No Underachievers Anywhere
On Saturday, April 29, I delivered a keynote for the Mount Olivet Baptist Church's Scholarship Ministry Luncheon, Peekskill, N.Y. (my hometown, and where it turned out that my paternal grandfather and grandmother were Deacon and Deaconess). I was deeply moved when I was surprised to receive, on behalf of my mother, Euraline Shumate Cooper, a posthumous award "...for her tireless dediction as an Educator."
During the luncheon keynote, I cited the important role that Birmingham, Alabama, has played in the nation's civil rights movement. I spoke about the New York Times columnist Bob Herbert's shout out for a "New Civil Rights Movement: Healing black America, from within," and attempted to contextualize Herbert's plea to his readers in the collaborations that Birmingham City Schools and the University of Alabama, Birmingham are leading with the NUA (see Dr. Jackson's e-mail below).
The comments during my speech were well received by the Mount Olivet Baptist Church audience, and especially poignant for me because of the recent passing of my mother, and then witnessing the shocking death (while she played at a fundraiser on Friday, April 28) of Helen Armstrong (violin virtuoso and activist for bringing music into the lives of inner-city schoolchildren), at the Greenwich, Connecticut, home of Robert (sculptor) and Ellen Perless (director, writer and poet). One can never know when we are to be called -- we live life and embrace hope for all:
"The final end of life lies not in politics and power, but the final end of life is concerned with the proper ordering of power to the end that it may enhance and not destroy human life. Only a fool hasn't learned in the twenty-first century that the political and financial order in which people live deeply affects the personal lives they lead" -- William Sloane Coffin.
Please receive these comments in the light of the work that you each lead, where we "think globally and act locally," in your social justice efforts to enable and empower all Americans -- especially those who are most in need of a helping hand. Herbert writes: "I believe that nothing short of a new movement, comparable in scope and dedication to that of the civil rights era, is required to bring about the changes in values and behavior needed to halt the self-destruction that is consuming so many black lives. The crucial question is whether the leadership exists to mount such an effort." Herbert goes on to write, "...Despite the sometimes valiant efforts of individuals and organizations across the country, we are not meeting that obligation now. And that's because there's a vacuum where our leadership should be."
We believe that in communities from Providence, Rhode Island, to Seattle, Washington, a new movement is emerging. Among others, it is led by organizations such as the National Council on Educating Black Children, and school systems in partnership with faith-based institutions and social justice organizations. After all, the American civil rights movement was led by a faith-based citizens movement, with "one one foot in the scripture and one foot in the constitution" (MLK). A new coalition of educators, faith-based and business leaders, and elected officials is taking hold in our nation.
Eric J. Cooper (see below)
To: NUA Directors
From: Yvette Jackson, Executive Director
At the winter retreat in Austin, we spent time framing NUA. As we know defining NUA is not only derived from our perspective, but must also be based on the perceptions of the teachers and administrators we collaborate: the community (UJIMA) -- a partnership. As I travel to all of the districts for end-of-the-year celebrations, we are collecting quotable quotes to get educator input of their perceptions of the NUA.
The first stop on my tour was Birmingham City Schools (BCS), which, because of its deep challenges, has become a true test of our ability to reach teachers who have felt demoralized about their students' lack of learning over the course of their short or long careers. The quotes we have received from them have motivated us to rethink how we describe the soul of our mission. One teacher quote was:
" After the experience this school year, NUA may stand for the National Urban Alliance, but for us it is more aptly stated as:
No
Underachievers
Anywhere"
There are many other quotes that are extremely moving which Mamie will share with you at NUA's Management meeting. We all were moved by the tears of joy shed by teachers (joined also by many tears shed by NUA consultants) who celebrated and demonstrated the growth of their students this past Saturday.
These BCS quotes have surfaced a couple of terms that imply the systemic reform initiative we partner with BCS and UAB -- they are: enhancement, enrichment, affirmation, and inspiration.
Two BCS teacher-led elaborations from Saturday's celebration are:
"NUA is a vehicle for teachers to remember, to enhance, and to have affirmed our Will to inspire our students to learn."
"NUA rekindles for us the reason, confidence, and competence we came into teaching to realize."
During the luncheon keynote, I cited the important role that Birmingham, Alabama, has played in the nation's civil rights movement. I spoke about the New York Times columnist Bob Herbert's shout out for a "New Civil Rights Movement: Healing black America, from within," and attempted to contextualize Herbert's plea to his readers in the collaborations that Birmingham City Schools and the University of Alabama, Birmingham are leading with the NUA (see Dr. Jackson's e-mail below).
The comments during my speech were well received by the Mount Olivet Baptist Church audience, and especially poignant for me because of the recent passing of my mother, and then witnessing the shocking death (while she played at a fundraiser on Friday, April 28) of Helen Armstrong (violin virtuoso and activist for bringing music into the lives of inner-city schoolchildren), at the Greenwich, Connecticut, home of Robert (sculptor) and Ellen Perless (director, writer and poet). One can never know when we are to be called -- we live life and embrace hope for all:
"The final end of life lies not in politics and power, but the final end of life is concerned with the proper ordering of power to the end that it may enhance and not destroy human life. Only a fool hasn't learned in the twenty-first century that the political and financial order in which people live deeply affects the personal lives they lead" -- William Sloane Coffin.
Please receive these comments in the light of the work that you each lead, where we "think globally and act locally," in your social justice efforts to enable and empower all Americans -- especially those who are most in need of a helping hand. Herbert writes: "I believe that nothing short of a new movement, comparable in scope and dedication to that of the civil rights era, is required to bring about the changes in values and behavior needed to halt the self-destruction that is consuming so many black lives. The crucial question is whether the leadership exists to mount such an effort." Herbert goes on to write, "...Despite the sometimes valiant efforts of individuals and organizations across the country, we are not meeting that obligation now. And that's because there's a vacuum where our leadership should be."
We believe that in communities from Providence, Rhode Island, to Seattle, Washington, a new movement is emerging. Among others, it is led by organizations such as the National Council on Educating Black Children, and school systems in partnership with faith-based institutions and social justice organizations. After all, the American civil rights movement was led by a faith-based citizens movement, with "one one foot in the scripture and one foot in the constitution" (MLK). A new coalition of educators, faith-based and business leaders, and elected officials is taking hold in our nation.
Eric J. Cooper (see below)
To: NUA Directors
From: Yvette Jackson, Executive Director
At the winter retreat in Austin, we spent time framing NUA. As we know defining NUA is not only derived from our perspective, but must also be based on the perceptions of the teachers and administrators we collaborate: the community (UJIMA) -- a partnership. As I travel to all of the districts for end-of-the-year celebrations, we are collecting quotable quotes to get educator input of their perceptions of the NUA.
The first stop on my tour was Birmingham City Schools (BCS), which, because of its deep challenges, has become a true test of our ability to reach teachers who have felt demoralized about their students' lack of learning over the course of their short or long careers. The quotes we have received from them have motivated us to rethink how we describe the soul of our mission. One teacher quote was:
" After the experience this school year, NUA may stand for the National Urban Alliance, but for us it is more aptly stated as:
No
Underachievers
Anywhere"
There are many other quotes that are extremely moving which Mamie will share with you at NUA's Management meeting. We all were moved by the tears of joy shed by teachers (joined also by many tears shed by NUA consultants) who celebrated and demonstrated the growth of their students this past Saturday.
These BCS quotes have surfaced a couple of terms that imply the systemic reform initiative we partner with BCS and UAB -- they are: enhancement, enrichment, affirmation, and inspiration.
Two BCS teacher-led elaborations from Saturday's celebration are:
"NUA is a vehicle for teachers to remember, to enhance, and to have affirmed our Will to inspire our students to learn."
"NUA rekindles for us the reason, confidence, and competence we came into teaching to realize."
posted by Eric J. Cooper at 3:02 AM
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