The achievement gap is described by the United States Department of Education as the difference in academic performance between ethnic groups. The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices says “the achievement gap is a matter of race and class.” Read the rest of this entry »
Best qualified is the most qualified term that is widely used in describing the best candidate. This term is frequently used by political candidates in highlighting their qualifications over their rivalries. In the 2008 presidential primaries, candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties used this term to describe their superb qualifications and experiences over their opponents. Read the rest of this entry »
As a child, my parents, neighbors, and teachers played a role in teaching me and other children in the community the importance of an apology, and today it is a virtue that I still value. If one of us offended or did some unkind act against the other, we were chastised by a caring adult; then we had to offer an apology. Read the rest of this entry »
The front page stories in a recent edition of the Wall Street Journal read: “Jobs Data Suggest U.S. is in Recession” and “More People Pushed into Part-Time Work Force.”
This news may be somewhat discouraging to those in the job market, as well as those seeking promotions and advancement. How do you respond to the challenges of a sluggish job market? St. John Baptist church, located in Columbia, South Carolina, in celebration of its 100th Anniversary hosted its first community empowerment workshop entitled, “Using Christian Principles for Career Development and Planning.” As a member of this church and one who believes in the power of prayer and applying biblical scripture to life, I found this workshop to be relevant and informative for those seeking to change their employment status.
One of the biblical principles emphasized during the workshop is being true to thyself, which simply means in laymen’s terms that you must be willing to do an assessment of both your strengths and weaknesses; taking this initial step will jump start your efforts in developing attainable career goals that lead to personal success. Too many job seekers fail to find traction in their career search because of their failure to be truthful about whom they are in terms of what assets they really bring to a job. Such an assessment will provide a realistic road map in connecting with career opportunities. One’s failure to perform such an assessment will lead to missteps and frustration.
After completing the assessment process, your faith must be shifted into high gear. Those of us who believe in this process and are willing to put our faith into practice will reap the benefits. Next, you must know that the Bible teaches, whatever is good, we must ask—yet, you do not have because you do not ask. Many persons are hoping for a breakthrough without clearly understanding this biblical principal. If you do not ask God for what you desire in your career interest and do the same in the job market, your efforts may be done in vain.
Additionally, the workshop offered insight about the importance of workplace ethics and morals. You should treat others with respect; in biblical terms, you must treat others as you would like to be treated. You should refrain from gossiping and berating others in the workplace. Many of us are challenged with applying this principle, because the nature of man is to engage in such behavior for various reasons. When you learn to live out this principle, you will experience rewarding relationships and you are truly on a path the leads to spiritual growth and more career opportunities.
In a tight job market that may appear bleak on the surface, you must be willing to first seek deeper understanding of how to apply God’s principles in your career search and life. These principles are critical in providing a more competitive edge for those who embrace faith and commit themselves to hard work.
“Hate crime is the violence of intolerance and bigotry, intended to hurt and intimidate someone because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, religious, sexual orientation, or disability. The purveyors of hate use explosives, arson, weapons, vandalism, physical violence, and verbal threats of violence to instill fear in their victims, leaving them vulnerable to more attacks and feeling alienated, helpless, suspicious and fearful. Others may become frustrated and angry if they believe the local government and other groups in the community will not protect them. When perpetrators of hate are not prosecuted as criminals and their acts not publicly condemned, their crimes can weaken even those communities with the healthiest race relations. Of all crimes, hate crimes are most likely to create or exacerbate tensions, which can trigger larger community-wide racial conflict, civil disturbances, and even riots.”
Unfortunately, hate crimes are not new in this country. Many groups such as Asians, African-Americans, Hispanics, Jews, Native Americans, women, gays, lesbians, and others have been victims of these crimes. With the recent rise in hate crimes and the adverse impact on community and race relations, it is understandable why only 20% of African Americans feel that racial progress has not improved compared to five years ago, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center. In fact, according to this study, dating back to the 1980’s, African-Americans are more pessimistic about racial progress.
What is troubling is the recent rise in hate crimes that are being committed by young people. What message are we sending young people for them to feel so comfortable in displaying hate symbols such as nooses? As a society, we must have strong laws and appropriate punishment for the perpetrators of hate crimes against humanity. Importantly, we as adults must become examples for young people in promoting racial tolerance and respect for others.
As we celebrate the Columbia Urban League’s 40th anniversary, let us be reminded of the significance of the number 40. In the Bible, the number 40 often refers to a period of testing and subsequent spiritual rejuvenation. For us, it is a time best used to solidify our foundation of advocacy, service and community empowerment in hopes of changing lives.
This moment in time also calls for us to salute those visionary servant leaders who worked diligently in 1967 to establish the first local affiliate of the National Urban League in South Carolina. Amid heightened racial tensions and a community awareness redirected to leveling the playing field for those suffering a systematic denial of their human rights, the Columbia Urban League set forth to tackle the Herculean task of developing a community-based human service delivery movement that could close the disparity gap and promote equality.
As noted in the Columbia Urban League’s “The State of Black South Carolina: An Action Agenda for the Future,” 40 years after its chartering, the equality gap is still visible in education, health, economic development, juvenile incarceration and public policy formation. Most prevalent is the culture of low expectations, especially for African-American youths.
As we press forward, we are reminded that we cannot take our eyes off the prize of equality. We must not be derailed by those pundits professing that the playing field is leveled and that those who have not succeeded have only their own lack of drive or initiative to blame. Also, we must not allow life’s setbacks to rob our youths of their hopes and dreams. Instead, we as a community must take responsibility for our underachieving children and the sub-standard schools they attend.
We must take responsibility for the underemployed, many of whom work two or three part-time jobs, and the poor health many suffer when employers do not offer health insurance to part-time employees. We must take responsibility for juveniles who constitute a large proportion of the criminal justice system when sentencing in many cases is disproportionate based on race and socio-economic standards.
Realizing that the majority of African-American families are law-abiding citizens with high aspirations, we must celebrate, encourage and recognize those families. For example, over the past 25 years through its Young and Gifted Awards program, the Urban League has recognized high school scholars who achieve excellence in academics.
While we at the Urban League understand the importance of praising those who are striving and moving in an upward direction, we also know that we must find ways to help lift up those who are down. We must find ways to support parents who lack resources and basic, effective parenting skills. Furthermore, we must find ways to help those who are captives to a cycle of poverty and destruction.
As we take on this responsibility for empowering our communities and changing lives, we must continue our vigilance in exposing those vestiges of racism and disparities that have hampered the hope and future of many youths and young adults.
If there is anything that we have learned from the past 40 years, it is that after the assumption of responsibility comes the necessary positioning for action. In the words of Whitney M. Young Jr.., a former National Urban League president and CEO and speaker at our inaugural Equal Opportunity Dinner in 1967, “The greatest tragedy is not being prepared for opportunity when it comes.” Young also said, “I may not be down where you are in the gutter, but I intend to bring you up where I am.” So we all must reach back and help someone.
In a recent Sunday school lesson with my class of teenagers, entitled “What’s Your Reputation”, we discussed the importance of a good reputation and agreed that your reputation is not what you think of yourself, but what others think of you. How do others form opinions of you? The students listed the following factors that determine how others view you: conduct, respect for others, study habits, manners, and coping with challenges.
From our discussion, it is clear that many young people know that your character is the most important factor in defining one’s reputation. We need to teach young people that a good reputation is real when it is consistent with your character. Let’s look closely at character. The character Education Network identified the following essential traits for teaching character education. These character traits are:
• Responsibility—being accountable in word and deed and having a sense of duty to fulfill tasks with reliability, dependability and commitment.
• Perseverance—pursuing worthy objectives with determination and patience while exhibiting fortitude when confronted with failure.
• Caring—showing understanding of others by treating them with kindness, compassion, generosity and a forgiving spirit.
• Self-discipline—demonstrating hard work controlling your emotions, words, actions, impulses and desires and giving your best in all situations.
• Citizenship—being law abiding and involved in service to school, community and country.
• Honesty—telling the truth, admitting wrongdoing, being trustworthy and acting with integrity.
• Courage—doing the right thing in face of difficulty and following your conscience instead of the crowd.
• Fairness—practicing justice, equity, equality and cooperating with one another. Recognizing the uniqueness and value of each individual within our diverse society.
• Respect—showing high regard for an authority, other people, self and country. Treating others as you would want to be treated. Understanding that all people have value as human beings.
• Integrity—a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values and being honest, trustworthy and incorruptible.
• Patriotism—a love for and loyalty to one’s country.
Many people have fabricated good reputations through deception—they have presented one form to the public and another in private. Young people need to know that eventually deception will ultimately be revealed. We are constantly seeing fallouts from deception in recent headlines regarding celebrities, politicians, athletes, evangelists, entertainers and others who have been embarrassed and disgraced because their private lives were inconsistent with their public images.
A good reputation (character) is more important than riches. Your reputation/character will weather the storms of life through a legacy that will live beyond you. We concluded our lesson by reflecting on the life of Deacon Israel Brooks, Jr., South Carolina’s first African American trooper and former United States Marshal who epitomized the meaning of a good reputation with good character.
During a meeting with a group of researchers focused on developing effective strategies to combat gangs in the Midlands, I assured that if we are serious about reducing the increasing prevalence of gangs and disruptive behavior among our youth, then we must invest more resources into activities and programs intended to promote positive youth development.
A recent editorial in The State newspaper highlighted a report by the Justice Policy Institute entitled, “Gang Wars: The Failure of Enforcement Tactics and the Need for Effective Public Policy Strategies.” It states that law enforcement intervention strategies to combat gangs are falling short of achieving noticeable and/or successful results. According to this report, a review of law enforcement efforts over the past twenty years showed few examples of success and many examples of failure. Spending on policing and surveillance and the development of databases listing the names of alleged gang members far outpaces spending on prevention programs or community improvements.
The following intervention strategies are highlighted as positive ways to address gang involvement:
What is clear from this report is that our efforts to combat gangs and youth violence must include more than the traditional law enforcement approach of increasing the number of police, prisons, and punitive measures. We must undertake a holistic approach that involves cooperative efforts between parents, law enforcement, and community stakeholders including community organizations and faith based institutions. Among local governmental efforts, the City of Columbia and Richland County are to be commended for providing resources to support community youth intervention initiatives.
The City of Columbia Police Department has made clear its commitment to helping build a safer community by establishing a local chapter of the Police Athletic League (PAL). The PAL provides an intervention-approach to getting youth involved in structured athletic activities that are supervised by caring adults. Investments in youth, particularly those opportunities that allow them to gain work experience and valuable leadership skills, have made a groundbreaking impact in youth development. For years, I have highlighted research that touts youth employment as a best practice model for helping youth become productive members of society. Today, I contend that work, as ancient as time, will continue to prove itself as a critical attribute to positive youth development.
Several years ago, there was a public outrage concerning the disproportionate number of African American males who were being stopped randomly by law enforcement officers for no apparent reason, except that of race. Law enforcement agencies, as well as the general public, began examining themselves to determine whether they were guilty of stereotyping and profiling black males. It appears that racial profiling persists and is not only a concern when driving while black, but also when walking while black. Read the rest of this entry »
While attending the swearing-in ceremony for Richland County Auditor Paul Brawley on Friday, June 30, 2007, I witnessed history in the making with Mr. Brawley becoming the first African American to win a county wide office in Richland County.
Equally impressive was Mr. Brawley’s testimony on the importance of the high expectations that his parents, family, and members of the lower Richland community instilled in him.
Mr. Brawley spoke of the naysayers who said he could not win. It is obvious that these naysayers were unaware of Mr. Brawley’s secret weapons–high expectations–which gave him the confidence to succeed.
Mr. Brawley’s election is a call to action for us to teach young people that with adequate education, preparation, and high expectations, any dream can be achieved.
Don’t let anyone turn you around. Believe in yourself and claim your rightful place in society. High expectations are a formula for success.