The Wichita NAACP Blog

CALLING ALL MINORITY CONTRACTORS - Minority Outreach 'Meet & Greet' planned for Nov 19th to discuss the Mid-Continent Airport project

2009-11-08T10:02:00.001-06:00

The Wichita Airport Authority and The MidAmerica Minority Business Development Council have partnered together to host the Airport Authority Minority Outreach Meet & Greet on Thursday, November 19, 2009 from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. The event will be held at the Wichita Airport Hilton, 2098 S. Airport Rd.

This networking event has been specifically designed to aggressively target minority firms for contracting opportunities on upcoming Airport projects. Prime contractors, Women, Disadvantaged and Minority Business Enterprises are encouraged to attend. A formal presentation on the upcoming Terminal and other construction projects will begin at 6:00pm. Light snacks and refreshments will also be provided.

The following resource partners will be onsite to answer any questions about business development resources and/or subcontracting opportunities.

Wichita Airport Authority Staff
AECOM – Program Management Staff
MidAmerica Minority Business Development Council Staff
Small Business Administration – Wichita Division Staff
Kansas Department of Transportation – Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
City of Wichita – Emerging Business Enterprise Program Staff

For additional information contact Wichita Airport Authority representative, Linda Turley at (316)946-4716 or the MAMBDC Office at (316) 303-1703. Online registration is available at: www.mambdc.org

Registration deadline: Monday, November 16, 2009.

This is it! - US House of Representatives set to vote on Health Care Reform TOMORROW 11-7-09

2009-11-06T11:46:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow, Saturday, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on health care reform. The future of health care for you, me, and every American hinges on this historic vote. So now is the time to make your voice heard.

Please send an e-mail to your representative today and ask him or her to support a health care reform bill with a strong public option.

Unless we pass a strong bill, the color of your skin, your ethnic background, and where you live will continue to influence your access to health care, as well as the quality and cost of your care.

Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus came by the War Room today to urge us to help them pass real health care reform with a strong public option. With your help NOW, we can end discrimination in health care coverage and ensure access for every American.

Click here to send an e-mail to your representative in Congress and tell him or her to support health care legislation with a strong public option requiring all individuals to have insurance.

So, this is it. Let us ensure that Congress stops a system that delays, denies and defends the lack of care.

Click here to listen to a personal message from Congressional Black Caucus Chair Barbara Lee. Then, send a letter to your member of Congress now to urge him or her to support real health care reform with a strong public option when the vote takes place tomorrow.

Be Heard: US Department of Education proposes changes to Civil Rights Data Collection - accepting Public Comment through November 10th!

2009-11-06T05:32:00.001-06:00

The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has proposed significant changes in Civil Rights Data Collection. The Department's proposal includes a biennial survey of roughly half the nation's schools (over 7,000 districts), with new requests for data on:

Bullying/harassment of students in violation of civil rights laws
Use of seclusion and restraint
School-related arrests and referrals to law enforcement
Expulsions under zero-tolerance school disciplinary policies
Student retention
College-preparatory courses, International Baccalaureate programs, and SAT and ACT test participation
Pre-kindergarten programs
School counselors
School finance
Teaching experience

The proposed changes provide that the data collected be disaggregated by race and ethnicity, gender, special education status (pursuant to IDEA and Section 504), and LEP status.

The Department of Education will accept comments on the Civil Rights Data Collection submitted on or before Tuesday, November 10, 2009. We urge you to submit recommendations and comments; your input is essential to securing collection of this critical data. The DOE has already received comments in opposition to the breadth of the proposed changes.

Materials on the proposed modifications can be found on the web at: http://edicsweb.ed.gov. Click "browse pending collections" and choose #4127. The most relevant documents are labeled "B-4" and "B-5."

Comments should be submitted by e-mail to ICDocketMgr@ed.gov.

By way of example, the Dignity in Schools Campaign has drafted comments addressing the disciplinary changes in the proposed Civil Rights Data Collection; a Word version of the comments is available at http://dignityinschools.org.

Thank you for your input, and your continued work and leadership in providing high quality, inclusive schools for all the nation's schoolchildren.

"Good Enough" isn't good enough...

2009-11-04T19:46:00.000-06:00

Wichita Branch and Kansas State Conference President KMyles spoke to a group of 20 young men at Northwest High School today. What was supposed to be a 15 minute talk stretched out to nearly an hour on the need for young black men to start thinking critically about their futures. Several of the young men indicated that they now plan to join the NAACP Debate team while others requested additional tutoring or educational assistance. The focus of the talk was on the fact that being "good enough" simply isn't good enough, mediocrity is for the mediocre and we should all strive to be excellent...

Action Alert on the Heather Ellis Case

2009-11-04T05:40:00.000-06:00

We received this message from our good friends in the Mar-Saline Branch of the NAACP out of Marshall Missouri - Regarding the Heather Ellis case:

This is a call to action for ALL NAACP Units in the State of Missouri---we are taking it to the streets. There will be a protest demonstration November 16th beginning at 11 AM in Kennett, MO.--- Protest led by the Rev. Bonner, President of the Sikeston NAACP. Do not know the starting point. We will be under the direction of our State Conference President.

Be there and God Bless--- Safe travel.

For more information, contact Mary Ratliff; President of the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP

Public Hearing on the Lord's Diner proposed 21st Street satellite set for November 17th

2009-11-03T01:48:00.006-06:00

The Wichita City Council will conduct a Public Hearing on the Lord's Diner's proposed 21st satellite. The Public Hearing will be conducted during the regular City Council meeting, beginning at 9:00am at 455 North Main Street.

At Issue:

Whether or not the the City should sell the old Boys and Girls club building to the Lord's Diner and allow them to establish a satellite feeding center on 21st street.

Proponent's Argument:

After reviewing data points concerning household incomes, education levels, and free and reduced lunches, the Lord's Diner Board of Directors has concluded that there is an issue with hunger in the immediate area of the old Boys and Girls club. Their proposal is to establish a satellite feeding center at that location. In this proposal, the City would lease them the old Boys and Girls club building for $15,000.00 per year, and at the end of three years, they would have the option to purchase the building for $150,000.00 minus their previous lease payments.

Opposing Argument:

The community has been under a long and intense period of redevelopment. Through Community efforts and in partnership with the City, the 21st area has been turned from one of the most violent and crime ridden areas in the city to one with low crime and new businesses. As a part of these efforts, the City of Wichita developed a much heralded "21st Redevelopment Plan" that specifically talked about using the old Boys and Girls club facility as a hub for a job and skills training program. This proposal represents an abandonment of the 21st redevelopment effort, an abandonment of the promises the City made to the residents and business owners in the area when they developed and publicly released the '21st redevelopment plan', and and a movement that is counter to recent progress by replacing a job training facility with a soup kitchen.

Opportunities for compromise:

The community has been clear that they are not opposed to the Lord's Diner or its mission; they simply want the Lord's Diner to find another building or model. One potential model is for the Lord's Diner to partner with Churches in the area and serve the meals through the existing Churches. This would place multiple smaller satellites throughout the area, closer to the residents who need the assistance. This plan would allow the Lord's Diner to fully satisfy its mission and feed the hungry in the immediate area. AND it would also allow the City to fulfill its promises to the community and to continue working in partnership with the neighborhoods for the economic revitalization of the area. Representatives from the Ministerial League have been open and receptive to the idea and are willing to work with the Lord's Diner to come up with a strategy to make this model work. ALL of the Area's Neighborhood associations are open and receptive to the idea and are ALSO willing to work with the Lord's Diner to come up with a strategy to make this model work.

Obstacles:

The Lord's Diner has thus far been unwilling to compromise or discuss any alternatives. They have thus far indicated that they want to use the model they have proposed and they want to put it on 21st street regardless of the "21st Redevelopment Plan", regardless of the opposition of Neighborhood Associations and community Groups, and without regard for any proposed alternatives. They have the support of a few key City Council members, and they are pushing for a vote.

Our Position:

The Wichita Branch NAACP is committed to finding a "Win-Win" solution. We fully support the alternative model proposed by the Ministerial League, Neighborhood Associations, and Community Groups and we would be willing to recruit and commit volunteers to the effort. We are ready and willing to work with the Lord's Diner, the City, and all groups involved to provide support and resources to the alternative model. We believe that the alternative model would satisfy the spiritual and religious mission of the Diocese and Church communities, it would provide food and assistance to those who need it through Lord's Diner satellite feeding centers, and still allow the community to continue its march toward economic self-sufficiency by placing a job and skills training facility just outside Opportunity Drive as had been promised.

Next steps:

The Public Hearing will likely be the last opportunity for people to weigh in on the issue. We are asking that all of you who are concerned please email and/or call ALL the members of the City Council AND the Mayor. Let them know that YOU want to see a compromise. Let them know that YOU support the mission of the Lord's Diner and that YOU want to see a Win-Win solution. Let them know that YOU support the alternative model proposed by the Ministerial League and the Community. And last but not least - take the 17th off from work. Plan to be in attendance to voice your support for the compromise proposal.

"Can you hear us now?" - Congressional call-in for Health Care reform

2009-10-27T13:06:00.000-05:00

Think Congress has heard enough about health care reform? Probably not, considering dozens of representatives and senators are still sitting on the fence.

They need to hear from you today!

Join the NAACP's "Can You Hear Us Now" Congressional call-in days. Our goal is to make 88,000 calls to Congress by Thursday, October 29.

Do not leave the future of your health care to chance — call your representatives today to make sure they are working to champion quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

It is easy to call. Just call the number below and you will be connected to your representative's office. We have provided a sample call script for you to follow, and once you are done, let us know what happened on the 880 site.

HOW TO CALL:
Call 1-800-577-1635 to be connected to your Members of Congress.

SCRIPT:
Hello, my name is ________. I live in [city or town] and I am a voter in your district. I am calling you today in conjunction with the NAACP to urge you to enact real health care reform that includes a public option.

We believe that a public option is the only way to keep insurance companies honest, ensure competition and provide quality, affordable health care for all Americans. Thank you.

Please, join the NAACP and call your representatives this week during our "Can You Hear Us Now" Congressional call-in days.

Myles' elected President of the Kansas State Conference of NAACP Branches

2009-10-26T02:00:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, Wichita Branch NAACP President Kevin Myles was elected President of the Kansas State Conference of NAACP Branches. The State Conference President works with all Branches to develop and promote state-wide initiatives to advance the cause of Civil Rights and works directly with State Agencies and the Legislature on issues that affect all Kansas communities.

Also on Saturday, Amani Myles was re-elected to a second term as President of the Kansas State NAACP Youth Conference.

This is the first time a Father and Daughter in the NAACP have served as the Presidents of a State Adult and Youth Conference simultaneously.

Before Brown: A call to arms on Race and Education

2009-10-19T12:15:00.001-05:00

What follows is the full text of Branch President Myles' address to the 2009 Wichita NAACP Legacy Awards Banquet (October 17th, 2009)

In Church Parlance, this would be the part of the service known as the “Call to Discipleship”. – Where I would stand and exhort all of you to become members of the Wichita Branch NAACP – This is when I should tell you all that we have members of our membership committee standing by outside the door waiting to take your membership and welcome you into the organization, and certainly that is important…

This is also the point in the evening when most Organizations would stand and tell you about all of the accomplishments of their branch. But I don’t want to do that this evening.

Now I could tell you about how the Wichita Branch has doubled its membership over the last year, but I won’t bore you with that.

I could tell you how the Wichita Branch received two First Place Thalheimer Awards this year, and that the Thalheimer is the highest award that the National Office can confer upon a branch. And I could tell you that the Wichita Branch was recognized for having some of the best Publications and most impactful initiatives in the Country – But I won’t do that…

I could tell you about how our advocacy led to the purchase of additional voting machines for the 2008 Presidential Election, or how our advocacy efforts to have the State come into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1994 have resulted in a streamlined voter registration process both online and at the DMV, but I won’t go into all that…

Or I could tell you about how we began with a handful of our own children – just 5 kids - and our desire to see them involved in a youth program that did more than just give them space to create dance routines or play on the internet… So we contacted and sought advice from Professor Ron Walters at the University of Maryland’s Leadership Institute. And we built a program, based on Chess and Chess principles, and expanded into debate and oratory. And we now have 63 children and a successful model that is being emulated in branches around the Country – but we’ll save that conversation for next time…

No, paradoxically, I want to take these few moments to talk to you all about yesterday and tomorrow… Yesterday because someone far wiser than I once said that ‘Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it’. And tomorrow because another someone far wiser than I once said that ’Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it Today’.

There is an imporatant lesson in these aphorisms for us… As we embark on our second century in Civil Rights with a keen eye cast towards education, I just want to take a couple minutes of your time to quickly direct your attention to the prescriptive lessons one can draw from the careful examination of our history; and particularly how those lessons can inform our current efforts to achieve our visions of tomorrow.

And it’s important that we do this and that we have this discussion because ‘Those who do not know their history are What? … doomed to repeat it…

Let me ask, by applause, how many of you have had the opportunity to take a look at the exhibits we have in the other room? If you haven’t had the opportunity to view them, please make it a point to do so before you leave here tonight. We have two really fantastic exhibitions, one is a traveling exhibit dealing with the Brown Vs. the Board decision, and the other is an exhibit assembled by our own branch historian Ms. Donna Ray Pearson, which deals with the history of race and education here in the State of Kansas.

One of the things you quickly learn when you begin looking into our State’s history on matters of race is that Kansas has a lot to be proud of…

The State of Kansas was founded in 1854 and by the time it was admitted into the Union as a Free State in 1861, The promise to provide a Quality Education for ALL children was already written into our State’s Constitution.

The City of Wichita was founded in 1870 and in 1871 the City erected its very first school built on the corner of 2nd and Emporia street. Wichita’s very First school, built only 6 years after slavery had ended, and when it opened its doors on it’s very first day, it was - integrated…

90 years before the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, - 90 years Prior – We passed the Kansas Civil Rights Act of 1874! The act prohibited discrimination throughout the State of Kansas on behalf of Race, Color, or Previous conditions of servitude.

In fact, when our Branch President Emeritus Chester Lewis filed the lawsuits that desegregated the swimming pools and desegregated the police department, going on to file some 63 lawsuits to open up facilities and institutions throughout the City of Wichita, he didn't do so on the basis of some piece of Federal legislation. While much of the country was still languishing under highly oppressive systems of institutional and interpersonal bigotry, Chester Lewis was able to fight and prevail in the Courts here in Kansas – perhaps ONLY here in Kansas – because the Kansas Civil Rights act of 1874 had already prohibited racial discrimination throughout the state nearly a century before…

But these accomplishments, these milestones, which were such anomalies for their time, beg a very serious question… If we had more than a hundred year head-start… ??

If we had activists who were progressive and fiercely committed to the idea that Kansas should be a FREE state, people who were willing to fight and shed blood to further the idea that equal rights should be extended to all who would reside here – people who were willing to fight even against our neighbors in bitter border-wars with the State of Missouri earning us the moniker of Bloody Kansas – People who willingly codified their commitment to equality and education in the Constitution of the State almost 150 years ago – People who had drafted a Statewide School code that prohibited separate and/or disparate facilities – HOW then, did we come to this place – 148 years later – in the 21st Century – with a Black Man in the White house – where we have to figure out HOW in the WORLD we’re going to get these children BACK together!?

How did we lose our way? And why do we seem unable to now conquer the forces that we had once so soundly defeated?

We have to ask ourselves these kinds of questions because ‘Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it…’

It’s easy for us to be lulled to sleep by the notion of how far we’ve come and societally we have much to celebrate; but we must be honest with ourselves in acknowledging that in the matter of Education here in the State of Kansas – We’ve gone backwards… Because you see, here in Kansas we NEVER grappled with the question of IF African American’s would be educated or HOW they would be educated – These questions were already settled and codified into law back in 1861. We have Always – and ONLY grappled with the questions of WHERE would African American children be educated - and by WHOM.

WHERE and by WHOM

So when we talk about issues like Busing – Boundary Lines – Experienced Teachers – Community folks in the schools and classrooms – it’s important that we place these conversations in their proper historical context. These are not new conversations. These are not new discussions. We are not being bold. We are not being visionary. We’ve been mired in this very conversation for 130 years – and somehow, we keep ending up back at the starting line…

I say 130 years because it was in 1879 that the Wichita Board of Education first proposed separating its Black and White students.

That year, the Board even passed a Bond Issue that raised money for the construction of 4 new schools – one of which was specifically intended to serve as a school for Black students. But an amendment to the Kansas School Code passed in that same year that Specifically forbade the segregation of students on the basis of race.

The Wichita School board filed suit – asking for the right to separate the black and white students different facilities. But all the way back in 1881 – 28 years before Thurgood Marshall was BORN, the Supreme Court of the State of Kansas upheld the Kansas School Code which expressly prohibited Wichita from maintaining segregated facilities or excluding Black children from predominantly White schools.

How then, did we get from there to here?

Now I know the simple answers – “Society changed and there was a lot of social pressure to segregate”. The only problem with that explanation is that we actually fought a war against the State of Missouri to defend our notions of equality. There was ALWAYS opposition to equality, there was ALWAYS pressure to separate and subjugate – But Kansans once refused – and defended their decision to do so with the lives….

Now others will say “well, the segregation is a function of residential housing patterns, our neighborhoods are segregated and our schools simply reflect that” But the problem with THAT argument is – it was not always so…

You see there once was a time in Wichita when we had a system made up entirely of neighborhood schools, and the Black population was pretty evenly spread between them.

In 1904 there were Black students in attendance in all of Wichita’s schools. 12 at Carleton, 56 at Emerson, 53 at Ingalls, 52 at Irving, 5 at Kellogg, 12 at Lincoln, 48 at Park, 9 at Washington, and 25 at Webster….

The truth is, we didn’t separate our children to allow them to attend schools in their neighborhoods… Our children were separated solely on the basis of their race REGARDLESS of their neighborhood.

The Board of Education here in Wichita fought against the laws of the State of Kansas for 27 consecutive years; passing ordinances, pushing for legislation in Topeka, and taking advantage of Supreme Court decisions such as Plessy Vs Fergussen, before they were able to successfully segregate the students at Park Elementary in 1906. They separated the children into different parts of the building with black students and black teachers on one side, and whites on the other. They even erected a wall to divide the playground like Berlin…

But the Black parents fought back; in 1906, Sallie Rowles filed a lawsuit demanding the right to send her children to her neighborhood school. While she initially lost that case, the community took up a collection which allowed her to appeal her case to the Kansas Supreme Court who ruled in her favor and UPHELD their earlier decisions that the City of Wichita could not legally segregate their students.

Undaunted, the Wichita Board of Education would not give up; they collected 5,000 signatures on a petition to the Legislature to allow segregation in the schools. And in 1909, the same year that the NAACP was founded – exactly 100 years ago – after 30 long years of fighting - the President of the Wichita School Board, Rudolph Hatfield, led a sucessful effort to pass Senate bill 250 which REPEALED the State laws which forbade segregation and a New educational era was born in Kansas…

In 1911 the Wichita School Board proposed a bond issue – They sold the measure by saying that this was an effort to address overcrowding – and when it passed, two new schools were built – but these schools were built specifically for the purpose of educating Black children. And in 1912, the first "Negro Schools" were officially designated.

Now they had nothing to do with where the Black community was actually located – at that time we were scattered throughout the city. Families with children looked for housing near their schools and their places of employment so while there were certainly concentrations, as I noted before our children had been represented in ALL of the schools in Wichita.

Between 1912 and 1952, the battle raged on – With Black Parents and the NAACP fighting to end legalized segregation and the school district fighting to maintain it. And as more and more people from the Black community moved away from the Downtown area and towards the Northeast, the School board responded by changing and re-designating schools to mirror the migrating population.

And in 1952, after 40 years of struggle – yet still 2 years before the Brown decision – The Wichita School Board passed a resolution to end Dejure segregation by allowing black parents to enroll their children in their neighborhood schools. But of course by that time - 73 years since the District began its efforts to segregate our children – 43 years after the laws forbidding segregation were repealed – and 40 years since the creation, designation, and manipulation of Black schools and black boundaries, Negro wards, and the like – The Black schools had BECOME the neighborhood schools…

In Just 2 years would come the Brown Decision and not long after that, the Wichita Branch filed suit against the district – recognizing that we’d been hoodwinked – bamboozled – led astray – run amuck etc…

But Ladies and Gentlemen, I told you all of that, to tell you this…

As we continue our talks about diversity in the schools, busing, and boundary lines, and neighborhoods, I want it to be said that We had it right to begin with - but at some point, we gave in.

We gave in to the forces of intolerance, we gave in to the forces of bigotry, we gave in to the evils of racism, and we IMPORTED the very system that we had so ardently defied.

We need to remember and to teach our youth that Here in Kansas, the issues of busing, and Integration, and Desegregation were not the products of a court decision in 1954, These were not simply the products of the Civil Rights movement, or some strategy born of the 1960’s – THESE questions are about the Fundamental character of WHO WE ARE – This is Kansas...

The Legacies of slavery, separation, segregation, and subjugation: those were not our legacies… We were born a FREE state – Not because the Union deemed it so, not because the laws demanded it, no – the People of this State demanded that it must be so. We once fought to defend that ideal; many bled and many died for it. And we wrote these guarantees into our laws and constitution.

The oldest Black township in America is STILL in existence, right here in Kansas – Nicodemus – where a group of escaped Kentucky slaves first settled, because here they could buy land, own property, start business, and attend schools – They founded the City of Nicodemus in the 1860’s and it remains populated to this very day.

But we gave in…

At our inception, we recognized that there is nothing moral, or just, or fair, or natural about separating children on the basis of their skin color. There is no scientific, or biological, or natural justification for doing so. It’s not based on the best interests of Children, its not based on necessity, and its not based on GOD!

This is Kansas – Ladies and Gentlemen… We didn’t wait on Brown Vs the Board of Education – We outlawed Segregation in our schools back in 1861!

But we gave in…

The tide turned with a petition to segregate signed by only 5,000 people – Ladies and Gentlemen – there are more than 5,000 people in Town East Mall RIGHT NOW! – but still we listened, and we became something else…

We imported the Hatred, the discrimination, the segregation, the intolerances, and the bigotries of the South. We caught the Separation Virus. All of us – Until eventually, you even had folks in the Black Community arguing that Separation and segregation was good for us..

But it was Frederick Nietzsche who said “Those of you who battle with Monsters should be careful that you don’t become one, for when you gaze long into the Abyss – The abyss gazes long into you…”

Mr. Superintendent, members of the Board, Brothers and Sisters... This is not who we are, This must not be our Legacy. We should not be having discussions about building more Black seats for Black kids in Black schools and telling ourselves that it’s ok - IT IS NOT

We are better than this – This is Kansas...

Now some will say, well the segregation in residential housing patterns makes it impossible for us to fix this – But of course we can fix this – we created this… But we must recognize and acknowledge that there is a Principle at stake. This is about who we are. We should be as bold in UNDOING this as the Board of 1879 was in creating it. And in doing so we honor our history.

Some will undoubtedly argue that all of this is irrelevant because we should instead be focusing on the Achievement Gap…

But that too is indicative of a misreading of history – The argument against segregation in Brown Vs the Board wasn't that separate schools couldn’t be made comparable or couldn’t reach some measure of Equity… They argued that there is a psychological and a spiritual consequence in telling Children that we would rather build separate facilities, even with all the Bells and Whistles, sparing no expense... We would rather duplicate the buildings we already have, then to be burdened by your Presence… There are real consequences for doing so that are borne only by the Child, and that is why Separate can NEVER be Equal.

“Well what about the Hispanic Children? They are segregated into certain schools aren’t they?” But when a people freely choose to cluster together to maintain a Culture or language that is one thing, but when a group of people are clustered together so that they may be avoided – that is another thing entirely…

Understand that Black families didn’t crowd themselves into the Triple A Area because we wanted our children to be educated in those few schools… - By the decree of a mere 5,000 people – we began a 43 year process of herding them there….

Ladies and Gentlemen – I am here today to tell you that a time has come when we should no longer mince words. We are faced with large and consequential decisions and it is time that we owned them. We must be clear and forthright knowing that our actions today will outlive us all; impacting the educational and life experiences of several generations to come – We have a choice to make….

We have two competing and contradictory Legacies before us and we MUST choose – One is a legacy of segregation and separation now disguised by quaint conversations about ‘Neighborhoods’ and ‘Equity’, and the other is a Defiant, unapologetic and even revolutionary Legacy of Equality – disguised by NOTHING. The former is the sweet and easy path of acquiesance that challenges nothing except our vocabularies and our ability to rationalize. And the later is the difficult and uncertain path of change; one that requires equal measures of vision and courage to shake off the excuses and to lead once more...

I know where I stand..

As the President of the Wichita Branch NAACP - I know where WE stand…

We stand with the JayHawks.

We Stand with the Kansas Supreme Court who struck DOWN segregation in 1881.

We stand with Jacob McAfee – Grand Father of Mr. Charles McAfee who went to the Legislature to fight for Equality.

We stand with Sallie Rowles who filed suit in 1906 rather consent to sending her child to a segregated school.

We stand with Branch President James Douglass and School Board member Hugh Simms who led the push which finally ended legalized segregation Wichita back in 1949.

We stand with Branch President Chester Lewis who filed 63 lawsuits to desegregate institutions throughout the City.

We stand with Ron Walters, Galyn Vessey, Prentice Lewis, Joyce Glass, Lequita Glass, Daisy Blue, Arnelle Ruffin, Ron Newby, and all of the other members of the NAACP Youth group of 1958 who conducted the Dockum Sit-In.

We stand with Mayor Bob Knight who led the National League of Cities to deal with the issue of Racism head-on.

Ladies and Gentlemen, This is where we stand. And all I ask of you tonight… - is that you come on back – come back home with us – to Kansas…

Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your continued support in these difficult economic times...

Thank you for your courtesy and attention…

And thank you for listening…

NAACP President and CEO throws Yellow Flag on Rush Limbaugh

2009-10-14T20:10:00.000-05:00

NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous today, had a conversation with NFL Commissioner Goodell to discuss Rush Limbaugh’s intentions to buy the St. Louis Rams.

“The NAACP was very clear in our conversation with the NFL Commissioner—we will not stand for a potential owner, of any race expressing the kind of hatred that Rush Limbaugh continues to spread,” stated Benjamin Todd Jealous, NAACP President and CEO. “Commissioner Goodell was very supportive of the NAACP’s concerns and we both pledged to work together to expand opportunities throughout the NFL. The NAACP fully supports the NFL and the NFLPA and we were pleased to see the Commissioner standing up for the players and condemning the remarks made by Limbaugh,” added Jealous.

A source has since told ESPN that Rush Limbaugh will in fact be dropped from the bid.

The US Commission on Civil Rights Strikes Again! - This time they're taking on the mortgage crisis

2009-10-09T11:49:00.005-05:00

As early as 2007, I began writing about the US Commission on Civil Rights and their tragic decline from a once powerful fact-finding and investigative agency into an ironic caricature of its former self. ( See HERE, HERE and see HERE) Through a series of Bush-era politically motivated appointments, the 8-member Commission is now composed of 4 staunch conservatives who are absolutely ideologically opposed to the goals and precepts of the American Civil Rights movement and 2 right-leaning 'quasi-independents'.

They have been particularly busy as of late; urging the Senate to vote against the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bill, and inviting windbags like Ward Connerly to brief the commission on why he feels Racial classifications should be eliminated from the 2010 census.

Sidebar: Ward Connerly was asked by Commissioner Melendez how we would measure discrimination if the collection of Race data was eliminated. To which Ward Connerly responded by saying that 'Racial Discrimination was a low priority'.

But the Commission's new report on the origins of the Mortgage crisis is a classic, even by their standards. The Commission reports that there were NO issues with Predatory Lending, NO issues with steering people into sub-prime loans, and NO failures in enforcing discrimination laws. They Also stated that there was NO evidence that programs designed to encourage homeownership among minorities (such as the CRA or HUD goals for GSE's) even contributed to the mortgage meltdown YET the Vice-Chair went on to recommend that any future Federal Assistance utilize more conservative underwriting standards. The report was passed out of commission with a 4-0 vote with both Democrats and both Independents abstaining. Of the report and the Vice-Chair's recommendations, Commissioner Melendez stated:

The Commission did not try to evaluate whether federal regulators were adequately enforcing lending discrimination laws (it just describes their jurisdiction and some of the few cases initiated in recent years). The Commission did not try to independently verify the conclusions of the 2007 Federal Reserve study about credit scoring (it just repeats its findings). Finally, the Commission did not try to collect evidence or evaluate whether minority groups were targeted by predatory lending schemes(although it describes some instances of fraud and lending discrimination that federal enforcement authorities investigated). Consequently, I disagree with the Vice-Chair’s characterization that the Commission “did not find” problems with enforcement, credit scoring, or discriminatory predatory lending. In truth, the Commission never seriously looked into these questions at all.

Commissioner Melendez was joined in his dissent by Commissioner Yaki, who wrote of the report and the commission:

It is our mission to explore, understand, find facts and make recommendations where disparities in our society on the basis of race and ethnicity may persist. It does not mean, as some of the Commission majority doubtless fear, that it will necessarily result in more programs, regulations, or laws that would benefit a specific racial or ethnic group. But it may, but if so, that is for Congress and the Executive to debate and decide whether to enact a new law. Nevertheless, it does not serve our charter, does not benefit any group, nor does it contribute to our nation to ignore a potential issue and pretend it does not exist. Yet, sadly, the current Commission would rather direct its resources to destroy extant programs such as affirmative action, rather than to research current and persistent problems that affect our nation’s commitment to equality and prosperity for all.

Statement of Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the announcement of President Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-09T08:10:00.000-05:00

“What wonderful recognition of someone who has already made such an impact on our planet with regards to the Muslim world, nuclear disarmament, climate change and, to some extent, the Middle East. He has reached out to the Arab world, including Iran, and North Korea.

“In a way, it’s an award – coming near the beginning of the first term of office of a relatively young President – that anticipates an even greater contribution towards making our world a safer place for all. It is an award that speaks to the promise of President Obama’s message of hope.

“The prize is a magnificent endorsement for the first African American President in history, who will become the first serving American President to receive the Nobel Peace Prize since Woodrow Wilson 90 years ago, for his role in founding the League of Nations.

“Heartiest congratulations.”

- Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Senate Confirms Tom Perez to Head the Civil Rights Division!

2009-10-07T20:51:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, the Senate voted 72-22 to confirm Tom Perez as assistant attorney general for civil rights.

Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, said the vote on Perez "gives the nation a leader who is arguably the most well-qualified individual ever nominated for the position and one who is completely dedicated to enforcing the law and protecting all Americans from discrimination."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid released a statement which read, “As a former elected official, former state appointee, esteemed scholar and former trial attorney with the Civil Rights Division itself, Thomas Perez brings a wealth of experience to his new position as Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. In addition, he has been a leading voice on issues ranging from immigration to racial disparities in the health care system.

“As a first generation Dominican-American, Mr. Perez is now the second Hispanic American to lead the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. I applaud President Obama’s appointment of Secretary Perez and look forward to adding his voice and leadership to the Department of Justice.”

President Obama nominated Perez for the position on March 13. Perez will head the Civil Rights Division, the federal agency that enforces the Voting Rights Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, and other federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin.

Join the 880 campaign and help ensure that every American has access to quality and affordable health care...

2009-10-03T15:08:00.000-05:00

Why "880"? Because according to the American Journal of Public Health, the deaths of 880,000 black people would have been prevented if the mortality rate of blacks had been the same as that of whites over a 10-year period.

The health care crisis has hit our communities especially hard:

Children born to black women are more than twice as likely to die within their first year of life than children born to white women
People of color are more likely to suffer and die from diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic diseases
Uninsured Americans are more likely to use the Emergency Room for preventative care and routine checkups, forcing longer wait times and costing states and taxpayers more

But this struggle goes beyond statistics. This is about you – everyday American families and children.

With your help, in the coming weeks, we will organize to ensure that our elected representatives support real health care reform with real results that will ensure every American has access to quality, affordable health care coverage... and help solve the health problems that plague our parents, children, friends, and communities.

For more information and to stay informed, visit the 880 Campaign Site!

Wichita City Council should listen to residents before moving forward with plans for a Lord's Diner in the Northeast community

2009-09-26T16:39:00.012-05:00

Just last week, the Wichita Eagle reported that the City was moving ahead with plans to construct a new Lord's Diner (a free meal center for the poor and/or homeless) on 21st street in the Central Northeast community. The author of the article lamented the fact that many of the neighborhood's residents were opposed to the plan, but then applauded the City's apparent resolve to move forward despite the local opposition.

The author of the article correctly noted that there is a relatively high concentration of lower income families in the Central Northeast and that many lower income families could use a little assistance in these tough economic times. And I have no doubt that a free meal center on 21st street could and would likely be filled with people from all over the city who were appreciative of the help. But in lamenting the neighborhood opposition to the plan, the author negated a very important principle and variable in this debate: That is the obligation of elected officials to actively listen to the communities they represent. Analyzing and understanding GIS and demographic data is terribly important, but so too are the voices of the residents. And this is not a principle often lost upon the Wichita City Council. In fact, the Council has a long history of being responsive to the concerns of its neighborhoods and communities.

For example:

On July 12th, 2004 a Wichita resident walked into the monthly meeting of the Wichita City District 2 Advisory Board. They addressed the DAB board that evening to discuss a Water Department pumping station located just across the street from their well manicured gated community. A number of the communities residents were concerned that the pumping station's newly installed roof was not "architecturally consistent" with the surrounding neighborhoods. You see the roof was blue while the houses in the surrounding communities were all shake shingles…

The City Council listened to the concerns of the residents. And so as not to offend the aesthetic sensibilities of the folks in the neighborhood, the Council spent an additional $78,000.00 to replace the Blue roof with concrete shingles similar in appearance to the shingled roofs on the neighboring houses.

A second example took place in late 2006 when Walmart announced plans to build a Super-Center on the southeast corner of Kellogg and Oliver. The residents of that local neighborhood contacted the City Council and expressed their opposition to the plan. Citing the negative effect it would have on traffic, property values, and local businesses, the citizens asked the City Council to deny the proposed zoning change needed for Walmart to move forward. The City, knowing that rescinding the offer would lead to a legal challenge from the retailer, opted to stand with the local residents and said no to Walmart. It was an act of tremendous political courage. In 2007 Judge Joe Kisner ruled that the City was within their legal rights to reject the zoning change. Walmart appealed and the earlier ruling was upheld just last month...

In both of these instances the City Council showed its willingness to make difficult and even controversial decisions on behalf of the local residents who would be directly affected. That same tact should be taken in this instance.

Wanting to build an additional facility to serve the poor and homeless is laudable and we applaud Mayor Brewer and the City Council's resolve to care for 'the least of these'. But the placement of that facility is not without consequence.

Placing the Lord's Diner in the center of 21st street will negatively impact residential property values. It will also make it increasingly difficult to attract new business and franchises to the area. And it is also wholly inconsistent with the Central Northeast, McAdams, and 21st Neighborhood redevelopment plans that the City has been promoting for the last few years.

For several years now, the City of Wichita has been publicly talking up plans to redevelop the Central Northeast community, particularly along 21st street. Residents, neighborhood associations, and local businesses have all signed on to these plans. When I speak with residents I hear wonderful stories of the way 21st used be when 21st street was a thriving area for businesses and families. They speak fondly of the times when Jabara's and Razooks Grocery Stores were both open for business, when there was an Otasco Department store, a Dairy Queen, strip malls, Barbershops, Burger Stands, schools, and filling stations. Moreover, many looked to the City's 21st street redevelopment as an opportunity to regain some of the vibrance that the community once held.

The City's initial redevelopment investments in the area confirmed those beliefs. The construction of the new state of the art Boys and Girls club, the new Gordon Parks Academy, TOP's and the development of Opportunity Drive were are positive and hopeful signs that the City was seriously moving to reinvest in and reinvigorate this once thriving and vibrant community.

But the City's new plan to place a soup kitchen in the heart of this community is difficult to reconcile with that vision. We are talking about a community who through the strong leadership of people like James Roseborough and Teretha Brown-Foster who head two of the area's neighborhood associations, and business leaders like Bob Alford (owner of the recently constructed MassFord Plaza), have really begun to turn things around for the better. Through their partnerships with the Wichita PD's neighborhood policing initiatives, crime is down in the area. Though the dedicated efforts of Church leaders like Pastor Jeff Enlow of Bibleway Baptist Church and groups like WIN (Wichita Independent Neighborhoods), houses and streets are being cleaned up. And local business leaders such as Bob Alford and others, have been carefully eying opportunities to attract new business and jobs to the area.

Placing the Lord's Diner right in the center of all this activity is a step in the opposite direction. Instead of building a job training facility (as many in the area had suggested) or marketing the real estate to new businesses that might employ more of the area's residents and improve the community's economic profile, the city has decided that this neighborhood would be an ideal place to gather and serve the city's poor and homeless. Instead of looking for ways to attract new businesses and new employment opportunities to the area that might provide a real leg out of poverty (teaching a man to fish), the city has decided to use the community's scarce real estate to build a free meal center that would cater to the City's poor and homeless (giving the man a fish). What does that say about our vision and priorities?

This is when the City should be talking to and listening to the area's residents. The City should be working with and responding to the people in the area who would be directly affected by these plans. The City should not squander its political will to steamroll over the voices and concerns of the community. Rather, the City should engage the residents, the business leaders, the church leaders, and the developers and work to find a "win-win" solution that would provide the assistance to those who need it without it coming at the expense of the property values and business opportunities of those in the community you are purporting to serve.

Now I know some will say that the real issue is one of helping the needy, and they will correctly state that this facility will serve some of the needy people in the immediate area. But in truth, the same could be said of almost any area in the MSA. The same argument could be used for placing the facility in Planeview, South City, 43rd St North, South East, or even Haysville or Park City for that matter.

Some will argue that talking about property values and businesses instead of talking about feeding the poor is heartless. But let's be clear, we are ALL in favor of feeding those in need. And we are all in favor of helping those who need help. But we are ALSO in favor of local communities having a real voice in the affairs and issues that impact them. The City established a precedent in listening and responding to the Aesthetic concerns of Tallgrass residents, even at a cost to taxpayers. They reestablished that precedent when they took on Walmart in the Courts in response to the concerns of Center City residents. We are simply saying that the residents of the Central Northeast community deserve that same level of responsiveness from their City government. We shouldn't deride their concerns and applaud the City's apparent willingness to ignore them; to the contrary, we call upon the City to extend the same ear to these residents and community leaders that you have extended to so many others in the past. Even when the decision was difficult you upheld the principle that the citizen's voices should be heard and respected. Even when the decision was unpopular you upheld the principle that the citizen's voices should be heard and respected. Even when the decision was costly and required political courage you still upheld the principle that the citizen's voices should be heard and respected. We ask that you not abandon that principle now...

And lastly, some will argue that the Central Northeast community is THE community with the greatest need, so this is where the facility should be placed. To them I say two things. First, the postulate that this is the area of the Greatest need is arguable, but even if we took that as a given, it would still prompt the question: What are they in greatest need of - Jobs or Sandwiches?

And second, if you are correct, and this is the area of greatest need, then the City would lose nothing by holding public forum to discuss the issue with residents. If this is the area in greatest need of a soup kitchen, then it stands to reason that it would only be confirmed by talking to the residents. But if the residents are asking for a Job training facility, and the City is responding with a Soup Kitchen, then the City is NOT responding to the needs of the community.

We are confident that this issue can be resolved and that there can be a 'win-win' solution. But the City must be willing to come together with residents, listen to their concerns, and work towards a plan that all can agree on. We are a neighborhood-centric city. We are a city with accessible leadership and a proud legacy of responsiveness to citizen concerns. We have never been a city where the City Council ignores the concerns of its neighborhood associations, community and/or business leaders. And we should not become one today...

Now personally, I don't live in the Central Northeast and my property values will not be affected, so some might argue that I don't have a dog in this fight. But I stand on the principle that the folks in our community should be given the same respect and consideration as the folks in Center City or Tallgrass. The people in our community should not be treated differently. They should not have their concerns derided or diminished. They should not be placated with simplistic arguments that gloss over the fact that their property values are about to be lowered. And they should not be ignored. The Wichita Branch NAACP stands beside James Roseborough, Teretha Brown-Foster, Bob Alford and others as they stand up and speak out on behalf of their neighborhoods. We stand with the residents of Millair, McAdams, Matlock Heights, Northeast Heights, and the surrounding neighborhoods who pay taxes just like the residents of any other area within the city. They have earned the right to speak their concerns, and the City owes it to them to listen...

Black Couple Sets Guiness Book Record with 84-year Marriage

2009-09-21T17:00:00.003-05:00

Liz Bowles/Sun Journal

A Craven County couple are in the Guinness World Records book. The two did nothing outlandish such as sky-diving upside down, dancing for days, taking the longest lawn mower ride or having the most tattoos. No, Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher of the Brownsville community have been married for more than 84 years. That is a feat in itself. They have the world record of the longest marriage for a living couple.

They can thank their granddaughter Iris Godette for getting the recognition. She submitted the information to the Guinness Book of Records. The information was apparently checked by Guinness and a certificate was given to the couple.

Herbert was born June 10, 1905. His hearing is going but his mind is sharp. Zelmyra was born Dec. 10, 1907. She uses a walker to get around the house and yard. The two of them can still give their reasons for marrying on May 13, 1924.

“He was not mean; he was not a fighter,” Zelmrya said. “He was quiet and kind. He was not much to look at but he was sweet.”

Join us for the Wichita NAACP Documentary Film Series

2009-09-16T20:37:00.002-05:00

Join us on Friday Sept 18th for the first installment of the Wichita NAACP's documentary film series. This week, we will be showing the film "With all deliberate speed"; a documentary about the five cases that made up the groundbreaking Brown vs. Board case and the state of desegregation in America's schools today.

So come on out and enjoy some popcorn, a great movie, and some good conversation on us...

The Wichita NAACP Documentary Film Series
"With All Deliberate Speed"
When: Friday - Sept 18th - 6PM
829 N Market St

Share YOUR Health Care stories!!!

2009-09-16T18:21:00.003-05:00

Message from NAACP National President Ben Jealous on the shooting death of Mark Anthony Barmore

2009-09-12T09:32:00.001-05:00

Police shot and killed Mark Anthony Barmore, a 23-year-old black man, in a church day care center a few weeks ago in Rockford, Illinois. We have also learned that one officer involved in this killing has been accused of several other questionable police shootings. As you can imagine, tension is running high in the Rockford community and we are deeply concerned.

I thought you should know what the NAACP is doing about it.

Today I will be leading a delegation of NAACP leaders and staff to launch the NAACP's investigation of this police killing and the police department itself.

In Rockford today, we will address a rally of community leaders and report on NAACP's engagement with the Department of Justice to thoroughly investigate this awful tragedy.

We are also working with Congress to require the establishment of national standards for use of force, and training in use of force, for law enforcement officers. Currently, there are as many use-of-force policies as there are law enforcement agencies in our Nation today, and there are as many interpretations of those policies as there are law enforcement officers. This lack of uniformity is one of the core reasons behind the tragedy in Rockford and in too many other instances across the Nation.

We thank the Department of Justice for taking this case seriously through the outreach efforts its Community Relations Service. But to help re-establish trust in the community and to ensure that the Rockford police department is operating with integrity, we need a federal investigation into this case. Please, sign our petition urging the Department of Justice to conduct a full investigation of this shooting and the ongoing use of force by the Rockford police department.

So what actually happened in Rockford? Eyewitnesses say that outside a church day care center, Mr. Barmore encountered two police officers who apparently were looking for him on an allegation of domestic violence. He ran inside the church, and the officers followed him, guns drawn, without a warrant. After Mr. Barmore entered a small boiler room, the police demanded he come out. He slowly exited the room with his hands up. Then, witnesses say, police shot him -- in front of small children in the day care center.

While he lay face down, witnesses say, police shot him three more times in the back! Additionally, officers have been using intimidation tactics against witnesses, such as sitting outside their homes and slowly driving by their homes.

We all must act to stop this kind of police abuse, so I need your help now.

Please, sign the petition and help us promote smart and safe law enforcement policies. I will be keeping you updated on the killing in Rockford and our efforts to investigate it - and prevent future tragedies.

Get your tickets now for the 2009 Wichita NAACP Legacy Awards Banquet

2009-09-12T00:18:00.000-05:00

Wichita Branch NAACP
65th Annual Legacy Awards Banquet
October 17th - Reception begins at 6pm
Wichita Marriott Hotel
Guest Speaker - Ms. Tamara Cotman
Director of School reform; Atlanta Public Schools

Tickets are on sale now!
For ticket info or reservations contact tickets@wichitanaacp.org

2009 "Honoring our Vision" Award recipients

These awards are given to individuals who have distinguished themselves over the previous year through dedicated and selfless acts of service.

HT Sims Excellence in Education Award:

Assistant Superintendant Denise Wren

Clergy of the Year Award:

Reverend Reuben Eckels (New Day Christian Church)

Janett Jackson Community Service Award:

Trudy Baker

Theo Cribbs Political Action Award:

Secretary Rod Bremby (KDHE)

Chester I Lewis Distinguished Service Award:

Professor Dorothy Billings (WSU)

Community/Neighborhood/Civic Association Award:

AKA Sorority Inc

Ronald A Walters Civic Leadership Award:

Rita Rodgers

Person of the Year:

Ron Holt

2009 Legacy Award Recipients

These awards are given in recognition of a lifetime of dedicated community service. Each Legacy Award recipient has left a powerful and enduring legacy of service worthy of recognition and emulation.

Ms. Anita Burney

~~~~~

Ms. Zenobia Washington

~~~~~

Reverend Wanda McDaniels

~~~~~

Mr. Linwood Sexton

~~~~~

Mr. Gene Jackson

~~~~~

Mr. Bob Knight

NAACP calls for swift confirmation of Tom Perez to be Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights

2009-09-11T17:50:00.000-05:00

Nomination may come before the full Senate as early as Monday, September 14th

THE ISSUE:
Tom Perez was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in March 2009. On June 4, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved of this nominee and sent him to the full Senate for confirmation. Now, finally, it appears that the nomination of Tom Perez might come before the full Senate for confirmation as early as Monday, September 14, 2009.

Tom Perez has a breadth and depth of experience in public service, civil rights, management, and leadership that make him an exceptional candidate for this post, and the NAACP strongly supports his nomination. The mission of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division is to ensure equal treatment and equal justice under the law by enforcing and defending the civil rights of all Americans in areas such as education, employment, housing, voting, criminal justice, and public accommodations. Over the past 8 years, the civil rights division has been woefully misdirected, inactive, and has suffered from a high staff turn-over, combined with low morale, which has effectively decimated the division. As a result, the American people, and especially our nation's racial and ethnic minority communities, are clearly facing a crisis in confidence as a result of the sketchy civil rights enforcement. Tom Perez is the right person at this time to work with Attorney General Eric Holder to rebuild not only the Civil Rights Division, but also our country's reputation as a defender of the rights of all Americans to pursue the Constitutional promises of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

With experience in the executive and legislative branches at both the federal and state levels, Tom Perez has a proven track record in the area of civil rights enforcement, understands the issues he will face, is committed to securing and defending civil rights, and has the proven management abilities necessary to effectively restore integrity to the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division at this pivotal juncture. He has worked in practice at the Civil Rights Division, where he began as a federal prosecutor in the Criminal Section, and rose to become its Deputy Chief. In January 1998, Mr. Perez became Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. He is well versed in not only many of the issues facing the Civil Rights Division at this time, but he is also keenly aware of how the division should be operating, and the challenges he will face in the upcoming years.

THE NAACP STRONGLY SUPPORTS TOM PEREZ'S NOMINATION AND ENCOURAGES ALL SENATORS TO SUPPORT HIS SWIFT CONFIRMATION.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ACTION WE NEED YOU TO TAKE!

14 more Wichita Schools fall short of State Test Targets

2009-09-10T07:04:00.000-05:00

Reposted from the Wichita Eagle
By: Lori Yount

The number of Wichita schools meeting both math and reading test targets dropped by 14 this year to 46, according to data released today by the Kansas State Department of Education.

This means Wichita schools, the state's largest district, lost some gains it boasted last year when 13 more of the district's then-84 schools met both math and reading goals than in 2007.

Statewide, the number of schools achieving targets dropped slightly in 2009, from 90 percent last year to 87.6 percent this year.

State educators said each year it's more difficult for schools to meet goals because the percentage of students who need to pass math and reading tests increases.

"The good news is that Kansas schools are achieving their goals in reading and mathematics even though these same goals have increased substantially over last year," Kansas Commissioner of Education Alexa Posny said in a written statement.

Schools in other area districts continued to not meet targets this year after first doing so last year. But some high schools that didn't reach goals last year — Campus High School in Haysville and Maize High School — did meet them this year, according to state data.

Sudanese Journalist Lubna Hussein set free after one day imprisonment

2009-09-09T08:05:00.000-05:00

Sudanese Journalist Lubna Hussein, pictured in the left sidebar, was sentenced on Monday for the alleged "Crime" of wearing pants. The formal charge was 'dressing contrary to public sense'. She was ordered to pay a fine of roughly $200.00 usd.

Hussain refused, making clear that she did not view this trial as a personal issue, but rather a national issue of Women's rights. Hussain, dressed in the same pants that she had been convicted for wearing, was then sentenced to one months imprisonment for her refusal to pay. However, shortly after her being taken to prison, the Sudanese Union of journalists paid her fine and Lubna Hussain was released after only one day of confinement.

Click HERE for a BBC news account of her release...

Since her release, Lubna Hussein held a press conference with the Ajrass Alhurria newspaper and stated that she is upset about the outcome of her trial and that the Sudanese Journalist Union freed her from prison against her will. She plans to appeal the judges decision on her case to a higher court with the ultimate goal of changing the law.

The NAACP supports the creation of a new Consumer Mortgage and Financial Services Protection Agency

2009-09-08T11:52:00.000-05:00

The new agency would address the flaws in the current regulatory system overseeing and helping to enforce consumer protection laws

THE ISSUE:
President Obama has proposed establishing a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA), which would be charged with overseeing consumer protection in the home mortgages and financial services areas. Specifically, the President is proposing that we take all of the agencies that are currently meant to monitor and protect consumers' interests when it comes to financial products and put them under one agency, thereby consolidating authority in one place with a new emphasis on protecting mortgage loans and financial services for consumers.

Our current system of consumer protection fails to protect American families from the most basic abuses that can cost households hundreds of thousands of dollars, and even their homes. Current laws and enforcement allow a range of institutions to escape supervision because responsibility for consumer protection is fragmented across too many regulators and many finance companies are not regulated at all at the Federal level. Regulators have spent recent years asking "What's the effect on the financial firm?" without asking "What's the effect on consumers?" As a result, among other problems, regulators permitted inappropriate mortgages and abusive credit card practices. Sadly, many of the worst abusers targeted low-income families and racial and ethnic minorities.

In the recent crisis, many of the people who were targeted by unscrupulous lenders lost their savings, their financial security, and in too many cases their homes. Furthermore, millions of American families saw their retirement savings or even their children's college funds fall dramatically. Unregulated markets and over-reliance on the flawed judgments of credit rating agencies increased the instability of the financial system, which in turn exposed individual investors to tremendous risk. As proposed, the CFPA would focus on the core reforms that will address the causes of the current crisis, make the system more stable and resilient and give the government tools to better anticipate, avoid and address a potential future crisis.

The NAACP strongly supports this much needed consumer protection proposal and would in fact strengthen it by making civil rights an important component of the new agency's stated mission and create a Civil Rights/Fair Lending Compliance and Enforcement Office. This office should serve a dual function – first to insure that the CFPA itself operates in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing and second to insure that financial market players comply with fair lending statutes. The CFPA must have the appropriate power and resources to vigorously enforce the fair lending laws under its auspices - Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, Community Reinvestment Act, and other appropriate fair lending statutes. It must have sufficient authority and resources to conduct fair lending examinations, engage in compliance activities, and write rules. This office must be headed by a senior level administrator who reports directly to the Director of the CFPA.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ACTION WE NEED YOU TO TAKE!

Full Text of President Obama's speech on Education 090809

2009-09-08T07:51:00.000-05:00

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.
I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."
So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.
Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.
I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.
I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.
I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.
But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.
Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.
And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.
And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.
You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.
We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.
Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.
I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.
So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.
But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.
Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.
But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.
Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.
That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.
Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.
I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.
And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.
That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.
Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.
It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?
Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.