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2 nd Annual Back To School With The HistoryMakers Friday, September 23, 2011

2 nd Annual Back To School With The HistoryMakers Friday, September 23, 2011. Who are The HistoryMakers ?.

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2 nd Annual Back To School With The HistoryMakers Friday, September 23, 2011

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  1. 2nd AnnualBack To School With The HistoryMakersFriday, September 23, 2011

  2. Who are The HistoryMakers? • The HistoryMakersare a national 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational institution committed to preserving and making widely accessible the untold personal stories of both well-known and unsung African Americans. • Through the media and a series of user friendly products, services and events, The HistoryMakers enlightens, entertains and educates the public, helping to refashion a more inclusive record of American history. 1

  3. What is a HistoryMaker? A HistoryMaker, African American by descent, is a person: • who has made significant accomplishments in his or her life; and/or • who is associated with a particular movement, organization, association, event or time that is important to the African American community. HistoryMaker categories include: ArtMakers, BusinessMakers, CivicMakers, EducationMakers, EntertainmentMakers, LawMakers, MediaMakers, MedicalMakers, MilitaryMakers,MusicMakers, PoliticalMakers, ReligionMakers, ScienceMakers, SportsMakers, and StyleMakers. 2

  4. The HistoryMakers Vision Statement • To capture America’s history one person at a time. • To create a priceless video collection and give those involved their special place in history. • To educate the world about the struggles, determination and achievements of the African American experience. 3

  5. What Is Back To School With The HistoryMakers? • What: A National Effort to bring african American leaders into the nation’s schools to: • Tell their stories. • Inspire and motivate today’s youth. • When: Friday, September 23, 2011 • Where:Hundreds of schools across the United States. The HistoryMakers United States Schools Inspired Students 4

  6. Statement of Need • Many of our nation’s youth are forced to succumb to school districts that fail to address the systemic issues of student underachievement, delinquency, low self esteem and apathy in schools. • HistoryMakers’ stories can help provide a lens into the oftentimes forgotten past and motivate our nation’s youth. • The individual stories of our HistoryMakers will put a face on the histories of each school and provide role models for students, teachers and administrators. 5

  7. Agenda and Goals The goal of our 2nd AnnualBack To School With The HistoryMakers program is to put our HistoryMakers in direct contact with young people all across the nation and to: • Encourage commitment to student achievement, parental involvement, increased test scores, high school graduation, and successful college entry and matriculation. • Respond to the Obama Administration’s call for service in a real and meaningful way; • Bring African American leaders into schools to see things firsthand and speak to and hopefully motivate students directly; • Bring additional resources into the public school systems such as The HistoryMakers digital archive (www.idvl.org/thehistorymakers/#) of oral history interviews; and • Raise awareness of the achievements of accomplished African Americans in their local communities. 6

  8. 2011 Participating HistoryMakers So far, 160 HistoryMakershave agreed to participate this year, and more are signing up each day. We have approximately 1,700 living HistoryMakers across the country and hope to grow this program significantly in 2011. Confirmed HistoryMakers include: Melba Moore Nikki Giovanni Marla Gibbs Ambassador Carol Mosely-Braun T’Keyah Crystal Keymáh 7

  9. Fact #1:Segregated Yesterday, Segregated Today Many schools have remained segregated after the landmark Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) that stated “separate is not equal.” Reginald Weaver, Former President of the NEA at Kenmoor Middle School in Landover, MD for Back To School With The HistoryMakers 2010 8

  10. CASE A:Dunbar High School in Washington, District of Columbia • Established in 1870, Dunbar was D.C.’s first high school for black students. • Considered the best high school for blacks during the early 20th century; black parents moved to D.C. specifically for children to attend the school. • Remarkably high number of graduates who went on to higher education. • Following desegregation and demolition of the original faculty, the school’s prestige dropped considerably; student body is 97% black, 1% Latino, 1% Asian. • Currently, 58% of students are eligible for free lunch, 5% eligible for reduced lunch. Other Dunbar students: Mercer Cook (79), Paul Cooke (92), Adelaide Cromwell (90), Dr. Bette Catoe (84), Elizabeth Catlett (94), Gen. Elmer T. Brooks (77), Dr. Harold Freeman (77), Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. (88), Lilian Thomas Burwell (n/a) Original school building Dunbar today EntertainmentMaker George Faison, 65 attended Dunbar in the 60s and is a well-known Broadway choreographer and dancer. PoliticalMaker Edward W. Brooke, III, 91 graduated from Dunbar at 16. He became the first African American to hold the office of Massachusetts Attorney General. 9

  11. Fact #2: Integration Closed Black Schools Many all-black schools closed after the Brown v. Board Supreme Court decision because school resources provided to white schools who were supposed to integrate black children into their districts. An All-White School 10

  12. CASE A:Phoenix Colored High School in Phoenix, Arizona • In 1909, the Arizona territory legalized segregation. • As black students attended the integrated Phoenix Union High School in increasing numbers, they were relegated to the “colored department” in the basement. • Phoenix Colored High School opened in 1926 for blacks only and was renamed George Washington Carver High School in 1943. • This school closed in 1954 as a result of integration. ArtMaker Charles Harrison, 79, is an industrial designer who worked on the team that developed the View-Master. 11

  13. Fact #3: School Violence Has Persisted Beyond the 1960’s From the race riots that shook up urban America in the late 1960s to today’s gang violence, racial and other violence affects the public school system and its students. • Violent Deaths at School: From July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009, there were 38 school-associated violent deaths in elementary and secondary schools in the United States. Of the 38 student, staff, and nonstudent school-associated violent deaths occurring between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009, 24 were homicides and 14 were suicides.SOURCE:  U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2010). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010 (NCES 2011-002). 12

  14. CASE A:Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois • The school opened in 1911 and initially served mostly whites; however, as demographics shifted during the post-World War II years, a larger black population moved in, creating tensions in the area. • In the 1960s, Proviso East was caught up in the racial turmoil of that day. • In Sept. 1967, a large fight lasting three days broke out when five white girls were selected as finalists for Homecoming Queen; the NAACP urged a boycott of the schools. • A fight in March 1968 involving 300 students caused the school to close until the students involved signed a nonviolence pledge. • By the 1980s, Proviso East became predominantly African American. Business and CivicMaker Sheila C. Johnson graduated from Proviso East in 1966. Johnson co-founded Black Entertainment Television (BET) in 1980. Other Proviso students: Judge Shelvin Louise Hall (60), Kimberly Lightford (41) 13

  15. Fact #4: Integration Has Struggled to Last In some cases, integration occurred peacefully and somewhat willingly. Many schools tried to integrate, but integration efforts declined drastically after a decade. Students at Rosa Parks Elementary School in Dayton, Ohio, where EducationMaker, MedicalMaker, and MilitaryMaker Alyce Jenkins spoke for Back To School 2010 14

  16. CASE A: Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn, New York • Tilden was one of five high schools built from one set of blueprints during the Great Depression. • In 1962, 97.9% of the students were non-black and non-Puerto Rican (called “others” by the Board of Education). • By 1971, 63.4% of students were “others.” • At rezoning hearings in 1972, white parents feared that if whites became the minority in the school that white families would flee the neighborhood making another segregated school and neighborhood the result. • Specialized honors programs were instituted to attract students from all over the city and maintain the racial balance that white parents sought. CivicMaker Rev. Al Sharpton, 55, attended Tilden in the late 1960s. He is internationally known as a minister, civil rights activist and radio talk show host. He was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election in 2004. 15

  17. CASE B:Lockland High School in Cincinnati, Ohio • Lockland was an all-black school in the early 20th century. • By the 1980s, the school was majority white as a result of integration efforts, making it one of the few black schools that drew whites to their school during the push for integration. ArtMaker, Nikki Giovanni , attended Lockland for the 1957-1958 school year. 16

  18. CASE C:Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington • Established in 1920, the school was noted for its Jewish, Japanese and Italian populations. • After World War II, the neighborhood became predominantly African American and by 1961, 51% of Garfield students were black, compared to only 5.3% of the general Seattle school district population. • In the late 1960s and 1970s, Garfield was at the center of the school district's attempts to avoid forced busing through various plans, including becoming a "magnet" school, beginning its focus on music and science. EntertainmentMaker Quincy Jones, 77, attended Garfield in the late 1940s. 17

  19. Finding A Solution • The education and social transformation that started in the 1960’s has faded. As a result students and children today suffer. • It is our call to show the next generation of leaders that there is a history of RiskTakers; • Individuals inspired to be leaders, not followers. • Individuals inspired to embrace the opportunity to change the world around them. • HistoryMakers are and were RiskTakers. HistoryMakers have committed their lives to changing and improving the lives of others no matter what obstacles lay in their way. 18

  20. Inspiring RiskMakers • By sharing the stories of HistoryMakers, we can inspire students to become RiskTakers. • On Friday September 23, 2011 we will put a face, a smile, a story, and a challenge to students, calling on them; • To work hard, • To achieve, • To take a RISK and to COMMIT to their future. 19

  21. Will You ? Rev. C.T. Vivian revisits his alma materEdison Elementary School in Macomb, Illinois Rev. Fred Shuttlesworthrevisits John Herbert Phillips Academy in Birmingham, Alabama where he was beaten by police in 1957 while attempting to enroll his daughters in school. 20

  22. Contact The HistoryMakers To participate in the 2nd Annual Back To School With The HistoryMakers ,contact The HistoryMakers to: • host a HistoryMaker at your school • help us recruit schools in your community • provide media or press coverage or • volunteer on the day of the event Phone: 312-674-1900 Fax: 312-674-1915 Regular Mail: 1900 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60616 21

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