by Cieslafdn | Feb 5, 2015 | Rosenwald Grant Recipients
Pretty popular this week, we know!
Prolific author and poet Langston Hughes, recipient of the Rosenwald Grant, still continues to inspire through his literary works five decades after his death. This book comprised of his letters written during the Harlem Renaissance such as and the Civil Rights movement will be released next week, February 10th for the public to see the political, cultural, and personal thoughts of the great black thinker of the 20thCentury. He wrote authors Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, and his own father who is most known for opposing his career choices, just to name a few. Although it gives insight, it will also leave the reader with more questions about the mysterious writer. Here is a quote from the book of Langston Hughes talking about Julius Rosenwald:
There is little need to say how deeply we all feel the loss of Julius Rosenwald,
friend of America and of my people. Little children all over the South looked
at his picture that week and were sad to know that he had gone. May my present
tour, which his generosity helped to bring about, produce something worthy of
his name, for I must always remember him with personal as well as racial
gratitude.
To pre-order the book, go to www.amazon.com.
Photograph of Langston Hughes
Photo Source: www.google.com
To read an article by The New York Times with more details about the book click this link below!
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/04/books/selected-letters-of-langston-hughes.html?_r=0
Erica Marshall, Winter Intern
by Cieslafdn | Feb 1, 2015 | Rosenwald Fund, Social Justice Work
Civil Rights leader Congressman John Lewis has recently completed the second volume of his civil rights trilogy, March: Book Two. On Wednesday February 4th 2015, Busboys and Poets Brookland will be hosting a book talk with Lewis and Andrew Aydin. The graphic memoir is a collaboration between him, artist Nate Powell, and writer Andrew Aydin. In the second part of his journey through the civil rights movement, Lewis tells us about the challenges faced as a Freedom Rider, being beaten and locked up despite his nonviolent protests. Towards the end of this book he is elected leader of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and preparing to participate in the historic March on Washington.
Featured in this documentary, John Lewis is a former Rosenwald School student. Julius Rosenwald’s philanthropic efforts greatly impacted his education and future as a young change agent during a trying time for blacks in America.
To get a seat at this event, register for free on the Busboys’ website. It also will be streamed online.
Erica Marshall, Winter Intern
by Cieslafdn | Feb 1, 2015 | Aviva Kempner
On Sunday February 8th at 1:00pm, notable filmmaker and founder of the Washington Jewish Film Festival will speak alongside authors Menachem Rosensaft and Michael Brenner. They will have a discussion about the book God, Faith and Identity from the Ashes, an anthology of testaments from 88 children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors by written by Rosensaft. This year marks 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Panelists will talk about the legacy’s impact on their personal lives.
The Book Talk will take place at the Politics and Prose Bookstore (5015 Connecticut Ave N.W., Washington DC).
Erica Marshall, Winter Intern
by Cieslafdn | Jan 23, 2015 | Rosenwald Screenings
On January 16, Director Aviva Kempner visited Surburban hospital center Oasis, an educational program geared to senior citizens, to showcase the work in progress of her latest film “The Rosenwald Schools.” The room was filled with smiles and excitement as members, volunteers, and staff paraded into the venue.
by Cieslafdn | Jan 22, 2015 | Social Justice Work
Currently over half of public school students in the US are living at or below the poverty line. This leaves the vast majority of those children at a disadvantage in school because academic success is the least of their worries. The Washington Post informs us that “Of the 27 states with highest percentages of student poverty, all but five spent less than the national average of $10,938 per student.” With programs like Head Start on the chopping block, one understands why the gap of academic achievement increases as the school-to-prison pipeline lives on.
Continuing to expect children who live in poverty to perform just as well as privileged children seems to have become counterproductive. While increasing the amount of funds allocated to public schools would be helpful, what would be even more helpful is establishing programs that give disadvantaged children an extra push to level out the educational “playing field”. Training teachers to be able to access the needs of each student is imperative. Additionally, after school programs, learning tools that can be taken home, clean clothes, and toiletries for each child who goes without would help them to feel normal if only during the school day.
Making a point to become aware of the lack of resources within impoverished communities of color, Julius Rosenwald would more than likely have given a sufficient amount of funds to each school. This individualistic approach would allow each school form a unique plan tailored to the needs of their students, unlike No Child Left Behind that ultimately does not help to narrow the achievement gap. The Rosenwald Fund encourages independence and self-reliance while financially assisting each person/program, which are what educational systems in the US desperately need to help disadvantaged students flourish.
To read the Washington Post article, click here.
Erica Marshall, Winter Intern
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