Temple Price, Wellesley College, Class of 2013

First thing’s first: my heart and prayers go out to Haiti, and I’m betting yours do too. If you wanna send your dollars as well, be careful—you know there are some evil opportunists who will try to parlay your goodwill into theft or identity fraud. These sites: www.clintonbushhaitifund.org, http://www.redcross.org/, look good, but I honestly can’t tell if these links are legit, and I haven’t entered any card information yet, instead choosing to give cash to a local church.  Check ‘em out!

Switching gears now…

The holidays always make me think of: movies! My family loves to go to the cinema en masse. I got a load of (James Cameron’s) Avatar in December with my mom, my cousin, and a couple of aunts. We all loved it, but Aunt F noted, “Why do they need the White guy to come in and save them?”

Aunt F isn’t the only one that noticed what some call the “white Messiah“paradigm.

http://news.discovery.com/human/avatar-racism-james-cameron.html

The racial themes in Avatar are layered on thick – and I like it that way. From the moment that I noticed that all of the leading blue faces concealed brown faces, the movie’s message became crystal clear, and who can frown at a film with substance?

Another surprisingly controversial movie was The Princess and the Frog. Poor princess Tiana had to endure a firestorm after she finally made it to the big screen (I remember catching whiffs about a Black princess years ago). The film seems to present a different problem to every other person that watches it.

 http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/the-princess-and-the-frog-controversy-or-innocence.php

Like Avatar, the film was concocted by older White gentlemen – Ron Clements and John Musker. With some of the best Black actors in the biz, they struck box office oil.

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=princessandthefrog.htm

My friends and I would have liked to see a Black prince, though.

I suppose race matters don’t always have to be wrested from movie context. If I’ve seen a movie “about” race recently, it would be Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire. I mean, if you’ve seen the movie you know it’s about a whole lot of things besides color, but the theme plays out in more than a few ways in the movie.  Wesley Morris, writing for the Boston Globe, made an interesting observation about light vs. dark-skinned characters in the film.

http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/11/20/precious_bluntly_goes_to_a_place_rarely_seen____the_life_of_a_young_black_girl/?page=2

Thinking about Precious brings me to my final thought. I’ve asked myself, with so many ugly things going on in the world, like domestic abuse, earthquakes, and the depletion of natural resources, are the nuances of a movie relevant?

I’d say yeah. Our art and our stories represent ourselves. Movies and the rich reactions to them are a peep into American consciousness about all sorts of subjects.  What we find may not be pretty, but oftentimes, it’s real.

Here are a few sites that receive online donations for Haiti:

The American Red Cross
http://american.redcross.org/ 

UNICEF Haiti Earthquake Fund
http://www.unicefusa.org

Save The Children Haiti Earthquake Children in Emergency Fund
http://www.savethechildren.org

International Medical Corps, Earthquake in Haiti Fund
http://www.imcworldwide.org

Partners In Health Haiti Earthquake Fund
http://www.pih.org

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund 

http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org/

Doctors Without Borders
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Oxfam Haiti Earthquake Response Fund
http://www.oxfamamerica.org

UN World Food Programme Help Haiti Now
http://www.wfp.org

The Haitian Health Foundation
http://www.haitianhealthfoundation.org

United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund
http://ochaonlineun.org

Association of Haitian Women in Boston
http://www.afab-kafanm.org
330 Fuller Street Dorchester, MA, 02124

Catholic Charities of Boston Haiti Earthquake Relief
http://www.ccab.org

Yele Haiti
http://www.yele.org/
Yéle Haiti Earthquake Fund

*Purchase supplies for Haiti through NGOs:

https://store.causecast.org/huffingtonpost
  
An in-depth look at how you can help:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/kindness/post/2010/01/how-to-help-victims-of-the-haiti-earthquake/1?POE=click-refer

Let’s keep Haiti in our prayers and remember: Alone, we are weak. Together, we are strong.

Reynolds Graves, University of Massachusetts - Boston, Class of 2011

On December 10^th, I decided to take a break from reviewing for final exams and head across the street from the University of Massachusetts Boston campus to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. My mission was to attend another great forum.

In the past I've had the opportunity to meet people doing great things in politics and society at these forums, including but not limited to: presidential historian and bestselling author Doris Kearns Goodwin, Caroline Kennedy, Charlie Rose, Madeleine Albright.....the list goes on. I never attend these forums solely for the stardom, but also to learn quite a bit from the featured experts – it's really like a live op-ed column.

Past experiences have always steered me back, in addition to the fact that the events are free. On this day, I was especially interested in the topic, “Civil Rights: Then and Now.”The forum was to focus on the 100^th Anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and would feature the organizations “then”: current Chairman Julian Bond, and “now”: current CEO and President Benjamin Jealous. 

The “Who’s Who” of Boston’s Black community was in attendance, complete with VIP seating in the front. I took the student seat to the side, after shaking hands with familiar faces from the Governor’s office, City Hall and the Bay State Banner. The decibel level in auditorium, complete with a 20ft high ceiling was high, and we were all anticipating a concrete discussion about our people.

Perhaps it's ironic that Jealous and Bond showed up late to their own "party", but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt – I think it was snowing that night.

As the conversation began, moderated  by Patricia Sullivan, Professor of African American History the University of South Carolina and author of Lift Every Voice: The NAACP and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement , a wide range of topics were on the table.

What they said, and didn't say

Naturally, President Obama was a topic of discussion, followed by solid points on the future of the black family, and the astronomical incarceration rates of African Americans in the nations prison system.

 On that topic, Jealous mentioned that upon a recent visit to a prison, he found that the common characteristic of the prisoners was that "almost all were poor". My "boss" (really more of a mentor) Melvin Miller, Owner and Publisher of the Boston/Bay State Banner, noted in the paper's editorial column that the comments made by Mr. Jealous "suggest a broader strategy based upon the treatment of the poor rather than race". "While racial discrimination still persists in America, it is no longer the problem it was during the heyday of the NAACP. The greatest challenges now are to enable African Americans to understand the importance of building wealth and political power", concluded Miller.                                                       

I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Miller's statement, and in addition to the issue of disproportionate incarceration levels, I feel that African Americans are at the risk of becoming a race surrounded in our own debt. As students, many of us will be graduating soon and will walk across the stage to greet the Dean of their college and receive a degree, only to walk off the stage and greet the next challenge life throws our way-student loan payments. That, coupled with the number of minorities on public assistance, is the prescription for not just a generation in debt, but the majority of an ethnic group in financial debt as we suffer to establish our own wealth.

 What I do not agree with was the lack of either Mr. Jealous or Mr. Bond to focus on education during the forum. By now we all recognize that graduate and professional degrees are vital tools to establishing oneself in a career. In today's job market, a Bachelor's degree is barely making the cut, needless to say the uphill battle for those with High School or General Equivalency Diploma's (GED).

The Future of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States

Decades ago, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU's) recognized the educational disparity in this country amongst African Americans and to this day make it their mission to graduate the eager young minds that attend these schools. Throughout their history, HBCU's have gained national and international attention as intuitions for higher learning where African American's can go and become leaders in the world and reach new heights using the tools of a formal education - as opposed to a microphone, snare drum, dance move, or one's athletic ability.

 The problem that I see today is how HBCU's are educating their students in the 21st century. I witnessed many of these problems first hand during my first two years of college at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia and later raised them in a question to Mr. Bond and Mr. Jealous at the JFK Library forum once Professor Sullivan opened the discussion to questions from the audience.

 As I approached the microphone, I offered up something that went something like this:

"Good evening Mr. Bond and Mr. Jealous, my name is Reynolds Graves and I am a 21 year old Junior at the University of Massachusetts Boston. I would like to thank you both for taking time out of your schedule to participate in this forum.

 I rise to inquire about the NAACP's educational initiatives, specifically for higher education, and to be even more specific - HBCU's. In the fall of 2008 I transferred from Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia for a few reasons, but mainly - and most importantly- because I was disappointed with the lack of academic caliber I witnessed in Hampton's curriculum and instruction.

Among the students, there is an obvious lack of intellectual stimulation, or ambition applied to academics. Scholarships are few and far between, and the endowment is far less than half of other private colleges or universities of comparable size. I never once studied under a professor who had published or working papers, field experience, or extensive research, and the curriculum seemed to lack courses that are vital for students within their specific academic programs.

 In addition, the Cornell West's, Michael Eric Dyson's, and Julian Bond's of the world teach at Princeton University, Georgetown University, and the University of Virginia. So once again, I ask: What are the NAACP's initiatives towards higher education, specifically HBCU's, in a concentrated effort to level the academic playing field with other colleges and universities in this country?"

Yes, I really said all of that. And yes, I meant every word. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated my time at Hampton University, and as I stated earlier Hampton and other HBCU's are geared towards giving African Americans all the benefits of a formal college education which will forever benefit our race and culture.

 However, Hampton and other HBCU's cannot be degree factories. One should not just be able to get a degree by showing up passing with a gentleman's or ladies C average. HBCU's most work to stimulate the academic ambition and prosperity of its students through the curriculum and instruction by professors on campus and visiting scholars.

Not a single HBCU has a syndicated publishing press (i.e. Harvard University Press, Yale University Press, University of Massachusetts Press, Cambridge University Press etc), that institutions and university's utilize to publish works by professors, visiting scholars, and students. The lack of academic composure and initiative within HBCU's is disappointing, especially when there is so much potential on each and every campus. I have met bright, creative and intelligent students on the campuses of Hampton, Morehouse, Howard, Fisk,etc, but the difference I see between them and black students at schools that are often referred to as PWI's (Predominately White Institutions) is the ability of their host institution of higher learning to support their academic ambition, endeavors and achievements.

Today's college students can dream about studying abroad in China and make it a reality the next day. They can willingly pursue biomedical research in India and gain the full support of professors, researches, and their host institution - and make it happen. They can travel to France for a semester and study the language and culture with similar ease as registering for next semesters courses. Visiting scholars from across the globe often visit for a semester. New medical discoveries originate in buildings just down the street from their residence hall that change the world - and that students assisted with. Similar opportunities are not available at the nation's HBCU's. As I began to notice this during my time at Hampton, I asked myself the question: why? While sitting in my dorm room I felt the obstacle was money, for which I have a descent argument. 

"Money ain't a thing", or is it?

The endowments of Hampton University ($256,990,000) with 4,500 undergraduates and Morehouse College ($128,900,000) with 2,933 undergraduates are trumped by comparable liberal arts institutions like Dartmouth ($3,000,000,000) with 4,196 students and Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut ($440,000,000) with 2,188 students. Whatever arguments one may prefer to make about the past: family legacy, location (north vs south), wealthy donors, etc. We as African-Americans, and especially the NAACP must look towards the future. 

We now live in a time where schools with larger endowments are able to offer full rides to outstanding students, of any color. A majority of these institutions are now attracting a significant amount of the applicant pool that apply to HBCU's. In reality: when students, parents and high school guidance counselors sit down to pick a school for Jr to attend that will cater to his desired major in Chemical Engineering, why go to Howard, Morehouse, Hampton, Fisk, Florida A&M etc when they don't offer a major of study that caters to his interests, no scholarship exists, and M.I.T. just offered a full ride? Sure, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) makes situations like this a large part of their aim in their attempt to fill the education void, but they cannot do it alone. This is why I called upon the NAACP to get on board.

Not only did Mr. Bond ignore me at the JFK Presidential Library forum by not offering any concrete examples, but the only comment he made on the matter went something like this: "I was just at Morehouse for four days last week, and I am a proud alum". "We are referring to full-time professors, Mr. Bond", interjected Professor Sullivan (thank you for "putting him in check"). As Bond walked off stage, he looked at the ground and gave me a handshake that had about the strength of a five year old. 

This prompted me to think: "Wow, do I apologize? Have I in some way offended this great civil rights leader?". "Don't worry about that, young blood, thats just the way he is", expressed a thirty-something brother who witnessed Mr.Bond's rude exchange of pleasantries. I took a deep breath and wiped the perspiration from my brow. He then complemented me on they way I addressed the panelists at the microphone by asking a concrete question which demanded a concrete answer, and further inquired about my feelings toward the education of what he called "the 21st Century black college student". 

Disclaimer: I am not saying, nor do I feel that HBCU's are irrelevant!

Obviously, otherwise I would not have attended one. Unfortunately, a woman in the crowd did get the wrong impression and approached me with a nasty attitude, saying: "As a Howard graduate, I am very disappointed by what you had to say this evening, and I don't know who you think you are young man, but HBCU's are not irrelevant, and they still serve a purpose" (she said waving her finger in my face). "Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!" I replied. "I was commenting on the academic caliber of these institutions, and relating it back to financial problems. I had some of the best times of my life at Hampton, and made a bunch of friends after not knowing a single soul on day one. Coming from a predominately white and affluent suburb of Detroit, culturally I benefited from breaking bread in the cafateria with African-Americas from Alabama, Compton, the Bronx, Seattle, Ft. Lauderdale, Maine, Virginia, and Dallas all at the same table. Don't come around and judge me because of your misunderstanding. The social aspect of my experience was exactly what I wanted, but it wasn't anywhere near what I demanded, academically. HBCU's graduate a lot of first generation college students - which is the best thing they could offer this country and the world. But I wanted more out of my college experience and I had to make a difficult decision. And yes, I am glad I did!"

Before walking away the woman (circa 50 years old - for sake of the argument) said: "peace, brother, peace". 

I really didn't mean to go off, but the fact is that I care about the future of HBCU's a great deal, and how African American college students are educated in the future so much that I felt the need to get out of my seat and address those in power - face to face- on the issue. I urge everyone reading this to write your members of Congress, President Obama and the NAACP urging them to revisit federal funding for HBCU's (Howard get's most of the cash - endowment = $490,600,000), but also the United Negro College Fund, and other scholarships and fellowships that are geared toward educating African-Americans. Properly educated individuals have the power and know-how to benefit their community, the United States, the world and ultimately the race.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? 

Since you asked: (tenured) Professor of Political Science and Economics at an HBCU (pick one), among other things. 

Rock and film producers Stinson visit the Bronner Brothers Hair Show, talk to Blacks in popular culture (Salt-N-Pepa, Nia Long, and Paul Mooney to name a few) and exposes the “creamy crack” (relaxer) for what it really is—a detrimental product for the hair.  As Rock’s journey unfolds, he examines why the Black community is on a quest for straight hair, which somehow became synonymous with beautiful and acceptable way back when.  This documentary shows the significance of straight hair in the Black community and how it relates to Black identity.  Really a must-see. Plus, Rock is hilarious! That’s enough reason to go see it alone.

The average tuition and living expenses for someone in grad school is about $31,000/yr. The average debt of a full-time master's degree student is $32,500. So how do students get it paid for? What are their options?

1.Loans

• Stafford Loan
• Federal Perkins Loan
• Graduate Plus Loan(you can borrow up to your FULL TUITION amount each year)

For those of us who dread loans...there are other options.

2.Other Options

• Grants
• Scholarships
• Fellowships
• Teaching Assistantships
• Research Assistantships

Plan as early as possible if you are looking to be awarded a scholarship, fellowship or assistantship. Contact academic departments and find out what is available and what is their award criteria.

For some of you this may cause some heart palpitations or severe headaches, but know what options are out there before you become a nervous wreck. Make sure your degree is worth you being in debt for a long while. Be confident and be prepared!

Happy Applying!!!

1. www.fabulousfinancials.com

“A 30-something single mom with a long term goal is to achieve a $1M+ net worth and live the Fabulous Life.”

2. www.budgetsaresexy.com

“it really wasn't until we purchased our first home that I realized I needed to get my finances in order. It was time to pay attention!”

3. www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com

“I Will Teach You To Be Rich is a community focused on personal finance and entrepreneurship for college students, recent college grads, and everyone else.”

4. www.bargaineering.com   

“a personal finance blog I started four years ago with the goal of educating both myself and others about the complicated topics in the personal finance world.”

5. www.freemoneyfinance.com

“This site is about one simple thing: growing your net worth.”

--Contributed by Yvette Philip, BBSN Founding Board Member - Treasurer

Now, you may be thinking, "What does this have to do with the Mayoral candidates"? If you have been paying attention to the race, you know that this is a hot issue with the four candidates. Incumbent Mayor Menino seems to be content with the prizes and awards the BPS system has garnered nationally, and seems to be enamored with Superintendant Carol Johnson's awards and qualifications. However, the 2053 students who did not graduate last year cannot be ignored. This is not to disqualify or dismiss any of the arguments Menino has made about the BPS improvements, but when the graduation rate has not made significant improvements with the same administration over 16 years, it is a sign for me that it wasn't a high priority. Maybe things didn't go right; I'm not saying Menino is solely responsible. I just feel that it is wrong for politicians to wait for election time to bring problems like this out into the forefront. At the same time, I think Flaherty and Yoon were equally in the wrong for not taking issue with education before running like they are now. As a public servant, it was their jobs to put all constituents first, and their own agenda second. After all, who voted for them and got them into office in the first place? Now, it may not have been politically sound to do this, but sometimes you have to take the hard road in order to fix something, and sometimes it's the choice between doing what's easy and doing what's right. Honestly, I believe that whoever is voted in, they will make great strides in fixing the broken system. It's just too bad that the series in the Boston Globe this summer about the state of Boston Public High School athletics really pushed this out into the open. The violence, lack of funding, lack of fields, and lack of opportunity was astounding to me. I am a Boston resident, but I was lucky enough to gain entrance into a private school. I just didn't know how lucky I was until I read that entire series. Regardless of who wins, I hope they truly take to heart the fight to which they are all pledging, and I hope see more graduates in the future of the system that has left so many without hope in their lives.

At the same time, I see a disturbing trend with the rhetoric of the candidates. They seem to be focusing on lifting the cap on Charter schools in the city, which would allow for more innovative schools that aren't as restricted by federal government requirements, thus allowing the teachers a freer curriculum. Students often do better in Charter schools and they have a higher graduation rate and a higher MCAS score on average. Now, I agree that there should be more Charter schools. I also think that there will still be students crying in frustration at the lottery because they didn't get into a charter school, and they now have to attend a public school. What happens to those kids? Are they forgotten in the system, doomed to attend a second rate school that lacks the opportunity and caring officials other schools have? Maybe, maybe not. Again, this isn't a shot at the current administration, because it's impossible to fix all the problems.  

My point is that, looking into the future, whoever wins this election has to come up with innovative solutions to this problem. 

--Contributed by Andrew Vincent, Harvard College, Class of 2013

Below are links to the series in the Boston Globe this summer.

http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/articles/2009/06/21/missed_opportunities/?comments=all

http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/articles/2009/06/22/competing_under_fire/?comments=all

http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/articles/2009/06/23/eligibility_a_high_hurdle/?comments=all

http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/articles/2009/06/24/ill_equipped_to_compete/?comments=all

http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/articles/2009/06/26/that_awful_empty_feeling/?comments=all

http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/articles/2009/06/25/coaches_in_the_crossfire/?comments=all

http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/articles/2009/06/27/boston_seeks_heroes_to_bolster_school_athletics/?comments=all

What do you think next steps can be in our reform for healthcare? I would love to hear your thoughts in the forum!

--Contributed by Alana Davis, BBSN Founding Board Member, Student Relations Chair