White Privilege And How it Can Be Used to Help the Black Community

In the wake of everything that is going in on the country right now, white privilege is at the helm of it. Everything from the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor to the calling of the police on members of the black community for simply bird watching, working out or going about their day-to-day business relate back to white privilege. Yes, we know all cops aren’t bad. Yes, we know all white people aren’t racist. But the thing we need white people to understand now more than ever is that whether they are racist or not, they have white privilege. Their skin tone does not warrant the level of fear for their lives that black people have had to deal with for far too long. Right now what we need is for white people to understand the white privilege, accept it, speak on it and use it to become allies to the black community so that change can be made. Now is not the time to be silent or mutual. Now is the time to take action and if you don’t know how to take action, learn, research, ask questions, etc. At this point it is not enough to simply not be racist, if you aren’t on the front line with the black community helping to make change and putting your white privilege to good use, you aren’t helping create change. If you question what white privilege has to do with all the recent events, look at Amy Cooper and how she deliberately lied on Christian Cooper when calling the cops and made sure to mention his race. Those actions could of led to the same thing that happened to George Floyd. In fact it did, back in the 50s with Emmett Till. This is the kind of harm white privilege does, especially if people like Amy Cooper are using it in the way they are and putting black people in even more danger than they are on the daily. Black people have been fighting for years, it’s time members of other communities join us. And for those that have, we see you and we thank you. But make sure to ask yourself how can I take it further than social media?

For those looking to learn more about white privilege and address the issue, check out girlupcampaign’s post on Instagram.

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The Benefits of Mentorship Programs For Students

Mentorship has been an important aspect for students for some time now because studies have shown that students that have been mentored are more likely to stay in school, go to college, volunteer and even want to make a difference themselves as they get older through mentorship. Mentors have also been a big help to parents because they are often able to get students to open up in ways that the parents may not be a successful with. This is due to the fact that mentors are often peers (older brothers/sisters) that the students can see themselves in because they were once in their shoes. The big thing to understand is that when it comes to mentors, they don’t necessarily have to just be tutors. Even if they aren’t tutoring your child, just the presence of a positive role model in their life can impact their achievements in school from a academic, social and social activities standpoint.

 
First let’s discuss the benefits of getting your child a mentor:

 
1. Enhances confidence
2. Challenges students to set higher goals/take risks
3. Psychosocial support
4. Students provided with useful advice on academics, professional responsibilities and day-to-day tasks
5. Stronger Interpersonal skills
6. Support system during difficult times
7. Exposure to diversity
8. Access to useful resources
9. Healthier relationships
10. Better lifestyle choices
11. Better attitude/improved behavior at school and home

 
Next let’s discuss the equally beneficial results for the mentor:

 
1. Leave a mark/legacy
2. Personal/professional growth
3. Coaching/leadership goals
4. Lasting/meaningful connections
5. Enhances self-esteem
6. Enhances patience

 
Now that we’ve discussed how influential both getting mentored and being a mentor can be, it’s important to discuss some mentor programs that are available because one out of every three young people who want mentors don’t get one.

 

Here are some resources you can look into if you are interested in getting your child a mentor:

 

1. For those looking to mentor/start a mentor program
2. The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR)
3. Communities In School
4. How to Design a School-Based Mentoring Program
5. Making a Difference with At-risk Students: The Benefits of a Mentoring Program in Middle School
6. How to Create a Successful Mentorship Program
7. National Mentoring Resource Center

 

Know of some other mentorship opportunities? Let us know below.

Why is Hair a Major Factor of Discrimination?

By now many people have heard about Kerion Washington, a teen who was rejected by for a job at a Six Flags in Texas due to his dreadlocks. Many people have also heard about the wrestler in New Jersey who was forced to cut his dreadlocks by the referee. There are many more instances of discrimination based on hairstyles in work, school, etc. for both men and women, but just these topics alone bring up a important discussion of why we are still be discriminated against for our choice of hairstyle in 2019.

Last week California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the CROWN Act officially making California the first state to ban discrimination in workplaces and schools based on hairstyles. While this is a good step towards insuring that people are protected against facing the same discrimination that Washington had to face; the fact that a law had to be passed in the first place is absurd. And what about African Americans in the other 49 states facing these same issues? But a law isn’t going to change judgement blacks feel of the pressure to conform.

One study shows that one in five black women feel pressured to straighten their hair even if the workplace didn’t require it. One choosing to straighten their hair is a something they should do because they want to not because they feel they’ll be more accepted or more likely to land a job. The thing is even if workplaces or schools can’t legally discriminate against someone because of their hair, it doesn’t mean that blacks will automatically feel safe, comfortable or without judgement because it’s been programmed in their brain from a young age whether it was from their own community or from encounters outside of the community.

That same study shows that white women typically viewed natural hair as less attractive and less professional than straight hair. It seems the damage has been done for many, but if the CROWN Act teaches us anything it’s that we must reverse the damage and push forward. There is no room to allow discrimination and how others feel about our hair to allow us to not feel worthy and feel the need to conform. We have to wear our hair the best way that we see fit for our individual selves whether that’s straight, natural, curly, or in between. We owe it to ourselves to be our truth selves because that’s when the magic happens.

If you’re in doubt of that just look at 17-year-old Washington, he refused to cut his dreads for Six Flags and now he’s being scouted by a top modeling agency.

 

The Importance Of Juneteenth

“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.” 

-The Beginning of General Granger’s General Order Number 3

 

Why is it that African Americans celebrate The Fourth of July but not Juneteenth? Is it because The Fourth of July is the more known holiday? Is it because we get time off from work to celebrate? Is it because of lack of history of what Juneteenth means for our culture? Or is it a combination of all of the above?

 
On Saturday June 15,  A Work of Faith Ministries hosted its first annual celebration of Juneteenth sponsored by The Forrest E. Powell Foundation at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston. The event was a success combined with music, food and most important of all: a discussion about the history that led us to Juneteenth and what we as a people must do to secure a better future for us and the next generation. The event included keynote speaker Baxter Swilley, presenter Fran Joy, presenter Hecky Powell and performers Tukkiman and Nyce Landry.

 
So what exactly is Juneteenth and why is this event so important? June 19, 1865 is known as the official day that slavery ended. On this day Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended in turn freeing the slaves. The news arrived a whole two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation meaning the slaves had actually been free all along, but didn’t know it.
So what caused the delay? There are several versions of why it took so long for Texas to become aware of the end of slavery. The first is that the messenger got murdered on his way to deliver the news. The second is that the information was withheld on purpose to keep work on the plantations. Another is that federal troops wanted to reap the benefit of the final cotton harvest.

 
“150,00 slaves were taken from Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana into Texas so that they could continue to have their slaves,” Juneteenth historian Baxter Swilley says.
Even with the end of slavery the now free slaves still faced some difficult tasks. For starters they had to decide whether to stay and work for their former masters for wages, try to locate their family members or look for more accommodating circumstances altogether. Not to mention the fact that many slave owners didn’t want to let their slaves go. When the legally freed slaves tried to leave many owners beat, lynched and murdered them for doing so.

 
Exactly a year later, the freed slaves got together to commemorate the celebration of their freedom in what we now know as Juneteenth.

 
“The people who were directly impacted by slavery were able to directly enjoy the fruits of the proclamation that came from General Granger,” Juneteenth historian Swilley says.
However, the celebrations didn’t come without problems. Segregation laws left them without a public place or a park to use for the celebration until the former slaves chipped in on $800 to purchase 10 acres of land, which would be known as “Emancipation Park”. “Emancipation Park” was the first public park and swimming pool available to African Americans until the 1950s.

 
Eventually, the hype around the Juneteenth celebrations died down until Martin Luther King Jr. brought it back to the forefront by purposely coinciding the date of the Poor People’s March with Juneteenth.

 
Today, Juneteenth is widely recognized by barbecuing, prayer services and self-education. Certain foods have also become associated with the holiday, particularly those associated with the color red such as red velvet cake, red beans and rice and strawberry soda.

 
In 2015, Hecky’s Barbeque owner Hecky Powell created the Juneteenth Strawberry Soda to honor his paternal great grandfather who was born into slavery. All of the proceeds from the soda go to his foundation, The Forrest E. Powell foundation, inspired by his late father who taught him the importance of “family, community and spirituality.” The foundation helps provide scholarships for young men and women to go to trade school.

 

After learning about Juneteenth Powell decided that it was important for him to acknowledge the sacrifices his family made in his own way.

 
“I said to myself with this foundation if my grandfather and my great grandfather and my dad if they can do all that they’ve done without government assistance whatsoever, I should be able to do better than that because I’ve got all kinds of opportunities,” Powell adds. “So I had to do something by creating this foundation in the name of my father. And then I had to do something even more special because this foundation wasn’t going to be like any other foundation asking for government handouts. I refuse to do that because of their legacy, so I had to figure out how to create funds.”

 
At the end of the day, what Powell talks about (looking to the community for help) is why the celebration of Juneteenth is so important because it isn’t just to dwell in the sorrows of our past but to acknowledge the sacrifices our ancestors have made for us to be where we our as well as the resilience they showed and to use that to fuel us to do better and be better. Are we still enslaved? Some may say so, but together through our own education, foundations, celebrations, etc. we can grow, but that will only work if we come together to help one another out.

 
Plan to celebrate Juneteenth this year? Tell us how.

Why Are Black Americans Not Respected?

Why are Black Americans not respected by other races? It can’t be our skin color because some of the other races & nationalities have the very same skin tone. So what can it be that causes Blacks to be the most dissed and least respected?