50th Anniversary of the 1960 Sit-ins and Ax Handle Saturday

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The Great Debaters Convene in Jacksonville,

We invite you to inform your networks that the Duval Urban Debate League is hosting a FREE two (2) week Summer Debate and Technology Institute for middle and high school students who attend public school in Duval County. National debate educators known as the Community Debate Council will assist with higher learning programs of instruction online and offline.

The camp will kick off on Monday, July 19th – Friday, August 2nd from 8:30am – 2:30pm at Paxon Middle School, located 3276 North E. Thagard Blvd. Free meals and debate materials will be provided.

For more information, please visit our website at www.dudl.org or call (904) 419-3211.

http://dudl.org/urbandebate/dudl-summer-debate-camp-registration/

Duval Urban Debate League (DUDL)

Fax:  (866) 899-4886

Address:  P.O. Box 28818, Jacksonville, FL 32226

Email: click here

Web: www.dudl.org

Become a volunteer, coach, judge or simply make a donation.

West Philadelphia High School sits in the middle of one of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in Philadelphia. It’s like any other inner-city school in the country–chronically low-performing and persistently dangerous.

“I think it’s a tough place to see large success or a lot of students succeeding at really high levels,” says Simon Hauger, former director of West Philadelphia High School’s Academy of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering–or “Auto” as it’s known at the school–and current director for the X Team.

Despite the difficult environment and low expectations, in 1998 a team of students (known then as the EV Team) pulled the engine from a go-cart, replaced it with an electric engine, and entered it into the Philadelphia Science Fair–a competitive event that West Philly students had never excelled in. To the students’ surprise, they finished second out of 600 entrants.

http://bit.ly/hybridx

Inner-city high school team battles to build $10 million ultimate hybrid car

NewAmericaFoundation — June 11, 2010 — Access to high-speed, affordable and ubiquitous broadband is a necessity in the 21st century. Although Congress allocated $7.2 Billion for broadband projects in the 2009 Stimulus Act, the final application round for funding has closed. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) estimates that an additional $350 billion is needed to expand high-speed connectivity nationwide; meaning cities and communities will need to explore other options for bringing broadband to their residents, businesses and institutions.

On June 10th, 2010, Craig Settles will present key lessons from his book, Fighting the Next Good Fight: Bringing True Broadband to Your Community. A broadband business strategist, marketing expert, author and internationally renowned speaker, Craig Settles helps organizations use broadband technologies to improve local government’s operating efficiency, as well as promote local economic development.

Fighting the Next Good Fight offers guidelines to action for government administrators and IT staff, private-sector companies, community stakeholders and economic development professionals. These serve as the foundation to build a financially sustainable broadband networks in communities across the country. Government initiatives, private sector entrepreneurship and community efforts can all play a role as the next catalysts for municipal and community broadband and help bridge the digital divide.

Bryan Sivak, Chief Technology Officer of the District of Columbia, Joanne Hovis, President-Elect of NATOA and President of Columbia Telecommunications Corporation and Gary Carter, Analyst at City of Santa Monica Information Systems Department will respond to Mr. Settles’ presentation.

http://www.newamerica.net/events/2010…

Excerpt from Youtube – New America

Continuing from Part I: After reflecting on the impact Forensics has had on my life, and the benefits of Urban Debate brought to kids who otherwise would not know of Forensics, I get an inside perspective of The Duval Urban Debate League.

I learned of the Duval Urban Debate League (DUDL) while working on The Forensics Community’s Twitter account

(@ForensicsFriend).  The DUDL (follow them @greatdebaters) had posted a story about a recent middle school

tournament they had held and I retweeted.  What followed was an e-mail correspondence with Jermyn Shannon-El, Founder/Developer of the DUDL.  Like most, I did not know much about Urban Debate, however; I wanted to —

particularly about a league so fresh and helpful to their community.  So I asked Jermyn a few questions about Urban Debate and the Duval UDL.  I hope you, the reader, finds his responses as enlightening as I did.

Lisa: Is the DUDL a member of the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues (NAUDL)?  I am kind of making the assumption here that Urban Debate leagues across the country are all unified under that National group…

Jermyn: First of all, thank you for this wonderful opportunity to publicize the Duval UDL. I absolutely love the ForensicCommunity. During our inaugural year, our administrative staff, selected to organically grow the League to ensure DUDL met local and state requirements both academically and socially based on student

/school/and district needs. We anticipate to become a member of the NAUDL next year. All urban debate leagues are not necessarily a part of the NAUDL, particularly in the South where policy debate is practically void at the secondary and post-secondary level.  [Note: Policy Debate is the main type of Debate practiced by the NAUDL, thus why the NAUDL is not a major factor of Southern Debate.]

Lisa: Is the DUDL strictly for middle schools?  If so, does it feed into a high school Urban Debate program?  And what is the success rate of middle schoolers who debate sticking with it in HS?

Jermyn: DUDL started out at the Middle School level (6-8) to meet the challenges most students face to stay in school.

“The Duval Urban Debate League kicked off began as an in-school/after school program for 6th-8th grade students. The Leagues mission is to aggressively enhance the academic curriculum over a 5-6 year period. This is a critical stage for most students who transition from middle to high school. With seven middle schools in the first year, the League is poised to expand to an additional five middle schools and a minimum of five high schools next year in Duval County alone, in addition, we are processing two elementary schools.

We developed our League to meet the five year strategic plan of the local school district and Florida state-wide Strategic Plan. We are currently developing a strong evaluation of the program not only based on where the students are, but where we hope they will be academically and socially as graduates in 2014. The majority of our schools this year are Turnaround Schools, though next year will not necessarily reflect such, we plan to expand to the feeder high schools of our targeted middle school debate teams.” – says Jermyn Shannon-El, League Developer

Lisa: I read how your program’s “lesson plans are designed to enhance debate course work inside and outside of the classroom.”  This implies that the DUDL is not just an after school activity like most Forensics teams at schools (I apologize if I am wrong).  How does this program work?

Jermyn: The private-public partnership affords us the opportunity to introduce career education incentives for our debaters and debate coaches. It also opens doors for professional development beyond the classroom. We use a variety of technology solutions and applications, such as VoiceThread and Google, to empower students, parents, and coaches with debate enhancement tools and lesson plans that are leveraged 24/7. The debate coaches that are educators go out of their way to incorporate these tools in their daily instruction to better prepare students for test, tournaments, and overall academic performance.

Lisa: So students sign up for debate and have competition on weekends?  How much like an after school class/activity is the DUDL?

Jermyn: Yes…we host student recruitment workshops once per quarter at each school to engage new and existing debaters in the program. Each month we host a policy debate tournament at a different site location to engage students, parents, and educators with a different learning experience at a middle or high school or diff college campus.  It follows the tradition of urban debate with after school activities and instruction, however we try as much as possible to engage novice debaters in public forums and community service learning projects

Lisa: I love the approach here and genuinely wish to know more about how the DUDL is integrated into the classroom/education system.

Jermyn: Thank you. It is definitely a work in progress with very high expectations from all involved. Debate has been strategic in rallying the entire community of Jacksonville around higher learning activities for all youth.

Lisa: What qualifies a school or student access to use of the DUDL’s resources?

Jermyn: Nothing more than a special interest in in speech and debate at the secondary or post-secondary school or district level. They can visit our website at www.dudl.org to sign up as a student, school, volunteer, or donor.

Lisa: How many schools are involved?  Also, on the DUDL site student membership is listed around 150; is that number still true?

Jermyn: We currently have about 100 registered and active members and roughly 15 schools going into the Summer.

Lisa: What can people do to help their local Urban Debate League…or even start one?

Jermyn: Our initial goal in developing a successful, fully-engaged debate program is to first garner support and a firm commitment from the District, Principals, and Parents during initial registration. We visit all entities to carefully explain the program and to have participation/consent forms  from all parties involved. We then set up a fund development strategy for each school and a “train-the-trainer” program with ongoing professional development for the debate coaches and educators involved. For interested parties who wish to sign up, they can simply visit DUDL online to complete the form at http://dudl.org/urbandebate/development/  or call us directly at 904-962-7284.

Summary

It is because of leagues like the Duval Urban Debate League and the people behind them that young people in America are given a chance. The frustrations caused by those in control’s desire between wanting to provide for students and their inability to do so is endless.  Yet, not one person or practice can be accused.  Blame No Child Left Behind’s failures, the Economy, poverty, a focus on teaching towards a test instead of a general enrichment of intelligence, misappropriation of funds, lack of focus on the arts, and so on. The simple truth is funding cannot be relied upon, nor is funding alone enough to create a solid league – or school system even. What can be counted upon are the people behind the league. The dedication, passion, and will they possess is inspiring.  Without Debate and Speech fighters like Jermyn, battling for those without a voice, for kids who never dreamed they could even find a whisper, nothing would get accomplished.  The Duval Urban Debate League would not exist;  nor would the National Association for Urban Debate League have such a presence.  The first Urban Debate League in Atlanta could never be.

But they do.  Because there are dreamers and those with compassion willing to sacrifice.  To endure. To grow.

Works Cited

Shannon-El, Jermyn (follow on Facebook). Personal Interview. 13 May 2010

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I was stunned by Tuesday night’s election comments from all the talking heads.   In listening to many political pundits (both Democrats and Republicans), you would have thought Sarah Palin had just become God!

How can anyone with the least bit of a brain credit Palin with many of the Republican victories last night, especially among the female victors?

Only once in recent history can one credibly argue that an endorsement by an individual had any measureable effect on an election—and that election was in 2008.

When Colin Powell endorsed then Senator Barack Obama for president, there was a noticeable change in the trajectory of Obama’s campaign.  Powell’s words validated Obama within the Black community.  Powell is the E.F. Hutton of America—when he speaks, people listen.

Powell’s stature is so much revered, his blessing was received as imprimatur for the military to believe that “the kid’s ok.”  White America, who was not very familiar with Obama, was reassured by Powell’s words.  The fact that Powell chose Obama over Senator McCain (a very close personal friend of Powell) sent shock waves throughout America.  Powell’s endorsement was measureable, newsworthy, and game changing.

Because of Powell’s stature, he was able to impact a national election by sheer force of his person and his accomplishments.  Sarah Palin, nor the Tea Party, is nowhere close to having this type of gravitas.

Palin and the Tea Party are like empty vessels—everyone fills them with whatever they want.  This will prove to be the Achilles Heel for the Republican Party.  Palin constantly issues “bumper sticker” slogans that have very little practical meaning and no substance.

The four people Palin endorsed were:  Carly Fiorina (former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and candidate for the U.S. Senate in California), Nikki Haley (South Carolina state representative who is running for governor), Terry Branstad (former four time governor of Iowa), and Cecile Bledson (Arkansas state senator who lost during yesterday’s Republican primary for U.S. Congress).

Palin’s endorsing these candidates and claiming to have helped them win (Bledson was the only one to lose) is like Ron Artest claiming to have helped Michael Jordan win his titles with the Chicago Bulls because they both played basketball; or Al Sharpton taking claim for Obama’s presidential win because he is a supposed civil rights leader.  Saying it’s so doesn’t make it so.

There is absolutely no causation between Palin or the Tea Party and these candidates victory.   Fiorina had proven success in the corporate world, Haley, Brandstad, and Bledson all had proven track records in the political arena.  But, as is typical in politics, if you can’t explain why something happens, then make something up.  In the immortal words of the Doobie Brothers, “What a fool believes, no wise man has the power to reason away; what seems to be is always better than nothing at all.”

The days of individual “power brokers” are over.  The above candidates won, not because of Palin, but because they were good candidates who had a message that resonated with the electorate.

The political pundits can’t fathom the possibility that these candidates won on the merits of their campaigns—what a novel thought!  For all the talk about Palin, can someone explain to me why she has not contributed any money to these candidates?  If she so believes in them, why is she not putting her money where her lipstick is?

She and her sycophants have deluded themselves into believing that if Palin just speaks the word—candidates will win.

Republicans should do well at the polls come November, but my biggest fear is the party’s penchant for never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity.  This is the only thing that can save the Democrats.  You can count on members of the Tea Party to make some incendiary, racial statements between now and November.

They want civil discourse.

To have Sarah Palin  or the Tea Party as the storyline from the election is a total misreading of the tea leaves.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm.  He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (www.excellstyle.com).

Don’t forget to register to listen to my radio show every Saturday evening from 7-9:00 p.m.  Go to www.ustalknetwork.com to register and then click on host, and then click on my photo to join my group.

Beaver Street June Entrepreneurship Forum

Originally uploaded by Blacksonville Community Network

You are invited to join the Beaver Street Enterprise Center in its 7th Annual Business and Entrepreneur Networker. Call for details!

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WE ARE ON THE MOVE AND WE NEED YOUR HELP!

At Greater Community Church, we believe that we have a responsibility to to do our part to help stop excessiveshooting, robbing and killing all communities throughout the United States, and particularly among each other in the black community.

To help spread the word, our church is raising funds to reach more citizens nationwide to become a part of this movement by visiting our website, a resource to promote unity and end violence.

Our Vision is to raise funds through the nationwide sale of our God-inspired “One Love Unity T-Shirts”. All proceeds are directed towards helping families in need and to put an immediate end to the black-on-black crime and overall violence devastating our communities. In addition, we will focus on creating new programs in our communities that will effectively help the local community collaborate and build from the grassroots. This is our commitment to working towards a nation of peace that was outlined in the agenda of our new President.

We sincerely appreciate your advance help and contributions to this effort. You can begin by sharing this notice to as many people as possible through Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz and Digg.com. We ensure you that each click of a button will inspire hundreds to change the hearts of thousands, and thousands to millions. Please help us spread the word about www.onleloveunitytshirt.org and our Cause to “End All Violence”.

Inside details about the success of our efforts can be found here on www.blacksonville.com, coming soon.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact:

Pastor Ron Evans

Greater Community Church

301 Dorchester Ave.

Cincinnati, OH 45219

513-258-9511

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