Chapter
Five: Observations
Of Where We’ve Come From and What We Have Done
——“We’ve Come This Far By Faith”——
There is an old African saying that “all things move in a circle.” This very same sentiment is expressed most commonly these days as “history repeats itself.” In the African American community, it is typically enunciated as “what goes around comes around.” As we observe history, I suggest that although it may seem to repeat itself, it does not come back around full circle. Rather it is more like a helix. It may very well come back around all right, but on another level.
Let us consider education. The education of our youth takes on the form of the manner in which families usually earn their living. In the Agricultural Age, families typically had a large number of children to help out with the farm work. Women usually stayed at home doing chores. Children were educated within this framework, and given time off from school to help out with the harvesting of crops. And the schools were setup to accommodate all of this, which is why they were dismissed during the summer months.
With the onset of the Industrial Age, the families earned their living working in factories. And families moved to the cities in order to do it. The work hours were at a set schedule, commonly expressed as set from nine to five. The number of children per family became smaller in that large numbers were no longer needed. For the most part, the women’s responsibilities were still tied to the home. The schools now took on the characteristic of the factory, and set regularly scheduled hours, usually from around eight to three, however, the summer recesses were continued. Both the factory jobs and the schools started and ended with “the ring of a bell.” At the schools, children were acculturated to be able to adjust to the factory, and later the corporate, work environment.
Now we are
entering into a new age—The Information Age.
The structure of education may still mirror the work place, but like a
helix it will be on another level as it adjusts to accomodate the requirements
of the Industrial Age. As the styles and
forms of work change to make the necessary adjustments, so too will the styles and
forms of schooling. The
In these times, due especially to the advent of technology, more and more people are working at home. And if the “historical helix” is in play, more and more education will take place in the home. Already we see the technology being utilized in homes in a variety of ways, including:
· students doing research on the Internet,
· schools communicating with parents and students via e-mail,
· assignments being posted on school and/or teacher websites, and
· all sorts of school information being made available via websites.
Distance learning is going on with college, and even some high school, courses being offered via the Internet. A growing variety of certifications are being obtained over the Internet, and in more and more instances, college degrees are being offered that way too. Surely the high schools cannot be too far behind.
All-of-this
points to the growing need for access to the technology. There is a growing concern over the residents
of
When students in about the fourth grade or higher are asked
to do homework, it is expected that it be done on a word processor. However, many of the students in the urban core
do not have access to the technology.
Although they can avail themselves of computers in public libraries,
most cities have very few in their urban cores.
(Here in
This served as the primary driving force for our technical staffers to conceive of and develop our Telehub Network. It is another example of our people using their creativity to address our needs. All praises to those who worked, and continue to work, to make this dream a reality. They, and the other volunteers of the DLC, truly are a special breed of character.
• • •
High on a hill overlooking all oppression
I can see it all, my vision’s clear.
But I wasn’t made to overlook nothing
I was made to make the changes I can see I need.
I wasn’t made to over look nothing
Get off of the mountain and back to the valley. (Chorus)
In times like these, it’s hard to resist the temptation
To pack up all my things and leave the scene.
But that wouldn’t change none of the problems I believe in
Running away won’t bring the way things ought to be
(Chorus)
High on a hill I can escape all of my troubles
But I still can’t escape from me you see.
(Chorus)
These words reflect
the expression of many of the grassroots movement activists and theorists that
“You can’t lead people from the mountain top, you have to come to the valley
were the people are.”
• • •
Kenneth Clark was one of the historians whose work was influential in the outcome of the historical Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education U.S Supreme Court decision. In his book Dark Ghetto he pointed out (I paraphrase): “To read about a starving child is one thing—you may be moved to just talk about it. But to actually see a starving child is another thing—you will be moved to act.”
When we saw the plight of our inner city youth, we were moved to act. Or as Elton put it, we had to “get off of the mountain and back to the valley.” And once there, you will receive a reality check. For the reality in the valley will sorely test the theories and philosophies of those who reside on the mountain top.
There is an old
saying that “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Gen. Colin Powell, while serving as Chief of
Staff of the
When we
first started, we only had satellites in the neighborhood of the
One of the first issues we had to deal with was the differences between working with computer terminals and working with Citrix and WYSE terminals. (WYSE terminals are small boxes about the size of a walkman CD player. They are the hardware that interfaces with the software applications on the servers and the keyboard, monitor and mouse. All of the processing is done on the servers. Citrix is the program or software on which theses applications run.) The latter served to eliminate many of the security problems, but it was not possible to upload files from floppy disks that many people wanted to do. Computer terminals were needed for scanning and making CDs and/or copying to and from floppy disks. However, using computer terminals also made it easier, especially for enterprising kids, to transfer files which may contain viruses that could contaminate the system. The Citrix/WYSE terminal option made it easier for the network administrators to maintain security.
And clearly the expense consideration had to be taken into account. Computers could more readily be obtained via donations from corporations versus having to purchase WYSE terminals. Taking all of this into account, one can clearly see why our system and network administrators were so busy. And in addition to this, they still were responsible for assigning user-names and passwords for all of the participants.
Then there
is the challenge of getting all of the site administrators and program
coordinators familiar with how to use the applications on the servers. What were the advantages that the Telehub
Network provided? How could they best
take advantage of the infrastructure that the Telehub Network made available to
them? Fortunately, in most of our
churches of any size, there are members within them who are, in varying
degrees, knowledgeable of the technology.
The question was—How could we get them interested in the project so that
they would work with the cordinators of programs in their churches, and simultaneously
with the network administrators at the
We have had
success with this in varying degrees here in
We were finally able to get them up and running and things seemed to be going well. They were particularly pleased to be able to use our application to evaluate and track their students’ reading levels. However, Murphy’s Law always seems to kick in. For some reason—an electrical storm or power outage—their system went down and the VPN box had to be re-configured and set up again. This time we sent up Harrison and Jay. And they got them up and running again.
Here in
Another
observation: At the Learning Center we
eventually evolved to the point where we had some paid staffers to see after
these things, but in our initial stages we relied on volunteers. At
At the time of this writing we are
still working to solve this dilemma. For
if we are to use the Telehub Network as a model of how to deliver technology
access to
In
By the way, once when George Walker
was in
As word of
the Telehub Network spread, we began to receive inquiries from several other
cities. We have also held talks with the
possibility of setting up satellites in countries outside of the
Our people’s imagination seems to be kicking in. Our task is to stay on top of things and not get overwhelmed. But at the same time, we have to be wise enough to take advantage of the opportunities that arise that will enable us to reach higher heights in our overall objective to uplift our communities.
But we have to keep our priorities in order. It has become clear to us that the interest is there. As stated previously, there are over twenty churches here in the Greater Kansas City Area that have expressed a desire to participate in our Telehub Network. And the list is constantly growing. Organizations other than churches are also expressing interest: senior citizen homes and centers, community centers of various kinds, civic organizations, businesses, etc. The biggest hold up is resources.
Again we are primarily a volunteer
organization. We had started the
We have set up a science program and a bookstore. But with the advent of our Telehub Network things really began to take off. All of a sudden we were growing to the point where we found ourselves having to continuously upgrade and expand our computer labs and server rooms. Now we have actually outgrown our facility. It is not big enough to house and satisfy the need for the hardware requirements to meet our growing demands.
One of our biggest challenges is to
upgrade our capability to attract enough resources to meet our growing
demands. That means we have to attract
the type of people to become a part of the
But again, once the IT people
became involved things began to take off.
Before then, we only needed administrative skills and talents on a
limited, although growing, basis. But
now, the need for those skills was growing tremendously. We needed accountants, business executives
and planners, databases planners and managers, fundraisers, corresponding and
recording secretaries, attendance and file clerks and managers, etc. Fortunately, little-by-little we were attracting
them. And as they began to work with the
Patience with each
other is one thing, but patience with the plight of our youth in our urban
core is another thing. For as Kenneth
Clark intimated: when you see a “starving” child, you will be moved to
act. Recall: When Bill Grace and Leon
Clanton saw the need to help those young men in
But that was around the mid seventies. Things and conditions change. Given what they now are, what is needed is an upgrade to our approach. The cultural milieu and relative academic and economic status of the urban core have changed substantially. And the advances in technology have had a significant impact in that. Seeing that, some members of the DLC have been compelled to act. Again, the concept of the Telehub Network is part of our efforts to address that concern.
In our formative years, we had a larger percentage of students who sought enrichment. In these times, many students like those seem to seek other outlets for their interests. Looking back over the years, one realizes that it is the extra-curricula activities that attract the interest of such students, whether in the schools or in the community. This suggests that perhaps we should look into developing programs of this type in order to attract a wider cross-section of students. For it is also observed that students often learn a lot from, and are influenced a lot by, their peers. And when this is done in an environment with caring and positive adults working with them, our youth can receive the guidance and a sense of direction that they both need and seek.
The Telehub Network permits this
kind of environment to take place.
Especially when we network with our churches and community centers where
these kinds of programs can be developed, maintained and supported. The key seems to be setting up such programs
in institutions where positive and caring adults of good character can
contribute their time and talent. Many people seem perplexed as to how to
attract such “high quality” volunteers.
I submit that the
• • •
On the album
“Observations”
Sometime in your life the desire must be real
To reject what has been done, and just go for what you feel.
Songs of new beginnings feel just right for me.
So music for the people is my cup of tea.
“Music for the people”
he writes. But for me that can be taken
as a metaphor for any kind of activity that is beneficial to your fellow
man. And the “songs of new beginnings”
are, again for me, a metaphor for the adjustments necessary for the current
times.
• • •
In these times the educational systems that our children have to rely on are in dire straits, especially when it comes to reading, math, science and technology. When the Black Family Technology Awareness Association (BFTAA) held its kickoff program for its 2006 activities, Tyrone Taborn, its national founder gave the keynote address. In it he relayed some startling statistics:
As a consequence of this reality,
this country is losing its technological edge in scientific and technological
innovations and in manufacturing. Our
children of tomorrow will have to compete for jobs with children of the world,
not just those in the
It has become obvious to me that we African Americans who have acquired skills, talents, and any other kind of benefits or blessings have an indispensable role to play. Who else—what other group understands the youth of our urban cores, can relate to them, and can encourage, inspire, motivate, and help instruct and prepare them for their future better than we? In addition to that, we are the ones who have been able to achieve our success and acquire said benefits due largely to the efforts, struggles and work of those who have gone before us. We owe them! They paid the price for our successes!
I am reminded of a conversation
that I had with one of my high school classmates, Don Holt who heads
I had similar feeling about my grandmother, Mrs. Beatrice “Big mama” Williams. She had raised me when my parents, Leon, Sr. and Beatrice Dixon, made their transition when I was six months and fourteen years old, respectively. I recall telling Don that there is no way you can pay your mother back. The best way to pay her back is to do a good job of raising your kids. Similarly, the best way for the current generation to honor and pay tribute to their elders and ancestors is to do a good job of preparing their youth and laying the ground work for their future.
That same thing can be said for each of our generations as a whole. But I would hasten to say, especially for those of us that grew up in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement, and beyond.
I often compare the historic “Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education” decision with the cosmic “Big Bang.” Ever since that era, successful African Americans who have reaped benefits from it have been steadily moving away from the urban core, just as matter has been dispersing as a result of the Big Bang . As a consequence, by the turn of the millennium, the urban core has become less and less populated by persons like these for the youth there to know, look up to, model themselves after, and form bonds with.
The U.S Census Bureau defines persons like doctors, lawyers, teachers, professionals, etc. as “high status” workers. And there are studies that show how they impact the youth in the neighborhoods in which they reside. Malcolm Gladwell, on page 13 of his book The Tipping Point, discusses their effect on African American neighborhoods in particular. He points out how one such study shows that when the percentage of high status workers falls below five percent (a tipping point), the high school drop out rates more than double and teenage pregnancies nearly double.
Although we were not aware of it at the time, over the years it has become more and more obvious to us that the primary benefit the Learning Center has provided for our youth is not so much the tutoring, although that certainly helps. It is the establishment of an institution that provides an environment, where African American “High Status” adults are available for our youth to be around on a regular basis, and not simply on a “drive-by” basis.
In addition
to this, there is another salient, but subtle, aspect of the
This is
especially significant for the elementary years. In a typical school, the students are engaged
with a separate “High Status” person (teacher) for each school year. At the
This could help alleviate, at least somewhat, the situation mentioned above—brought on by the diminishing numbers of “High Status” African Americans in our urban cores—that was highlighted by Malcolm Gladwell in his book The Tipping Point. The middle and high school years can be particularly trying for our youth. And the more positive guidance they can receive from the mere presence of positive “High Status” adults can help them as they struggle to navigate these trying and crucial years. The children in our urban cores should not be left to suffer academically or otherwise.
• • •
In “Search the Skies,”
another song on “Observation,” Elton wrote the following lines that very
poignantly expresses this thought.
When I suffer, I know, though it hurts me so,
That when I suffer, I don’t suffer alone.
So I search the skies
And pull down another reason to try
Looking for a better way
• • •
Trying to
stay abreast of the times, and to come up with programs and projects to address
the needs of our community, continues to be both a challenge and a
necessity. However, we continue to
remain hopeful that we can find ways, somehow, to devise methods to address
these needs. An observation of the
progress that the
Throughout
the existence of the
World Of Our Dreams | Prelude | [1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [Interlude] | [5] | [6] | [7] | [Postlude]
W.E.B DuBois Learning Center | Telehub Network