To those who offend other races because we are the "chosen people", what do you think of these Somali parents joining NAACP to improve the education standards of the school of their kids? They joined the NAACP because they are not only considered black Africans, but are actually black Africans in the United States who share similar colour-based discrimination concerns as African Americans. Are they sell-outs?
NAACP focuses on achievement gap in schools.
Something interesting happened at the general membership meeting of the Rochester branch of the NAACP.
Rochester public schools Superintendent Jerry Williams was present to answer questions about the dismal test scores of Rochester's black students. Virtually all the seats were filled, many of them taken by members of the Rochester Somali community. That was a first for the local NAACP.
What had brought them together -- both African-Americans and Somalis -- were concerns about the educational divide separating whites and blacks in Rochester.
"There were no Somalis represented at the meeting last year. I think a third of the people there (on Monday) may have been Somalis," said W.C. Jordan, president of the Rochester branch of the NAACP
Jordan heads an organization that of late has taken a more high-profile role in the affairs of Rochester K-12 education. Eventually, the organization plans to present the Rochester School Board with its own list of recommendations for closing the achievement gap.
His North Carolina origins evident in a mild accent, Jordan, now in his fourth month as president, disputes the impression that the NAACP has suddenly emerged "out of the blue" to assert a more activist role. The organization has always been there, he says, although its dealings with district officials might not have been public. The group also continues to learn about how it can be more effective in promoting its goals.
"The first time, we didn't do recommendations to the school board, and some of the issues that we had on the table may not have gotten addressed to our satisfaction," he said. "So now, we're saying, 'Let's take it a little bit further. Let's go to the board.'"
Jordan has both good and bad things to say about the district. He is critical of the district's approach to what he calls a crisis in its schools, as well as its leader, Williams, whom he described as being "evasive" in some of his answers at the recent NAACP meeting.
But he also credits the district with showing a willingness to work with the organization. He says NAACP representatives have never been shut out of a meeting it sought. And as long as the communication lines remain open, "the potential for improvement exists."
Even so, Jordan said he's not convinced that the district is prepared to take the steps necessary to close the gap "in a timely manner." He said other school districts have faced similar, if not worse, demographic pressures as Rochester, but have been more successful in closing the gap. He said he believed the Twin Cities have been more successful in dealing with such issues.
Jordan said he hasn't done enough research to understand all the causes behind the gap. But he thinks a starting point for improvement is the district's ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program, which he believes should be more "user-friendly." He said hiring more Somali bilingual interpreters and counselors would help.
"Here the instructor only speaks English and the kids can only speak Somali. You have one-way communication," he said. "And even though there may be some learning going on, it's being stifled, because there is (no) two-way communication."
http://www.postbulletin.com/naacp-focus ... 02ca6.html
This.
Meet Higher Standards? Seattle Teachers Say Funding Is Also Key .
For the 11th-grade math test in Washington state, there's a version in Spanish. There's also a glossary to translate words into Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Arabic, Punjabi.
Notice anything missing?
"They forgot the whole continent of Africa,” said Franklin High School teacher Meg Richman. “Many of our students are from Somalia and Ethiopia. And those languages are not represented in the glossary."
That’s part of the frustration with the “smarter balanced test.” A move to boycott the test appears to be gaining steam. Now, the local NAACP has joined the fight.
Teachers and community leaders recently gathered in Seattle’s tiny NAACP headquarters to discuss the test – and what they perceive as too much testing and underfunded schools.
They said the missing glossaries fit in with a historic pattern: Black kids fail in larger numbers, in part because the tests are stacked against them.
Gerald Hankerson of the NAACP weighed in.
"The question is if you spend $200 million to administer a test, but you’re not going to be equipped to address the diverse pool of all the African kids and Somali kids here, then that in itself is a civil rights violation,” he said.
But Randy Dorn, the state schools superintendent, said transition and change are always tough. He said the test will improve in time.
In the meantime, he said expectations must be raised for all students. He said support for that approach goes all the way to the top.
"I had a meeting with the president of the United States a couple weeks ago,” he said. “And if we want to continue to be the leaders of the free world, we need to have the most highly educated students. And we need to have high standards for them to meet."
The teachers gathered at the NAACP say they aren’t bothered by higher standards, though. They’re bothered that students are being held to higher standards, but schools aren’t given the money to help those kids meet those standards.
The state, they say, must step forward with more money.
On that point, the superintendent agrees.
http://kuow.org/post/meet-higher-standa ... g-also-key
A Somali lady nominated as the New Minneapolis assistant secretary.
Farhio Khalif speaks of her life in terms of a “journey,” and what a journey it has been. Khalif ‘s journey began in Somalia and made stops along the way to Minneapolis in Italy; Birmingham, Alabama; Florida; Washington, D.C.; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. She and her two sons arrived in Minneapolis about five years ago. Khalif decided to make the Twin Cities her ultimate destination in order to join its vibrant Somali community.
During her time here, she has become very active in local politics because, she says, “You have to have the desire to do something for your community.” Khalif became involved in organizing and campaigning for candidates for office, including Keith Ellison, currently a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and spent two years working for Minneapolis City Councilmember Cam Gordon. She has also been an activist in and for the Somali community, where she said she has organized hundreds of events.
This week, meet Farhio Khalif, NAACP Assistant Secretary.
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2014/ ... nge-system
What have these anti-African Americans, anti-Bantu brigade ever did for Somalis other than dishing insults on the social media towards other communities who might offer struggling Somalis a friendly hand? Let the Somalis associate with whomever they want to establish a cooperative relationship with for their own advancement and your insults will impede them to reach such a goal and give others an ugly picture of your fellow Somalis. Caqliga ha shaqeeyo.
yes that is a black man according to race in America.
