Black Marriage Day 2010: Why Did I Get Married?

The problems in the black community are complex, even daunting. The negative statistics are endless. Premature death rates, divorce rates, incarceration rates, juvenile delinquency rates. Depressing. But we have always known to look to the hills for hope. And there is hope. There are solutions. One very powerful and attainable solution is marriage. When you add healthy marriage into the equation, all of the above negative rates are significantly improved and even reversed. How refreshing!

The benefits to children are immense. Children in homes with married parents are less delinquent, have fewer behavioral problems, higher self esteem, better educational outcomes and are more likely to delay sex. These benefits are particularly significant among males. However, these benefits can not be attained in any other way, not in single parent homes or with parents who are just cohabitating (shacking).

There are also huge benefits for adults. Married adults have more income, happier and longer lives, better health and greater accumulation of wealth. Contrary to popular myths, married couples also have better sex!

This could be revolutionary for our communities. Good marriage equals higher property values, lower crime and better schools. Because improving marriage can have such a positive effect on communities, many faith-based and community groups participate in Black Marriage Day. The National Pan Hellenic Council in association with the Masonic Lodge Brothers of Jupiter Lodge #22 and Mocha Moms of Orlando, Inc. have decided to bring Black Marriage Day to Central Florida.

Black Marriage Day 2010 will be held Sunday, March 28 at 5 pm. The community is welcome to come out and Celebrate the Joy of Marriage at Jupiter Lodge located at 420 S. Tampa Ave. in Orlando. The theme is Real Love vs. Puppy Love. There will be refreshments, door prizes and fun and healthy discussion about marriage. The groups will also collect medical supplies for Haitian relief. All are welcome, married, divorced, single or in a relationship.

For information about the Central Florida event, send email to nphcorlando@live.com. To find out about the purpose and origin of this nationally celebrated event, go to www.blackmarriageday.com.

Glenn Beck Should be Ashamed of Himself

Last night, I was watching Glenn Beck (shame on me). He was standing at a chalk board like some kind of professor teaching a course on crazy right wing conspiracies. So I kept watching (shame on me). As I watched, I heard him say things like "If Obama isn't a socialist, he sure does hang around a lot of them." Then he proceeded to explain how passage of the health care reform bill is the beginning of the end for America and a sure sign of Armageddon (shame on him). When I first saw Beck years ago, I thought he was a little loony. Then I figured he was a savvy talk show host who knows how to get good ratings. Now I'm sure Beck is an irresponsible demagogue, taking advantage of loose canons without regard to the potential hazard. Sure he might be crazy like a fox. But many of his fans are crazy like "go get your shotguns and form militias" crazy. Shame...shame....shame!

Bill McCollum Doesn't Represent Me

The Attorney General of Florida, Bill McCollum moved to stop health care reform just as the President signed the bill to pass it. McCollum and attorneys general from South Carolina, Nebraska, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Michigan, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington, Idaho and South Dakota filed federal lawsuits against the bill. How sad. How cruel. I'm sure McCollum has great health insurance. He'll never have to worry about getting sick and not getting to get treatment. I'm sure his family members don't have to choose between meals and perscriptions. He doesn't have to worry about coming down with a catasrophic illness, being dropped from a plan, and losing his life savings. But he is running for Governor in the upcoming elections. This is his way to make a name for himself. Never mind all the people who need health care. These lawsuits are a ridiculous waste of tax dollars. Bill McCollum does not represent me or most Floridians. He should not get to spend my money this way. Floridians can call him and let him know how you feel at 1-866-966-7226.

The President Makes History Again

President Obama will sign the historic health care reform legislation today. Many have tried for decades to make health care a benefit of American citizenship. Obama was able to make it happen. This achievement will certainly be noted in the history books.

Some changes will take place immediately. Seniors will get $250 rebates for the Medicare drug coverage gap. Also, young adults will be allowed to stay on their parents' plans until age 26.

In the short term, insurance companies can't deny coverage to children because they are already sick or had a sickness in the past.

Also, insurance companies won't be able to cancel people because they get sick. This is one of the biggest insurance company abuses. People pay premiums for years. Then when they get sick and need a return on their investment, the insurance companies drop them. This happened to my mom. She worked, paid for insurance, then got cancer and got dropped. Imagine the emotional distress this causes to someone who is already facing a life-threatening illness. Now this person will have to worry about how he or she will pay for treatment and hospitalization. My mother was lucky. I've seen many who were not so lucky, who died unnecessarily because of lack of medical care.

By 2014 no one will be denied because of preexisting conditions. People will be able to get tax credits to help pay for insurance. Medicaid will be expanded to cover more people. For example, a family of 4 with a household income of $88,000 will be eligible for some benefits.

Eventually, the number of uninsured will drop by more than half.
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Call Your Representative Before the Vote

It is so important for regular everyday American citizens like you and me to get in the debate over Health Care reform. Let Congress know if you support the President. If you don't speak up, politicians and insurance companies will make the decision based on their interests. You can quickly call your representative before Congress votes this weekend by dialing 1-866-783-2462.

From the Trenches: The Grace Report

No Excuses: Simply Do What You Must to Teach the Children

I have been a Music Teacher, Exceptional Student Education Teacher, Reading Teacher, Curriculum Resource Specialist, Reading Coach, Instructional Coach, and presently I am a Staffing and Compliance Specialist for ESE and ELL students here in the Orange County Public School System in Orlando, FL.

Sometimes I feel like the shadow of JIM CROW has cast itself over our educational system with a vengeance. It is still true that a poor education guarantees a poor lifestyle. Unfortunately, we (minorities) are still separate and unequal. Yes, we are in the same school buildings and it looks like we have access to the same materials, but it is simply not true.

Unfortunately, I have witnessed years of students being retained, staffed into the ESE program, placed in classes the system felt was adequate for the student(s) when it appeared they were not or could not learn. However, the truth is many times the teachers were not properly trained and monitored. Resources, interventions and accommodations were not properly implemented. Another sad truth is there are veteran teachers who literally do not believe that certain students can learn. How do you expect great results on FCAT or any other assessments students are required to take if they are not properly prepared. The easy way out is to blame the students.

I believe all students can learn if they are given equal resources that will be used to edify each student not just the strong student who needs little help anyway. The under resourced students must be exposed to the education we are requiring them to learn. Just opening a book and reading it does not mean you are or have been exposed to the text. The teacher's job is to make the text meaningful and memorable by any means necessary.

To the defense of most districts, the workshops on how to differentiate instruction are provided, how to reach the under resourced are provided, and how to bring instructions to life are provided. Unfortunately, it is not always used on those that need it. I love my district, all my trainings were provided free of charge by my district. I made it a purpose to use the training provided for all students especially those who needed it and as a result I was very successful in the classroom and I am very successful outside of the classroom.

We must educate our parents on what CIVIL RIGHTS means, on what the importance of Education means, on how important it is for them to be involved in their children’s education and how it important it is for them to educate themselves. We must stop the blame game and get involved in our communities. Thurgood Marshall and many others have paved the way for us to continue what they started. Our problem is we blame each other and quit, instead of having the I will die doing what I believe in attitude… Our ancestors did it.

Alisa L. Grace is a Staffing Specialist at Acceleration Academy in Orlando, Florida.

Don't Let Them Leave Us Out...Be Counted!

Make sure you and all your friends and family fill out your U.S. Census Form 2010 and turn it in. Everyone needs to be counted. Go tell your neighbors. Go help your grandparents and other senior citizens fill it out. Make sure every person living in every household is counted. Even a person who does not have a permanent residence needs to be counted. The Census is how the federal government decides how much money will be given to state and local governments for schools, community centers, senior programs, hospitals, etc. It determines where shopping centers and new housing developments will be built. It also determines how many Congressional Representatives each state will get. The Census is completely confidential. So don't be afraid to be listed. The African American community can benefit greatly from all of these resources. However, we are hugely underrepresented in the count. In other words, our communities don't get what they should get because we don't let the government know how many of us are really here. So be counted!

U.S. Department of Education Announces Civil Rights Investigations

Right now students all across Florida are taking the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). This test determines whether 3rd graders will be promoted, whether seniors will graduate, how much funding a school will get and school grades. I have noticed that schools with the largest minority populations are often the ones that have the most trouble reaching that much desired “A” status. This inequality in schools is taking place all across the country. Why is that? And more importantly what can we do about it?

The Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, seems to think these sorts of unequal outcomes in schools is evidence of civil rights abuses. Duncan took part in a march at the legendary Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama this week. He and other leaders were commemorating the 45th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when demonstrators were beaten down as they marched peacefully for the right to vote.

Duncan calls unequal education the “civil rights issue of our time.” After the march, he announced there will be a nationwide investigation of civil rights in public schools. Thirty-eight school districts will be reviewed to see if they are in compliance with the U.S. Constitution’s mandate for equal education for all students.

A good education is often a ticket out of poverty. If a child develops a love of learning and the confidence in his or her learning ability, he or she can get a good education, a good job and become a productive member of society. However, at some point in their schooling, many minority and low income students begin to lose hope in what the educational system can do for them. They look for other ways to get by. Often the other ways lead to the criminal justice system. This contributes to a cycle of criminality and poverty in our communities.

In the district where my child attends school (Seminole Co., FL), just like in many districts across the country, the schools that serve minority and low income populations get the most inexperienced teachers. Might this contribute to the reason these schools also end up with “C” ratings and below and students without faith in education? And in the schools with a majority white and higher economic populations, the minority students are often segregated within the schools and put into tracks. Sometimes those tracks don’t even get counted when determining the school grades. So many of the “A” schools are “A” schools minus the minority scores. So just sending your child to an “A” school doesn’t mean they will get an “A” teacher or an “A” education.

The Department of Education is investigating to see which districts are equal access districts. They will be looking at areas such as student access to college preparatory classes, discriminatory discipline and tracking. School districts that are found in violation of students’ civil rights could lose funding or be referred to the Justice Department. How would your district measure up?

The Florida Congress Proposes an End to FCAT

The Florida Senate proposed a bill this week that could get rid of the dreaded FCAT. Many are saying “good riddance.” There has been a fight over this test since its inception in 1998. As a parent with a third grader who will be taking the test next week (a third grader who has gone from excited, to worried, to anxious, then back to excited) I understand all the emotions wrapped up in this test. Every mommy wants her baby to succeed. I encourage parents to let lawmakers know their concerns about the possible changes that might take place as early as next school year.

The purpose of the test is supposed to be to make sure kids are getting what they are being taught and that seniors are prepared for college or work before they graduate. Though there is evidence of some positive effects from the FCAT (such as higher graduation rates and narrowing achievement gaps), many students are still struggling. So the Florida House of Representatives and Senate have proposed bills to take a look at the FCAT and assessment in general to see how they could be improved to measure student progress.

The Florida Senate introduced a bill that would actually make testing standards more rigorous. Students would have to take end-of-course exams in algebra I, geometry, algebra II, biology and chemistry or physics. Educators will also develop a new English/Language arts exam. These exams could start replacing FCAT for high school students beginning next school year.

After all the pressure and test anxiety over FCAT, making tests harder might seem kind of crazy. But supporters of the bills say students will only rise to meet the added challenge. They say in order to ensure that our students and all of us will have a bright future, we must make sure that they rise to meet the challenge. Right now, 80% of freshman entering community colleges in Florida have to take remedial classes for the first year before they can take any classes that actually count for credit. This is a waste of time and money. The new requirements are supposed to make sure this doesn't keep happening. I don’t have a problem with challenging the students. But just testing to show that kids are having problems isn’t enough. What is in this bill that makes sure that all the students and educators will be prepared to fix the problems and rise to meet the challenge? We have to keep an eye on these lawmakers to make sure ALL the children will be served by this bill.