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 | 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
by Cieslafdn | Jan 17, 2015 | Social Justice Work
Art collector and community activist Peggy Cooper Cafritz has been described as “resilient and so voracious.” Five years ago, a fire destroyed her home, as well as her collection of contemporary African and African-American art. The collection contained works from the likes of Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley, Hank Willis Thomas, and Jacob Lawrence, who received a Rosenwald grant in 1940. The collection had over 300 works and was worth millions of dollars. Instead of dwelling on her tremendous loss, Peggy decided to continue collecting art that she loved. Her new condominium is saturated with artwork, so much so that it can be hard to find the furniture.
To find out more about Peggy Cooper Cafritz, click here.
by Cieslafdn | Jan 16, 2015 | Social Justice Work
Ironically on the same day of what would have be Dr. Martin Luther King’s 86th Birthday, Selma is ignored in most categories for Oscar nominations, only getting nominated in the Best Song and Best Picture categories. David Oyelowo is not recognized for his exceptional portrayal of Dr. King and all were surprised when Ava DuVernay did not become the first black woman to be nominated in the Best Director category.
David Oyelowo, photographed on the set of ‘Selma’
Photo Source: www.independent.co.uk
The 87-year old awards show is historically known for having very little diversity amongst the list of nominees as a result of who is allowed to vote. The 6,000 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are over 90 percent white and over 70 percent male. Most serve life terms, leaving little hope for a multicultural list of nominees in the future.
Despite AMPA votes, this film still stands as the most politically influential of the year, addressing concerns of whether the fight for racial equality is over or if there’s still much more work to be done. Debuting at a very necessary time with the current protests against police brutality, Oyelowo represents Dr. King very well and served as an inspiration for civil rights activists new and old.
For a list of all of the 2015 Oscar nominations go to: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/01/15/2015-oscar-nominations-complete-coverage/
Erica Marshall, Winter Intern
by Cieslafdn | Dec 23, 2014 | Social Justice Work
Selma is a dramatic film about a courageous chapter of the Civil Rights movement in Alabama when Rev. Martin Luther King led the march for voting rights. Starring Giovanni Ribisi, David Oyelowo, Tim Roth, Oprah Winfrey and Cuba Gooding Jr., Selma will open this week in a limited theatrical run. I got a chance to see an advance screening of this powerful and moving film last night and I highly recommend you see it when it plays at a theater near you. The film includes the brave story of Civil Rights icon John Lewis, played by Stephan James, who risked his life fighting for Civil Rights in Selma in 1965 to obtain our most basic voting rights for African Americans.
Rep. Lewis was interviewed and will appear in our upcoming film The Rosenwald Schools.
by Cieslafdn | Dec 22, 2014 | Social Justice Work
Rep. John Lewis of Georgia wrote about the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases in The Atlantic on Monday.
There is a growing discontent in this country. And if the fires of frustration and discontent continue to grow without redress, I fear for the future of this country. There will not be peace in America. I do not condone violence under any circumstance. It does not lead to lasting change. I do not condone either public rioting or state-sponsored terrorism. “True peace,” King would tell us, “is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”
Rep. John Lewis, who attended a Rosenwald School as a child, will appear in our upcoming documentary The Rosenwald Schools.
Rep. John Lewis during our 2013 interview with him
Photo credit: The Ciesla Foundation, September 2013
Charlene Drew Jarvis, the daughter of Rosenwald Fund fellow Dr. Charles Drew, also shared her insights on the troubling current events recently, in an address to the Metropolitan Chapter of the Links Inc. Here’s an excerpt of her speech, which was published in The Washington Post:
The narrative about race is changing. Witness the CBS national news just last night in which two young whites acknowledged that they never had to think about race as they went about their daily lives, but they understood that the African Americans on the panel think about race all-of-the-time. Their ability to empathize, to put themselves in the shoes of African Americans, is a very important part of better communication between the races.
Jarvis was also interviewed for The Rosenwald Schools on the Rosenwald Fund’s timely assistance of her father Dr. Drew’s graduate study and his later innovations in banked blood.
Charlene Drew Jarvis during our 2012 interview with her
Photo credit: The Ciesla Foundation, May 2012
Recent Comments