Why a National Black Education Membership Organization?

Why a National Black Education Membership Organization?

October 12-13, 2012! Action Group I!

Designing/Mobilizing/ Funding/Sustaining a National Black Education Membership Organization

Welcome/Introductions! Purpose and Projected Outcomes! Rationale for Membership Organization! Team Process & Rules of Road! Creating a Strategic Plan! Organizing for Future Work! Closing Remarks/Adjournment

Agenda!

Why are We Building a National Black Education Membership Organization?

To Ensure Black Academic & Cultural Excellence from Black Parent, Student and Educator Collaborative Leadership

Why are We Building a National Black Education Membership Organization?

The Mission of The National Black Education Agendais:
1.! To provide leadership in the teaching of all academic disciplines in learning environments of academic and cultural excellence, with African-centered curricula that enhances the development of the whole child, with a communal sense of identity, for full participation in society. !

Why are We Building a National Black Education Membership Organization?

The Mission of The National Black Education Agendais:
2. To mandate that K-12 Education be academically and culturally excellent, equitable and non-discriminatory, in development of the cognitive, social, affective, technological and psychomotor skills of African-American students as preparation for higher education, professional, vocational and technical careers, and lifelong learning.!

Why are We Building a National Black Education Membership Organization?

The Mission of The National Black Education Agendais:
3.! To empower K-12 and higher education African-American students to become social-change agents and leaders who contribute to our society and economy.!

Why are We Building a National Black Education Membership Organization?

The Mission of The National Black Education Agendais:
4.! To empower African-American parents, parent unions, educational organizations and interested community organizations, etc. to become effective educational change agents and leaders for academic and cultural excellence within a Human Rights Framework to shape the educational system. !

Why are We Building a National Black Education Membership Organization?

The Mission of The National Black Education Agendais:
5.! To advocate for fundamental transformation in the professional preparation of educators (teachers, counselors, principals, etc.) to emphasize academic and cultural excellence, and include culturally competent pedagogy and discipline specific methodologies.

Why are We Building a National Black Education Membership Organization?

The Mission of The National! Black Education Agendais:
!

6.! To promote local, state, and national certification examinations that demonstrate the candidate's academic and cultural competency to teach students of diverse ! cultures.!

Why are We Building a National Black Education Membership Organization?

IN SUMMATION....! Our National Black Education Nonprot Membership Organization will:! be African-centered! stress academic and cultural excellence! be a legacy organization to improve education of children/youth, families and communities of African descent! be a leader of discourse on excellence in Black Education

How does it contribute to our goal of moving us towards Academic and Cultural Excellence for our children and towards sustainable community economic development for people of African ancestry?!

Our National Black Education Membership Organization will be about Black Education POWER that oversees local education systems designed to channel the intellectual brilliance of our children into policies and programs that assist sustainable community economic and social development.

Our Building Blocks

Our Action Groups Will Be Connected as a Powerful Force for Education for Liberation!
#1 Designing/Mobilizing/Funding/Sustaining a National Membership Organization
#2 Building a National Parent Union and Shadow Shadow School Boards
# 3 Building a National Black Youth Union and Black Youth Speak - Elders Listen
#4 Engaging and Partnering with Other Non-Educational Organizations, Unions and Allies
#5 Creating / Certifying 1,000 African-Centered Schools
#6 Developing Higher Education Strategies and Linkages
#7 Saving African American Children form the Prison Pipeline
#8 Identifying / Implementing Culturally Connected Teaching, Learning, Curriculum and Assessment
#9 Saving the African American Child: Mentoring and Cultural Immersion Beyond the Schoolhouse

 (a) establish the organizational structure by which the NBEA

will roll out a national Black education activist organization with local and regional formations grounded in the idea that an excellent racism-free education is a Human Right;
education campaign that "Connects the Corporate Dots in the Current Destruction of Public Education"

(b) design and initiate the much-needed nationwide mass

! (c) find and secure a NBEA National

Organization office by October 2013; and

! (d) establish an ongoing funding

stream for the national organizations (i) daily work and (ii) independent sustainability that is primarily rooted in Black communities throughout the U.S. and secondarily among African American philanthropic individuals and organizations as well as progressive non-Black foundations and individuals willing to freely fund our efforts.

How will we know if ! we are successful?!

When we see our children wanting to stay in school beyond the nal bell.
When we see the vast majority of our Black Parents involved every week in school activities and school board policy work.
When we see more Black educators at every grade level.
When we see the universal use of academic and culturally relevant curriculum and pedagogy that reects the centrality of intellectual contributions of People of African Descent to ALL civilizations.
When we see the vast majority of our children graduating from college or acquiring a skill or craft and using their knowledge to advance their people and community.

Why We struggle for Black Educational and Cultural Excellence

(From the Late Dr. Amos Wilson)! !
"Cultural continuity is maintained by educating children in the ways of their culture. And they are educated in the ways of their culture to MAINTAIN their culture, to advance its interests, and ultimately to try to maintain its very survival. That is the fundamental reason people are educated. What does it matter if you learn physics and computer science and everything else and you cannot defend yourself against a military assault by Europeans or a germ warfare assault?$ A knowledge of computer science, a knowledge of law, a knowledge of a% of these other things matters not at a% if you are unable to use that knowledge for your self defense. If Bush decided to wipe the face of this earth clean of A&ican people there's not an A&ican nation that could defend us against these people. And as long as we are not educated to defend ourselves against these people then we are being incorrectly educated. Nothing else matters.$ Ultimately then, inte%igence must be dened in terms of the degree in which it solves YOUR PROBLEMS. The nature of education today prepares you to solve THEIR PROBLEMS and not your own. That's why you study THEIR books, you go to THEIR schools, you learn THEIR information, THEIR language, THEIR styles, THEIR perceptions, so when you come out of school you can do a humdinger of a job solving European's problems, but you can't solve your own.$ And then you DARE ca% yourself "inte%igent?" C'mon. That's the height of stupidity." -!