Education

Local High School Students Examine Injustice in the U.S.

NEW ORLEANS DATA NEWS WEEKLY — High school scholars were given an opportunity to speak out against social justice and inequity at the Criminal Justice Symposium of Scholars.

Published

6 years ago

February 3, 2019

Oakland Post

By Kotey Thomas

High school scholars were given an opportunity to speak out against social justice and inequity at the Criminal Justice Symposium of Scholars organized by the Bard Early College in New Orleans program on January 26, 2019, at Dillard University’s Professional School Building. The symposium also brought experts who work on social justice issues from various disciplines like environmental, criminal, and arts-based, to educate young people about these issues.

“I wanted to be able to organize something like this to give them the opportunity to not only engage with that bridge between an academic self and activist self, but also to reassert the significance of their own voices,” said Imani Sheppard, an assistant professor of medical humanities at Bard College in New York, and the coordinator of the event.

Sheppard said that seeing young people engage issues about social injustice, early on, inspires hope for a more equitable future. “I would hope that it reassures listeners that all is not lost, and that there is a potential for positive upward movement within the community starting with these students who often don’t have a voice,” she said.

The event’s speakers hoped that such forums, outside the classroom, can help future leaders see how social and political structures lead to forms of oppression.

“Policies that pass in our neighborhood are based upon those who govern,” said Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes, the keynote speaker, who is the director of strategic neighborhood development for the Claiborne Corridor Cultural Innovation District. She illustrated that those in power control how neighborhoods are developed around socio-economic status; putting those in lower class neighborhoods at a societal disadvantage.

“If you live in Gert town…Tulane, Gretna, Seventh Ward and Ninth Ward areas, chances are your neighborhoods have been decimated by the policy decisions of our leaders,” Ecclesiastes said. “You need lots more in order to have better outcomes in life because the cards have been stacked against you,” she added. “And I challenge you all to help us deal new hands.”

For many students coming from these neighborhoods, especially African-Americans ,the school-to-prison pipeline is institutionalized through urban school culture, said Tuere Burns, the executive director of BarNone. Her non-profit organization was founded to provide people affected by incarceration with opportunities for entrepreneurship and success. “If you have not been to any of the local schools here, go visit. And you’ll see. You’ll see tape on the floor, you’ll see the way the children are handled and not respected,” Burns said.

After working for 25 years in social justice campaigns around the prison industrial complex, Burns explained that the system profits off of inequality. “[It] makes a ton of money off of our people, poor people, and especially our boys,” Burns said.

Social justice advocates from the National Association of Multicultural Education examined how different groups in the community, both academic and faith-based, could intervene in forms of oppression, particularly when it comes to policing. Students said the experience opened their eyes to become more aware of how subtle injustices can be.

“You are not to be so blind with patriotism that you cannot face reality,” said Ron Triggs of International High School of New Orleans who was the first student of the Bard Early College in New Orleans program to present his research.

“Due to power dynamics, we refuse to challenge the systems,” Triggs said.

In identifying forms of systemic oppression, the students outlined in their presentations that this was the first step to breaking decades of inequality within the African American community.

“Getting out of a cycle of destruction often takes a lot of resources, and is even harder when your own education system is trying to destroy you,” Triggs added.

The organizers said they hope such critical learning, outside the classroom, would prepare high school students for facing the challenges of today, long after they graduate. “Deprogramming. I feel that is what we are working towards,” Sheppard said. “Deprogramming students from what they feel is normal and what they have accepted as normal,” she said.

This article originally appeared in the New Orleans Data News Weekly.

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Art

A Prolific Painter: Artist and Advocate Lois Mailou Jones

Lois Mailou Jones was a prominent African American artist whose career spanned more than seven decades, from the Harlem Renaissance to the modern art movement. She was not only a prolific painter but also an influential educator, bridging cultural gaps and challenging stereotypes through her vibrant and diverse works.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of National Archives, Washington, D.C.

By Tamara Shiloh

Her unique journey of self-expression, dedication to art, and advocacy for African American and African themes made her a crucial figure in the evolution of American art.

Jones was born on Nov. 3, 1905, in Boston. Raised in an intellectual and supportive family, she demonstrated an early interest in art, encouraged by her mother, who believed in the importance of creativity. Lois studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she faced racial challenges but persisted in pursuing her passion.

Her pursuit of higher education led her to the prestigious Design Art School, where she perfected her skills in textile design. Later, Jones attended Harvard University and received further training at the Académie Julian in Paris. This European experience greatly influenced her style and broadened her perspective on art.

Jones’s career began in textile design, creating works that were used by leading textile companies. However, her true passion was painting. During the Harlem Renaissance, she moved away from textile design to focus on fine art, exploring themes that reflected her heritage and the African diaspora.

Her early works were influenced by European Post-Impressionism, featuring landscapes and still life, but Jones’s style evolved over time. After spending time in Haiti, she was deeply inspired by Caribbean culture, and her palette became more vivid, her subject matter more symbolic. The influence of African and Caribbean culture is evident in her later works, where she used bright colors and geometric patterns to convey the spirit and stories of the people she encountered.

Her contributions to African American art were significant during a time when Black artists struggled for recognition. She often focused on themes of African heritage, pride, and unity, blending African illustrations and portraits with Western artistic techniques to create a unique visual language that celebrated Black culture.

She was also a dedicated educator. She began her teaching career at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina and later became a professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she taught for almost 50 years. Through her teaching, she influenced generations of young Black artists, encouraging them to explore and express their cultural heritage through art.

In the 1930s and 1940s, she worked to exhibit her work alongside other Black artists, helping to create a platform for voices that had long been excluded from mainstream galleries.

Recognition and Legacy

Jones achieved significant recognition throughout her lifetime, both in the United States and internationally. She exhibited her work across the globe, including in Paris, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Jones continued painting until her death in 1998, leaving behind a rich legacy of artistic achievements and contributions to art education. She broke boundaries by celebrating Black identity and heritage at a time when these themes were often marginalized.

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California Black Media

New California Law Will Protect Students During Extreme Weather

On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will protect students from extreme weather conditions by requiring the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns harmful to student health. Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), “Yahushua’s Law” or Senate Bill 1248 addresses an extreme heat-related fatality in Lake Elsinore. During the summer of 2023, a student died after participating in physical education suffered extreme heat-related illness.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Yahushua Robinson

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Sept. 22, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will protect students from extreme weather conditions by requiring the California Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts to implement during weather patterns harmful to student health.

Authored by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), “Yahushua’s Law” or Senate Bill 1248 addresses an extreme heat-related fatality in Lake Elsinore. During the summer of 2023, a student died after participating in physical education suffered extreme heat-related illness.

“No student should ever lose their life on campus to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to the most harmful elements of exposure,” Sen. Hurtado stated last Spring. “I commend the family of Yahushua Robinson, the twelve-year student who lost his life due to heat related illness during on-campus physical education, for lending their emotional strength and compassion for others in order to help ensure that no other student loses their life this way.”

Supporters of the legislation say the lack of uniform guidelines and protocols across schools and school districts in California intensifies the issue, creating an urgent need for safeguards to ensure student safety during extreme weather conditions.

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California Black Media

More Than 1.2 Million Youth Pre-Registered to Vote, Secretary of State Weber Announced

Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced on Sept. 26 that more than 1.2 million young people between the ages of 16 and 17-years-old have pre-registered to vote since the state launched the initiative in September 2016. The state program automatically activates voter registration for pre-registered youth when they turn 18 years of age.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber. Photo Courtesy of ShirleyWeber.com.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Weber, who has visited dozens of high schools across the state to promote voting initiatives, said that students are eager to vote and look forward to casting their first ballot, and “the numbers back them up.”

“Young Californians want to be engaged, active participants in our democracy and they can position themselves to do so by preregistering to vote,” said Weber.

Weber said that she is committed to encouraging young people to pre-register to vote, adding that she looks forward to partnering with the California Department of Education, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, school officials, and leaders of community-based organizations to expand this effort.

According to Weber’s office, approximately 42% of young voters are registered Democrats, while over 13% are registered Republicans. Another 35% of young voters registered as having “no party preference.”

For more information, Californians can visit the online pre-registration website at www.RegisterToVote.ca.gov. Registration is open to residents who are 16 or 17 and meet all the following criteria:

A United States citizen and a resident of California.
18 years old or older on Election Day.
Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony
Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court.

More information about pre-registration for California youth can be found at sos.ca.gov/elections/pre-register-16-vote-18.

Upcoming key deadlines and dates for the November 5, 2024, General Election can be found at here.

Plus, visit http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2024-primary/section-08-general-election-calendar.pdf to view a complete California General Election Calendar with more voting details and updates.