NNBy Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!

ICYMI

This was the invite to participate in a massive call in earlier this evening, which garnered over 1,000 callers: THE STATE OF BLACK STUDENTS IN AMERICA

NAACP Hosted State of Black Students in America Panel

Call to action: The State of Black Students in America

This Call-to-Action drew attention to the increased amount of hate crimes, institutionalized racism, and white supremacy facing Black students all across the nation.

"The State of Black Students in America will draw attention to the increased amount of hate crimes, institutionalized racism, and white supremacy facing Black students all across the nation. This program will highlight the need to address widespread inequity and anti-black racism and discrimination by strategically demanding institutional change.
This Call-to-Action is crucial to tackling larger systematic issues and serving as a catalyst to dismantle institutions that promote and engage in anti-Blackness including predominantly white institutions, historically Black colleges/universities, and high schools/middle schools that serve Black students. The NAACP Youth & College Division is dedicated to developing and training youth leaders to advocate against anti-Black institutions through coalition building, direct action, political education, and civic engagement.

Who’s Invited?

Middle school students, high school students, college students, university staff and faculty, alumni, parents, and community members.

Students leaders interested in institutional policy change and/or students who have successfully won institutional demands.

Black students who have experienced anti-blackness on their campus and have received a lack of support from administration."

About Our Moderator

Follow Tiffany on Instagram and Twitter: @Tiffanydloftin

Tiffany Dena Loftin is the National Director for the NAACP Youth and College Division. In this role, she serves more than 340 Youth Councils, High School Chapters, and College Chapters in good standing through leadership development training, campaign organizing, and legislative advocacy. Her mission is to recruit, train, and connect young Black leaders everywhere who care about racial, social, and economic justice to win local and national campaigns; like ending mass incarceration and ending gun violence, college affordability, fair elections and voting rights.

I grew up in the NAACP Youth Council in Oklahoma City, OK, as did several of my classmates. We were lead and guided by the great, enigmatic CLARA LUPER, who we affectionately called, Aunt Clara. We met once a week on Thursdays after school. We participated in Sit-Ins, Kneel Ins, Pray Ins and other demonstrations. We knew, from an early age, that we were just as responsible for the liberation of our people as the adults were. I value highly the NAACP and its efforts to bring equality and parity to Black people; and am happy to know that there is still a youth council.

About Our Panelists

Follow Delanie on Instagram: @_delanieee | Twitter: @delanieseals Delanie Seals is a senior a Byng High School. She has advocated for culturally sensitive dress code policies since her sophomore year. This year, Delanie and her friend, Is’Abella Miller, successfully challenged her school’s discriminatory dress code policies and won. Her achievements were recognized on social media, expanding her #MyCultureMySay and #HeadWrapsMatter movement. She’s worked with organizations such as ADL, ANWO, Save Your Vi, and the Oklahoma NAACP. Delanie wants to push for Oklahoma Legislation for students that is similar to the Crown Act.
I admit to a certain amount of bias - being from Oklahoma myself, I'm so proud of this homegirl from Oklahoma, who, following in the footsteps of our ancestors, took a stand against the racist interlopers who were trying to keep her from expressing who she is as a Black woman.

I posted an article on her valiant efforts last year on ECLECTICALLY BLACK NEWS:

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?tab=mj1&blogID=8661755859413500477#editor/target=post;postID=949805136915771409;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=10;src=postname

Follow Yoel on Instagram: @Yoel_yosief Yoel Haile is the Criminal Justice Program Manager with the ACLU of Northern California. In this capacity, he manages a statewide network of local organizations in 11 of the largest California counties to hold elected district attorneys accountable and advocate for criminal justice reform. As the Political Director of the Afrikan Black Coalition – a statewide Black youth organization – Yoel helped lead campaigns that resulted in the University of California divesting all of its nearly $30 million in holdings from private prison companies and recently terminating $475 million in contracts with Wells Fargo.

Follow Brea on Instagram: @FreckledWhileBlack Brea Baker is a skilled communications strategist, influencer engagement professional, activist/organizer, and social impact advisor who has a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University. Currently serving as Director of Programs at Inspire Justice, Brea connects influencers and industry leaders to activism in authentic, meaningful, and sustainable ways while also leveraging storytelling for social good. She has contributed to dozens of electoral and advocacy campaigns including the 2017 Women’s March (where she served as the youngest national organizer), the campaign to #FreeMeekMill, the 2018 student walkouts against gun violence, Jumaane Williams’ successful bid for NYC Public Advocate, and more.

Follow Zellie on Instagram and Twitter: @Zellieimani Zellie Imani is a community organizer and educator living in New Jersey. Zellie has served in diverse K-8 settings as an English/Math teacher and curriculum developer. Most recently, Zellie has been organizing against anti-black state violence with St Louis based Millennial Activists United, #NJShutItDown and the Black Liberation Collective. He’s been dedicated to shedding light on problems that are often kept in darkness, setting demands from the academic level to the highest level of government.

Follow Brandon on Instagram: @uhart_naacp Brandon Evans is a Senior Accounting major at the University of Hartford. He is the President of the NAACP chapter, President of the Black Law Student Association chapter, a Resident Assistant (RA). Brandon has worked to help continue the mission of the NAACP not just to ensure our rights, but also to sustain a comfortable and thriving experience for students of color on his college campus. After completing his undergraduate education, he plans on pursuing a Law degree, and through his knowledge and experience focusing on ways he can contribute to bettering his community.

The conversation centered around racism on predominantly white campuses, and efforts that have been made to get the various administrations to put a stop to it, to educate the white students about what Black students are going through, and to consolidate efforts on the part of other organizations to come together to put a stop to the victimization of Black students.

In many cases, Black students are 1 in 150 on the campus - with some colleges having as few as 345 Black students to 12,000 whites. As I mentioned earlier, I was a member of the NAACP Youth Council - and grew up in the Civil Rights Movement. I learned first hand that I didn't want to go to school with caucasian students - even though we fought for equal rights - I realized by the time I was 18, segregation was our best friend in Oklahoma. Not because we had separate but equal; but because we had separate but superior. As we look back on those days, we also realize integration basically disintegrated what we had built as Black people - our businesses, our standards and quality of living, our educational excellence.

That said, I also understand that if we don't push for equal rights, we are still on the losing end in this country. So I applaud the stance students are taking in trying to push for their rights. I guess my concern is that while we are trying to make the causasians do right by us, that we don't turn our back on, or neglect the viability of our HBCUs. There are none in California, Connecticut; New York has Medgar Evers, which is part of the CUNY system; Oklahoma has Langston University - but by and large there are very few HBCUs in the contiguous 48 states. Which means it's difficult for many students who live in those states to get to those out of states HBCUs, meaning they have to take advantage what's locally available. Unfortunately, along with that comes a great deal of racial hatred, antagonism, animosity, bias, on the part of the students, faculty and administration.

Not waiting for someone else to come in and intervene in their behalf, these and other students are beginning to do what the students of the Sixties did, stand together, and save themselves. The session centered around how to come together and support each other.

Another key question was about leadership among the males - how do they learn how to become leaders, how do they decide on which directions and strategies. The response was to hold seminars, workshops, etc. Admirable concepts, but I do remember the 60s where it was that plus having the Blackbone to take a stand when in a pinch, and not leaving your fellow warriors in the lurch. Hardwired in our DNA is courage - something the meanstream has been trying to beat and cheat us out of for centuries. We can sometimes get in a lull; become weary of the struggle - but somewhere down the line, we always manage to pick it back up and find our way.

These kids are only a few of many who are beginning to pick up the baton and move us forward. They need our support, unity, and contributions.

If you have ideas, concepts, concerns that you wish to share with these valiant students, either reach them through the NAACP or on their Instagram page.

Thank you for taking action with the NAACP.

Get involved

51st NAACP Image Awards Live on BET on Saturday, 2/22

51st NAACP Image Awards, Sat Feb 22, 8/7c only on BET

Winners for the 51st NAACP Image Awards will be revealed during the LIVE TV special airing on BET on Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 8pm/7c from Pasadena, California.

NOW THAT YOU KNOW

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Stay Blessed &

ECLECTICALLY BLACK

Gloria Dulan-Wilson

2.19.2020

ICYMI NAACP'S PHONE IN ON THE STATE OF BLACK STUDENTS IN AMERICA

This was the invite to participate in a massive call in earlier this evening, which garnered over 1,000 callers: THE STATE OF BLACK STUDENTS IN AMERICA

NAACP Hosted State of Black Students in America Panel

Who’s Invited?

About Our Moderator

About Our Panelists

No comments:

Post a Comment

Gloria Dulan-Wilson Blog