How Can We Best Educate Black Children?

This is a great podcast from The Wilmer Leon Show.  

Wilmer Leon's guests were two educators who talked about their experiences of teaching Black children in the school system.  

Some of their experiences underline what I keep saying:  we need to learn from each other internationally.  For example, one of the guests talked about the fact that he went into teaching Special Education, only to find out that a lot of Black children are being put into that category.  

The same thing happened here in the UK in the 1960s and 70s, when Black children were often labelled "educationally sub-normal".  Nowadays, exclusions are often used to deny our children an education.  

Another point the guests made was that Black boys are often being raised by women, and they come into the classroom to find themselves being taught by women.  So where do they learn to be men?  Where are their male role models? 

The presenter also makes the point that HBCUs do not teach their students some crucial Black literature.  You can graduate from Harvard without having read Carter G. Woodson's The Miseducation of the Negro or Ivan van Sertima's They Came before Columbus. 

This podcast was very rich.  You need to hear it.  Click here to listen. 

And always, always Remember Your Greatness.  

Do Black Voters Have a Problem with President Obama?

Melissa Harris-Perry

In a recent column on TheNation.com, Melissa Harris-Perry debunks the myth that President Obama has a problem with Black voters - or, more to the point, that we have a problem with him.  

Click here to read more. 

Black Success: Nurture Success

Nurture Success is very dear to my heart.   I have recently created a new Nurture Success group for people of African heritage, to help you attract all the money and financial empowerment, love, health, success and everything you want. To create a wonderful future for yourself.  Please listen to the short audio below to find out more.  

Go here to listen.  

Click here to join Nurture Success free of charge.   

Click here for more Black Success audios with Zhana.  These are to help you transform your life.  

If you enjoy these and find them useful, please share them with your networks.  Thanks. 

Film Africa: Filming Tomorrow

Film Africa, the UK’s largest annual festival of African cinema and culture, is back in November 2012 with 10 days of 70 African films, 35 leading filmmakers offering Q&As, free professional workshops, and 9 African music nights.  

Filming Tomorrow will be a screen-seminar on grassroots filmmaking in Africa

As the conditions in which film is made change rapidly and radically, so too does the practice of filmmaking. In this open seminar, we will look at alternative filmmaking collectives, citizen journalists and community TV. Here, we will open up the discussion into the future of radical filmmaking in Africa.

Section 1: Urban Film and Space presented by Joshua McNamara
Section 2: Mosireen and collective filmmaking presented by Omar Robert Hamilton.
Section 3: Open discussion.  

Tuesday 6th November 6:00pm 

Venue  :Rich Mix

06:00PM - 08:30PM

FREE

No booking required, spaces limited.  

Click here for more details.  

African People Liberated Themselves

The recent presentation from Black History Studies entitled "Slavery Is Not Our History" detailed many of the ways in which enslaved African people liberated themselves and fought against kidnapping, genocide and mass enslavement in Africa, on board the slave ships, on many Caribbean islands, and in South America and the United States. 

My sister, who grew up in the 1940s and '50s, tells me that, when she was growing up, people would say to her that slavery could not have been that bad, because there were no slave revolts.  The schools taught that slaves were happy on the plantations.  The only slave revolt she was told about was that led by Nat Turner. 

Fortunately, our mother taught us from an early age about those who fought for liberation, including Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Toussaint L'Ouverture and more.  

For more about this presentation, click here for Black History Facts.  As usual, this was a fascinating presentation, packed with loads of information. 

For more about the "Slavery Is Not Our History" presentation, see:  Why Focus on History?  

You may also be interested in  African People's Self-Liberation.  

Click here for the next Black history events from Black History Studies and more. 

Why Focus on History?

It was lovely to see several young people at the Black History Studies event the other night, "Slavery Is Not Our History".   More about this event soon. 

One young man asked the important question (and I am paraphrasing):  given the pressures on young people today, what is the point of focusing on history? 

As you can imagine, there was a lot to say about this. 

Mark Simpson of BHS referred to Sankofa:  in order to move forwards, you have to look backwards.  In order to know where we are going, we need to know where we have been. 

Charmaine Simpson, also of BHS, pointed out that many of the issues we face today originated in the enslavement of our ancestors.

I talked about the importance of identity.  Without knowledge of our history and of who we are, it is easy for us to become confused.  

Click here for more Black history events.  

Click here for even more Black history events, with Black History Studies and London Black History Walks. These events are held year-round. 

It is vital that you share this information with young people and parents. 

And always, always Remember Your Greatness.  

Black Fighter Pilots of WWII

Black Fighter Pilots of WWII was the most recent presentation by London Black History Walks.  Every time I attend one of these events, I am very moved and inspired.  And I always learn something new.  

Those fighter pilots from the United States, the Caribbean and Africa were seriously courageous, and some of them were seriously fine!  

Nightfighters, a 1994 documentary about the Tuskegee Airmen, was screened.  Many of the men talked about their own experiences during the war.  They were reported as being not good enough. 

Click here to read more. 

This coming Sunday's event will be How Black People Won World War 2.  Click here for this and more Black History Month events. 

Black History: Ebony Goddess and Black Fighter Pilots of World War 2

October is Black History Month in the UK, and I am listing some BHM events on Nurture Success.  

Click here for Next Black History Events.  They include Ebony Goddess and Black Fighter Pilots of World War, two  presentations by London Black History Walks.  These presentations are held every month of the year, not just in October.  

Click here for my review of Black Heroes of WWII, a previous presentation by London Black History Walks.  

Black History Studies is also holding a season of Black history events this month - and every month - including, on Monday 8th October, a screening of the film More than a Month.  

For more details, see Next Black History Events.  

And always, always Remember Your Greatness.