My mother predicted this many years ago… and you know… she was right. She said in the 1970’s after the court ordered the integration of the school system in our county and small town in Tennessee, that within 40-50 years we would be back to the same old system…again. My mother when on to say, that it may not reappear the same way as it had before, but in the end, we will see … [Read more...] about What did I tell you!
Perspective
60 years later, reflections on Brown vs. Board of Education
By Marsha Rose Joyner "Life is not what one lived, but what one remembers and how one remembers in order to recount it." - Gabriel García Márquez I was born at the end of the Great Depression during Jim Crow and came of age in Baltimore during the civil rights movement. Throughout my childhood, everything was segregated, but as a little girl I didn't realize there was … [Read more...] about 60 years later, reflections on Brown vs. Board of Education
Integration is dead
Milwaukee Public Schools have reverted to segregation. The majority of black students in Milwaukee attend a school that is over 90 percent black. From this statistic many people are screaming racism is the culprit. Why are blacks so desperate to go to school with whites? Does it really matter that there are no whites in a school? Will white students make blacks read better? In … [Read more...] about Integration is dead
John Lewis to young leaders: Get in ‘necessary trouble’
Not every speaker tells a crowd of young leaders that their job is to get into trouble. But that’s part of the message iconic civil rights warrior and now Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) conveyed at this year’s week-long Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools®’ National Training that began June 1st for nearly 2,000 college age Freedom School servant leaders and site … [Read more...] about John Lewis to young leaders: Get in ‘necessary trouble’
The front lines
There continues to be a lot of talk about what to do about the senseless violence that continues to occur in every large city in America. Each day there is an act of violence that makes no sense at all. And nearly every week we hear the same conversations regardless of who is talking-- an elected official, community leader, business owner or local resident - - about stopping … [Read more...] about The front lines
The old same song
It has been said that one of the definitions of insanity is to keep doing the same thing but expect different results. There is outrage in the Milwaukee African American community because a young girl was shot. African Americans are looking for answers and a solution for the violence in their neighborhoods. African Americans have always had a penchant to look everywhere else … [Read more...] about The old same song
Our paralysis is tied to our hopelessness (Part 2)
Rahim Islam is a National Speaker and Writer, Convener of Philadelphia Community of Leaders, and President/CEO of Universal Companies, a community development and education management company headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. Follow Rahim Islam on FaceBook(Rahim Islam) & Twitter (@RahimIslamUC) Today, Blacks are being urged to forget about our history in this country … [Read more...] about Our paralysis is tied to our hopelessness (Part 2)
Freedom riders
Our American history is full of men and women of all races who have played a significant role in shaping what it means to be a true American and for civil rights. Some of them became quite noticeable for their efforts, while others worked in the background and became great supporters of the movements. At the time, what they did or the service provided was not history, but … [Read more...] about Freedom riders
Breaking the code of silence
“I found my voice long before I became a writer in community organizing. That’s where I found my voice, where I was able to take all that pain and transform it into something useful in the world, and I never looked back.” Michael Patrick MacDonald is a storyteller. Michael recently encouraged the crowd of young leaders at the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools’® National … [Read more...] about Breaking the code of silence
50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
By Ralph Hollmon President & CEO Milwaukee Urban League As we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, we must never forget the vision and courage of those who worked to ensure its passage and we know that some of them made the ultimate sacrifice. I also want to thank and commend James Santell and his colleagues in the U.S. Attorney’s office … [Read more...] about 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964