Tuesday, December 27, 2011
ACTIVISM: We Have to Think Outside The Box
ACTIVISM: We Have to Think Outside The Box: On December 27, 2011, I had pleasure of reading a response in the letter to the editor section of Today's Sunbeam . There was a response fro...
We Have to Think Outside The Box
On December 27, 2011, I had pleasure of reading a response in the letter to the editor section of Today's Sunbeam. There was a response from Mr. Anthony Oliver in regards to my previous letter to the editor about the unfair hiring practices in the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School System. As I read Mr. Oliver article and began to chuckle. I chuckled because Mr. Oliver displayed his ignorance towards the challenges of the school system. He mentioned that there is no problem with-in the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School system. Well, if that statement is true, then why is the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District one of the 200 school districts in New Jersey that is considered underperforming or title one school? For the record, if there were not any problems, then why was the last certified teacher position tabled from hiring who was recommended to the school board by Dr. Massare? I am not the only person to see that there is a problem.
Unfortunately, we are entitled to our own opinion, but due to Mr. Oliver being infuriated, his ignorance led him to misinterpret the content of my letter. The objective of my letter was to shed light on the fact that there are over 2400 students within the district, 65% are African Americans, 25% Latino, and 10% White, so why is it that the ratio of teacher to student do not reflect the majority that populate the school district, since the Report Card Narratives for each school is described as “students from the culturally-diverse communities of Penns Grove and Carneys Point", however, the population of the teaching staff does not reflect that statement?
If Mr. Oliver had taken the time to read my article, he would have seen that I pointed out an issue in "July" and the point of the matter was to expose the leaders of the school board lack of attentiveness to address or formulate some type of devised intervention to resolve the matter.
The underlining meaning, is that if the leaders of the school board or the superintendent of schools will not address illiteracy problem which is a civil right issue, human right issue and a educational issue, then how will they as a whole address the equal opportunity for people of color that live in the community along with the students that occupy Penns Grove-Carneys Point School system? Mr. Oliver communicated that he does not see the connection between the hiring of African American teachers and the students suffering. That is because he cannot! In order for Mr. Oliver to have any knowledge of understanding of the matter, I encourage him to read the history of slavery, civil rights movement, Plessey vs. Ferguson and the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education.
I hope that Mr. Oliver is not so blind with patriotism that he cannot face reality. I am happy to explain the direct correlation of the previous letter to him as if he is a two year old, in an effort for better understanding. Our school system is predominantly African American. Since majority of the teachers are white and a lot of them do not live around or in the community with the African American students, then how can they relate to the complex challenges that the black students experience coming from home? Many students face adversities before even stepping on school ground. Mr. Oliver and a lot of the other teachers do not know what it is like for a child to come to school that may have not eaten, no electric, no water or no parent and then try to focus on a lesson. That is troublesome to a child, so why not establish certified teachers that make up the majority of the student population? That is what Brown vs. Board of Education was about, equal resources; text books, teachers, food and fully structure classrooms.
I asked this question, who is Mr. Oliver referring too when he said, "We as Penns Grove and Carneys Point citizens fought hard for what we believed in and did all what we could do to make something out of ourselves?" I hope that he is not inferring that the white community has fought hard when he said "we", because the town is a diverse community composed of Hispanics, Mexicans, whites and predominantly African Americans. No other nationality fought harder to better themselves than African Americans; we have been fighting that fight for over 400 years and still fighting for justice and equality. Another question is what Mr. Oliver is implying when he said, "When something written about a hard working group of people currently employed in the school district, which is the best I ever had?" Is Mr. Oliver Implying that only hard working group of people is people not of color?
As a civil right activist and a parent all I want is for the powers in charge are to promote fairness and equality in our community and school system, when it comes to hiring, and not only that but devise a rigorous plan to deal with the illiteracy issue. If Mr. Oliver would like, I will organize a forum to discuss or debate the issue in a public setting, and would invite my good friend and mentor in Reverend Al Sharpton to be the moderator.
One thing Mr. Oliver is right about, that we should be moving forward into the future, not backwards towards Brown vs. Board of Education. We are still this day are dealing with Brown vs. Board of Education issues. Until the administrators and board president take the initiative to demise the issues, the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School district will remain part of the 200 underperforming schools in the state of New Jersey.
Walter L. Hudson Sr.
Chairman of Community Awareness Alliance
Penns Grove, New Jersey
Unfortunately, we are entitled to our own opinion, but due to Mr. Oliver being infuriated, his ignorance led him to misinterpret the content of my letter. The objective of my letter was to shed light on the fact that there are over 2400 students within the district, 65% are African Americans, 25% Latino, and 10% White, so why is it that the ratio of teacher to student do not reflect the majority that populate the school district, since the Report Card Narratives for each school is described as “students from the culturally-diverse communities of Penns Grove and Carneys Point", however, the population of the teaching staff does not reflect that statement?
If Mr. Oliver had taken the time to read my article, he would have seen that I pointed out an issue in "July" and the point of the matter was to expose the leaders of the school board lack of attentiveness to address or formulate some type of devised intervention to resolve the matter.
The underlining meaning, is that if the leaders of the school board or the superintendent of schools will not address illiteracy problem which is a civil right issue, human right issue and a educational issue, then how will they as a whole address the equal opportunity for people of color that live in the community along with the students that occupy Penns Grove-Carneys Point School system? Mr. Oliver communicated that he does not see the connection between the hiring of African American teachers and the students suffering. That is because he cannot! In order for Mr. Oliver to have any knowledge of understanding of the matter, I encourage him to read the history of slavery, civil rights movement, Plessey vs. Ferguson and the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education.
I hope that Mr. Oliver is not so blind with patriotism that he cannot face reality. I am happy to explain the direct correlation of the previous letter to him as if he is a two year old, in an effort for better understanding. Our school system is predominantly African American. Since majority of the teachers are white and a lot of them do not live around or in the community with the African American students, then how can they relate to the complex challenges that the black students experience coming from home? Many students face adversities before even stepping on school ground. Mr. Oliver and a lot of the other teachers do not know what it is like for a child to come to school that may have not eaten, no electric, no water or no parent and then try to focus on a lesson. That is troublesome to a child, so why not establish certified teachers that make up the majority of the student population? That is what Brown vs. Board of Education was about, equal resources; text books, teachers, food and fully structure classrooms.
I asked this question, who is Mr. Oliver referring too when he said, "We as Penns Grove and Carneys Point citizens fought hard for what we believed in and did all what we could do to make something out of ourselves?" I hope that he is not inferring that the white community has fought hard when he said "we", because the town is a diverse community composed of Hispanics, Mexicans, whites and predominantly African Americans. No other nationality fought harder to better themselves than African Americans; we have been fighting that fight for over 400 years and still fighting for justice and equality. Another question is what Mr. Oliver is implying when he said, "When something written about a hard working group of people currently employed in the school district, which is the best I ever had?" Is Mr. Oliver Implying that only hard working group of people is people not of color?
As a civil right activist and a parent all I want is for the powers in charge are to promote fairness and equality in our community and school system, when it comes to hiring, and not only that but devise a rigorous plan to deal with the illiteracy issue. If Mr. Oliver would like, I will organize a forum to discuss or debate the issue in a public setting, and would invite my good friend and mentor in Reverend Al Sharpton to be the moderator.
One thing Mr. Oliver is right about, that we should be moving forward into the future, not backwards towards Brown vs. Board of Education. We are still this day are dealing with Brown vs. Board of Education issues. Until the administrators and board president take the initiative to demise the issues, the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School district will remain part of the 200 underperforming schools in the state of New Jersey.
Walter L. Hudson Sr.
Chairman of Community Awareness Alliance
Penns Grove, New Jersey
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Past Civil Rights Leaders Did Not Stand Up, So We Can Sit Down.
On December 9, 2011, I had the honor to travel to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That is where I met Dr. Cornel West. Dr. West was the keynote speaker for the rally of Mumia Abu-Jamal. During his speech, Dr. West said something that was rather intriguing. Dr. Cornel West said, "When people are treated unjustly, you have to say something and you have to do something". I thought about the injustices that is dwelling in my own community of Penns Grove, NJ. There are complex challenges of police-brutality, police-accountability, under-performing school district and the lack of hiring of minority teachers.
Some of the injustices in the school district that were previously mentioned, I had wrote about them in my recent letter to the editor. The fact that since 2003 until present, there has been a hiring of 151 teachers, eight of them is African-American. In addition to the disproportionate of the hiring of minority teachers; At the Lafayette Pershing School (Preschool thru Kindergarten grades) there is only 1 African American teacher and she has been there for about 30 years and she is the last African American hired at that school; the last minority to be hired at the school for that matter.
My question is why the NAACP of Salem County has not been vocal, privately and publicly about these relevant issues? The issues that I have wrote about are civil rights and human rights issues, in which the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was predicated upon. In fact, the NAACP was formed partly in response to the continuing horrific practice of lynching and the 1908 race riot in Springfield, the capital of Illinois. Appalled at the violence that was committed against blacks, a group of white liberals that included Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison Villard, both the descendants of abolitionists, William English Walling and Dr. Henry Moscowitz issued a call for a meeting to discuss racial justice. Some 60 people, seven of whom were African American; including W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Mary Church Terrell.
On December 5, 2011, when I had brought the lack of hiring of minority teachers to the school board, the Superintendent of Schools, went on the record to say that the NAACP cancelled three times, in regards to a meeting about a hiring issue of a minority teacher. When you are the President or leader of a local chapter of a national civil rights organization in NAACP, you must uphold the standards in which the organization is based upon. These particular issues are road blocks in the advancement of colored people that is not address by people in authority in chapters of such organization as the NAACP. Part of the objective of the NAACP's mission statement; NAACP has been the leading advocate to ensure social justice and equality for people of color. The problem that Salem County NAACP has, they are not holding true to their mission statement.
When you have people in authority that know of the county's climate of racial discriminatory practices, in policies and procedures, as well as other injustices that are instituted and still remain silent about the matter. You not only contradict the mission statement of the NAACP, but you do a disservice to the founders of the NAACP and the people you are to serve. All I say is be true to what you said on paper. It is the community responsibility to put pressure on local leaders. We have to make them get off their chairs of complacency and their stools of "do nothings".
Albert Einstein said, "We live in a dangerous and evil world, not because of the people who do evil but the people who will not do anything about it".
Walter L. Hudson Sr.
Penns Grove Community Activist
Penns Grove, NJ
Some of the injustices in the school district that were previously mentioned, I had wrote about them in my recent letter to the editor. The fact that since 2003 until present, there has been a hiring of 151 teachers, eight of them is African-American. In addition to the disproportionate of the hiring of minority teachers; At the Lafayette Pershing School (Preschool thru Kindergarten grades) there is only 1 African American teacher and she has been there for about 30 years and she is the last African American hired at that school; the last minority to be hired at the school for that matter.
My question is why the NAACP of Salem County has not been vocal, privately and publicly about these relevant issues? The issues that I have wrote about are civil rights and human rights issues, in which the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was predicated upon. In fact, the NAACP was formed partly in response to the continuing horrific practice of lynching and the 1908 race riot in Springfield, the capital of Illinois. Appalled at the violence that was committed against blacks, a group of white liberals that included Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison Villard, both the descendants of abolitionists, William English Walling and Dr. Henry Moscowitz issued a call for a meeting to discuss racial justice. Some 60 people, seven of whom were African American; including W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Mary Church Terrell.
On December 5, 2011, when I had brought the lack of hiring of minority teachers to the school board, the Superintendent of Schools, went on the record to say that the NAACP cancelled three times, in regards to a meeting about a hiring issue of a minority teacher. When you are the President or leader of a local chapter of a national civil rights organization in NAACP, you must uphold the standards in which the organization is based upon. These particular issues are road blocks in the advancement of colored people that is not address by people in authority in chapters of such organization as the NAACP. Part of the objective of the NAACP's mission statement; NAACP has been the leading advocate to ensure social justice and equality for people of color. The problem that Salem County NAACP has, they are not holding true to their mission statement.
When you have people in authority that know of the county's climate of racial discriminatory practices, in policies and procedures, as well as other injustices that are instituted and still remain silent about the matter. You not only contradict the mission statement of the NAACP, but you do a disservice to the founders of the NAACP and the people you are to serve. All I say is be true to what you said on paper. It is the community responsibility to put pressure on local leaders. We have to make them get off their chairs of complacency and their stools of "do nothings".
Albert Einstein said, "We live in a dangerous and evil world, not because of the people who do evil but the people who will not do anything about it".
Walter L. Hudson Sr.
Penns Grove Community Activist
Penns Grove, NJ
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Is Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District Really an Equal Opportuniy Employer?
As we look at all the current events around the nation, you can infer that there are still complex challenges of inequalities that continue to haunt the urban communities throughout America. Even in the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District, the challenges of illiteracy and equal opportunity employment for educators still remain relevant and a problem, that Dr. Joseph Massare, Superintendent of Schools and Greg Wright, the President of the Board of Education, has been reluctant to address. On December 5, 2011, I had the pleasure of attending the school board meeting, as I always do. My intention is to listen to the BOE of issues that they are not addressing, as well as to raise issues on what the BOE should address. In July, I raised an issue of the fact that there is an illiteracy problem among the school district; the fact that 2009-2010 NJASK results show that 72% of the district's third graders and 70% of the district's fourth graders failed to reach key reading benchmarks on the language arts portion of the NJASK. In addition; the fact that many of the district's third and fourth graders Sub-Groups including Male (75%/77%), African-American (79%-82%), Hispanic (80%/78%), & Economically Disadvantage (77%-81%) performed even lower in language arts.
On December 5, 2011, as a parent and Civil Rights Activist, I raised another issue of equal opportunity employment, due to the lack of minority teachers in the school district. This particular issue that was raised stems from a dialogue that Rev. Al Sharpton and I had discussed on that previous Saturday that prompt me to do some research. The information that I uncovered, is not limited to me but it is public information. The Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District is comprised of five schools; Lafayette-Pershing (Half day Preschool and Kindergarten), Field Street School (1st, 2nd, & 3rd grades), Paul W. Carleton School (4th & 5th grades), Penns Grove Middle School (6th, 7th, & 8th grades), and Penns Grove High School (9th, 10th, 11th, & 12th grades). There are over 2400 students within the district, 65% are African Americans, 25% Latino, and 10% White.
There is 261 Certified Teaching staff, with 20 of the total Certified Teaching staff is African American; that equal to .07% of the total teaching staff as being African American. That also equals .008% teacher to student ratio. Dr. Joseph Massare, Superintendent of Schools was employed in 2003. Since he has been the Superintendent, he has hired 151 Certified Teaching staff; only 8 of that total were African Americans. When asked about the hiring process and the human resources department, his reply (on record at the 12/5/11 BOE meeting), "It's me". Within the Report Card issued by the State of New Jersey, the Report Card Narratives for each school is described as “students from the culturally-diverse communities of Penns Grove and Carneys Point", however the population of the teaching staff does not reflect that statement. The link to the 2010 Report Card is http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc10/menu/33-4070.html.
The hiring process of staff is inconstant throughout the district, except people considered for any position has an interview with Dr. Massare, which in turn he recommends who he wants to the Board of Education. The Board of Education consists of 9 members; 2 which are African Americans. He allows each administrator to dictate what happens at each school. He will only intervene when a person that he has recommended to be hired is not selected. Just recently, a Special Education teacher position at the High School was needed. The team interviewed and submitted the names of the two candidates. Since a person he wanted to hire was not one of them, the team had to interview again. Again, the person he wanted was not selected, but pressure from the BOE made him make a decision of a white male. This process took over a month to complete, and during that time our students were given different substitutes, not getting the proper, stable education. Our students suffered in the end.
The team of people for each school that interview, discusses, and recommends is different for each school. With the recent Kindergarten position, the applicants went through 3 interviews; due to the second interview with other teachers was not assisted by an administrator. Again, two applicants were selected by the team. One was just hired as an instructional aide; in whom that person does not live in the community, and was a bank teller and casino worker before getting her degree. The other applicant was also an instructional aide with little substitute experience. Both applicants were white females. During the interview process there were only white females that made the final decision. Therefore, it proves that the interviewer(s) will only consider what looks and acts like them.
For the Kindergarten position, there were three African Americans that applied and were interviewed. Three of the African-Americans interviewed; one have a Certificate of Eligibility (CE) to teach grades K thru 5, with 21 Master level credits in Special Education, the other two have CEs (Certificate of Eligibility). Each of them that were interviewed, lives in the community, has experience, and went through Penns Grove school system. At the Lafayette Pershing School (Preschool thru Kindergarten grades) there is only 1 African American teacher and she has been there for about 20 years and she is the last African American hired at that school. None of the three African-Americans interviewed, were even considered for the Kindergarten position and that a veteran teacher was not even asked to be on the team.
Currently there is a law suit filed against the district by the NAACP, due to not hiring an African American female at the High School in April 2010. Again, she had the experience, lives in the community, and went through Penns Grove school system. In turn, a white woman who was a former college student of Dr. Massare and lives in Logan Township was hired. Once in the position for only 8 months, went out on maternity leave, however still advanced to the next step in the pay scale. Again, in the end our students are the ones who are suffering.
We are long from Brown vs. Board of Education. In Brown vs. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall raised a theory. Thurgood's theory was, if the school officials or courts did not want the integration of blacks in white schools, that was fine, but Thurgood lobbied for equal resources for the black children. In 2011 it is worse now than it was in 1954. Equal resources consist of; the same text books, same structured class room, the same teachers, in which represent the total student population. In Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District, there is a lack thereof resources, for the majority of the student population are African-Americans. Education is a Civil Right! As a parent and Civil Rights Activist, I have to speak on and bring these issues to the forefront and create a climate for change.
Dr. Massare mentioned that not many minorities have applied for the teaching position. I can counter that statement, by saying that many minorities may have not applied because they are discourage. Minorities apply and get interviewed, yet a white female or white male get the job. How can Dr. Massare say that the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District is an equal opportunity employer when you have 261 teachers, only 20 are African-Americans, less than 10 Latino-Americans and the rest are white? There are only 4 African-American males in the entire school district. I guess there is only equal opportunity when applying for the position of teacher but no equal opportunity in the actual hiring.
On December 5, 2011, as a parent and Civil Rights Activist, I raised another issue of equal opportunity employment, due to the lack of minority teachers in the school district. This particular issue that was raised stems from a dialogue that Rev. Al Sharpton and I had discussed on that previous Saturday that prompt me to do some research. The information that I uncovered, is not limited to me but it is public information. The Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District is comprised of five schools; Lafayette-Pershing (Half day Preschool and Kindergarten), Field Street School (1st, 2nd, & 3rd grades), Paul W. Carleton School (4th & 5th grades), Penns Grove Middle School (6th, 7th, & 8th grades), and Penns Grove High School (9th, 10th, 11th, & 12th grades). There are over 2400 students within the district, 65% are African Americans, 25% Latino, and 10% White.
There is 261 Certified Teaching staff, with 20 of the total Certified Teaching staff is African American; that equal to .07% of the total teaching staff as being African American. That also equals .008% teacher to student ratio. Dr. Joseph Massare, Superintendent of Schools was employed in 2003. Since he has been the Superintendent, he has hired 151 Certified Teaching staff; only 8 of that total were African Americans. When asked about the hiring process and the human resources department, his reply (on record at the 12/5/11 BOE meeting), "It's me". Within the Report Card issued by the State of New Jersey, the Report Card Narratives for each school is described as “students from the culturally-diverse communities of Penns Grove and Carneys Point", however the population of the teaching staff does not reflect that statement. The link to the 2010 Report Card is http://education.state.nj.us/rc/rc10/menu/33-4070.html.
The hiring process of staff is inconstant throughout the district, except people considered for any position has an interview with Dr. Massare, which in turn he recommends who he wants to the Board of Education. The Board of Education consists of 9 members; 2 which are African Americans. He allows each administrator to dictate what happens at each school. He will only intervene when a person that he has recommended to be hired is not selected. Just recently, a Special Education teacher position at the High School was needed. The team interviewed and submitted the names of the two candidates. Since a person he wanted to hire was not one of them, the team had to interview again. Again, the person he wanted was not selected, but pressure from the BOE made him make a decision of a white male. This process took over a month to complete, and during that time our students were given different substitutes, not getting the proper, stable education. Our students suffered in the end.
The team of people for each school that interview, discusses, and recommends is different for each school. With the recent Kindergarten position, the applicants went through 3 interviews; due to the second interview with other teachers was not assisted by an administrator. Again, two applicants were selected by the team. One was just hired as an instructional aide; in whom that person does not live in the community, and was a bank teller and casino worker before getting her degree. The other applicant was also an instructional aide with little substitute experience. Both applicants were white females. During the interview process there were only white females that made the final decision. Therefore, it proves that the interviewer(s) will only consider what looks and acts like them.
For the Kindergarten position, there were three African Americans that applied and were interviewed. Three of the African-Americans interviewed; one have a Certificate of Eligibility (CE) to teach grades K thru 5, with 21 Master level credits in Special Education, the other two have CEs (Certificate of Eligibility). Each of them that were interviewed, lives in the community, has experience, and went through Penns Grove school system. At the Lafayette Pershing School (Preschool thru Kindergarten grades) there is only 1 African American teacher and she has been there for about 20 years and she is the last African American hired at that school. None of the three African-Americans interviewed, were even considered for the Kindergarten position and that a veteran teacher was not even asked to be on the team.
Currently there is a law suit filed against the district by the NAACP, due to not hiring an African American female at the High School in April 2010. Again, she had the experience, lives in the community, and went through Penns Grove school system. In turn, a white woman who was a former college student of Dr. Massare and lives in Logan Township was hired. Once in the position for only 8 months, went out on maternity leave, however still advanced to the next step in the pay scale. Again, in the end our students are the ones who are suffering.
We are long from Brown vs. Board of Education. In Brown vs. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall raised a theory. Thurgood's theory was, if the school officials or courts did not want the integration of blacks in white schools, that was fine, but Thurgood lobbied for equal resources for the black children. In 2011 it is worse now than it was in 1954. Equal resources consist of; the same text books, same structured class room, the same teachers, in which represent the total student population. In Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District, there is a lack thereof resources, for the majority of the student population are African-Americans. Education is a Civil Right! As a parent and Civil Rights Activist, I have to speak on and bring these issues to the forefront and create a climate for change.
Dr. Massare mentioned that not many minorities have applied for the teaching position. I can counter that statement, by saying that many minorities may have not applied because they are discourage. Minorities apply and get interviewed, yet a white female or white male get the job. How can Dr. Massare say that the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District is an equal opportunity employer when you have 261 teachers, only 20 are African-Americans, less than 10 Latino-Americans and the rest are white? There are only 4 African-American males in the entire school district. I guess there is only equal opportunity when applying for the position of teacher but no equal opportunity in the actual hiring.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
ACTIVIST SENDS LETTER TO FOP CONDEMNING AWARD PRESENTED TO RETIRED OFFICER RAYMOND RINNIER
I am an avid reader of the Salem County Sunbeam. November 1, 2011, I open the paper to the "Town Talk" section of the newspaper and what meets my eyes was a picture of Raymond Rinnier receiving an award from the Salem County FOP. Rinnier was presented with an award for his service to the community. I must say I was "slighted", Moses Leach, Moshowon Leach father and other community residents that marched with me against Rinnier and Schultz felt the same way. On March 21, 2010, Rinnier was involved in a serious matter that ended the life of Moshowon Leach, which was ruled a homicide shortly after by the Salem County Medical Examiner. We the people in the community are slighted because we knew that Ret. Officer Raymond Rinnier along with Officer Joseph Schultz is a disservice to the community. This stems from their "Gestapo" like actions implored on the African-Americans in the community along with the Hispanic-Americans and Whites.
It is sad because Schultz and Rinnier superiors being; Politicians, Police and the Prosecutors do not hold their own accountable for their actions. The police took a sworn oath to protect us, yet they are humiliating and degrading the community then upon retirement they are rewarded. Just because the case went to grand jury and was ruled a "no-bill", does not mean that Rinnier and Schultz was not responsible for Moshowon Leach death. A month before March 21, 2010, Rinnier had a complaint signed against him for striking a family member of mine in the head while handcuffed to a bench at the Penns Grove Police Station. There is a rogue behavior prevalent among the community of Penns Grove by certain cops that goes unheard of. Then they are made to believe as if they are some type of super "cop”, which protects community when they are rewarded with such awards that do not represent their behavior demonstrated in the community.
It is a lack of respect to the family of Moshowon Leach and the residents of Penns Grove. It goes to show that bridging the gap between police and community are far apart from happening. Rinnier filed a civil complaint against me for "libel and slander" because I chose to speak "truth to power" and made public Civil Rights issues in the community in hope to create a climate for change. I said he was a "racist rogue cop". Did Rinnier say that he was a racist? No but his actions against the African-American community demonstrated that there was some type of moral character of inequality there. Was a change made? Yes because we have one problematic person off the force that taints the badge of every actually good cop that wear that badge.
The reason why these challenges of police accountability and police brutality, remain covert in the urban community, is due to the residents being either afraid, apathetic to this particular problem. We as a people have the right to not be the subject of any rogue cop fist, knee, baton or bullet when they are dealing with people. If the community stand up as a whole and not become silent about the issues that happen in our community, we can make a big difference. Until people have that "Rosa Parks" mentality people will continue to suffer economically, socially and educationally.
I am not "anti-police", I am anti-police brutality. Rinnier and Schultz know exactly what happen that night in question. That Code-Blue wall of silence may have got them off, but they will account for Moshowon Leach when they see God. Stokely Carmichael said,”
"There is a higher law than the law of government. That's the law of conscience".
Monday, September 19, 2011
DOES THE PENNS GROVE COMMUNITY HAVE SAY SO?
In the urban community of Penns Grove, NJ, there are many challenges. To name a few; lack of jobs, limited recreation for the children, police accountability & community responsibility, a underperforming school district where the leader(s) of the school board has yet to address the illiteracy problem. When you look at these issues, some may ask a question, who are responsible for addressing the issues so there will be a climate for change? I would go as far to say that the local government of Penns Grove Council and school board are responsible to address these issues, along with the moral responsibility of residents of the community, speaking up about these particular matters.
The Penns Grove community has a new issue. The issue is you have two disgruntled politicians in Councilmen Joe Venello and Councilwoman Carol Mincey, who are spear-heading, a shared service agreement with the Penns Grove Police Department and Carneys Point Police. Now I have not been a "fan favorite" of the Penns Grove Police, due to their lack of respect of the minorities in the community. However, I do support them on this particular issue. Quite some time there has been a personal vendetta with Councilmen Joe Venello against Chief Double Dee. Every council meeting that I have attend, Councilmen Joe Venello has disrespected the Mayor, Chief of Police and the residents. In Joint effort with other politicians on council, Joe Venello along with Carol Mincey has pursued to force the Chief of Police into retirement. They have run into a stumbling block in their effort. The Chief of Police is protected under New Jersey State Statutes. In a way Joe Venello & Cronies Inc., cannot pursue Chief Double Dee individually. In order to force Chief Double Dee to retire, Councilmen Joe Venello and Councilwoman Carol Mincey, trying to dismantle the Penns Grove Police Officers, by making "back yard" negotiations with Carneys Point public administrators.
What is not surprising, Councilwoman Carol Mincey has always been subservient to people or politicians that don’t represent people like herself or the community. I thought this local government or any government; being state, local or federal, is a government of democracy. Democracy governments where the people (residents) have equal say in decisions that affect our lives. What Councilman Joe Venello and Councilwoman Carol Mincey are imploring is an unjust system of dictatorship. What the residents of the Penns Grove community must know, is that we have to unite and stand up and fight against this bureaucracy government of dictatorship. I believe that the majority of the residents will agree, if the shared service of police are given to Carneys Point Police; a police department that do not practice diversity, that have no respect for the minority community, that has been sued by two minorities for racial discrimination, will create a whole new set of challenges for the community of Penns Grove. Police, dispatchers and other public administrators will lose their job. Perhaps, this is the "last hurray" before Councilman Joe Venello and Carol Mincey leave office in January.
I believe this democracy of a local government should give us the right to have a say in how and who govern the community. If these politicians want this shared service to happen, let the people decide. I believe that the community should push for the shared service of police to be put on referendum at the voting polls. The community should not let politicians dictate what “good business” is or what is "best" for us. We need to show up in mass and let these public officials know how we feel and what we want in our community; whether it is council meeting or school board meeting. If we think the courts are overcrowded on Wednesdays or Thursdays now, with African-American and Latino-American people, let the Carneys Point Police take control of shared service of police. "If we don't stand for something, we will fall for anything"- Malcolm X
Community Activist, Penns Grove
Walter L. Hudson Sr.
The Penns Grove community has a new issue. The issue is you have two disgruntled politicians in Councilmen Joe Venello and Councilwoman Carol Mincey, who are spear-heading, a shared service agreement with the Penns Grove Police Department and Carneys Point Police. Now I have not been a "fan favorite" of the Penns Grove Police, due to their lack of respect of the minorities in the community. However, I do support them on this particular issue. Quite some time there has been a personal vendetta with Councilmen Joe Venello against Chief Double Dee. Every council meeting that I have attend, Councilmen Joe Venello has disrespected the Mayor, Chief of Police and the residents. In Joint effort with other politicians on council, Joe Venello along with Carol Mincey has pursued to force the Chief of Police into retirement. They have run into a stumbling block in their effort. The Chief of Police is protected under New Jersey State Statutes. In a way Joe Venello & Cronies Inc., cannot pursue Chief Double Dee individually. In order to force Chief Double Dee to retire, Councilmen Joe Venello and Councilwoman Carol Mincey, trying to dismantle the Penns Grove Police Officers, by making "back yard" negotiations with Carneys Point public administrators.
What is not surprising, Councilwoman Carol Mincey has always been subservient to people or politicians that don’t represent people like herself or the community. I thought this local government or any government; being state, local or federal, is a government of democracy. Democracy governments where the people (residents) have equal say in decisions that affect our lives. What Councilman Joe Venello and Councilwoman Carol Mincey are imploring is an unjust system of dictatorship. What the residents of the Penns Grove community must know, is that we have to unite and stand up and fight against this bureaucracy government of dictatorship. I believe that the majority of the residents will agree, if the shared service of police are given to Carneys Point Police; a police department that do not practice diversity, that have no respect for the minority community, that has been sued by two minorities for racial discrimination, will create a whole new set of challenges for the community of Penns Grove. Police, dispatchers and other public administrators will lose their job. Perhaps, this is the "last hurray" before Councilman Joe Venello and Carol Mincey leave office in January.
I believe this democracy of a local government should give us the right to have a say in how and who govern the community. If these politicians want this shared service to happen, let the people decide. I believe that the community should push for the shared service of police to be put on referendum at the voting polls. The community should not let politicians dictate what “good business” is or what is "best" for us. We need to show up in mass and let these public officials know how we feel and what we want in our community; whether it is council meeting or school board meeting. If we think the courts are overcrowded on Wednesdays or Thursdays now, with African-American and Latino-American people, let the Carneys Point Police take control of shared service of police. "If we don't stand for something, we will fall for anything"- Malcolm X
Community Activist, Penns Grove
Walter L. Hudson Sr.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Teacher: Steve Merrit, should've kept his hands to himself
As parents, when we send our children off to school, we send them in hopes that they are being taught quality education. We have hope that the school district or the school itself will secure our children safety and welfare while in the supervision of the school. When I look at the news and read the newspaper about teachers’ misconduct concerning the students, I ask myself, how safe are public schools?
Our children wasn't brought into this world and sent to school to be the subject of a teacher's rage, by assaulting the students. This misconduct was allegedly done by Steve Merritt, teacher of the Salem High School. As I have followed the story of this allege incident and it also appears to me that there are some double standards concerning the matter. I have seen in cases where a student, whom had used profanity against a teacher, gets suspended for a certain amount of days. I have also seen where a student allegedly assaulted a teacher and because that teacher felt threaten, that student was expelled. So why must Megan Weidle a former student of Salem High School, go through questioning whether her story is fabricated or not? I question why the Board of Education hasn’t taken any type of action concerning this matter? If roles were reversed this matter would've resulted in a different outcome.
Steve Merritt said, "“I reached out and tapped her across the face,” said Merritt. “It was non-confrontational...I was kidding.” Is that the way teachers can use a form of corporal punishment and get away with it, by justifying the matter as a joke to clarify his actions? I'm more than sure those other students that I know justified their actions of misconduct but their story fell upon deaf ears and they were still suspended or expelled. Whether Mr. Steve Merritt committed this act or not, he should've used better judgment to protect the rights of others and himself not compromise his career as an educator. Whether Steve Merritt allegedly taps the former student lightly, softly or elegantly, it should've not happen.
As an "Activist", I look at how there are various challenges that the Salem County public school system face. The challenges of quality education, high rate of illiteracy, overcrowded class rooms should be the main focus. Not taking time away to address those issues because a teacher felt like he wanted to joke around by putting his hands in a young lady face. I don’t think Mr. Steve Merritt would like it if someone put their hands on his mother's or his wife's face and his wife or mother become offended as Megan Weidle did and that person justified to him as "I was just kidding".
Our children wasn't brought into this world and sent to school to be the subject of a teacher's rage, by assaulting the students. This misconduct was allegedly done by Steve Merritt, teacher of the Salem High School. As I have followed the story of this allege incident and it also appears to me that there are some double standards concerning the matter. I have seen in cases where a student, whom had used profanity against a teacher, gets suspended for a certain amount of days. I have also seen where a student allegedly assaulted a teacher and because that teacher felt threaten, that student was expelled. So why must Megan Weidle a former student of Salem High School, go through questioning whether her story is fabricated or not? I question why the Board of Education hasn’t taken any type of action concerning this matter? If roles were reversed this matter would've resulted in a different outcome.
Steve Merritt said, "“I reached out and tapped her across the face,” said Merritt. “It was non-confrontational...I was kidding.” Is that the way teachers can use a form of corporal punishment and get away with it, by justifying the matter as a joke to clarify his actions? I'm more than sure those other students that I know justified their actions of misconduct but their story fell upon deaf ears and they were still suspended or expelled. Whether Mr. Steve Merritt committed this act or not, he should've used better judgment to protect the rights of others and himself not compromise his career as an educator. Whether Steve Merritt allegedly taps the former student lightly, softly or elegantly, it should've not happen.
As an "Activist", I look at how there are various challenges that the Salem County public school system face. The challenges of quality education, high rate of illiteracy, overcrowded class rooms should be the main focus. Not taking time away to address those issues because a teacher felt like he wanted to joke around by putting his hands in a young lady face. I don’t think Mr. Steve Merritt would like it if someone put their hands on his mother's or his wife's face and his wife or mother become offended as Megan Weidle did and that person justified to him as "I was just kidding".
Parent's Accountability and Responsibility Concerning "Illiteracy"
Some people already know the national statistical data for the percentage of children, broken down into sub-groups of race, in which illiteracy effects. If not, let me reiterate the data for you. According to www.testourkids.com, 87 percent of African American children are illiterate and 85 percent of Latino American is illiterate.
If you have a child, who attend public school and that child cannot read, who is responsible, as well as, accountable for that situation? You could look at illiteracy in a aspect of, if you as a parent, knew that your child was playing in a building that was condemn by the city for hazardous reasons, would you still let your child play in that building? That's what parents are doing in the urban communities, when you have your children attending these public schools. Studies on public schools in urban communities across America have shown that the structured curriculum is not challenging enough to the minds of African and Latino Americans.
However, there are still parents who have complacent minds, which continue to sit down in their comfortable chairs of "Do nothing", while that child struggles to learn. In my opinion, it's evident that the power structure of society has conditioned and trained the citizens, who are parents, to have a lack luster approach concerning their children literacy. Once that wall of apathy is broken down, I believe the urban communities will blossom in education.
When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary."
— Carter G. Woodson (The Mis-Education of The Negro)
If you have a child, who attend public school and that child cannot read, who is responsible, as well as, accountable for that situation? You could look at illiteracy in a aspect of, if you as a parent, knew that your child was playing in a building that was condemn by the city for hazardous reasons, would you still let your child play in that building? That's what parents are doing in the urban communities, when you have your children attending these public schools. Studies on public schools in urban communities across America have shown that the structured curriculum is not challenging enough to the minds of African and Latino Americans.
However, there are still parents who have complacent minds, which continue to sit down in their comfortable chairs of "Do nothing", while that child struggles to learn. In my opinion, it's evident that the power structure of society has conditioned and trained the citizens, who are parents, to have a lack luster approach concerning their children literacy. Once that wall of apathy is broken down, I believe the urban communities will blossom in education.
When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary."
— Carter G. Woodson (The Mis-Education of The Negro)
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
"MIS-EDUCATION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS of African American"
Today I had the opportunity to read an article titled, "Mis-Education and White Motherhood". This article was very informative and fascinating. As I read the article, my eyes were wide open like a deer in headlights. After having read the article, I began to understand the structure of the public school systems today and why the public school systems function in the capacity it does today. In my opinion, this is the very reason that 87 percent of the 12.4 million African Americans, are deem as illiterate.
We as people must really take a self-inventory on ourselves, concerning the education of our children. Parents should ask themselves, do I really like the structure of education my child or children are receiving? Is the content in the public school structure challenging to my child? We have to want better for our children.
African Americans have come a long way since Thurgood Marshall's, Brown vs. Board of Education era and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's, Voting Rights Act. We are still not there yet, as African Americans and other minorities, when it comes to obtaining full equality. African Americans still face complex challenges today. Not only economically, socially but educational challenges as well. As the article, (Mis-Education and White Motherhood), talk about the power structure of the public school systems across America, the complex challenges in that, there is 3.5 million white teachers, 250,000 black teachers and 75,000 Latino teachers. Out of these educators, roughly about 3 million teachers are women. That’s the reason why the title includes, “White Motherhood”. The article mention how mostly white women teachers spend more time with our African American children than us parents and guardians. The article also make mention on how white women teachers are apathetic to our African American culture, so therefore, they will never teach our African American children about our culture in which some of the white women teacher’s ancestors once despised our ancestors.
Another challenge, public schools across America do not teach African American culture, Latino culture, Mexican culture, Asian culture or any other culture other than white European culture. Dr. Carter G. Woodson said, "The public school educational process crushes the spark of genius in the Negro by making him or her feel that his or race does not amount to much and never will measure up to the standards of other peoples".
How can these public schools say that they are an equal opportunity employer, when you have more whites employed than African American and other minorities? As here in Penns Grove, NJ, you have five schools, 2400 students that are predominantly African and Latino American. You have 400 people that make up teachers and administrators, fifthteen people which are of African and Latino American teachers and or administrators. That leaves you with 385 white people that make the teachers and or administrators. What is the equal opportunity in that aspect? How come you don’t see the opposite in predominantly white neighborhood public schools?
So what African American parents must do, educate ourselves on our rights and responsibilities. We have to look for resources to better our children literacy and knowledge of our African culture. Yes we face so many challenges but to understand who we are and where we going, we must know where we come from. We are able to do this; I believe we are able to suppress the challenges of public school education. Parent's it's time to turn off the soap operas and game shows and pick up a book, pen and paper. We have to read to our children. We must not only make our children read but also, write about what they read, so that we may enhance their minds. In my opinion, this type of practice would help the children to understand or articulate what they have read. The yellow brick road to a better education starts at http://www.testourkids.com/. The best part about it, you don't have to click your heels three times but only click once with the mouse on the link.
As another has well said, to handicap a student by teaching him that his black face is a curse and that his struggle to change his condition is hopeless is the worst sort of lynching.
Carter G. Woodson
We as people must really take a self-inventory on ourselves, concerning the education of our children. Parents should ask themselves, do I really like the structure of education my child or children are receiving? Is the content in the public school structure challenging to my child? We have to want better for our children.
African Americans have come a long way since Thurgood Marshall's, Brown vs. Board of Education era and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's, Voting Rights Act. We are still not there yet, as African Americans and other minorities, when it comes to obtaining full equality. African Americans still face complex challenges today. Not only economically, socially but educational challenges as well. As the article, (Mis-Education and White Motherhood), talk about the power structure of the public school systems across America, the complex challenges in that, there is 3.5 million white teachers, 250,000 black teachers and 75,000 Latino teachers. Out of these educators, roughly about 3 million teachers are women. That’s the reason why the title includes, “White Motherhood”. The article mention how mostly white women teachers spend more time with our African American children than us parents and guardians. The article also make mention on how white women teachers are apathetic to our African American culture, so therefore, they will never teach our African American children about our culture in which some of the white women teacher’s ancestors once despised our ancestors.
Another challenge, public schools across America do not teach African American culture, Latino culture, Mexican culture, Asian culture or any other culture other than white European culture. Dr. Carter G. Woodson said, "The public school educational process crushes the spark of genius in the Negro by making him or her feel that his or race does not amount to much and never will measure up to the standards of other peoples".
How can these public schools say that they are an equal opportunity employer, when you have more whites employed than African American and other minorities? As here in Penns Grove, NJ, you have five schools, 2400 students that are predominantly African and Latino American. You have 400 people that make up teachers and administrators, fifthteen people which are of African and Latino American teachers and or administrators. That leaves you with 385 white people that make the teachers and or administrators. What is the equal opportunity in that aspect? How come you don’t see the opposite in predominantly white neighborhood public schools?
So what African American parents must do, educate ourselves on our rights and responsibilities. We have to look for resources to better our children literacy and knowledge of our African culture. Yes we face so many challenges but to understand who we are and where we going, we must know where we come from. We are able to do this; I believe we are able to suppress the challenges of public school education. Parent's it's time to turn off the soap operas and game shows and pick up a book, pen and paper. We have to read to our children. We must not only make our children read but also, write about what they read, so that we may enhance their minds. In my opinion, this type of practice would help the children to understand or articulate what they have read. The yellow brick road to a better education starts at http://www.testourkids.com/. The best part about it, you don't have to click your heels three times but only click once with the mouse on the link.
As another has well said, to handicap a student by teaching him that his black face is a curse and that his struggle to change his condition is hopeless is the worst sort of lynching.
Carter G. Woodson
Thursday, July 21, 2011
"ILLITERACY" IN THE URBAN COMMUNITY
There is a new and vicious disease that's spreading in the urban community. No it's not any STD’s; it's called "ILLITERACY". Illiteracy is a very systemic problem that has an effect on 87 percent of African-American children across the United States according to http://www.testourkids.com/. If we as parent(s), teacher(s), politician(s), student(s) and school administrator(s) don’t engage this problem of illiteracy, this will affect various other matters and hinder the cultivation of urban communities across America.
When we talk about education and literacy, some can argue the fact that education is the same as literacy or education is a different entity than literacy. In my opinion I will lean to the side that education is different from literacy. Reason being, that when we concern ourselves or embrace the value of literacy, we are embracing a tool that will allow the ability to read and write. Along with being able to understand what you read and write. According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines literacy as the "ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society." So when we talk about the aspect of education, how can adults and children began to acquire a "quality education" without the abilities stated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)?
From Wikipedia, education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills, and values from one generation to another. Accumulated meaning that you have already acquired the knowledge, skills and value of an education but without literacy how can a person mind obtain these attributes, which is essential to maintain a certain satisfactory lifestyle?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, African-American has a total resident population of 41.8 million. 30 percent proportion of the black population younger than 18 and 8 percent of the black population was 65 and older. You can estimate that 72 percent of the African-American populations are between about ages 30 to 55. The 30 percent proportion of the black population is younger than 18 that leave you with about 12,540,000 children or students. According to http://www.testourkids.com/ and Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males, 87 percent of our children are illiterate. So out of 12,540,000 children or students 10,909,800 approximately suffer from this crucial disease.
As a "Community Activist", my job is to make public civil right issues or injustices, so that there may be a climate for change. In the small urban community that I reside in, Penns Grove, NJ, known as South Jersey, I know that my own community contribute to the national figure of 87 percent of our African-American children who are illiterate. There are 2400 students that make up five schools.
2009-2010 NJASK results show that 72 percent of the district's third graders and 70 percent of the district's fourth graders failed to reach key reading benchmarks on the language arts portion of the NJASK. This systemic disease of illiteracy deprives our children at an early age. The fact that many of the district's third and fourth graders SUB-GROUPS including MALE (75%/77%), AFRICAN-AMERICAN (79%-82%), HISPANIC (80%/78%), & ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGE (77%-81%) PERFORMED EVEN LOWER IN LANGUAGE ARTS portion of the test. This problem has yet to be engage, so I concur as the "No Child Left Behind Act" is still prevalent among the educational system in "Urban America", as in my own school district, you can say that as these children, who live in this community, go to higher grade levels, the issue of illiteracy has not got better but you could say worsen. Given the statistics in the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District, out of 2400 students 2088 could be classified as illiterate leaving 312 students who are literate.
You can correlate illiteracy to a wide range of urban issues such as, crime, drugs, teenage pregnancy, high school dropout, no jobs, poor education, etc..,. People argue these points of issues in urban community in America every day. A common question is ask, how can all these issues relate to people of illiteracy? I myself can argue that. Simple, Malcolm X said, “When you live in a poor neighborhood; your living in an area where you have to have poor schools; when you have poor schools, you have poor teachers; when you have poor teachers, you get a poor education; when you get a poor education, you are destined to be a poor man and poor woman for rest of your life". Yes, this is a very vicious cycle.
When we relate illiteracy to these various problems, you also argue that illiteracy suppress a child thought process to where it creates frustration in a child mind causing that child to misbehave or act out. Illiteracy in no way can create high-self esteem in a child in a classroom. I, myself even argued this point of low-self esteem causing a child to want to give up, quit or drop out. If this happen in which it already has, children are turning to the streets and getting involved in the wrong things, as well as, getting another love that they may think is love from the wrong type of people.
So we must put a book in our children hand today and sit down, read to them let them know that we love and support everything they're trying to do concerning literacy, education and recreational activities. We must suppress this 87 percent of illiterate African-American. This start with me, start with you, it starts with us. Go to http://www.testourkids.com/ to find out how your child reading ability is. It takes a community to raise a child still!
When we talk about education and literacy, some can argue the fact that education is the same as literacy or education is a different entity than literacy. In my opinion I will lean to the side that education is different from literacy. Reason being, that when we concern ourselves or embrace the value of literacy, we are embracing a tool that will allow the ability to read and write. Along with being able to understand what you read and write. According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines literacy as the "ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society." So when we talk about the aspect of education, how can adults and children began to acquire a "quality education" without the abilities stated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)?
From Wikipedia, education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills, and values from one generation to another. Accumulated meaning that you have already acquired the knowledge, skills and value of an education but without literacy how can a person mind obtain these attributes, which is essential to maintain a certain satisfactory lifestyle?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, African-American has a total resident population of 41.8 million. 30 percent proportion of the black population younger than 18 and 8 percent of the black population was 65 and older. You can estimate that 72 percent of the African-American populations are between about ages 30 to 55. The 30 percent proportion of the black population is younger than 18 that leave you with about 12,540,000 children or students. According to http://www.testourkids.com/ and Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males, 87 percent of our children are illiterate. So out of 12,540,000 children or students 10,909,800 approximately suffer from this crucial disease.
As a "Community Activist", my job is to make public civil right issues or injustices, so that there may be a climate for change. In the small urban community that I reside in, Penns Grove, NJ, known as South Jersey, I know that my own community contribute to the national figure of 87 percent of our African-American children who are illiterate. There are 2400 students that make up five schools.
2009-2010 NJASK results show that 72 percent of the district's third graders and 70 percent of the district's fourth graders failed to reach key reading benchmarks on the language arts portion of the NJASK. This systemic disease of illiteracy deprives our children at an early age. The fact that many of the district's third and fourth graders SUB-GROUPS including MALE (75%/77%), AFRICAN-AMERICAN (79%-82%), HISPANIC (80%/78%), & ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGE (77%-81%) PERFORMED EVEN LOWER IN LANGUAGE ARTS portion of the test. This problem has yet to be engage, so I concur as the "No Child Left Behind Act" is still prevalent among the educational system in "Urban America", as in my own school district, you can say that as these children, who live in this community, go to higher grade levels, the issue of illiteracy has not got better but you could say worsen. Given the statistics in the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District, out of 2400 students 2088 could be classified as illiterate leaving 312 students who are literate.
You can correlate illiteracy to a wide range of urban issues such as, crime, drugs, teenage pregnancy, high school dropout, no jobs, poor education, etc..,. People argue these points of issues in urban community in America every day. A common question is ask, how can all these issues relate to people of illiteracy? I myself can argue that. Simple, Malcolm X said, “When you live in a poor neighborhood; your living in an area where you have to have poor schools; when you have poor schools, you have poor teachers; when you have poor teachers, you get a poor education; when you get a poor education, you are destined to be a poor man and poor woman for rest of your life". Yes, this is a very vicious cycle.
When we relate illiteracy to these various problems, you also argue that illiteracy suppress a child thought process to where it creates frustration in a child mind causing that child to misbehave or act out. Illiteracy in no way can create high-self esteem in a child in a classroom. I, myself even argued this point of low-self esteem causing a child to want to give up, quit or drop out. If this happen in which it already has, children are turning to the streets and getting involved in the wrong things, as well as, getting another love that they may think is love from the wrong type of people.
So we must put a book in our children hand today and sit down, read to them let them know that we love and support everything they're trying to do concerning literacy, education and recreational activities. We must suppress this 87 percent of illiterate African-American. This start with me, start with you, it starts with us. Go to http://www.testourkids.com/ to find out how your child reading ability is. It takes a community to raise a child still!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
OPERATION "SAVE OUR CHILDREN FROM ILLITERACY"
Yesterday my lovely daughter took the evaluation test on www.testourkids.com. Even though she did fairly well and she wouldn’t be considered among the 87% of the African-American kids who are illiterate, I was satisfied but I wasn’t pleased! I know that there is plenty work to be done to save our "URBAN COMMUNITY" from illiteracy. There are millions of children out there who are suffering and you have some "BOE'S", "PARENT'S", "SUPERINTENDENT'S" even "COMMUNITIES", who are what James Brown would say, "JUST LIKE A DULL KNIFE, JUST AINT CUTTING, YOU TALKING LOUD AND SAYING NOTHING!"
So what we must do as a people is not get caught up into the "PARALYSES OF ANALYSES". I'm quite sure we can give our best "CRITQUE" and "SOUNDBITE" but at the end of the day if there is "NO ACTION" plan "DEVISED", what child are we saving? The structure of our educational system in regards to "SUPERINTENDENT'S" and the "BOARD OF EDUCATION” was derived to work for the families and the students of the community. By ensuring that students receive the best "QUALITY EDUCATION" by instituting a "RIGOROUS COURSE CIRRICULUM", to challenge these students mind so that they can train them for the complex challenges and success of the world.
Now that there is "FAILURE" and "NO ACCOUNTABILITY" in those spectrums now has come to where we as "CONCERNED CITIZENS AND PARENTS" must get involved and come up with our own "ACTION PLAN" or "PROPOSAL". Once we come up with those plans, then it’s time to put the plan in motion. WE CAN’T KEEP DOING THE SAME THINGS AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS. We have to also pack these "SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS" and make our "DEMAND" for those who we "VOTE IN OFFICE" to "IMPLEMENT" "OUR PLAN" it’s obvious theirs is not working and turning out to be a "FAULTY CIRRICULUM".
We first must do our homework by researching the problem in which we know is "ILLITERACY". That’s why we should get our kids literacy level gaged at www.testourkids.com. Within doing that we can combine results from the evaluation, formulate the results into a data or statistical chart, and then present it to the "BOARD OF EDUCATION". THEN SAY THIS IS THE PROBLEM, THIS WHAT HASNT WORKED, THIS IS WHAT WORK and THIS IS WHAT WE WANT FOR OUR CHILDREN.
If not then the people that we voted for going to continue to give their best "SOUND BITE" as if they are really striving for "QUALITY EDUCATION" and "OUR CHILDREN" that we say we "LOVE" so dearly will continue to "PERPETUATE" the "ATROCITY" cycle of "ILLITERACY". I think we all know the avenues of where "ILLITERACY" can take "OUR CHILDREN" like "POVERTY", "PRISON" even "DEATH" vs "LITERACY", which can take us to such "PINNACLES" in life like, "ENRICHNESS", "TEACHERS", "LAWYERS", "JUDGES", because of "PRESEIDENT BARACK OBAMA", we now add in "PRESIDENT" for "OUR CHILDREN".
With that being said, what I have done or begun to do today already, is reaching out to people who I know have children to get them involved. Also I’m reaching out to libraries to see if I can buy time for the computers in case any family want their child to get their reading evaluated but don’t have access to a computer in their home.
SO I CHARGE AND CHALLENGE ANYONE WHO MAY READ THIS BLOG TO "GET ON UP, GET TO IT AND GET INVOLVED" IN OPERATION "SAFE OUR CHILDREN FROM ILLITERACY".
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."
— Maya Angelou
Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him. ” ~~ Maya Angelou “To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” ~~ Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
So what we must do as a people is not get caught up into the "PARALYSES OF ANALYSES". I'm quite sure we can give our best "CRITQUE" and "SOUNDBITE" but at the end of the day if there is "NO ACTION" plan "DEVISED", what child are we saving? The structure of our educational system in regards to "SUPERINTENDENT'S" and the "BOARD OF EDUCATION” was derived to work for the families and the students of the community. By ensuring that students receive the best "QUALITY EDUCATION" by instituting a "RIGOROUS COURSE CIRRICULUM", to challenge these students mind so that they can train them for the complex challenges and success of the world.
Now that there is "FAILURE" and "NO ACCOUNTABILITY" in those spectrums now has come to where we as "CONCERNED CITIZENS AND PARENTS" must get involved and come up with our own "ACTION PLAN" or "PROPOSAL". Once we come up with those plans, then it’s time to put the plan in motion. WE CAN’T KEEP DOING THE SAME THINGS AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS. We have to also pack these "SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS" and make our "DEMAND" for those who we "VOTE IN OFFICE" to "IMPLEMENT" "OUR PLAN" it’s obvious theirs is not working and turning out to be a "FAULTY CIRRICULUM".
We first must do our homework by researching the problem in which we know is "ILLITERACY". That’s why we should get our kids literacy level gaged at www.testourkids.com. Within doing that we can combine results from the evaluation, formulate the results into a data or statistical chart, and then present it to the "BOARD OF EDUCATION". THEN SAY THIS IS THE PROBLEM, THIS WHAT HASNT WORKED, THIS IS WHAT WORK and THIS IS WHAT WE WANT FOR OUR CHILDREN.
If not then the people that we voted for going to continue to give their best "SOUND BITE" as if they are really striving for "QUALITY EDUCATION" and "OUR CHILDREN" that we say we "LOVE" so dearly will continue to "PERPETUATE" the "ATROCITY" cycle of "ILLITERACY". I think we all know the avenues of where "ILLITERACY" can take "OUR CHILDREN" like "POVERTY", "PRISON" even "DEATH" vs "LITERACY", which can take us to such "PINNACLES" in life like, "ENRICHNESS", "TEACHERS", "LAWYERS", "JUDGES", because of "PRESEIDENT BARACK OBAMA", we now add in "PRESIDENT" for "OUR CHILDREN".
With that being said, what I have done or begun to do today already, is reaching out to people who I know have children to get them involved. Also I’m reaching out to libraries to see if I can buy time for the computers in case any family want their child to get their reading evaluated but don’t have access to a computer in their home.
SO I CHARGE AND CHALLENGE ANYONE WHO MAY READ THIS BLOG TO "GET ON UP, GET TO IT AND GET INVOLVED" IN OPERATION "SAFE OUR CHILDREN FROM ILLITERACY".
— Maya Angelou
Sunday, July 10, 2011
"WE MUST SEEK AND DESTROY ILLITERACY"
I talked to man today by the name of Yusef Salaam. I knew that there is a problem in our educational system in my own community and nationally. After this intriguing talk about "EDUCATION", it changes my thought process! It made me realize that the disease called "ILLITERACY", has been a systemic problem for a long time. We have been ignoring that fact that our so-called leaders in the community have been failing "US", being the "URBAN COMMUNITY". One of the many reasons why we as people or parent(s), been ignoring the default in the mis-education of our children is because of our own ignorance and "COMPLACENT MENTALITY". We have been CONDITIONED to except issues for what they are and that hinder our kids tremendously as well do them a disservice. We think that if our kids graduate high school they made it! HELL NO! FACT OF THE MATTER OUR KIDS CANT READ! WE HAVE ADULTS WHO ARE FUNCTIONAL ILLITERATE!
Malcolm X said, "When you live in a poor area, you live in an area where you live in a neighborhood where you have to have poor schools, you have poor teachers, when you have poor teachers, you get a poor education, when you get a poor education, you are DESTINED to be a poor man and poor woman for the rest of your life. Poor "EDUCATION", you can only get a poor paying job, in which would allow you to live in a poor neighborhood!" YOU CAN CALL IT EMOTIONALISM BUT IT’S THE TRUTH! If you don’t believe me just do your homework and be observant.
In the state of NEW JERSEY, which I live, according to the Schott State Report on black males enrolled in education, 121,934 black males enrolled in education in 2007/8, of those numbers 69% of black males graduated. While the white males graduated at 90%, a significant higher rate than black males. Those numbers has steadily been on the incline since then. 2011 87% OF THE BLACK CHILDREN IN THE UNITED STATES ARE ILLITERATE. 85% OF THE SPANISH CHILDREN ARE ILLITERATE. 62% OF WHITE CHILDREN ARE ILLITERATE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM.
By the time our kids are in the 4th grade level, the GOVERNMENT know how many prisons to build because this white AMERICAN GOVERNMENT already have us PREDESTINED to where we are going to be by the graduation date, provided our children don’t quit school. Teachers and Administrators have not been dealing with these issues! How can teachers call it a school in the “URBAN COMMUNITY”, but yet they send their kids to private schools. Tax payers are funding these TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS WHO ARE TAKING MONEY OUT THE URBAN COMMUNITY BACK IN TO THEIR SUBBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD. I SAY ALL THAT TO SAY THIS, THEY ARE USING ARE KIDS AS A PROFIT!
IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, SCHOOLS ARE MORE SEGRAGATED NOW IN 2011 THAN IN 1950'S BROWN VS BOARD OF EDUCATION! EVERY CHILD IN THE UNITED STATES HAS THE RIGHT TO FAIR, EQUAL OF QUALITY EDUCATION. IT’S A CRIME IN ALL 50 STATES TO WITHHOLD A CHILD FROM RECIEVING EDUCATION, IS CALLED EDUCATIONAL NEGLECT. IT’S CONSIDERED A CRIMINAL ACT. SO AT WHAT POINT ARE THE SCHOOL BOARD AND ADMINISTRATORS AS WELL AS TEACHERS ARE PUT IN JAIL OR CHARGE FOR DEPRIVING OUR CHILDREN THE RIGHT TO QUALITY EDUCATION. THE LEGISLATION CREATES THESE LAWS AND VIOLATE THEIR OWN LAWS BECAUSE WE ALSO DEAL WITH NEPOTISM. THESE WHITE POLITICIANS FEAR IF CHARGED THEIR OWN MAY BE IMPRISONED OR JAILED. TO OFFSET THAT THEY PLAY THE BLAME GAME TO KEEP ATTENTION AND HEAT OFF THEIR OWN PEOPLE THEY SAY BECAUSE OF ARE ETHINICITY OR OUR ENVIRONMENT IS THE REASON WHY SOME STUDENTS FAIL.
THIS IS WHY WE MUST SEEK AND DESTROY ILLITERACY! OUT OF THE 2MILLION BLACK MALE IN PRISON 90-98% IS ILLITERATE. WHATS THE SOLUTION, SIMPLE, www.testourkids.com. It starts there! For my CHRISTIAN BIBLE BELIEVERS, ROMAN 12:2 SAYS, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." SO IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE IT STARTS WITH YOUR MIND.
YOU HAVE TO BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF HOW WELL OR HOW MUCH DO I LOVE MY CHILDREN AND MYSELF! WHEN YOU REALIZE YOUR SELF WORTH THEN YOU CAN TAKE ACTION, WHEN YOU TAKE ACTION AGAINST THIS DISEASE CALLED ILLITERACY, YOU CAN CHANGE THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU. YUSEF SALAAM SAID TO ME, "BROTHER IF YOU WANT TO BUILD A STRONG ARMY, YOU HAVE TO BUILD FROM THE GROUND UP." THE GROUND UP IS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. IF WE REVERSE THE PERPETUATION OF THIS VICIOUS CYCLE, WE CAN RECREATE A BIGGER, BETTER, STRONGER, SMARTER AND HEALTHIER AFRICAN NATION.
WE ARE DOCTORS, LAWYERS, JUDGES, POLICE, NURSE, POLITICIANS, PRESIDENT OF USA, CEO OF OUR OWN COMPANY. WHEN THE RACIST WHITE MEN DIDNT WANT US IN THEIR SCHOOLS, WE BUILT OUR OWN BLACK SCHOOLS, WHEN THEY DIDNT WANT TO GIVE US A JOB; WE CREATED OUR OWN COMPANIES AND BECAME CEO'S. IN ORDER TO DO SO WE MUST LEARN TO REACH AND TEACH OTHER AROUND US TO READ.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS WILL YOU SINK OR SWIM TO BAY!
As long as you are convinced you have never done anything, you can never do anything."
— Malcolm X
Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today."
— Malcolm X
Thursday, July 7, 2011
IS IT ABOUT MONEY$$$ OR EDUCATION
On June 29 2011, my daughter and I had the pleasure of attending the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School Board Meeting. The main agenda for that meeting, which it seems like its always on the agenda other than "QUALITY EDUCATION", was to address and finalize the particulars of Dr. Massare contract. Dr. Massare is the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School Superintendent. As the Salem County "Sunbeam" local newspaper published that, "Massare’s salary will hold steady at $157,500 a year, over the next three years as his new contract restricted any raises. This spring, Massare’s salary was cut from $167,500 to $157,500 due to new state regulations.
I believe that not only should the teachers face the elimination of tenure as signed into affect by Governor Christie in the state of New Jersey, also superintendents. Most parents as myself in the community posed a statement to what seem is the majority of the consensus is "Dr. Massare IS OUT OF TOUCH WITH THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT." Stem from several issues such as "QUALITY EDUCATION", "DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS" as well as the hiring of "TEACHERS" in which is left up to the principal of each school in the district. There are 5 schools in the district.
My question is the fact that 2009-2010 NJASK results show that 72% of the district's third graders and 70% of the district's fourth graders failed to reach key reading benchmarks on the language arts portion of the NJASK. In 2011 what has been the focal point of the school board agenda is Dr. Massare contract negotiations along with everything else that have nothing to do with an "UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOL" where there is no teacher nor administrations accountability.
The "Sunbeam Newspaper" published,"Massare has deep roots in the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District. This upcoming school year will be his 14th year in the district and 9th as superintendent." Thats all fine and well but when is Dr.Massare and the Board of Education going to take leadership and accountability into addressing the issues of the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District as well as devising a plan for "Quality Education Re-form"?. He is also the second longest serving superintendent in the county, behind Quinton Superintendent Dr. Donna Agnew. However, he is the longest serving superintendent in a K-12 district in Salem County.
The fact that many of the district's third and fourth graders SUB-GROUPS including MALE (75%/77%), AFRICAN-AMERICAN (79%-82%), HISPANIC (80%/78%), & ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGE (77%-81%) PERFORMED EVEN LOWER IN LANGUAGE ARTS.
THIS IS WHAT DR. MASSARE SAID, “I am very grateful to the new board Solicitor Mark Toscano and the negotiations committee for their strenuous work during these past few weeks,” said Massare. “I believe in the district, I believe in the community, and I believe in the students’ ability to succeed.” HOW CAN HE SAY THAT WHEN HE HAS YET TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES AS STATED IN THIS PREVIOUS TEXT? HOW CAN HE SAY THAT WHEN HE HAS YET TO DEVISE A PLAN OF ACTION TO IMPLEMENT QUALITY EDUCATION FOR THESE STUDENTS.
All Dr. Massare seem to be worried about is getting all his financial benefits that due to him, yet he has no concern, no compassion, for QUALITY EDUCATION FOR THESE STUDENTS yet he would lead you to believe that he is that way by saying superficial comments like, I believe in the district, I believe in the community, and I believe in the students’ ability to succeed.” - DR. Massare.
It would sound nice if in fact Dr. Massare had orchestrated a plan for "SCHOOL REFORM", each time we let time go by without addressing the problem it ends being a "SCHOOL DE-FORM", STATISTIC SHOW 30,000 KIDS DROP OUT EACH WEEK ACROSS AMERICA, CRIME RATE STEADILY RISING, MORE JAILS OR PRISONS BEING BUILT, 2MILLION BLACK MEN ARE IN JAIL. DO YOU SEE HOW THE CYCLE PERPETUATE ITSELF!
THIRD AND FOURTH GRADERS READING MASTERY IS THAT CRUCIAL POINT IN TIME WHEN INSTRUCTION MOVES FROM A FOCUS ON LEARNING TO READ TO READING TO LEARN!!
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Barack Obama
Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education."
— Martin Luther King Jr.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
Nelson Mandela
I believe that not only should the teachers face the elimination of tenure as signed into affect by Governor Christie in the state of New Jersey, also superintendents. Most parents as myself in the community posed a statement to what seem is the majority of the consensus is "Dr. Massare IS OUT OF TOUCH WITH THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT." Stem from several issues such as "QUALITY EDUCATION", "DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS" as well as the hiring of "TEACHERS" in which is left up to the principal of each school in the district. There are 5 schools in the district.
My question is the fact that 2009-2010 NJASK results show that 72% of the district's third graders and 70% of the district's fourth graders failed to reach key reading benchmarks on the language arts portion of the NJASK. In 2011 what has been the focal point of the school board agenda is Dr. Massare contract negotiations along with everything else that have nothing to do with an "UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOL" where there is no teacher nor administrations accountability.
The "Sunbeam Newspaper" published,"Massare has deep roots in the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District. This upcoming school year will be his 14th year in the district and 9th as superintendent." Thats all fine and well but when is Dr.Massare and the Board of Education going to take leadership and accountability into addressing the issues of the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School District as well as devising a plan for "Quality Education Re-form"?. He is also the second longest serving superintendent in the county, behind Quinton Superintendent Dr. Donna Agnew. However, he is the longest serving superintendent in a K-12 district in Salem County.
The fact that many of the district's third and fourth graders SUB-GROUPS including MALE (75%/77%), AFRICAN-AMERICAN (79%-82%), HISPANIC (80%/78%), & ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGE (77%-81%) PERFORMED EVEN LOWER IN LANGUAGE ARTS.
THIS IS WHAT DR. MASSARE SAID, “I am very grateful to the new board Solicitor Mark Toscano and the negotiations committee for their strenuous work during these past few weeks,” said Massare. “I believe in the district, I believe in the community, and I believe in the students’ ability to succeed.” HOW CAN HE SAY THAT WHEN HE HAS YET TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES AS STATED IN THIS PREVIOUS TEXT? HOW CAN HE SAY THAT WHEN HE HAS YET TO DEVISE A PLAN OF ACTION TO IMPLEMENT QUALITY EDUCATION FOR THESE STUDENTS.
All Dr. Massare seem to be worried about is getting all his financial benefits that due to him, yet he has no concern, no compassion, for QUALITY EDUCATION FOR THESE STUDENTS yet he would lead you to believe that he is that way by saying superficial comments like, I believe in the district, I believe in the community, and I believe in the students’ ability to succeed.” - DR. Massare.
It would sound nice if in fact Dr. Massare had orchestrated a plan for "SCHOOL REFORM", each time we let time go by without addressing the problem it ends being a "SCHOOL DE-FORM", STATISTIC SHOW 30,000 KIDS DROP OUT EACH WEEK ACROSS AMERICA, CRIME RATE STEADILY RISING, MORE JAILS OR PRISONS BEING BUILT, 2MILLION BLACK MEN ARE IN JAIL. DO YOU SEE HOW THE CYCLE PERPETUATE ITSELF!
THIRD AND FOURTH GRADERS READING MASTERY IS THAT CRUCIAL POINT IN TIME WHEN INSTRUCTION MOVES FROM A FOCUS ON LEARNING TO READ TO READING TO LEARN!!
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Barack Obama
Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education."
— Martin Luther King Jr.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
Nelson Mandela
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
ACTIVISM: IS ABOUT MONEY$$$ OR EDUCATION
ACTIVISM: IS ABOUT MONEY$$$ OR EDUCATION: "On July 29 2011, my daughter and I had the pleasure of attending the Penns Grove-Carneys Point School Board Meeting. The main agenda for tha..."
Thursday, June 30, 2011
DISTURBING FACTS
Fact: 30,000 kids drop out of school each week in America, 2 million black men are in jail, Private Prison made 3 billion in Revenue last year, Justice Policy Institute uncovered private prisons funded millions to Politicians that make laws, so that they can establish laws to keep criminals in prison longer. This by any means doesnt advocate for the criminals not to be punished for the act their crimes. Clearly between the private owners of these prisons and law making politicians (SHOULDNT BE FATTEN FROGS FOR SNAKES!) or using human beings to make profit off of. Granted convicted criminals should serve their time which mandated by time given from judges of legislative law makers.
This may sound a little bit ludicris but convicte criminals have rights too! The punishment should fit the crime. You have some people who are not drug dealers but are drug abusers or people addicted to drugs. Those people are given more time than people who are caught with crack coccaine or guns. Thats not just by no means in my opinion. Drug abusers shouldnt be in jail taking up space for real criminals that need to be there such as rapist, pediphiles, drug dealers, just to name a few! Drug abusers should be force by the courts to rehab facilities for a certain amount of time or until the rehab have served its purpose for the addict.
In the state of New Jersey what I found out that law enforcement do when dealing with the arrest of a drug abuser. Law enforcement use what I call "CREATIVE WRITING" by charging not a drug dealer but a drug abuser with possession WITH THE INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE! How can another person tell what another person INTENT IS? This PERPETUATION OF THIS ERRONEOUS behavior of private prison funding LAW MAKING POLITICIANS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to make laws to keep people in jail longer.
No this doesnt justify or exscuse the people behavior of committing crimes, yes, if you do the crime you must do the time. We as a people must conduct ourselves in a way we give back to help somebody not put ourselves in a position where are freedom is taken away from US! What these private owners are doing the the law making officials is a crime within itself fact its a form of BRIBERY which is form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift given that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in charge of a public or legal duty.
The problem is ACCOUNTABILITY!! IM GLAD THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERALERIC HOLDER RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM AND TRYING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BUT IT SHOULD BE LEFT UP TO HIM WE ALL SHOULD RECOGNIZE THIS ISSUE AND TAKE A STAND!
"If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything."
— Malcolm X
This may sound a little bit ludicris but convicte criminals have rights too! The punishment should fit the crime. You have some people who are not drug dealers but are drug abusers or people addicted to drugs. Those people are given more time than people who are caught with crack coccaine or guns. Thats not just by no means in my opinion. Drug abusers shouldnt be in jail taking up space for real criminals that need to be there such as rapist, pediphiles, drug dealers, just to name a few! Drug abusers should be force by the courts to rehab facilities for a certain amount of time or until the rehab have served its purpose for the addict.
In the state of New Jersey what I found out that law enforcement do when dealing with the arrest of a drug abuser. Law enforcement use what I call "CREATIVE WRITING" by charging not a drug dealer but a drug abuser with possession WITH THE INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE! How can another person tell what another person INTENT IS? This PERPETUATION OF THIS ERRONEOUS behavior of private prison funding LAW MAKING POLITICIANS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS to make laws to keep people in jail longer.
No this doesnt justify or exscuse the people behavior of committing crimes, yes, if you do the crime you must do the time. We as a people must conduct ourselves in a way we give back to help somebody not put ourselves in a position where are freedom is taken away from US! What these private owners are doing the the law making officials is a crime within itself fact its a form of BRIBERY which is form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift given that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in charge of a public or legal duty.
The problem is ACCOUNTABILITY!! IM GLAD THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERALERIC HOLDER RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM AND TRYING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BUT IT SHOULD BE LEFT UP TO HIM WE ALL SHOULD RECOGNIZE THIS ISSUE AND TAKE A STAND!
"If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything."
— Malcolm X
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
ACTIVISM: ITS THE SCHOOL DE-FORM NOT SCHOOL RE-FORM OF PENNS...
ACTIVISM: ITS THE SCHOOL DE-FORM NOT SCHOOL RE-FORM OF PENNS...: "My daughter and I just left the school board meeting. At the school board meeting, they engage on a issue of the school superintindent pay. ..."
ITS THE SCHOOL DE-FORM NOT SCHOOL RE-FORM OF PENNSGROVE-CARNEYS POINT SCHOOL IN NEW JERSEY
My daughter and I just left the school board meeting. At the school board meeting, they engage on a issue of the school superintindent pay. What most intriguing to me is at what point is the issue of a failing school system will be engaged as well? Fact: 79% of the African-American along with 72% latino males scored below reading-comprehension portion of the NJASK test at 3rd and 4th grade level. That just certain aspects of the statistics. Yet at a school board meeting there has constant talk of school superintindent pay in which he makes $157,500, while kids are moving through a fail school system.
The people of this community are still waiting on this school superintindent to put into action, SCHOOL RE-FORM OF QUALITY EDUCATION, INSTEAD THERE IS SCHOOL DE-FORM OF EDUCATION. I ASK CHILDREN THAT ATTEND PENNSGROVE-CARNEYS POINT SCHOOLS, DO THEY THINK THEY RECIEVE QUALITY EDUCATION. THEY IN RETURN TOLD ME DEPENDS ON WHO TEACHING!!! THATS REAL SAD, every child has the right to recieve quality education. What is the difference between 1960's Thurgood Marshall fight for quality and equal resource for education than 2011?
If we dont address this issue in our community about time this kids reach graduation of high school they will be well below the learning process. Fact is the "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT" has done our kids a disservice! This inhumane act need to discarded from the education policy. About time these children graduate high school they would only be prepared to work at mcdonald's or warehouse work. I believe that our CHILDREN HAVE MORE TO OFFER IN LIFE THAN JUST A #2 COMBO MEAL WITH A SOFT DRINK FROM MCDONALDS OR LOADING A TRACTOR TRAILOR OF LOGISTIC PRODUCTS.
We have some folks that sit on school board AND KNOW THESE KIDS ARE AT A DISADVANTAGE AND THEY DO OR SAY NOTHING ABOUT IT!!! BACK OF THE BUS THEY HAVENT HAD THERE ROSA PARKS MENTALITY BREAKTHROUGH YET.
ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE SCHOOL BOARD MAY TALK BETTER EDUCATION FOR THE CHILDREN BUT THERE IS NO ACTION!!! DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING SAID,"NEVER GET CAUGHT UP IN THE PARALYSIS OF ANALYSIS. ALL THE SCHOOL SUPERINTINDANT IS WORRIED ABOUT IS HIS SALARY AND MAKING PRETEND HE SO IN TOUCH WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN WHICH HE IS NOT. PEOPLE WHO SURROUND HIM FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD FROM BOARD PRESIDENT TO THE NEWLY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, ALL THEY ARE WORRIED ABOUT IS JUST BEING ON THE BOARD AND "DO NOTHING ATTITUDE", SAY ONE THING BUT THEIR ACTION DONT LINE UP WITH THE WORDS THAT COME OUT THERE MOUTH.
IN CLOSING, TO DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES IT STARTS WITH THE PARENTS AT HOME COMING OUT TO THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING POSING TOUGH QUESTIONS AND HOLD THE PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE ON THE SCHOOL BOARD BECAUSE THE SCHOOL BOARD WORKS FOR ANYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS A CHILD THAT GOES TO THE SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT.
Nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change."
— Barack Obama
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. "
— Barack Obama
The people of this community are still waiting on this school superintindent to put into action, SCHOOL RE-FORM OF QUALITY EDUCATION, INSTEAD THERE IS SCHOOL DE-FORM OF EDUCATION. I ASK CHILDREN THAT ATTEND PENNSGROVE-CARNEYS POINT SCHOOLS, DO THEY THINK THEY RECIEVE QUALITY EDUCATION. THEY IN RETURN TOLD ME DEPENDS ON WHO TEACHING!!! THATS REAL SAD, every child has the right to recieve quality education. What is the difference between 1960's Thurgood Marshall fight for quality and equal resource for education than 2011?
If we dont address this issue in our community about time this kids reach graduation of high school they will be well below the learning process. Fact is the "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT" has done our kids a disservice! This inhumane act need to discarded from the education policy. About time these children graduate high school they would only be prepared to work at mcdonald's or warehouse work. I believe that our CHILDREN HAVE MORE TO OFFER IN LIFE THAN JUST A #2 COMBO MEAL WITH A SOFT DRINK FROM MCDONALDS OR LOADING A TRACTOR TRAILOR OF LOGISTIC PRODUCTS.
We have some folks that sit on school board AND KNOW THESE KIDS ARE AT A DISADVANTAGE AND THEY DO OR SAY NOTHING ABOUT IT!!! BACK OF THE BUS THEY HAVENT HAD THERE ROSA PARKS MENTALITY BREAKTHROUGH YET.
ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE SCHOOL BOARD MAY TALK BETTER EDUCATION FOR THE CHILDREN BUT THERE IS NO ACTION!!! DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING SAID,"NEVER GET CAUGHT UP IN THE PARALYSIS OF ANALYSIS. ALL THE SCHOOL SUPERINTINDANT IS WORRIED ABOUT IS HIS SALARY AND MAKING PRETEND HE SO IN TOUCH WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN WHICH HE IS NOT. PEOPLE WHO SURROUND HIM FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD FROM BOARD PRESIDENT TO THE NEWLY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, ALL THEY ARE WORRIED ABOUT IS JUST BEING ON THE BOARD AND "DO NOTHING ATTITUDE", SAY ONE THING BUT THEIR ACTION DONT LINE UP WITH THE WORDS THAT COME OUT THERE MOUTH.
IN CLOSING, TO DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES IT STARTS WITH THE PARENTS AT HOME COMING OUT TO THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING POSING TOUGH QUESTIONS AND HOLD THE PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE ON THE SCHOOL BOARD BECAUSE THE SCHOOL BOARD WORKS FOR ANYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS A CHILD THAT GOES TO THE SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT.
Nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change."
— Barack Obama
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. "
— Barack Obama
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
ACTIVISM: WHERE IS ARE EYES PEOPLE
ACTIVISM: WHERE IS ARE EYES PEOPLE: "I think that I may be able to speak for some states that are being transfromed from a government of democracy to a totalitarian government. ..."
WHERE IS ARE EYES PEOPLE
I think that I may be able to speak for some states that are being transfromed from a government of democracy to a totalitarian government. This transformation could be viewed as modern-day slave labor. From the "stop and frisk" in Philadelphia, PA to Arizona where stay law was passed given law-enforcement official the right to profile anybody suspected of being an illegal immigrant, back to the mid-west in Winsconsin where the governor passed a bill to take away workers right to "collective bargaining".
As done in New Jersey by Gov. Christie. At what point do we say enough is enough, we have to stand up and fight this issues because its not the rich that is suffering, its the middle-working class and poor that suffers! THE HAVE AND HAVE-NOTS. If we dont address these racist and discrimatory behavior of these governors and the people that support them, this will turn into a "trickle down effect". Meaning that if the government start changing our CIVIL RIGHTS they will for sure change our CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. This will happen from higher level of goverment to the lower level of government.
Before you know it, all of our rights which was fought for will change. What the most eccentric thing of it all the media (unfair media), will use their trickory in to making the people of America think that issues such as poor education, taking away the right to collective-bargain, health care cuts that affect the minorities and give tax break to the rich, is the right thing to do and also make you feel as if it would be "just rights" for everyone!
Some may say, well how do we deal with these issues. Simply, by drawing up proposals and resolutions, creative protest at the state building, letting the people know that you have a voice and you have rights to demand full equality. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said, "THE GREATEST RIGHT OF AMERICA TO PROTEST FOR RIGHTS!"
ITS TIME TO TAKE ACTION!
"You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it."
— Malcolm X (By Any Means Necessary)
As done in New Jersey by Gov. Christie. At what point do we say enough is enough, we have to stand up and fight this issues because its not the rich that is suffering, its the middle-working class and poor that suffers! THE HAVE AND HAVE-NOTS. If we dont address these racist and discrimatory behavior of these governors and the people that support them, this will turn into a "trickle down effect". Meaning that if the government start changing our CIVIL RIGHTS they will for sure change our CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. This will happen from higher level of goverment to the lower level of government.
Before you know it, all of our rights which was fought for will change. What the most eccentric thing of it all the media (unfair media), will use their trickory in to making the people of America think that issues such as poor education, taking away the right to collective-bargain, health care cuts that affect the minorities and give tax break to the rich, is the right thing to do and also make you feel as if it would be "just rights" for everyone!
Some may say, well how do we deal with these issues. Simply, by drawing up proposals and resolutions, creative protest at the state building, letting the people know that you have a voice and you have rights to demand full equality. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said, "THE GREATEST RIGHT OF AMERICA TO PROTEST FOR RIGHTS!"
ITS TIME TO TAKE ACTION!
"You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it."
— Malcolm X (By Any Means Necessary)
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Gov. Christie Klansman Mentality
After Gov. Christie healthcare cut proposal been passed, that effect the middle working class, that will have maybe you and I as well as older senior citizens with preexisting medical conditions with no medicaid or medicare. If you are making over $24,000 you dont qualify for medicare or medicare. Now with Gov. Christie new proposal cuts, if you are making over $5,300 YOU DONT QUALIFY!! Yes this is true you dont qualify!! Minimun wage now in the state of NEW JERSEY is $7.55. If you are working at Mcdonalds making $7.55 an hour working 20 hour, you still dont qualify. You would be considered making too much.
WHAT PEOPLE DONT REALIZE THIS TAX CUT AFFECT NOT ONLY THE POOR WHITES BUT ALSO POOR MINORITIES. IF THIS ISNT MODERN DAY RACISM I DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE IS. This past Thursday the Assembly PASSED A BILL taking away union Worker RIGHTS TO COLLECTIVE BARGAIN. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions. Collective agreements usually set out wage scales, working hours, training, health and safety, overtime, grievance mechanisms and rights to participate in workplace or company affairs.
So what thats saying is that your employer CAN AND WILL TELL YOU WHAT YOU WILL MAKE, HOW MUCH THEY WILL PAY YOU AND HOW MUCH THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE FOR YOUR PENSION IF THEY SO CHOOSE TO GIVE YOU PENSION. WHAT PEOPLE DONT UNDERSTAND THE STATE AND UNION WORKERS ARE MAJORITY AFRICAN AMERICANS and THESE PEOPLE MAKE UP CHURCH CONGREGATIONS. THIS IS WHY THE COMMUNITY SHOULD GET INVOLVED IN CREATIVE PROTEST.
GOV. CHRISTIE SAID, "THIS SHOULD BE THE MODEL FOR OTHER STATES", NEW JERSEY ISNT THE ONLY STATE TO DO THIS. THE GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN ALSO TRYING TO IMPLORE THE SAME TYPE OF MODERN DAY SLAVE LABOR BEHAVIOR. REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR, BACK IN THE 1960'S BEFORE HE WAS ASSASINATED, WAS IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, RALLYING FOR THE WORKERS FROM THE ASKME UNION RIGHT TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
SANITATION WORKERS FELT THAT IT WAS UNJUST TO NOT BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE THEIR WAGES AND BENEFITS. THE EMPLOYERS WAS TRYING TO TAKE THAT AWAY ON TOP OF THAT THE SANITATION WORKERS WERE NOT MAKING THE SAME PAY AS WHITE SANITATION WORKERS.
THATS WHY WE MUST BANNED TOGETHER AND FIGHT AGAINST THIS ISSUE BECAUSE THEY WILL START DOING THIS WITH NON UNION JOBS. WHAT STRIKE ME THE MOST IS THAT DEMOCRATIC LEADERS STEPHEN SWEENEY AND SHEILA OLIVER WAS AGAINST THIS UNJUST PROPOSAL NOW THEY SUPPORTS IT. SOMETIMES PEOPLE SELL OUT AND GO ALONG TO GET ALONG WHEN THERE IS SOMETHING IN IT FOR THEM.
I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves. CHE GUEVARA
WHAT PEOPLE DONT REALIZE THIS TAX CUT AFFECT NOT ONLY THE POOR WHITES BUT ALSO POOR MINORITIES. IF THIS ISNT MODERN DAY RACISM I DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE IS. This past Thursday the Assembly PASSED A BILL taking away union Worker RIGHTS TO COLLECTIVE BARGAIN. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING is a process of negotiations between employers and the representatives of a unit of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions. Collective agreements usually set out wage scales, working hours, training, health and safety, overtime, grievance mechanisms and rights to participate in workplace or company affairs.
So what thats saying is that your employer CAN AND WILL TELL YOU WHAT YOU WILL MAKE, HOW MUCH THEY WILL PAY YOU AND HOW MUCH THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE FOR YOUR PENSION IF THEY SO CHOOSE TO GIVE YOU PENSION. WHAT PEOPLE DONT UNDERSTAND THE STATE AND UNION WORKERS ARE MAJORITY AFRICAN AMERICANS and THESE PEOPLE MAKE UP CHURCH CONGREGATIONS. THIS IS WHY THE COMMUNITY SHOULD GET INVOLVED IN CREATIVE PROTEST.
GOV. CHRISTIE SAID, "THIS SHOULD BE THE MODEL FOR OTHER STATES", NEW JERSEY ISNT THE ONLY STATE TO DO THIS. THE GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN ALSO TRYING TO IMPLORE THE SAME TYPE OF MODERN DAY SLAVE LABOR BEHAVIOR. REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR, BACK IN THE 1960'S BEFORE HE WAS ASSASINATED, WAS IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, RALLYING FOR THE WORKERS FROM THE ASKME UNION RIGHT TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
SANITATION WORKERS FELT THAT IT WAS UNJUST TO NOT BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE THEIR WAGES AND BENEFITS. THE EMPLOYERS WAS TRYING TO TAKE THAT AWAY ON TOP OF THAT THE SANITATION WORKERS WERE NOT MAKING THE SAME PAY AS WHITE SANITATION WORKERS.
THATS WHY WE MUST BANNED TOGETHER AND FIGHT AGAINST THIS ISSUE BECAUSE THEY WILL START DOING THIS WITH NON UNION JOBS. WHAT STRIKE ME THE MOST IS THAT DEMOCRATIC LEADERS STEPHEN SWEENEY AND SHEILA OLIVER WAS AGAINST THIS UNJUST PROPOSAL NOW THEY SUPPORTS IT. SOMETIMES PEOPLE SELL OUT AND GO ALONG TO GET ALONG WHEN THERE IS SOMETHING IN IT FOR THEM.
I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate themselves. CHE GUEVARA
Friday, June 24, 2011
POLICE BRUTALITY A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM IN URBAN AREA
The way police in urban area USA, have been treating the community, you would think that we are back in the 1950 and 1960's but except rogue cops are imploring force without the German sheppard dogs as well as fire hoses. There is no “police accountability” In Philadelphia, Pa, and SEPTA bus driver shot dead by a Philadelphia police officer. (Eric Crawley)
Crawley had a gun, which he was licensed to carry, in a holster.
Lt. Raymond Evers, a police spokesman, said officers responding to the dispute warned Crawley not to pull his gun, but he removed it from his holster. Every time there is a confrontation with cops and African-Americans, in most cases, the cops respond to us with aggression. You cannot tell me that these cops do not need ethics and cultural training. They live or work in a diverse community. Crawley's mother told reporters Thursday evening in front of her son's house in the Cedar brook section, that he had not taken out his gun. What’s strange is,
Family members said they wanted to clarify what they described as a coerced statement that Crawley's 18-year-old sister, Danielle, had given police. They said she had indicated that he had his gun drawn.
"They told her, frightened her, that she would be exposed to DHS [Department of Human Services], which would take her child from her," said Darryle Crawley Sr., Eric Crawley's father.
"She would be stripped of her clothes if she didn't tell the truth, and placed in a cell and left there forever," he said police told Danielle Crawley. "And this child, being young and inexperienced, was frightened, and they coerced the whole interrogation”. This is why we must stand together in a community and speak up and speak out against this matter of police brutality. The justice system in many cases, have proven to be flawed and need correction.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
JUST BECAUSE YOU OPEN YOUR EYES THIS MORNING DONT MEAN YOU WOKE UP
AT WHAT POINT IN YOUR JOURNEY THROUGH YOUR COMMUNITY DO YOU HAVE A ROSA PARKS BREAKTHROUGH IN YOUR MENTALITY AND SPEAK UP IN OPPOSITION OF THE STATUS QUO?
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