7.27.09
None of us African-American residents of Cambridge are surprised or shocked by the humiliation and harassment Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 58, of Harvard University encountered at the hands of Cambridge police....
7.20.09
Some of my favorite statements in Robert P. Moses’s new article “An earned Insurgency: Quality Education as a Constitutional Right”.
“The basic story of fundamental change in the United States is a story of alliances between the top and bottom…Much of this story is hidden… it was people in small domains who understood the energy that was needed and who made the moves necessary to put change into motion”
“The Preamble to the Constitution says, “We the people”: It’s we the people who ordain and establish the Constitution, and it’s we the people who actually live it.”
“Tests of intelligence, understanding or comprehension in Mississippi were unconstitutional because black citizens had not been afforded an educational opportunity equal to that afforded white citizens.”
“The white race deems itself to be the dominant race in this country… but in the view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant ruling class of citizens…Our Constitution is color-blind. …In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law…”
“Education is a basic American value, and it was fundamentally unfair to deny people access to education and to use their lack of education to deny them political access.”
“Unless our youth can actually demonstrate that they are part of the solution, hammering away at the door or in the streets isn’t going to create change.”
“Demanding educational rights requires courage in the face of terror.”
“Without educational equality there is no way to break the cycle we’re now in.”
Stephanie Baker- Y.P.P. Workshop Facilitator
7.17.09
Apathy is a consistent problem facing this country. People cannot see themselves in the wide scope of the greater good, and neither can they place themselves in relation to their community and their government. Today Y.P.P MLWs from the Greater Boston area worked in teams to confront this problem. Using examples from the Civil Rights Movement as a guide, they defined the terms social justice, citizenship, and civic engagement. The MLWs defined social justice as the fight for equality and fairness, and rights among people that apply to all regardless of any classifications (such as race or gender). Citizenship entails government protection of basic rights (regardless of race, beliefs, social standing, gender, etc), and places responsibilities on the citizen to be active. These responsibilities are carried out through civic engagement. They defined civic engagement as fulfilling responsibilities through striving to make society a better place though activities like volunteering in the community and voting. Below are some voices of Greater Boston MLWs on what being a citizen means to them and what type of change they want to see in their community and/or society.
Hector Acevedo
7.7.09
We are afraid of what we do not understand. As social beings we are always in search of something that will make us feel complete. Unfortunately, many choose to use alcohol or drugs in order to fill that emptiness and ignore their problems. In poor neighborhoods liquor stores out number schools, public parks and libraries, it seems that our inability to deal with our issues in a positive way may be our own self-destruction. I have been on a journey of “re-self-discovery”. Working with young people is hard work. You need to be ok with yourself in order to guide a young person in their path to personal growth. I have been amazed at how much I was truly missed during my absence. However, everything happens for a reason and my journey has put my life and my view of YPP in perspective. This organization has helped thousands of young people over the years. We are truly a family. YPP creates change through developing personal relationships with our MLW’s and CMLW’s. We care about each other and we invest time in young people. By creating personal bonds with young people we build a family. It is that sense of family that keeps me coming back to this organization. No matter how stressful this organization may be my love for young people and the people within it keeps me going. I’m back…
6.22.09
Yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of Fathers Day. I spent time thinking about what it means to be a father. I thought about the lessons a father must teach(and learn), I reflected on what the effects of fatherless homes have done to many of my close friends and general peers. Also, I took the time to appreciate the contributions my father gives my life and the wholeness that all active fathers create in the life of their children. I spent most of the day revisiting the life of Chris Adagbonyin, and agonizing over the fact that of all the things he lost when he lost his life, he lost the golden opportunity to be the great father he longed to be. Chris has a magnificently beautiful daughter named Tylen, whose pretty little faces radiates with his image like that of a mirror. In the midst of all of her innocence and preciousness, their is a void, left by the brutal murder of her dad. I love her as my own. I dream for her as my own. I will care for her as my own. But yet, I wish she still had her own and that Chris could have his. I know Chris would have continued to be an exemplary father to his daughter because it's what he set out to do everyday since her inception. Here's a salute to stand up guy and a standout dad. "Happy Fathers Day Big Bun".
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