Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Dec. 24, 1996, edition 1 / Page 2
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2A NEWS/The Charlotte Post Tuesday, December 24,1996 MELODYE MICERE STEWART In the spirit of Ma’at Black English controversial school subject It’s more than just a holiday Kwanzaa teaches principles we can all benefit from K wanzaa. It’s not just another holi day. The princi ples of Kwanzaa - Unity, Self Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Ffdth - represent the foun dation upon which this unique, Afncan American holiday was created. The vision and insight of Dr. Maulana Karenga gave birth to Kwanzaa in 1966; today, an estimated 18 million people of African descent will observe the Kwanzaa season. Beyond the pubUc and private celebrations of Kwanzaa, African Americans need to qui etly and seriously reflect upon the Nguzo Saba - The Seven Principles of Blackness - and commit to practicing them on a daily basis. The principles were designed to elicit our conscious actions as a race of people toward self empowerment. How can we learn and incor porate the Nguzo Saba into our collective lives? Ask yourself (and your family): 1. What can I do to build bridges of Umoja/Unity in this community? 2. How can I challenge myself towards Kujichagulia/Self- Determination? Do I need to acquire new skills, read more an^or set new career goals? 3. Am I practicing Ujima/Collective Work and Respwnsibility in my family and community life? Am I able to make a larger contribution in this area? 4. Am I thinking about the politics of Ujamaa/Cooperative Economics with this purchase? How can I be a more critical consumer of goods and services? 5. How can I tap into the Kuumba/Creativity of my histo ry and culture to empower myself, my family and my com munity? 6. Have I identified my higher Nia/Purpose in life? Considering the state of black America, clearly we all have a purpjose toward improving our collective lot. ■ 7. Am I living by Imani/Faith? Faith is the bediwk of risk-tak ing; faith-inspired risk-taking may very well lead our people into a more prosp)erous future. Kwanzaa. It’s not just another a holiday. According to Dr. Karenga, “Kwanzaa is a time for (AfncEm American) p)eople to come together to reaffirm bonds, to be rooted in our cul ture and return to our history.” We must read and learn our history and theip teach it our children. Over the holiday, pur chase Lerone Bennett’s “Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America.” Every black home should have one. Why? African American history is filled with important examples of critical thinking skills, prob lem-solving deeds and ancestral lessons. Our historical thread of struggle is also woven with extraordinary acts of bravery, vision and courage. Celebrate Kwanzaa in 1996. Practice the Nguzo Saba in 1997. As descendants of the people who started civilization, it is truly time for us to rise again. Continued from page 1A ing it’s different and not that it has to be abandoned but that something has to be learned,” said Peter Haberfeld of the Oakland teachers’ union, which supports the change. “It’s build ing on kids’ strengths.” The Oakland School Board voted last week to officially rec ognize Black English, also known as Ebonics - a term com bining “ebony” and “phonics.” How the new policy will be implemented hasn’t been worked out, but possibilities include placing Black English- speaking students in classes that will help them learn stan dard Enghsh. It also creates a program to train teachers to understand Black English. The American Speech, Language and Hearing Association has classified Black En^ish as a social dialect with its own lexicon and syntax. For instance, if a student says “He done did it” for “He has done it,” teachers would trans late the phrase to standard English, rather than just cor recting the student. English words in Black English lose a “d” following a vowel, so “good” becomes “goo,” and the final “th” is sometimes replaced with “f,” so “with” becomes “wif.” Speakers also can use double or even triple negatives, such as “I’m not going back there no more.” School board members insist their motivation is improving the performance of black stu dents, who make up 53 percent of the 52,000-student district and 71 percent of those enrolled in special education courses. The decision has provoked strong reactions from black leaders and others across the country. Poet Maya Angelou called the decision a mistake. “I’m incensed,” Angelou told The Wichita Eagle. “The very idea that Afiican American lan guage is a language separate and apart is very threatening, because it can encourage young men and women not to learn standard English.” In a statement issued in Chicago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, “While we are fighting in California trying to extend affir mative action and fighting to teach our children so they become more qualified for jobs, in Oakland some madness has erupted over making slang talk a second language. “You don’t have to go to school to learn to talk garbage....” Oakland officials seemed sur prised by the uproar. Board member Toni Cook said admin istrators released a statement Saturday, explaining the intent of the policy. “The Oakland Unified School district is not replacing the teaching of standard American English with any other lan guage. We are not teaching Ebonics,” the statement said. “What we are doing in Oakland is providing our teachers and parents with the tools to address the diverse languages our children bring into the class room." Some have questioned a para graph in the resolution referring to “Afidcan Language S3ratems” as being “genetically based and not a dialect of English.” Cook said the board used “genetical ly” to refer to historic and cul tural, not biological, factors. Black English already has been taught in a number o^ schools, including Ann Arbor,, Mich., where a suit by parents^ resulted in a court ordering teachers to help Black English- speakers learn standard English without making them, give up their mother tongue. Oakland appears to be the first district to make a system- wide change. Gary Marx, a spokesman fot- the National Association ojf School Administrators, expected, debate over the issue to spread. “School systems across the coimtry will be very interested in seeing how this program plays out — the techniques that are used and what works, what doesn’t work, what could be done better,” he said. Studies focus on black history Continued from page 1A Though Stewart has been doing the program, “Black History Workshop for Children” in Philadelphia for 10 years, this is her first program in the Charlotte school system. Over 500 young people have taken the workshop since it began, in her home, at community centers and at Temple University cam pus, Stewart said. Moore said the new study pro gram is an attempt to deal with recurring problems of under achievement and discipline among the African American students who attend Bruns, a year-round magnet school that immerses students in German. Most of the African American students come from the inner city neighborhoods surrounding the school off Tuckaseegee Road. “We set up the concept as a pilot program to determine the effect on students in terms of behavior and performance,” Moore said. “We are trying to make changes in the black- white gap in performance. My concern is to determine why we have a gap. “We looked at a number of reasons. We looked at expecta tions..'.how students were not Moore expected to perform. They don’t understand the history enough to imderstand that we do and we have per- formed. History has tricked us. We look at the slave mentali ty instead of looking at where our roots are.” Coupled with the stu dent seminar is training for parents, including workshops on what is expected of students and what's expected of them as parents. Parents are expected to be partners in the program. “We have a unique opportuni ty at Bruns,” Moore said. “It is a year round/German immersion school. We have had a German immersion parent group. Now we have an African American parent group, aU rmder the PTA umbrella.; , “The PTA is interested in all students getting exposure to the Afiican American history. If we get enough money, we will open the program to all students. Stereotyping comes from lack of knowledge. We have to do some thing differently.” The Bruns program was start ed as part of the school’s club system, which allowed all stu dents to participate in various interest groups. Students taking the afrocentric seminar are in the minority achievement group, a longstanding club at the school. Moore said Stewart’s work shops are based on the Kwanzaa principles. “We are trying to get students aware of the fact we do have values, longstanding beliefs,” Moore said. “They look at African American history from 10,000 BC...the contributions we made to society, from agri culture, to the p3rramids, inven tions, astronomy. “Most of the time black history is taught from the periphery,” Moore said. “We are trying to show how significant we are on this planet...where we are and where we are going.” While parents have been high ly favorable about the progreim, it’s too early for a full evaluation of the impact it may have. Moore said he’s determined to do something to help African American students. “I’m going to tear it down or fix it up,” he said. Cljarlotte ^osit Will Be Closed Dec. 25 & 26 For The Christmas Holidays We Will Re-open On Friday Dec. 27 3 New & Used Computers At Wholesale Prices!! BUY • SELL • TRADE Full Service Department - HOLIDAY SPECIAL - COMPAQ 486/SX33 - 4Meg RAM 270 Meg HDD - Keyboard, Mouse Sale Price $334.00 Compaq 14” SVGA Monitor Sale Price $199.00 3633 E. Independence Blvd • (704)567-6555 http://www.netcom.com/~Skyscott CRIME! HEYCHARLOTTB Crime is on the rise in the Queen City. Estimates are 1 in 3 in the metro area wili be a vitriim of crime, especiaity women. Prevention is the best defense. We have the latest in state-of-the-art Personai protection Products, i.e. Pepper Spray, Stun Guns, Home Alarms and moral Not cheap , imitations, and you won’t find thm in stores. Caii or write for your free minPcatalog to: Dquglas Global Industries, Inc. : 5413 Albemarle Rd., Suite J Charlotte, NC 28212 Phone# 536-2789 or Fax 531-2430 • Internet DINDUST0AOLCOM Mention you saw it in the Poet and receive 10% off ytxjr first orderi (An African-American owned & operated business.) Welfare benefits should stay: Activists Continued from page 1A McCrory said. acorn’s contention is that while Charlotte has low unemployment overall - 3.3 percent - it is two to four times higher in lower-income, predominantly black neigh borhoods near uptown. Using figures from the Charlotte- Mecklenburg Neighborhood Assessment, the First Ward community, for example, has an unemplo3rment rate of 23 percent. Without an extension of funds, families will be forced to fend for themselves, Phifer said. Unable to locate jobs that can provide self-sufficien cy, more people will go hungry and homeless. “Without a waiver, the state will be punishing people for not having a job when there aren’t any jobs for them,” she said. Even mayors can’t agree on the new rules’ impact. McCrory said. “I anticipate positive results in terms of people not being dependent of the govern ment,” he said. “But there’s a gen eral consen sus among mayors that the prognosis all theory. Some think it will help peo ple become less depen dent. Others don’t.” Phifer said the state doesn’t have to invest much to keep a safety net under Charlotte’s poorest citizens. “We are not talking about huge sums of money for each 1 person - just about $20 a ‘ week - but those $20 are many people’s only steady source of income,” she said. “Taking it away from 1,000 people in our city means a loss of $20,000 federal dollars spent on food for some of the lowest income people. “Without a waiver, the state will be choosing more hunger and more homelessness.” SINCE 1979 CROOm^S NURSERY & LA.Nr2SCARING, INC. TREES, SHRUBS & BEDDING PLANTS “QUALITY AT AFFORDABLE PRICES’ FREE ESTIMATES - TREES MOVED COMMERCIAL - RESIDENTIAL - INDUSTRIAL SHARON AMITY McCrory Air Force harassment continued from page 1A though it raises questions about whether he could continue to serve behind next April, when a command cheinge is scheduled. “Although personally likable, I believe he cannot recover enough to resolve these issues,” Eckert’s report said. A Nov. 18 report from the Air Force Social Actions branch at Charleston Air Force Base said that “strong indicators of sexual harassment are present.” That report was based on sur veys and interviews of all Air Force members assigned to the brig. “One Air Force female stated she was sexually harassed by a high-ranking Navy enlisted member in the presence of the Air Force senior enlisted (mem ber),” the report says. When confronted, the officer involved “retaliated by creating an intimidating environment.” The Air Force report also said there were indications that Navy guards used racial slurs against some of the prisoners, and that the prisoners refused to eat some of their meals as a result. Cmdr. Mike Brady, a Navy spokesman in Washington, con firmed that an investigation of the “command climate” in Charleston was ongoing. He refused to reveal further details. Our Holiday Gift To You... With purchase of lenses our ipi complete inventory of frames is now 50% off. 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