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Illinois Legislative Black
Caucus
New law
addresses racial disparities in school discipline
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Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford,
Illinois State Senate
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SPRINGFIELD
- A
2012 study found that Illinois suspends more African-American students than any
other state in the U.S., including a Black-White suspension
disparity that is the highest in the country. To address this all-too-apparent
problem and the overall frequency of out-of-school discipline, a new law will
help to ensure that all students are in school and off the streets as
much as possible.
"Constantly suspending and expelling
the very kids that need to be in school is one of the most counter-productive
practices of our education system," said Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly
Lightford, sponsor of the successful legislation. "We need to keep young people
in school learning how to succeed and off of the street corner learning how best
to end up in prison."
The new law will address the
frequency and racial disparity of suspensions and expulsions in several ways,
including the following:
- Disciplinary removals of longer than three days must be limited to instances
where the student's presence is an on-going threat to the school, and all other
options have been exhausted.
- A school board must state how a suspension and expulsion is in the best
interest of a school before disciplinary action.
- School districts must establish re-engagement policies for disciplined
students.
- Suspended students must be given the opportunity to make up their work.
- School officials must limit suspensions and expulsions to the greatest
extent practicable.
Original research into state
records has shown that in the 2010-2011 school year, Illinois students lost
1,117,453 instructional days due to disciplinary actions, 95 percent of which
were for minor offenses.
"Illinois' highest-need students are
dropping out of school or ending up in the criminal justice system - at an
enormous cost to Illinois taxpayers - for incidents that could have and should
have been addressed within the school environment," said Sen. Lightford.
"Expulsions and suspensions will now only be a last resort. This is a great
victory for everyone in Illinois and all those children who hold out hope for
their future in what has seemed, at times, like an elusive dream of a great
education."
The law goes into effect September
15, 2016.
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Attend The Black Harvest Film
Festival and See the Inspiring, Award-Winning Film
College Week
Tuesday,
September 1, 2015
6:15
pm
Gene
Siskel Film Center
164 North
States Street
Chicago, Illinois
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Five
Bleak Facts on Black Opportunity in America
1.
Half of Black Americans Born Poor Stay
Poor
2. Most Black Middle Class Kids Are Downwardly
Mobile
3. Black
Wealth Barely Exists
4. Most Black Families Headed by Single
Parent
5. Black Students Attend Worse
Schools
By Richard V. Reeves and Edward
Rodrigue
January 15, 2015
What would Martin Luther King Jr.
think of America in 2015 if he'd lived to see his eighty-sixth birthday? No
doubt, he'd be pleased by the legal and political advances of black Americans,
crowned by the election and re-election of President Obama.
But King would be disturbed by the
stubborn race gaps that remain, especially in opportunity, tarnishing the idea
of the American Dream. In terms of opportunity, there are still two Americas,
divided by race. Five facts show how far we still have to go.
1.
Half of Black Americans Born Poor Stay
Poor
2.
Most Black Middle Class Kids Are Downwardly
Mobile
Downward intergenerational social mobility
from the middle to the bottom is much more common among Black Americans. Seven
out of ten black Americans born into the middle quintile fall into one of the
two quintiles below as adults. In some ways, this is an even more depressing
fact than the poor rates of upward mobility. Even black Americans who make it to
the middle class are likely to see their kids fall down the ladder:
3.
Black Wealth Barely
Exists
Race gaps in wealth - already wide -
widened further during the Great Recession. The median wealth of white
households is now 13 times greater than for black households
--the largest gap in a quarter century, according to analysis by the Pew Research Center.
Black median wealth almost halved during the recession, falling from $19,200 in
2007 to $11,000 in 2013:
4.
Most Black Families Headed by Single
Parent
5.
Black Students Attend Worse Schools
The school system remains highly
segregated by race and economic status: black students make up 16 percent of the
public school population, but the average black student attends a
school that's 50 percent black. Our colleague Jonathan Rothwell shows
that the average black student also attends a school at the 37th percentile for
test score results whereas the average white student attends a school in the
60th percentile:
There are race gaps in almost
every conceivable social and economic dimension, many of which we have discussed
on these pages before: incarceration, early learning, parenting, schooling, attitudinal racism, employment - the list goes on. There
has been progress, too, of course. But one thing is clear. An inescapable
requirement for building an opportunity society is improving the life chances of
black Americans.
Click Here to see comparison charts,
graphs and sources or to leave a comment!
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New Release by Dr. Kathryn B. Kemp, a member and
strong supporter of The Black Star Project
Anointed
to Sing the Gospel is the biography of the "Father of Gospel
Music", Dr. Thomas A. Dorsey from Villa Rica, GA to Chicago, IL. It encompasses
the spiritual dilemma that caused him to cross-over completely to the gospel
song from blues and jazz. The impact of Thomas A. Dorsey as a modern-day Levite
and his impact on music of the 20th and 21st century Levites is examined.
Interviews with contemporaries and devotees of Thomas A. Dorsey are
included.
Click Here to Purchase
Anointed to Sing the Gospel from Joyful Noise
Press
Click Here to Purchase
Anointed to Sing the Gospel from
Amazon
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Sunday,
August 30, 2015
Money and
Not-For Profit Organizations
with
Marvinetta
Woodley-Penn
Executive
Artistic Director
Global
Girls
Learn to
successfully fundraise, work with board members, connect programs to funding,
keep financial books in order, tie results to funding and other useful money
management tips for current non-profit managers or for those interested in
starting a Not-For-Profit organization.
-------------------------------------------------
Sunday,
September 27, 2016
Technology
and Food Entrepreneurship
with Riana
Lynn
Google - Code 2040
Entrepreneur in Residence
Riana Lynn is emerging
as a young leader in food+health entrepreneurship with a passion for technology,
access, and bringing people together. From her grandmother's garden to the White
House South Lawn and through the local and international agricultural pipelines
she was inspired to develop innovative supply chain management tools and
create FoodTrace. A next level sourcing
platform, FoodTrace is paving the way with software solutions to solve our
biggest food industry problems. Her story and accomplishments have been featured
in Inc.com, Wired Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, TheGrio 100, and other local
and national publications. She graduated with a B.S. in Biology and African
American Studies, along with a minor in Chemistry from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she taught herself how to code and was a
top-ranked performer in Discus and Javelin before pursuing a Masters at
Northwestern University. While getting her hands dirty in the White House
Kitchen Garden, her work included major policy initiatives such as Small
Business and Jobs, STEM, and Public Health. Riana currently serves as the Google
- Code 2040 Entrepreneur in Residence. A native of the Chicago area, Riana is a
young politico, a restaurant enthusiast, a world traveler, and an innovative
fruit connoisseur!
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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Register for the Free
Black Star Project's
Fall Math Boot Camp for
5th- through 8th-grade students
What is Math Boot Camp?
Math Boot Camp is a tutoring program for 5th- through 8th-grade students
with a strong focus on reviewing and reinforcing math fundamentals while
building problem solving skills. This weekly program features small group
tutoring. Often times, the reason students struggle in math is because they do
not have a strong grasp of the basics. We work with these students to ensure
that they are reviewing critical basic concepts and learning problem solving
strategies. We identify areas of weakness and target those skills, filling in
the gaps one concept at a time.
Why is this program important?
In Chicago, only 9% of Black males in the 8th grade are proficient in math,
according to the 2013 National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP). More
alarmingly, the majority of 8th grade Black males (56%) are performing below a
basic level in mathematics! Students need more than just homework help. They
need a comprehensive problem solving education that gives them the tools to
tackle any problem they encounter.
How do I register my student?
If you are interested in registering for this program, please call
773.285.9600 for more
information.
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Southern California
Joins
The Million Father
March
476 Cities Are Participating in
The
2015 Million Father March. If Your City Is Not Participating, Why Not? Ask Your
Schools, Your Faith Institutions, Your Governments to Join the 2015 Million Father March or participate on our special National Million Father March
Day on Tuesday, September 15,
2015.
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Fathers and men from Fontana, California welcome students back to
school.
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On your first day of school, or on Tuesday, September 15,
2015, or on any day you choose: 1) Invites fathers and men to bring
children to school; 2) Serve fathers and men breakfast and introduce them to
your school; 3) Invite fathers and men to volunteer 10 hours a year at your
school; 4) Invite fathers and men to "Real Men Read" at your school; 5) Invite
fathers and men to "Real Men Mentor" at your school; 6) Invite fathers and
relatives to have lunch with their children at your school; 7) Invite fathers,
men and faith institutions to pray around your school (outside); 8) Invite
fathers and men to attend a performance of students at your school; and 9)
Invite fathers and men to organize a march through the community near your
school.
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Fathers and men from Fontana, California welcome students back to
school.
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Click Here to Register for
the 2015 Million Father March
Click Here to see if your
city has signed up for the 2015 Million Father March
Click Here to Learn More
about the Million Father March or call
773.285.9600.
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Illinois State Senators Jacqueline Collins and
Mattie Hunter protect seniors from scam artists
mis-using reverse mortgages!
In the wake of revelations that
con artists have used risky financial products called "reverse mortgages" to
scam seniors, please encourage your senior networks to attend this reverse
mortgage event and learn more. Senator Collins and Senator Hunter will be joined
by experts in the field. Please call 773.224.2830 or 312.949.1908 for more
information.
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Justice Or Else!
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