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| | | Half of United Kingdom's young black males are unemployed By James Ball, Dan Milmo and Ben Ferguson March 9, 2012 More than half of young black men available for work in Britain are now unemployed, according to unpublished government statistics obtained by the Guardian which show the recession is hitting young black people disproportionately hard. Unemployment among young black men has doubled in three years, rising from 28.8% in 2008 to 55.9% in the last three months of 2011. Nathan Atiko, 24, said: "Sometimes I have in the back of my mind that employers see my surname, see it's African and write my CV off straight away. I think about changing it because I wonder if they immediately think I might be trouble or I might be lying." He added: "I can count on one hand the amount of interviews I've had. I've been to university, I know how to write a CV, do application forms, but my [white] friends from university are getting jobs and I'm not. I've looked at their CVs and it's exactly the same as mine yet they're getting the job." |
| Six Solutions for Educating Black Boys By Celeste Fremon & Stephaine Renfrow Hamilton University of Georgia  1) PARENT INVOLVEMENT: "The quality of any school rests a great deal on how much parents support it," says Harry Morgan. "Parents and teachers need to be partners." Yet, even though participation is critical it's not always practical: Many African American families have only one parent, and some of them are working two jobs to earn a decent living. What's more, many black mother who try to participate in school activities report feeling unwelcome, unheard, and at times intimidated in their efforts. Forming small, informal support groups may help: "Black parents don't compare notes about what's going on in the schools enough," says Michele March. "It's as if we think asking questions is like getting in each other's business. But we really need to network more."
 2) SCHOOL OUTREACH: "Often public school administrators don't expect the same level of active involvement from poor black and Hispanic inner-city parents that they would from middle-class suburban parents," says Gretchen Booth, a resource specialist in the Los Angeles school district. But when they require input from all parents-single or married, working or not-the effect can be powerful, she adds. "At the Vaughn Learning Center in Los Angeles, the principal reached out fiercely and refused to let any of the parents off the hook," she says, "And, lo and behold, the moms were delighted to be thought of as valuable members of the community."  3) TEACHER TRAINING: To improve the quality of education for all students-including black males-instructors will need continuous staff training around cultural, class, gender, and language issues. Black teachers can also benefit from such in-service training: In the New Orleans study that reported less than half the teachers expected their black male students to go to college, for instance, 65 percent of these respondents were African American. In response to such findings, Antione Garibaldi, provost of Howard University and author of the study, recommends that teachers training courses include a component that examines how African American professionals internalize racism.  4) MALE MENTORS AND INSTRUCTORS: The earlier black boys are exposed to black men in academic settings, the better, educators agree. The sight of male teachers in the early elementary grades will help boys appreciate how important school is. "We've got to get to these boys while they're still young-five to eight years old," days Spencer Holland, who also directs a mentoring and academic support program called Project 2000 in Washington, D.C. "Otherwise, they may look at classroom learning as a "feminine thing" that they want no part of." If there are no black male role models in the schools, mentoring programs, available in larger cities around the country, can help. But volunteers in these organizations don't have to be black to influence African American boys, says Holland: "White men are just as effective in these mentoring programs as black men. Young black boys won't see color, they'll see a nice, caring man."  5) EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Schools can't solve all the problems that many black boys face as they grow. Community groups and after-school programs that offer boys social, physical, and emotional outlets for their energy-track clubs, martial arts, music programs, leadership training, and the like-can ultimately help children come to school better prepared to learn. 6) SCHOOL REFORM: At the district level, administrators can stop the inappropriate use of ability (or tracking) in the classrooms, task forces can set up ways to make the curriculum more relevant to all children in the classrooms, and resource specialists can reexamine the guidelines for referring students to special education classes. In the end, such reforms could eventually help all students experience excellence. Unquestionably, there are plenty of effective, creative teachers who give the very best to all of their students regardless of race or gender. Likewise, many principals and administrators are doing all they can to help all children enjoy the best that schools have to  offer. However, too many educators have failed to join their ranks an, in doing so, they have failed African American boys in their charge. For this to change, every parent and every educator must make it their business to see that every child is given the tools he needs to succeed. Perhaps it also takes a village to educate a child. "We've lost out tribal sense of community, and we need to regain it, big time," says Gretchen Booth of Los Angeles school district. "But as society becomes healed of its biases-especially those that say this child matters more than that child-no child's needs will go unnoticed, and no child will be allowed to slip through the cracks. April 1997
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| Why Education Inequality Persists - And How To Fix It By Dr. Pedro Noguera and Dr. John H. Jackson Wednesday, May 16, 2012 If it takes a village to raise a child, the same village must share accountability when many children are educationally abandoned. In New York City, the nation's largest school system, on average student outcomes and their opportunity to learn are more determined by the neighborhood where a child lives, than his or her abilities. A new Schott Foundation for Public Education report, "A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City," reveals that the communities where most of the city's poor, black and Hispanic students live suffer from New York policies and practices that give their schools the fewest resources and their students the least experienced teachers. In contrast, the best-funded schools with the highest percentage of experienced teachers are most often located in the most economically advantaged neighborhoods. Schott's new report documents gaps that have not only long been accepted in New York City but are also institutionalized by city and state policies. |
| State Senator Jacqueline Collins Seeks to Help Students in the 16th Legislative District of Illinois Apply for an Illinois General Assembly Scholarship to a State University or College.  | | Illinois State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (center) |
If you are a college eligible student who lives in the 16th Legislative District of Illinois, this is an opportunity for you to receive a state scholarship. Click Here to see if you reside in the 16th Legislative District of Illinois. Click Here for an application for a scholarship if you live in the 16th Legislative District.of Illinois. |
| The Men From Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Honor The Black Star Project for the Third Consecutive Year as their Omega Psi Phi's Tenth District African American Life and History recipient in Merriville, Indiana The Black Star Project and the Children of America Thank the Men of Omega Psi Phi. The Tenth District includes, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Click Here to learn more about Omega Psi Phi's Talented Tenth District |
| Greater Bethesda Baptist Church to Run Two FREE Saturday Universities in Chicago (one for youth and one for adults) Greater Bethesda Baptist Church located at 5301 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois will run two different Saturday University classes starting May 19, 2012, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. Greater Bethesda will sponsor our first adult Saturday University, which will include G.E.D. classes, while continuing their outstanding youth Saturday University. Adults who need additional educational skills and parents who want academic support for their children should call 773.285.9600 to register for Saturday University or for more information. |
| Forty Worst Cities in America for Black Men Not Working; No National and Few Local Plans to Change This Modern American Catastrophe Percentage of employed, working-age (16-64) black males in these cities: - Detroit 43.0
- Buffalo 43.9
- Milwaukee 44.7
- Cleveland 47.7
- Chicago 48.3
- St. Louis 51.3
- Philadelphia 51.7
- Phoneix 52.0
- Cincinnati 52.6
- Indianapolis 52.6
- Richmond 52.7
- Memphis 53.2
- Hartford 53.3
- San Francisco 53.3
- Pittsburgh 53.3
- Miami 53.4
- New Orleans 53.5
- Omaha 53.8
- Oakland 53.8
- Las Vegas 54.2
- Birmingham 54.3
- Newark 54.5
- Columbus 54.7
- Jacksonville 54.8
- Los Angeles 54.8
- Kansas City 55.1
- Seattle 56.3
- Charlotte 56.5
- San Diego 57.1
- New York City 57.4
- Portland 57.4
- Baltimore 57.5
- Houston 58.3
- Nashville 58.3
- Denver 58.8
- Atlanta 59.0
- Minneapolis 59.3
- Boston 59.7
- Dallas 61.0
- Washington, D.C. 66.6
Information from Race and Male Employment in the Wake of the Great Recession by Marc Levine of the Center for Economic Development at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  Massive unemployment among Black men and youth drives violence and murders, contributes to broken family structures, indirectly discourages educational achievement, and causes chaos and disfunctionality in the Black community. The Black Star Plan for Black Men and Boys would include mentoring, educational support, job training, job connection, entrepreneurship, fathering support, strengthening families, spiritual development and community building. ## Listen to the pleas of an educated Black man crying out for a job. Click Here to Read About $100 Million Plan for Black Men Please call the Mayor's Office of Chicago at 312.744.3300 and ask him to support the Black Star Plan for Black Men and Boys or call the Mayor of any of the Top Forty Cities in America for Black Men Not Working. |
Dance highlights mother-son bond  May 12, 2012 (CHICAGO_ (WLS) -- In honor of Mother's Day, a group of young men rolled out the red carpet for some very special ladies. It was all a part of the Black Star Project's first annual Mother-Son Dance. The boys tapped into their inner gentlemen and served lunch to the mothers in attendance and received a chorus of applause when they presented each lady with a single red rose. Organizers say the event was held to highlight the importance of the mother-son bond. Call 773.285.9600 for information on creating a Mother/Son Dance in your city. |
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