My hometown is very small. If you’re not from Sanford, you probably haven’t ever heard of it. We very rarely make it to the national headlines. When we do, it’s usually not good. Some notable Sanford headlines have been ones like “Hurricane Sweeps Through Tiny Town” and “Tornado Wreaks Havoc in Florida City” and more recently “Teen Attacked in Local Laundromat”.
Now the last one happened just before Thanksgiving and had the town abuzz for a while. It was all caught on tape. A girl is minding her business folding up clothes. Out of nowhere, she gets beat down by a bunch of other girls. They even ran the footage on national news programs. From gangstas to grandmas, everybody was talking about it, shaking their heads, asking “Why are these girls acting a fool in public?” “Why in Sanford?” “Please don’t tell me they were black.” “These girls need some home training,” they said.
We all know our girls need grooming, nurturing and love. This incident just makes it blatantly obvious that they need it bad, and they need it right now. These are future mothers (some current mothers), fighting and snatching out weaves, cussing and fussing, not caring about anything or anybody (even themselves).
So what do we do? I wasn’t going to write about this incident, because I’m tired of only seeing evidence of depravity among my people in the headlines. However, right after the incident happened, I got notice about an upcoming local event designed to give just the training and attention these girls (and other girls like them) so desperately need.
The Hal Jackson Talented Teens Scholarship Competition is coming to Central Florida. This is not just a pageant. It is a mission to see the spark in our girls, stoke the flame and make them shine bright before the world. This competition began in 1971 to meet a need among black girls. It has grown to become an international competition. People like, LL Cool J, Alicia Keys, Brian McKnight, Stevie Wonder, and Sheryl Lee Ralph have been involved with this program. Girls get the opportunity to win scholarships. They also get an even more beneficial opportunity to be coached and to enhance their public speaking ability, etiquette, and self-confidence.
Girls ages 13-17 in the Central Florida area can become a part of this movement by calling (407) 488-4158 or e-mailing masterdanceseries@yahoo.com to schedule an audition. Auditions will be held on Dec.6 and 13 from 10 am to 5 pm.
Tell all the girls you know. Don’t just tell the one’s who are already doing great things. Also tell the ones that can do great things. Especially tell them. They are the ones that need this most.
Now the last one happened just before Thanksgiving and had the town abuzz for a while. It was all caught on tape. A girl is minding her business folding up clothes. Out of nowhere, she gets beat down by a bunch of other girls. They even ran the footage on national news programs. From gangstas to grandmas, everybody was talking about it, shaking their heads, asking “Why are these girls acting a fool in public?” “Why in Sanford?” “Please don’t tell me they were black.” “These girls need some home training,” they said.
We all know our girls need grooming, nurturing and love. This incident just makes it blatantly obvious that they need it bad, and they need it right now. These are future mothers (some current mothers), fighting and snatching out weaves, cussing and fussing, not caring about anything or anybody (even themselves).
So what do we do? I wasn’t going to write about this incident, because I’m tired of only seeing evidence of depravity among my people in the headlines. However, right after the incident happened, I got notice about an upcoming local event designed to give just the training and attention these girls (and other girls like them) so desperately need.
The Hal Jackson Talented Teens Scholarship Competition is coming to Central Florida. This is not just a pageant. It is a mission to see the spark in our girls, stoke the flame and make them shine bright before the world. This competition began in 1971 to meet a need among black girls. It has grown to become an international competition. People like, LL Cool J, Alicia Keys, Brian McKnight, Stevie Wonder, and Sheryl Lee Ralph have been involved with this program. Girls get the opportunity to win scholarships. They also get an even more beneficial opportunity to be coached and to enhance their public speaking ability, etiquette, and self-confidence.
Girls ages 13-17 in the Central Florida area can become a part of this movement by calling (407) 488-4158 or e-mailing masterdanceseries@yahoo.com to schedule an audition. Auditions will be held on Dec.6 and 13 from 10 am to 5 pm.
Tell all the girls you know. Don’t just tell the one’s who are already doing great things. Also tell the ones that can do great things. Especially tell them. They are the ones that need this most.
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