Reading and math scores for 2012-13 in District #23 (covering large swaths of Brownsville) were abysmally low. In one school, of 101 students who took the tests, 7 passed the English Language Arts (ELA) test and 9 passed math. In another, 40 out of 416 students passed ELA and math. And in yet another, of 293 who took the tests, 33 passed ELA and 32 passed math.
Of all the schools in District #23 one – IS 323 – had 57/58% at Levels 3 and 4 (at grade level or above) in ELA and math. Another middle school generated the lowest percent of Level 3 and 4 students, 3.3% for ELA and 1.3% for math. Of 53 schools in the district, only 32 schools had more than 23% of students at Level 3 and 4.
Scores were not available for charter schools serving elementary and middle school students and high schools.
In response, a group of principals, teachers, parent coordinators, parents, child wellness specialists and clergy came together at New Life Cathedral on Tuesday to brainstorm reasons for the low educational outcomes in Brownsville and how to improve them. Assemblyman William Boyland, Jr. (currently going to trial for federal corruption charges) convened the meeting to provide resources for the educational professionals to assist local children and their families.
Though none wanted to be quoted due to the NYS Department of Education’s (DOE) stringent rules, almost all offered their assessments of the issues and solutions.
One professional said aggressive parenting during ages 0-5 is an issue because when in the classroom, children often don’t respond to verbal commands but respond to physical aggression, a technique that teachers cannot use.
Another said that schools are dealing with children who did not have support at home and didn’t come in with basic skills because they didn’t attend a pre-K program. They become overage kids and sadly for some of our young girls, by 8th grade or freshman in high school, they become our next mothers.
It was suggested that special education needs to be demystified for African-American and Caribbean parents who may believe extra support is a stigma, but in other communities parents beg to get their children extra support with some going so far as taking the city to court to obtain services for their children. The professionals noted that a lot of times it is familial; you will see the same behaviors among 5, 6, 7 kids in the same family. Parents need to take advantage of services when available.
They said there is a need to educate parents on the importance of early intervention services and where they are available, especially parents who are getting younger. Family assessments were suggested for family units that may consist of parent and three children with one entering kindergarten.
In addition, providers of 0-5 child services, including day care centers, need to make their curriculum Common Core-ready even though there is currently no Common Core curriculum available for pre-K.
A major bone of contention was the charter school issue where kids who are performing close to grade level leave to go to a charter school leaving underperforming students in public schools. Then those who cannot perform in charter school come back to public school.
A big problem is the holdovers of students. In one school about 125 of more than 500 kids had been held over at least once. Of those, 48 had been held over multiple times. If a kid has been held over more than once it is predictive that they will drop out of high school and end up incarcerated. During the past couple of years, the DOE has been quietly reducing the numbers of overage students who have been held over multiple times by not requiring that they actually passed the tests but show that they made progress during that school year.
If a child has been held over once and is at risk of being held over a second time, some educational professionals suggest having the child evaluated to see if there is an undiagnosed disability. School personnel tell parents that if the child does have a disability and is not diagnosed, the child’s chances are harmed.
It was agreed that what is needed is more community support and parental involvement. Local schools lack support for extracurricular activities like music, dance and art that keep on-the-fence students engaged in school. Some schools are asking for community mentors to come into schools perhaps one day a week to help 4-8th-grade students who have been held over period at the end of this.
The statistics on our youth is dismal and demands, deserves the attention of all. As the numbers rise of youth being killed by guns in Brooklyn, NYC and across this country, I’m convinced that the time is long overdue to resurrect the village whose highest-held value was relationships between humans and the belief that each and every child is born with a purpose and innate gifts to contribute to others. Elders are responsible for creating means for youth to discover and opportunities to grow their innate gifts. It requires creating healthy relationships with self and others, it requires adhering to a value system that places a higher value on relationships than material objects. With the millions of lives taken in other countries by the US military, it’s obvious that this country’s highest-held value is not human life.
What can we expect from a generation of youth living with the prospect of their life being taken by gunfire? We owe them more. We owe them LIFE. Every individual who interacts with a child has an opportunity and obligation to make a difference in that child’s life, beginning with parents on the home front and school where the child spends an equal number of waking hours. Parents and teachers are responsible for the child’s development. Neighbors or adults who encounter youth on their blocks or in the neighborhood can play a role in Saving our Future. We have a choice- continue to allow children to lose their lives on the streets and in the prisons or do whatever it takes to reprogram ourselves. Readers are invited to consider “The 3 Rs” as grounding for this Revolution.
Responsibility – Participants take responsibility for their lives because with it comes the power to make changes. Exploring possible answers to the question “What’s not working?” and exploring all possible causes and changes to explore. It’s crucial to disallow the labeling of individuals as the source of a problem while exploring solutions. This replaces the current “Name and Blame”.
Relationship – The world is held together by relationships. We say the parent-child relationship, being the primary one, shapes the world. Primary relationships that foster feelings of being loved, capable and responsible produce youngsters who respect themselves and others. They are motivated to acquire information, participate in constructive projects, work with others as a team and contribute to their community. While engaging in sports and other competitive activities they can win or lose without the need for revenge. The foundation is Relationship with Self and the adults wielding the greatest influence in this area are parents, caretakers and teachers from birth. Healthy relationships equal access to resources.
Results – By summoning the courage to own and state desired results, adults and young people are empowered to achieve.
As quiet as it’s kept, throughout all nature parents take care of their young until they can fend for themselves at an early age. Our ancestors, growing up in African villages, had a purpose and contributed to the village in meaningful ways from a young age. Nelson Mandela herded sheep at the age of five. Imagine the amount of practical knowledge acquired, problem-solving skills and self-confidence that comes from knowing that your contribution is important to the family and the village’s survival. Imagine what today’s youth would experience surrounded by adults in family and school who discover, acknowledge and provide opportunities for them to connect with and share their innate talent. While the years surviving in a capitalistic system has been costly – after all, if individuals or groups realized their ingenuity and abilities, what effect would this have on profit-motivated businesses?
At this moment in time, PN suggests the time has come for parents, grandparents, extended family members and community to take a stand FOR our children who has and will continue to inherit the spoils from generations pass. An invitation is extended to ALL adults to join a movement for all children to discover and be supported in utilizing their innate intelligences in our communities. The time is long overdue to rescue our children. Next week, we’ll look at the contributions provided by local community-based basketball leagues which have grown to including female teams. If your Block Association or individuals on your block provides supportive or recreational activities for the youngsters, share it with parentsnotebook@yahoo.com or aminishab@gmail.com.
PN Alert:
***Free Concerts For Kids!!!!! Sat., Sept. 28th: “The Rozz and Val Show” at Putnam Triangle… 10-11AM. Other activities follow. Visit www.faballiance.org for other listings.
5:30p: Brooklyn Music School performs at Albee Square Mall, Downtown BK.
September 27
The DUMBO Arts Festival (through September 29)
THIS WEEKEND
September 28
10am ~ 12n: Next Generation: Youth Leadership Breakfast. Meet children from The Sankofa Academy; Premier Screening of Chris Curry’s new Stop The Violence video. Led by community leader, broadcast pioneer Bob Law. Please bring at least one new back-to-school item for a child or young student. Sponsor: Men’s Ministry of 1st Church, Central Brooklyn Leadership Council. Historic First Church of God in Christ, 221 Kingston Avenue, BK.
5p: Imani Gardens in Weeksville Hosts 4th Annual Lobster Fundraising Dinner: Imani Garden, a set of two gardens located in the Weeksville section of Brooklyn on Schenectady Avenue between Dean and Pacific, is hosting its 4th annual New England-style lobster dinner and permaculture talk. A meet and greet for local officials and permaculture talk will begin at 4p. The 1 ½ lb lobsters, directly from Maine and steamed outdoors on a bed of seaweed along with corn on the cob, onions and potatoes greens and a drink will be available for $30 if reserved in advance, $35 at the door. A vegetarian meal will be available for $20 with reservation, $25 at the door and will include everything except the lobster. Children meals including ½ lobster will be available for $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Imani Garden is designed to demonstrate permaculture principles of earth-care, people-care and fair-share. Imani I is located at 87 Schenectady Avenue and features a chicken coop housing up to 50 chickens, a solar-powered aquaponics system, 500 gallon rainwater catchment system and cob oven.
September 29
12noon-6p: ATLANTIC ANTIC, Hicks Street to Atlantic to Fourth Ave.
9a-2p: WEEKSVILLE Farmers’ Market at the historic Huntersfly Road Houses site, 1698 Bergen Street, nr. Rochester/718-756-5250.
Closing of Brother Brown’s Nostrand Avenue TRUE SOUTH Bookstore (see HIGHLIGHT!)
UPCOMING
October 1
Today is the Day!!!
VOTE FOR LETITIA JAMES
FOR PUBLIC ADVOCATE.
4p-8p: Symbols of Africa exhibition’s opening Reception at Brooklyn Borough Hall is FREE to the Public: Host Ralph Carter. Keynoters: Adelaide Sanford, Lester Young, Jr.
October 5
11a-4p: Crown Heights North House Tour: chnhousetour@gmail.com (Self-guided, rain or shine).
12noon-5p: EscapeMakers Local Food & Travel Expo at Brooklyn Borough Hall. YOU MUST PREREGISTER to ATTEND THIS FREE EVENT!
REGISTER AT escapemaker.com/travelexpo
12noon-5p: Prospect Heights House Tour: Prospect Heights Association/ info@brooklynhousetours.org (Self-guided, rain or shine).
October 8
6:30p: Medgar Evers College Center for Black Literature and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture present A Celebration of the Aime Cesaire Centennial 2013 Screening of the film “Aime Cesaire: A Voice for History” by renowned director Euzhan Palcy. Edison O. Jackson Auditorium, Medgar Evers College, CUNY Academic Building 1 (AB1), 1638 Bedford Ave., BK. FREE and OPEN to the public.
October 12
10a-5p: KICKOFF! BED-STUY ALIVE! 9th ANNUAL SALUTE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. (Through Oct. 19th) Theme: Live Healthy, Live Well, Live Green, Fulton (New York & Brooklyn Avenues), Tohma Y. Faulkner Community Awards, Children’s Village, Savor Bed-Stuy Food Court/Bed-Stuy Marketplace. Plus Gala Kickoff Festival features Bedford-Stuyvesant FOOD & FAMILY DAY activities and Restoration Rocks! 2013 music festival. www.bed-stuyalive.org
REEL SISTERS of the Diaspora Festival, Kumble Theater, LIU Brooklyn Campus
October 13
BED-STUY ALIVE! LIVE HEALTHY, LIVE WELL, LIVE GREEN – 10K Run, 5K Run, Kiddie Race
REEL SISTERS of the Diaspora Festival, Kumble Theater, LIU Brooklyn Campus
October 17
BED-STUY ALIVE! LIVE HEALTHY, LIVE WELL, LIVE GREEN – A Taste of Soul
Fulton (New York & Brooklyn Avenues), www.bed-stuyalive.org (through Oct. 19th)
October 18
BED-STUY ALIVE! LIVE HEALTHY, LIVE WELL, LIVE GREEN – A Sip of Soul
Fulton (New York & Brooklyn Avenues), www.bed-stuyalive.org (through Oct. 19th).
October 19
BED-STUY ALIVE! LIVE HEALTHY, LIVE WELL, LIVE GREEN – The House Tour
11a-4p: Bedford-Stuyvesant’s 35th Annual House & Garden Tour, Sponsor: Brownstoners of Bedford-Stuyvesant /$20 advance sale; $25 day of tour/brownstonersof bedstuy@gmail.com/www.brownstonersofbedstuy.org/718-221-2213 (Self-guided, rain or shine) www.bed-stuyalive.org (through Oct. 19th).
BED-STUY ALIVE! LIVE HEALTHY, LIVE WELL, LIVE GREEN – Art Studio Open House
BeSAA 7th Annual Studio Strut/www.bed-stuyalive.org (through Oct. 19th)
11a: WEEKSVILLE’s Fall Harvest Festival, 1698 Bergen Street, near Rochester. 718-756-5250
October 23:
6p-10p: Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA’s Brooklyn Honors – Celebrating Our Best fundraising event for its Strong Kids Campaign.
Stage 6 at Steiner Studios, Brooklyn Navy Yard. The Strong Kids Campaign ensures that no child or family is turned away from life-enhancing YMCA programs because of the inability to pay.
Each year the YMCA provides financial assistance to thousands of local youth and families in need. •Chef Roblè Ali – Chef Roblè & Co/ Bravo Network •Andrew Kimball – Director of Innovation Economy Initiatives, Jamestown Properties, and CEO, Industry City •Reverend Clinton Miller – Brown Memorial Baptist Church •Danny Simmons – Co-Founder and Chairman of Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation •Brandon Stanton – Founder/Photographer of Humans of New York•Gale Stevens Haynes – Long Island University Vice President and Chief Operating Officer•Kay Wilson Stallings – Senior Vice President of Production and Development for Nickelodeon Preschool Television
• Special Tribute to Councilman Albert Vann
For ticket information, visit
www.ymcanyc.org/bedstuy
BROTHER BROWN’S STORE TO CLOSE ON SEPT. 27
Greetings everyone,
I’m happy to share that two months after suffering a serious brain injury that could have taken his life, my dad, Brother Monroe Brown, is well and recuperating. Though his recovery process will be long, I’m thankful that we all have a second chance to spend time with a man who has given so much of himself to his community.
By now, many people know that True South Books was at risk of closing in the wake of my father’s brain injury. Beginning in October, the landlord will significantly raise the rent there to $3500 per month. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to save True South Bookstore in its current structure/format, such an exorbitant rent increase has effectively forced the store to close. True South Bookstore’s last day open will be on Sept. 27th.
Brother Brown’s Son, Ajamu at the True South Bookstore Photo credit: Hiroki Kobayashi
During the two months that I’ve been able to keep the store open, I’ve worked with friends to organize some amazing fundraisers. I’ve met people from all around the world that have stopped by the store while in Bed-Stuy. For me, True South Bookstore is a place of learning and I’ve watched curious people of all backgrounds stop and take a picture of the sign “Reading is more important than watching T.V.” People from the community would often take one look at the store’s window and begin conversations about black history that are far too uncommon.
Over the years, I’ve been to many events at the bookstore organized by my dad to promote cultural literacy amongst black people. In that respect, he is a part of a vanguard movement in our community that embraced the ideologies of folks like Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. His store is a tribute to the Underground Railroad, providing a safe space for the Black community and anyone else interested in learning about unadulterated Black history.
For all of these reasons and more, True South Bookstore’s closing is a great loss. But its untimely closing was also a chance for self-exploration and reflection. I’m thankful for the blessings and kindness of people who were touched by the store’s mission, prayed for my dad and offered financial and other kinds of assistance. This allowed me time to breathe some life into a business that could have easily shuttered and silently disappeared as many black-owned businesses do.
So, thank you to the community, family and friends for their support!
There are still a few more days to make some last-minute purchases of excellent and rare Black books before the closing of True South Bookstore. So please stop by and tell a friend
Lastly, let’s pray for Neville Samuel, the barber and close friend of Bro. Brown, who is currently at Kings County Hospital. The closing of the store has really affected him and I hope that he will be OK.
Remaining Opening Hours:
True South Bookstore will be open at 7 PM-9 PM from Thursday to Sunday (through September 29). If you have any questions feel free to email me at ajamu100@gmail.com. Thanks again for your support and to Abdul Abasi and Greg Rosborough for highlighting the store in GQ magazine this week.
Best, Ajamu, Brother Brown’s Son/Facebook me.
Message from CON EDISON to METRO-NORTH PASSENGERS: Con Edison is working with Metro-North to try to establish alternative power sources to serve the New Haven line. Company crews are working around the clock to make repairs to a feeder cable that failed yesterday (24), but repairs of this nature typically take 2-3 weeks. Another feeder normally providing service to the New Haven line was out on scheduled repairs to accommodate Metro-North upgrades on their equipment. Con Ed is working with Metro-North to help resolve the problem. For service updates, check with Metro-North at www.mta.info.
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take dramatic and immediate measures to ensure the safety of chickens processed in China and sold in the United States. A new Department of Agriculture (USDA) rule will, for the first time, soon allow chickens raised in the United States to be processed at four plants in mainland China and then sold to U.S. consumers. Schumer said that while the plants and processing methods have been deemed initially safe by the USDA, lax enforcement going forward could expose U.S.
consumers to serious risk of food borne illness, especially given the appallingly poor food-safety track record of Chinese food products.
Schumer said the U.S. must take two immediate steps: (1) increase the number of on-the-ground audits and inspections of the Chinese inspection system and all Chinese facilities where meat is processed and (2) increased inspection of chicken meat shipped back to the United States with the highest level of scrutiny and frequency, to ensure meat is safe for consumption and originated in the United States.He pointed to the numerous and disturbing incidents of tainted food exported from China, including arsenic in calamari and rice, maggots in pasta, glass chips in pumpkin seeds. Other examples include:
· Police in China apprehended a group of criminals who have been selling rat, fox or mink meat as lamb for the past four years to markets in Shanghai and surrounding areas and made up to 10 million yuan ($1.6 million)
· At least 175 people had been sickened by insecticide-tainted dumplings from China, prompting supermarkets to pull Chinese-made meat products from their shelves while Tokyo pressed Beijing to improve food safety.
· The FDA effectively blocked the sale of five types of farm-raised seafood from China because of repeated instances of contamination from unapproved animal drugs and food additives. The F.D.A. said it decided to take the action after years of warnings and even a visit to Chinese fish ponds that resulted in no signs of improvement.
· Uncooked pork was found glowing in the dark due to a phosphorescent bacteria. An unsuspecting woman bought the pork in a Shanghai market only to find it radiating later that night on her kitchen table. The ghostly pork returned to normal meat color by morning.
· Hong Kong food inspectors found eggs imported from northeast China to be contaminated with high levels of melamine, toxic industrial additive at the heart of an adulteration scandal in Chinese milk products.
· Hundreds of other parents here in central China unwittingly bought bad baby formula, in which nutritional supplements had been replaced with starch or sugar. Nearly 200 other babies, including at least 13 who died, now have what local residents call ‘’big head disease.
Schumer said that these measures should be required because of the serious history of food-borne illnesses stemming from food products originating in China. He also pointed out that because no USDA country-of-origin labeling is required for food that is simply processed in another country, consumers will have no idea that their food has been processed in China.
“Given Chinese processors poor track record with regard to food-safety standards, the USDA should be taking every possible step to ensure that the chicken that ends up on our plates and in our McNuggets is safe – and raised right here in the United States – where we have significant oversight and safety standards,” said Schumer. “Based on prior outbreaks and a pattern of violations, we know that there are real risks from eating meat raised in China, and we have to be vigilant to ensure that unscrupulous processors in China are not trying to take shortcuts while processing chicken from the U.S., and are not trying to substitute cheaper and less safe Chinese fowl.”
Recently, the USDA ended the U.S. ban on processed chicken imports from China and approved four Chinese chicken processing plants for sale back to the U.S. market. The four plants are only allowed to process birds raised and slaughtered in the U.S., Canada or Chile.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued the audit report on the Friday before Labor Day weekend. The report notes that USDA inspectors will not be required on the four sites to verify that only “approved” chicken is being processed. Additionally, because the chicken is being processed, a USDA “country of original” label will not be required on the food products.
China has been home to a number of serious food safety concerns. In March, thousands of dead pigs were found floating in a river in China that supplies drinking water. The incident occurred after a large crackdown on people selling diseased pigs.
In April, the World Health Organization announced that avian influenza (also known as bird flu) had been identified in a number of people in China. Travelers and Americans living in China were advised not to touch birds or pigs and to avoid live bird or poultry markets.
In May, sixty-three people in China were arrested for buying and selling rat, fox and mink flesh and selling it as mutton for $1.6 million.
Also since 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has logged over 2,000 complaints about dogs becoming sick or having died from chicken-jerky dog treats made in China.
Schumer today called on the USDA to require on-site audits at the recently approved Chinese chicken processing plants and for increased re-inspection of all Chinese chicken meat re-entering the country. In the wake of numerous food safety concerns in China, Schumer made the case that increased inspections are necessary to make American consumers feel confident that the chicken being served in the United States is safe to eat. Schumer also urged the USDA to increase the number of random tests it conducts on the chicken when it arrives in the United States.
Board of Elections still hasn’t counted 1,000 ballots eight days after election
By Stephen Witt
After eight days and more jockeying for position than on the backstretch of the Kentucky Derby, the Sept. 10 Democratic Primary election to succeed term-limited Al Vann and represent the residents of Bedford-Stuyvesant and parts of Crown Heights was still up in the air at press time.
Complicating the situation was the very uncommunicative and disorganized job that the City’s Board of Elections (BOE) did for the primary including the use of antiquated voting machines – a number of which were not in working order – having only one press spokesperson for the largest municipal election in the country and with an inability to correctly tabulate thousands of paper and absentee ballots in a timely and efficient manner.
At press time, Robert Cornegy appears to be clinging to a narrow lead of less than 90 votes or more than 140 votes over Kirsten John Foy depending on figures put out by both campaigns and the BOE. In the unofficial tally on election night, Cornegy had a 94 vote lead over Foy in the five-person race.
In total, there were about 14,000 votes cast that were counted with about 1,000 absentee and paper ballots that remain uncounted at press time.
Ironically, the outcome of the election is between a longtime Bed-Stuy political insider and a candidate that has benefitted greatly from hundreds of thousands of dollars and campaign workers that come from outside the district.
Cornegy has the strong support of both Vann and Assemblywoman Annette Robinson and as the Democratic District Leader hires poll workers.
Conversely, Foy’s campaign hasn’t ruled out legal action should he come up a little short in the vote count. In the legal arena, Foy has the advantage because he is backed by the powerful and deep-pocketed Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), which could well afford a costly and protracted court battle.
And judging from Foy team comments, there are appearances that the election might ultimately be decided by the courts.
“From finding new voting machines days after the re-canvassing of the machines, giving inaccurate results to the media, and even losing Kirsten and his wife’s paper ballots twice, we’ve been disappointed with the competence, transparency and objectivity of this vote-counting process,” said Tyquana Henderson-Parsons, campaign manager for Kirsten John Foy’s campaign.
“The integrity of the vote is vital to the foundation of our democracy, given so many had to fight for the right in this country – ballots should not be misplaced or thrown out based on political considerations. An accurate total count is unclear to us at this point because the board has put out so many different numbers, which in several instances conflict with the voting machines. While the margin has been narrowing with the counting of more votes, we are focused on making sure no one has their vote arbitrarily discarded, including Kirsten’s and his wife’s, which the board has shown little intention of counting,” she added.
Cornegy responded via text at press time that the vote is still being counted and that he is ahead in the count.
