Archive for the ‘Schools’ Category
Words of Wisdom Essay Scholarship Contest — Maya Angelou and Alltel
[Contest begins January 28th and ends March 1st, 2008]
Ten winners will be chosen from all essays submitted to the contest. Each winning essayist will receive a $5,000 scholarship to a participating black college or university.
All 10 winners will be honored at an awards Luncheon to be held Monday, March 31st in Little Rock, Arkansas. Words of Wisdom spokesperson and esteemed poet and author, Dr. Maya Angelou, will personally present each winner with their scholarship. Additionally, Ruban Studdard will perform for the winners and their guest at an exclusive concert.
The Words of Wisdom essay contest is open to current and prospective students* of America’s participating black colleges and universities. Click here for a list of participating black colleges and universities.
* Fall 2008 full-time enrollment will be verified by Alltel prior to the awarding of scholarship prizes.
- Essays must be 600-800 words and must be the original work of the submitting author.
- Contest begins January 28th and ends March 1st, 2008.
- Contestants have until midnight on March 1st to submit their essays.
Walk a mile in my kid’s shoes
The following is an excerpt from the minutes of the May 19, 2005 meeting of the Washington State Human Rights Commission meeting at Gonzaga Law School in Spokane, Washington:
(quote)
Executive Director Marc Brenman next spoke about equity in education issues and the disparate impact of the Washington Assessment and Learning Exam (WASL) on African Americans and limited English speaking individuals.
During the community testimony portion of the forum, the following other individuals spoke:
NAACP Chair V. Anne Smith; Cristina Mitman of the Northwest Fair Housing Alliance, Frank
Coyle, Hate Incident Response Team of Spokane, Kiondra Bullock; Chepa Knows His Gun,
Kitera McClure, Bonnie Joseph, Sheila Olajoyegbe, Virla Spence, Gary Lewis, Kathy Costner,
Sherrie Cleveland, Ashley Murphy, Lilly Hugerford, and Bethen Bray.
Many of the individuals that spoke expressed deep concern regarding Spokane School District
#81. Parents testified regarding harassment and lack of support from the principals, teachers, and school board in addressing racism in Spokane #81 schools. Some commented about the prevalent use of the “n” word in the schools and how officials have categorized the use of the term as “free speech.”
Many expressed concern about how their children have been, teased, bullied, and unfairly
disciplined by school officials because of their race.
Commission staff Investigator Gary Lewis spoke about his experience in Coeur d’Alene with his
children. His two sons have experienced difficulties in the Coeur d’Alene School District because of their race. The text books used in those schools have false information regarding Black History. He is working with others to address these systemic problems in the schools. Hethen spoke about cultural competency and the need for school districts to be culturally competent.
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