"Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that's all I want to say."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta (1968-02-04)
TUSKEGEE, Ala. — Tuskegee University will celebrate its homecoming this week with a wide variety of activities for students, alumni and friends. The theme is “Bringing the World to Tuskegee and Tuskegee to the World.”
Thursday will be a day filled with elegance as all of the university’s royalty is celebrated during the Miss Tuskegee University Gala at 6 p.m. in Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James Center. This year’s theme is “Journey through the Decades: Celebrating African–American Culture through Tuskegee University’s History and Fine Arts.” Also, a homecoming ball will take place at 8 p.m. in the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.
On Friday, a carnival will be held on University Avenue at noon. Tuskegee University President Gilbert L. Rochon will address alumni at 1 p.m. in the Kellogg’s auditorium. Alumni will get a chance to share memories during the reunion banquet in the Kellogg’s ballroom at 7 p.m. This is the reunion year for the 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006 classes. Also, a concert for Tuskegee students will be on University Avenue at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, two Tuskegee Airmen — Booker Conley and Oscar C. Gadson Jr. — will serve as marshals during the homecoming parade, which starts at 9 a.m. from the university’s Lincoln Gates. Afterward, the public is invited to a pre-game brunch on the lawn of Logan Hall. Also, Tuskegee’s Golden Tigers will take on the Golden Bears from Miles College at 1 p.m. in the Cleve L. Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium. Later, the annual Greek step show will be held in the “Chappie” James Center at 7 p.m.
Former member of the Tuskegee University Board of Trustees and alumnus Dr. Matthew Jenkins will speak at the Charter Day/Homecoming Convocation on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the University Chapel. Jenkins is currently the president and CEO of SDD Enterprises, a real estate and property management company that he created with his wife, Roberta. The couple formed the Matthew and Roberta Jenkins Family Foundation in 1984. It has been responsible for providing a number of scholarships across the country to students, colleges and institutions.
For a full schedule of events and ticket information, click here.
"At Tuskegee [in 1976], I began to study the major works of Marxism. I gradually became convinced that racism by itself could not account for the oppressed conditions of black people in America and, for that matter, across the globe. Capitalism as an economic system was based on an unequal exchange between the owners of capital and those who worked for a wage. Capitalism as a social system fostered class stratification, extreme concentrations of wealth, and poverty and promoted race hatred as a means to divide workers. This basic analysis seemed to make sense, based on my own experiences growing up inside the United States, in the context of racial discrimination and social inequality. I came to Marxism not out of some abstract love for the white American working class, or out of faith in the power of the international proletariat, or out of respect for the models of Soviet and Chinese Communism, both of which I found equally problematic. I became a socialist because I believed in the struggles of black people, in their history and destiny, and because I believed that to eliminate racism and inequality decisively, a new democratic society would have to be constructed." - Manning Marable, 'Introduction: Towards an Autobiography of the Politics of Race and Class', Speaking Truth to Power: Essays on Race, Resistance and Radicalism (1996)
We were so moved this evening by the "NAACP Help Save Troy Davis" event held at Ebenezer Baptist Church, located in Atlanta, Georgia.
Troy Davis was convicted of murdering a Georgia police officer in 1991. Nearly two decades later, Davis remains on death row — even though the case against him has fallen apart.
It's truly amazing what can happen when people stand together for righteousness.
For more information on how you can help, please visit: http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/usa-troy-davis
TAVIS SMILEY REPORTS “TOO IMPORTANT TO FAIL” Premieres this Tuesday, September 13 at 8pm on PBS
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the school year gets underway, broadcaster Tavis Smiley tackles the subject of education with a new PBS primetime special, an interactive website, and a companion e-book that will examine an undeclared crisis in America—the staggering dropout rate among young black males. Smiley's yearlong initiative kicks off with the premiere of the fifth episode of TAVIS SMILEY REPORTS, titled "Too Important to Fail," on Tuesday, September 13, 2011, 8:00-9:00 p.m. (EDT) on PBS (check local listings). This report investigates the root cause of this calamity and what can be done to reverse it.
Smiley's candid conversations in TAVIS SMILEY REPORTS took place in Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Oakland. These critical conversations with frontline experts and educators, detention center administrators and, most importantly, the boys themselves urge viewers to ponder the societal and economic cost of losing another generation of uneducated young black males to lifetimes of prison, drugs, and poverty.
The experts featured in the special include:
The yearlong education initiative also will include: parent summits; a companion e-book, Too Important to Fail: Saving America's Boys, available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com on September 13, that lists 130 organizations committed to solving this monumental challenge; a reading mobile truck tour; and an online public forum where thousands of Americans can share ideas that reflect the critical role of teachers, parents, community, and government. The online site, www.tooimportanttofail.com, that will also launch September 13, was developed in partnership with Microsoft and Open Society Foundation's Campaign for Black Male Achievement.
Recognizing the extraordinary impact parents can have on the development of their children with regard to learning, the Tavis Smiley Foundation will spearhead a series of parent educational summits aimed at informing parents how to be partners and advocates for education. The first seminar is slated for Oct. 29 in Los Angeles. Details, dates, and cities for future summits will be announced later this year.
TAVIS SMILEY REPORTS "Too Important to Fail" is part of American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen, a public media initiative supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities across America find solutions to address the dropout crisis.
"CPB, through the 'American Graduate: Let's Make it Happen' initiative, is proud to support 'Too Important to Fail'," said Patricia Harrison, CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. "This is programming unique to public media, and it has the potential to inspire us to help keep youth on the path to a high school diploma. Through the American Graduate initiative, public media stations, locally owned and operated, will be convening partnerships of parents, teachers, business leaders, students, and nonprofit organizations to address the dropout challenge in their specific communities and help identify and share solutions that will keep students on track to earn a diploma."
Visit www.pbs.org/tavis/reports for more information and Web-exclusive content. Online screeners of the special are available to the media upon request.
TAVIS SMILEY REPORTS is produced for PBS by The Smiley Group, Inc./TS Media, Inc. and in association with WNET New York Public Media. The executive producer is Jacoba Atlas. Funding is provided by The California Endowment, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the National Education Association (NEA).
For additional information, visit www.tooimportanttofail.com.
ABOUT TAVIS SMILEY
Tavis Smiley is host of the nightly talk show Tavis Smiley on PBS, and the host of The Tavis Smiley Show and co-host of Smiley & West from Public Radio International (PRI). Smiley launched America I AM: The African American Imprint, a world-class traveling exhibition celebrating the extraordinary impact of African American contributions on our nation and the world. The exhibit is on a four-year, 10-city tour and is currently on display in St. Louis, Missouri. Smiley is also the author/editor of 15 books, including The New York Times bestsellers Covenant with Black America and What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America. His most recent book is FAIL UP: 20 Lessons on Building Success from Failure. In 2009, TIME magazine named him one of the World's Most Influential People. For more information, visit www.tavistalks.com.
ABOUT CPB
CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 and is steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operation of more than 1,300 locally-owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services.
ABOUT AMERICAN GRADUATE
American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen is a public media initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities across the country find solutions to address the dropout crisis. In partnership with America's Promise Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CPB and public media stations in 20 "Hub Markets" where the dropout crisis is most acute will provide their resources and services to raise awareness of the issue and coordinate action with community partners to establish and deliver on high expectations that all students graduate.
SOURCE TS Media, Inc.
The YWCA plants the seeds of hope to provide comfort where there is pain, love where there is loneliness, and a light where there is darkness.
Dear Friends,
I am honored to serve on a number of important committees, most recently I was asked to serve on the Marketing Committee for the YWCA of Greater Atlanta.
The YWCA of Greater Atlanta is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
Within the next couple of days, I will begin sharing informative information and wonderful events that take place and are hosted by the YWCA of Greater Atlanta.
It is my hope that you will enjoy this information and share these events utilizing social media to family and friends.
I’m thrilled and honored to serve on this important committee. I sincerely appreciate your support and readership.
For more information about the YWCA of Greater Atlanta, please visit: http://ywcaatlanta.org.
Continuing my life's passion to love, educate, and serve.
Best,
Sojourner
