- The
Million Father March 2015
Saturday, July 25, 2015,
9:30 am to 11:00 am
at The Black Star Project
3509 South King Drive
Chicago, Illinois
Please call 773.285.9600 for more
information.
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12 Things Students Should Never Do on Social
Media
By
Stephanie Buck
September 4,
2012
The last thing young people want
is another set of rules. But these days, social media comes with great
responsibility, whether you're just starting high school or finishing up
college.
The fact is, irresponsible social
media conduct could potentially ruin your education and negatively impact your
career, not to mention hurt others in the process. (And we're not just talking kids, either.)
But most of those consequences are preventable, often with just a little
foresight.
We've pinpointed 12 social media
mistakes that students should avoid at all costs, because after all, it's never
as simple as "be responsible." And it's never as finite as "don't friend your
teacher on Facebook." Social media circumstances
are nuanced and vary by situation, school and user.
Please add your own contributions
and advice for young adults on social media. Young people should
never post or do:
1. Post Illegal
Activities - Granted, high school and
college students experiment with many activities and substances. But the second
you post a video of last weekend's bong hit or trash-can tipping adventure, you
become vulnerable not only for school expulsion but also for criminal
prosecution.
2. Bullying - Bullying is one of the most serious problems in schools
today. Vicious treatment and hateful words between students often lead to
violence, suicide, depression and discrimination among the student body.
3. Trash Your
Teachers - Bullying doesn't just apply to
student-to-student interactions. Students who speak poorly of their teachers (or
post embarrassing photos of them) run a huge risk, too. After all, your
instructors have a right to privacy and respect.
4. Post
Objectionable Content From School Computers or Networks - Many schools prohibit all computer activity on campus
not directly related to coursework. That almost always includes social media
use, especially that which is objectionable (e.g. profanity, harassment, etc.).
5. Post Confidential
Information - This piece of advice goes
for every social media user, not just students. But young people are especially
vulnerable to online predators and identity thieves.
6. Overly Specific Location Check-Ins
- Similar to protecting your identity, try
not to get too specific with your social check-ins. Although your parents may
appreciate the heads-up, posts like these make it easy for predators to locate
you.
Click Here to Read Last Six
"Never to Post or Do's" and the Full
Article
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Stop blaming black parents for underachieving
kids
Improving black students' learning
doesn't "start at home."
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Students take take a test at
New Orleans school. Showing their commitment to education, black families stood
in line for hours to enroll their children in choice schools this month. (Photo
by Edmund D. Fountain for The Washington Post)
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By Andre M. Perry
July 30,
2014
Mayors, teachers unions, and news commentators have
boiled down the academic achievement gap between white and black students to one
root cause: parents. Even black leaders and barbershop chatter target "lazy
parents" for academic failure in their communities, dismissing the complex web
of obstacles that assault urban students daily. In 2011, then-New York City
Mayor Michael Bloomberg exemplified this thinking by saying, "Unfortunately,
there are some parents who...never had a formal education and they don't
understand the value of an education."
Earlier this year, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist
Tony Norman diagnosed that city's public schools' chief problem: the lack of
"active, radical involvement of every parent." And even President Obama rued
last week that in some black communities, gaining education is viewed as "acting
white."
Clearly, there is widespread
belief that black parents don't value education. The default opinion has become
"it's the parents" - not the governance, the curriculum, the instruction, the
policy, nor the lack of resources - that create problems in urban schools.
That's wrong.
Everyday actions continuously
contradict the idea that low-income black families don't care about their
children's schooling, with parents battling against limited resources to access
better educations than their circumstances would otherwise afford their
children.
In New Orleans this month,
hundreds of families waited in the heat for hours in hopes of getting their
children into their favorite schools. Parents unhappy with their child's
assignment must request a different school in person at an enrollment center,
with requests granted on a first-come, first-served basis. This year, changes
were made to the timing and location for parents to request changes. A long line
began forming at the center at 6 a.m. By 9:45 a.m., it stretched around the
block. By 12:45 p.m., officials stopped giving out numbers because they didn't
have enough staff to meet with every parent.
When judging black families' commitment to education,
many are confusing will with way. These parents have the will to provide quality
schooling for their children, but often, they lack the way: the social capital,
the money and the access to elite institutions. There is a difference between
valuing an education and having the resources to tap that
value.
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Ask Your Schools, Your Faith
Institutions, Your Governments to Join the 2015 Million Father
March
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Justice or Else!!!
Washington, DC
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