[10944] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
[ADSB]Internships-DIASPORA/Blk English/MISCONCEPTIONS/Mumia
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (African Diaspora Studies)
Mon Jan 6 20:46:51 1997
Date: Mon, 06 Jan 1997 17:31:06 -0600 (CST)
From: African Diaspora Studies <ADS-Bulletin@Juno.Com>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
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- Problems & Issues of Our Times / News & Events -
I. Jesse Jackson reconsiders Ebonics
II. Oakland Schools on misconceptions
[with Black English **bibliography**]
III. Proj DIRs/Leaders & Interns/Volunteers [AFRICA][BRAZIL] Summer Opptys
Multi-Disciplinary Internship & Volunteer Projects / Academic credit
IV. "Law Against Love" - Mumia Abu-Jamal
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I. Jesse Jackson reconsiders Ebonics
(Washington Post/excerpted) OAKLAND, Dec. 30 --
Civil rights leader Jesse L. Jackson
today defended Oakland's educators who have come under fire
over a controversial plan to recognize black English in the
classroom.
Jackson, who initially criticized the school board's proposal as "an
unacceptable surrender borderlining on disgrace," met with
Oakland school officials and advisers to be briefed on the district's
plans. Afterward, Jackson said Oakland's board had been
misunderstood.
"They're not trying to teach black English as a standard language.
They're looking for tools to teach children standard English so they
might be competitive," Jackson told reporters.
"I endorse the intent to make our children proficient in standard
American English," Jackson said.
...
The Oakland resolution, approved this month by the school board,
called on the district to provide teacher and parent training in black
English, or so-called Ebonics, recognize Ebonics as distinct from
standard English and help black students who use Ebonics to
master standard English.
Jackson said black students and others were often marginalized
and needed more resources. "The challenge is to stop ignoring the
youth in the margins," he said.
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II. Oakland Schools on misconceptions
[with Black English bibliography]
To: Multiple recipients of list AFFAM-L <AFFAM-L@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 21:23:44 -0800
Subject: Oakland School District & Ebonics
Unfortunately, because of misconceptions in the resulting press stories,
the actions of the Board of Education have been publicly misunderstood.
Misconceptions include:
*Oakland School District has decided to teach Ebonics in place of
English.
*The District is trying to classify Ebonics (i.e. "Black
English,") speaking students as Bilingual.
*OUSD is only attempting to pilfer federal and state funds.
*OUSD is trying to create a system of perverse incentives that
reward failure and lower standards.
*Oakland is condoning the use of Slang.
*Oakland has gone too far.
*Ebonics further segregates an already racially divided school
district.
*There is no statistical evidence to support this approach or that
this approach will improve student achievement.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
-------------------------------------------------------
[Posted to AFFAM-L - Nathan Newman]
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 21:23:44 -0800
Subject: Oakland School District & Ebonics
OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
SYNOPSIS OF THE ADOPTED POLICY ON STANDARD AMERICAN
ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Education approved a policy affirming Standard American English language
development for all students. This policy mandates that effective
instructional strategies must be utilized in order to ensure that every
child has the opportunity to achieve English language proficiency.
Language development for African American students, who comprise 53% of
the students in the Oakland schools, will be enhanced with the recognition
and understanding of the language structures unique to African American
students. This language has been studied for several decades and is
variously referred to as Ebonics (literally "Black sounds"), or
"Pan-African Communication Behaviors," or "African Language Systems."
This policy is based on the work of a broad-based Task Force, convened six
months ago to review the district-wide achievement data (see Appendix 1)
and to make recommendations regarding effective practices that would
enhance the opportunity for all students to successfully achieve the
standards of the core curriculum (see Appendix 2). The data show low
levels of student performance, disproportionately high representation in
special education, and under-representation in Advanced Placement courses
and in the Gifted and Talented Education Program. The recommendations (see
Appendix 3), based on academic research, focus on the unique language
stature of African American pupils, the direct connection of English
language proficiency to student achievement, and the education of parents
and the community to support academic achievement (see bibliography in
Appendix 4).
One of the programs recommended is the Standard English Proficiency
Program (S.E.P.), a State of California model program, which promotes
English-language development for African-American students. The S.E.P.
training enables teachers and administrators to respect and acknowledge
the history, culture, and language that the African American student
brings to school. Recently a "Superliteracy" component was added to
ensure the development of high levels of reading, writing, and speaking
skills. The policy further requires strengthening pre-school education and
parent and community participation in the educational processes of the
District.
proficiency as the foundation for competency in all academic areas.
Passage of this policy is a clear demonstration that the Oakland Unified
School District is committed to take significant actions to turn around
the educational attainment of its African-American students.
Oakland's Standard: English!
Unfortunately, because of misconceptions in the resulting press stories,
the actions of the Board of Education have been publically misunderstood.
Misconceptions include:
*Oakland School District has decided to teach Ebonics in place of
English.
*The District is trying to classify Ebonics (i.e. "Black
English,") speaking students as Bilingual.
*OUSD is only attempting to pilfer federal and state funds.
*OUSD is trying to create a system of perverse incentives that
reward failure and lower standards.
*Oakland is condoning the use of Slang.
*Oakland has gone too far.
*Ebonics further segregates an already racially divided school
district.
*There is no statistical evidence to support this approach or that
this approach will improve student achievement.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
1. The Oakland Unified School District is not replacing the teaching
of Standard Am. English with any other language. The District is
not teaching Ebonics. The District emphasizes teaching Standard
American English and has set a high standard of excellence for all
its students.
2. Oakland Unified School District is providing its teachers and
parents
with the tools to address the diverse languages the children bring
into the classroom.
3. The District's objective is to build on the language skills that
African-American students bring to the classroom without devaluing
students and their diversity. We have directly connected English
language proficiency to student achievement.
4. The term "genetically-based" is synonomous with genesis. In the
clause,
"African Language Systems are genetically based and not a dialect
of English," the term "genetically based" is used according to
the standard dictionary definition of "has origins in." It is not
used to refer to human biology.
APPENDIX 1: FINDINGS
*53% of the total Oakland Unified School District's enrollment of 51,706
is African American.
*71% of the students enrolled in Special Education were African American.
*37% of the students enrolled in GATE classes were African American.
*64% of students retained were African American.
*67% of students classified as truant were African American.
*71% of African American males attend school on a regular basis.
*19% of the 12th grade African American students did not graduate.
*80% of all suspended students were African American.
*1.80 average GPA of African American students represents the lowest GPA
in the district.
APPENDIX 2: CORE CURRICULUM STANDARDS AT BENCHMARK GRADE LEVELS
Grade 1: All students will read and perform mathematics at grade level.
Grade 3: All students will read at grade level, have mastery of
mathematical operations, and compose written works on a computer.
Grade 5: All students will meet or exceed the fifth grade standards for
the core curriculum in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and
Social Science.
Grade 8: All students will be able to read and engage with complex and
diverse literature, conduct a research project and write a
scholarly paper on that research, perform mathematics at a level
required to enroll in Algebra, organize and participate in
community service and social events, and utilize technology as a
tool for learning and work.
Grade 10: All students will successfully complete college required
coursework in English, Math, and Science, and will enroll in a
career academy or program.
Grade 12: All students will successfully complete courses required for
entrance into a college or university, meet the requirements for
an entry level career position, and develop and defend a senior
project.
APPENDIX 3: OVERVIEW OF RECOMMENDATIONS
The recommendations, based on identified conditions and outcomes, are
aligned with the Content Standards adopted by OUSD, pre-kindergarten -12th
grades, 1996-1997.
It is the consensus of the African American Task Force that the African
American students' language needs have not been fully addressed.
This report addresses the language needs of African American students as
one of the nine major areas of recommendations to be implemented by OUSD.
1. African American students shall develop English language
proficiency as the foundation for their achievements in all core
competency areas.
2. All existing programs shall be implemented fully to enhance the
achievements of African American students.
3. The Task Force on the Education of African American Students
shall be retained in order to assist OUSD in developing workplans
and implementation strategies.
4. Financial commitments shall be made to implement the Task Force
on the Education of African American Students recommendations during
the current fiscal year.
5. The district's identification and assessment criteria for GATE and
Special Education Programs shall be reviewed.
6. The community shall be mobilized to partner with OUSD to achieve
recommended outcomes.
7. OUSD shall develop a policy which requires all categorical and
general program funding to be used to ensure access to and mastery
of the core curriculum.
8. All resources of the district shall be applied and used to ensure
that these recommendations be implemented.
9. OUSD shall develop recruitment procedures that facilitate the
hiring of administrators, teachers, counselors and support staff that
reflect the culture of African American students composition of
the student population.
APPENDIX 4: BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alleyne, M. C. (1971). Linguistic Continuity of Africa in the Caribbean.
In H. J. Richards (Ed), Topics in Afro-American Studies (pp. 119
- 134). New York: Black Academy Press.
Chomsky, Noam (1972). Language and Mind. New York: Harcourt Brace,
Janovich.
California Language Arts Framework (1987). California Department of
Education.
De Franz, Anita (1994). Coming to Cultural and Linguistic Awakening: An
African and African American Educational Vision. In Jean
Frederickson (Ed) Reclaiming Our Voices: Bilingual Education
Critical Pedagogy and Praxis. Ontario (CA): California
Association for Bilingual Education.
Delpit, Lisa (1988). "The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in
Educating Other People's Children." Harvard Education Review, Vol.
58, No. 3.
Dillard, J. L. (1973). Black English: Its History and Usage in the United
States. New York: Vintage Books.
Fromkin, Victoria and Robert Rodman (1978). An Introduction to Language.
New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Greenberg. J. H. (1966). Essays in Linguistics. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.
Hale-Benson, Janice (1994). Unbank the Fire. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press.
Hilliard, Asa (1987). Testing African American Students: A Question of
Validity. A Special Issue of The Negro Education Review.
Hilliard, Asa (1995). The Maroon Within Us. Publishers Group West.
Hoover, Mary (1990). Successful Black Schools. Oakland California: NABRLE
Publications.
O'Grady, W., M. Dobrovolsky, and M. Arnoff (1993). Contemporary
Linguistics: An Introduction. New York: St. Martins Press.
Ogbu, John (1978) Minority Education and Caste. New York: Academic Press.
Smith, Ernie A. (1994). The Historical Development of African American
Language. Los Angeles: Watts College Press.
Smitherman, Geneva (1994). Black Talk. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Turner, Lorenzo D. (1974). Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect. Ann Arbor:
The University of Michigan Press.
Vass, Winifred K. (1979). The Bantu Speaking Heritage of the United
States. Los Angeles: Center for Afro-American Studies, University
of California, Los Angeles.
Welmers, W. E. (1973). African Language Structures. Berkeley: University
of California Press.
Williams, Robert L. (1975). Ebonics: The True Language of Black Folks.
St. Louis: Institute of Black Studies.
-------------------------------------------------
By: Nathan Newman
Date: Fri, 3 Jan 1997 06:15:27 -0800
Sender: Affam-L - News & Organizing Around Affirmative Action
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-=-=-=-=-=
III. Proj DIRs/Leaders & Interns/Volntrs [AFRICA][BRAZIL] Summer Progs
Operation Crossroads - 501(C)(3) Non-profit org
There will be 20 to 30 projects, 200 to 300 Interns/Volunteers, and a need
for 20 to 25 Project Directors/Leaders in the Summer '97 Program
ONLINE applications available for
PROJECT DIRECTORS / GROUP LEADERS
INTERNS / VOLUNTEERS
[I N T'L S T U D I E S] [W O R K-T R A V E L] [I N T E R N S H I P S]
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PROJECTS / RESEARCH / WORK CAMPS / FIELD STUDY
*********************************************************************
Ecology & Environment..Traditional Medicine..Oral History..Folklore
Primary Care..Archaeology..Comm Dev..Reforestation..Media..<<ROOTS>>
Distance Learning..Art..Ethnomusicology..Public Health..Construction
Wildlife..HUMAN RIGHTS..Computer Literacy..Agric/Farming..Nursing
Teaching/Tutoring..Business Dev..African/Brazilian Language Study
Youth Programs..Recreation..Traditional Religion..Anthropology..Dance
*********************************************************************
Including Public Health campaigns addressing Female Circumcision/Genital
Mutilation [FGM] carried out with sensitivity for local cultural practices
C O U N T R I E S: Botswana, The Gambia, Ghana, Eritrea, Ivory Coast,
Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and
Brazil (in South America). Additional countries to be announced
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
A L L A R E W E L C O M E
To receive I n t e r n / V o l u n t e e r info by E-mail:
1] include your snail mail address, in case our
equipment malfunctions
2] E-Mail your request to <<B O T H>> addresses:
=> "Brochure\Application" <griots@juno.com> <=
=> "Summer Prog: Africa\Brazil" <oca@igc.apc.org> <=
Include " Intern/VOLUNTEER " in the Subject field
P r o j e c t D i r e c t o r s / G r o u p L e a d e r applicants
must be at least 26 y.o. with appropriate group experience.
To receive the leader packet, send an E-Mail message, with a one-paragraph
synopsis of your background and interests, to <<BOTH>> of the above E-Mail
addresses, including: " ProjDIR/LEADER " in the Subject field
**Project Directors/Leaders will receive a stipend**
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Crossroads helps Volunteers raise funds for the summer's expenses, thus
early application is crucial.
CREDIT: Students generally arrange with their schools to receive academic
credit, typically 7 to 15 units
ORIENTATION: The Program begins with a several-day Orientation in NYC
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
O P E R A T I O N C R O S S R O A D S A F R I C A , I n c .
475 Riverside Dr., N.Y., N.Y. 10027 Tel: 212-870-2106
___________________________________________
<< Good ideas without ACTION don't accomplish much >>
____________________________
Other African Diaspora opportunities:
1. AFRICARE- Recruits for a variety of positions in non-profit
work. BA/BS, 3 years experience, language proficiency, job
specific. Contact:
Director of Management Services,
AFRICARE,
440 R Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 462-3641.
2. COORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER SERVICE-
Coordinates workcamps and other activities of voluntary service
organizations. College student oriented. Contact:
Coordinating Committee for International Volunteer Service,
Maison de l'UNESCO
1 rue Miollis
75015 Paris, France
(33) 1-45-68-27-31/32
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IV. "Law Against Love" - Mumia Abu-Jamal
Subject: Mumia Column "Law Against Love"
Written 17 December 1996
A Law Against Love
copyright 1996 by Mumia Abu-Jamal
For several years now, MOVE political prisoner, Chuck
Africa, has had to do battle with Pennsylvania prison officials
to obtain the most fundamental of human rights--the right to
visits with his wife, May 13th bombing survivor, and ex-political
prisoner, Ramona Africa.
Chuck, a veteran of the August 8th, 1978 police-MOVE
confrontation who, like his 8 other MOVE brothers and sisters, is
doing a 100-year prison term following a political show-trial and
sham conviction, has sued the prison at Graterford for denying
him such visits.
Graterford's Warden Donald Vaughn said he was "uneasy" with
Ramona, a former prisoner, visiting a current prisoner, due to
"intangible concerns."
When pressed, Vaughn wrote, to justify the exclusion of
Chuck's wife, "I could not ignore the fact that Ms. Africa is a
very vocal, high-profile member of MOVE...highly critical of
authority and the establishment."
Therefore, he worried that she "might question Graterford's
policies and procedures, challenge correctional officers' actions
and otherwise draw attention to herself," which may, in turn,
"jeopardize security" and "disrupt normal operations."
Putting aside the obvious question (which is, why shouldn't
some prison procedures and guard's actions be challenged or
questioned) the fact remains Ramona has visited her husband for
years at Pittsburgh's state prison, and at Graterford without
incident, the most expressive example that the "worries" raised
against Chuck and Ramona are pretextual.
They are treating Ramona, a courageous, principled woman, as
if she is still a prisoner--despite her so-called "freedom." As
she often does, Ramona cut away the nonsensical pretexts offered
up by politicians and their cronied prisoncrats as justifications
for stripping her visitation rights away, to cite the real
reason: "Because of my membership in MOVE."
Chuck, cast away in state dungeons for over 18 years despite
his innocence (in a case where a judge publicly stated days after
trial that he "hadn't the faintest" idea whether Chuck, or his 8
co-defendants, were guilty!), and his wife, are being punished
cruelly, for precisely that very reason--for being MOVE members.
Indeed, that is the reason Chuck, and the other MOVE veterans,
are in prison. It is the reason Ramona spent 7 long, tortured
years in a man-made hell, for daring to survive the May 13th
Massacre of 1985.
Already unjustly imprisoned by the state, now the two
revolutionaries are condemned by the same system to an unjust
separation that treats their very marriage as if it is a crime.
Doesn't family come before government?
How can any government put its nose in between a husband and
wife?
Upon what alleged "authority" can such a desecration rest?
From whence comes this wretched right?
Once again, the repressive state that claims it acts to
preserve "security," betrays instead its inherent insecurity.
Chuck has been unjustly engaged by the state for almost two
decades, with a sentence of 100 years.
Why should any government give a damn who he loves?
They care--when that woman is the remarkable Ramona Africa,
for if it is a crime for a woman to survive, what a greater crime
in this prisonhouse of nations, for such a woman to dare love a
revolutionary?
_________________________________________
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and events as part of a courtesy
pilot academic project.
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Phone: 310-631-1322
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