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Our Time at Home – Summer Learning: Introducing Black Orfan

Bernice Elizabeth Green
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Our Time Press met Yaa Asantewaa, the activist, educator and actor, at several cultural events over the past few weeks and, each time, she spoke of two gifted former students, Ayo and Brandii, now conscious-rap hip-hop artists, going by the name of Blak Orfan. The young women debuted their new song from their upcoming album, “YBG” (To be Young, Gifted and Blak!), featuring Nina Simone to a captivated audience of all ages at the International African Arts Festival at Commodore Barry Park.

“As an educator, Blak Orfan fills me with pride and reminds me how rewarding it is teaching and loving Black Youth,” Yaa Asantewaa told us.

 

“Ayo and Brandii entered my 7th grade drama class articulate, confident and eager to learn. Thus, opening the door to our present relationship of mentoring, teaching, listening and friendship.

 

Both are now phenomenal young women. Ayo, driven by a “No Nonsense” Nigerian father who was not satisfied with his daughter just being great academically, but understood the importance of her being well-disciplined, respectful and focused.

 

“Brandii, driven by a mother whose high expectations for her daughter led her to school early one morning demanding an explanation as to why her daughter had received an 85 instead of her usual 95 or 100, this at a time when many parents were satisfied with a 65 or 70.

 

“It’s no surprise Ayo and Brandii became Blak Orfan, female rappers whose positive rhymes defy the expectations of a society that perpetuates and rewards the degradation of Black People.”

 

Blak Orfan Speaks

 

Ancestral Longings …

 

Blak OrFan

is a tribute to our late parents, Gigi Banks and Moses Akinsanya, who transitioned during our adolescent years. It is a musically influenced description of our lives after them; our worlds became our orphanage so we rhyme about our experiences trying to make it and filling the void with happiness. Being a Blak Orfan does not necessarily mean that you are a parentless child. A Blak Orfan is any person who has lost a parent, guardian or someone they looked up to (physically, spiritually, mentally, financially) and, as a result, felt alone in this world at a time when they needed guidance and love.

We are Queens, Making Change Happen …

 

Blak Orfan

is part of the evolution of hip-hop and we are on higher level – Queens. We call ourselves Queens because that is what we are. We’re just plain tired of being referred to as b*tches or hoes in hip hop music. There’s only one way to change it and that’s to make music that doesn’t refer to us women as such. We love and respect ourselves. Solely because we are women, we embody excellence. We are superlative and that is why we are Queens. As women in this male dominated industry we have an obligation to our young princesses. They hunger for someone they can identify with and with that in mind the degradation ends where Blak Orfan begins. This is what we should teach our daughters and sons. In the words of Lorraine Hansberry and Nina Simone “To be young, gifted and black… and that’s a fact!” This is something youth must believe!

On performing at the International African Street Festival …

 

AYO:

It was an honorable moment, a rare experience. I pay homage to the efforts of its purpose because I (myself) am an African woman and I love my culture. I am the daughter of Taiwo and Modupe Akinsanya, both born and raised in Nigeria. As an artist it’s important to embrace my culture because it’s teachings is what made me who I am today. I grew up listening to Fela, Suny Ade and many other Nigerian artists as a child. I also used to sing a lot of spiritual Nigerian songs in church so performing at the festival was only natural, just in my own art form- hip-hop.

 

Our goal: to keep going …

BRANDII

: We feel very privileged: so many legendary artists have graced the stage over the years and it just gives us more hope knowing that we, too, can be legendary if we keep going. It was a great feeling being so well-received by listeners who REALLY had an appreciation for our culture and lyricism. We left the festival feeling like we helped change the minds and hearts of people who thought women in Hip-Hop, and Hip-Hop itself, had died a long time ago. Our goals are to continue to make music that uplifts our people and to start a revolution in the hip-hop community that brings the genre back to its essence.

 

Embracing the young, gifted and black …

And, with the youth in mind, we are planning to sponsor a child, an orphan in Africa where we invest in a child’s future in any possible way. As we evolve, we are always looking for new ways to make a positive impact in our culture.

 

To hear Ayo and Brandii, and obtain more information on their career and interests, visit: www.blakorfan.com

 

 

The Parent’s Notebook

Aminisha Black
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Proactive Parents Share Strategies to Prevent Brain Drain:

 

PN asked two parents who are also educators to share their formula for keeping students motivated, practice what was learned while enjoying new opportunities for learning during the long vacation. While the debate continues about shortening the summer vacation and changing the school schedule, proactive parents are finding ways to nurture their child’s brain while making learning fun.

 

Makini Campbell, mother of two who has taught elementary, middle and high schools and is currently a Guidance Counselor shares:

 

· The first two weeks of vacation I allow them to actually take a break from routine which I believe is important. My youngest son, a very hands-on learner, attends a more traditional school and I saw that he was getting burnt out with the routine. So he welcomed this break.

 

· Summer Reading is required at most schools. I sometimes read the books along with them and have weekly discussions.

 

· Reviewing past math concepts and applying them to real-life situations.

 

· Setting aside 1-2 hours of academic time during the summer months is a must, maintaining consistency while on vacation.

 

· Making every trip I take with them an opportunity to learn.

 

· Using their intelligences to foster learning. Dakari, 16, traveled on the USA basketball team to Spain and Lithuania. Since he is a verbal/linguistic learner, I will have him create a story of his trip and all that he learned and share it with family. Kamani, 12, is a businessman that loves money. At the age of 5 he opened up a lemonade stand with $5. He went shopping for the ingredients, learned about materials, receipts, measurement and profit (doubled $10).

 

· Team up with other parents to see what they are doing. I noticed when my children were with other likeminded families, including academics during the summer, it wasn’t so stressful.

 

· Museum, parks, volunteer projects, library programs, etc. are all great activities to combat brain drain.

 

· My youngest will attend a two-week camp, “The Paul Robeson Freedom School,” where the curriculum includes electoral voting, culinary arts, sustainable food, education, culture, civil rights and self-knowledge. He will be challenged to problem-solve with his peers. I will volunteer my time to this camp by using my own intelligence.

 

· For parents who work, set up some quiet time in the evening if your child is not getting it during the day.

 

Earline Mensah, mother of six, homeschooled her children preparing them for

college entry. She’s currently homeschooling her youngest, 13. She shares:

Interesting and Inexpensive Things To Do With Children In NYC During The Summer

 

· Read aloud with children; complete math lessons in math books and assigned history lessons in history textbooks

 

· Weekly vocabulary tests at least two grades above grade level

 

· Excursions to various beaches, especially South Beach in Staten Island

 

· Visits to museums, especially The National Museum of the American Indian ( which is free)

 

· Ferry rides into Staten Island, and explorations of points of interest in Staten Island, such as The Children’s Museum, and Historic Richmond Town

 

· Walks across the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, and explorations of the communities close to these bridges

 

· Visits to library @ Grand Army Plaza

 

· Tram rides into Roosevelt Island, and explorations of the island via bus and walking excursions

 

· Early morning walks/jogging in Prospect Park, visits to Lefferts Homestead and playgrounds

 

· Visits to The Bronx Zoo, especially on Wednesdays, suggested donation day.

 

· Walking and exploring our ever-changing neighborhoods

 

Readers are invited to share your repertoire of summer activities with OTP readers. Sharing builds community and our children desperately need community to flourish.

 

parentsnotebook@yahoo.com.

PN Alerts!

 

***ACT With Art for Kids,

 

ages 6 – 12 – Saturdays 1 -3pm in July –FREE at Weeksville Heritage Center, 1698 Bergen St., Info: Patrice Payne @917-930-5182 or email:

ppayne@g.risd.edu. *

Opportunity to discover or nourish the Visual/Spatial Intelligence.

 

***Children’s Freedom Retreat,

 

sponsored by the United African Movement, provides opportunities for personal growth and discovery for ages 7-15 at Mountain Valley Resort, through August 21. For info call 917-514-6513 or 718-834-9034 to qualify for a full scholarship.

*Nourish the Naturalist intelligence.

***

The Wiz, presented by Boys & Girls High School Drama Club, directed by Kenthedo Robinson, Wednesday and Thursday, July 18

th and 19th at 11am. At Boys & Girls High, 1700 Fulton St. bet. Schenectady and Utica. Students, Seniors, Day Camp participants $1 – Reg. Admission $5. Call 718-457-1700, Ext. 2290

View From Here

David Mark Greaves
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We’ve taken Commissioner Kelly to task before because of his remarks and methods regarding policing in our neighborhood areas and here we go again.

It is sad to see the city’s chief crime fighter so stunningly ignorant of the anti-violence movement, when anti-violence, aside from being his bread and butter, should be his job #1. As Mary Alice Miller shows in her article “Anti-Gun Violence Activism: The Movement Ray Kelly Can’t See” even in this one area of Kings County, there are many groups, associations and heroes whose names we will never know, heroes who know their time on earth is for more than watching television or shopping or lusting for money and power with blind ambition. They are not recognized or seen by the likes of Ray Kelly, but they spend their time in service to those with less, trying to recover what lives they can.

But they are fighting what seems to be a losing battle because the policies of the Bloomberg Administration are set it on an unholy mission to destroy the African-American community across this city faster than an army of community groups can save and hold it together.

We have a 50% graduation rate of school-age children, depression-era unemployment for Black men and the city’s response is to cut pre-kindergarten, cut pre-school and cut after-school. Longtime community organizations are being pushed out of the child care system. “The organization that is taking over our center has no experience in delivering early child care up until now. But because of who they are apparently that doesn’t matter,” said Fela Barclift of the 23-year-old Little Sun People center where she’s been the director since 1996. Speaking on Education at the Crossroads with Basir Mchawi on WBAI radio, she said “About 3-years ago our after-school program was demolished. All of the after-school programs were taken out and given to these huge Beacon-type programs, with hundreds of children packed in together, and losing that one-on-one relationship” which is the very definition of a tutor.

We’ve seen the people in the street raging against the violence there. Now we’d like to see some rage against the rampant crime on Wall Street, where millions of lives have been affected by their fraud and lawlessness and yet none of the “masters of the universe” have gone to jail.

If the boardroom economic violence of the banksters could be brought under control and some of their ill-gotten gains “clawed-back” and put into the city budget, and if the systemic violence against people of color can be reined in, and if young people were given the education, counseling and support they need, then we would be on our way to stemming the violence in the street.

Kings County Politics (KCP)

Stephen Witt
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Liu addresses economic gulf

 

City Comptroller John Liu this week said the major underlining issue facing New Yorkers in the upcoming mayoral campaign is bridging the growing economic disparities between the wealthy and everyone else.

 

Liu hammered home on that theme at Hopeland Restaurant, 320 Atlantic Avenue, in a fund-raiser for his mayoral bid.

 

Chris Owens, the male 52ndAssembly Democratic District Leader, hosted the cash bash, which also highlighted a growing coalition of black, Latino, Asians and independent white support that could make Liu the city’s first Asian mayor.

Among those in attendance were former Congressman Major Owens and Sen. Velmanette Montgomery.

 

“We’re fourteen months away from a big election marking the end of an era and an ushering in of change,” said Liu. “Our biggest challenge will be addressing economic equality. The wealth gap in the city is far greater than in the rest of the country. Look at the numbers. The top 1% saw their income rise and the bottom 99 percent couldn’t keep up with inflation.”

 

Liu said while addressing economic discrepancies is the overriding issue, public schools and education remains an important part of the mix.

 

“The DOE (Department of Education) has been taken over by the private sector with a factory mentality of running schools,” said Liu, noting an independent arbitrator recently overturned the DOE’s decision to shutter 24 schools, lay off half the teachers and reopen the schools with a different name.

 

According to the city’s Campaign Finance Board, Liu has about $1.6 million in his mayoral campaign war chest. However, this figure does not include numbers for the next filing period, which is due next week.

 

 

 

Montgomery endorses Ola

 

State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery is supporting Olanike (Ola) Alabi in the upcoming Sept. 13 primary to succeed Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries for the 57th Assembly District seat. Jeffries is going to Washington as the borough’s newest congressman.

Ola, who is the current Democratic female District Leader, is facing Walter Mosley, the male Democratic District leader. This primary promises to be a bruising battle with both front-running candidates lining up significant heavyweight support.

Mosley is a protégé of Jeffries, and Ola will step down in her role as district leader to concentrate on the race.

Interestingly, the race to succeed Ola as female District Leader will be quite the undercard featuring longtime community activists Renee Collymore, who supports Mosley, and Faye Moore, who supports Ola.

 

Odds & Ends

When 1st District Municipal Court Judge Sally Krauss suddenly resigned recently it opened the door yet again for a battle between Kings County Democratic boss Vito Lopez and those declaring themselves independently minded Democrats.

Lopez is backing attorney Lara Genovesi, daughter of the late Assemblyman Anthony Genovesi, who rose out of Canarsie’s Thomas Jefferson Club to become one of the borough’s most powerful Democratic political leaders.

Kings County Democratic Party reformers are backing attorney Richard Montelione, who is out of Park Slope’s LAMBDA Club, which serves the borough’s

gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community.

Chris Owens, the male 52nd Assembly District Leader and son of former Congressman Major Owens, alleged that Lopez’s pick of Genovesi smacks of a backroom deal, but Lopez countered that he doesn’t know Krauss nor did he know she was resigning.

“I never spoke to the woman who resigned,” said Lopez, noting if she would have resigned a month later, the Democratic Party could have appointed a judge and now it will be an election.

Lopez said that Montelione was put up by Owens and paid political consultant Peter Weiss and other powerbrokers in the Downtown Brooklyn area. He also questioned if Montelione was screened by anybody or lived in the district.

“Lara Genovesi and some of her people came to me and asked for my support and I said I would,” said Lopez. “This was an open vacancy and Lara has been a law secretary for 15 years and has lived in the neighborhood the past 15 or 20 years.”

Central Brooklyn City Council members bring money home

Stephen Witt
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With the city’s $68.5 billion fiscal year 2013 passed, Central Brooklyn’s city council members brought home plenty of bacon to the non-profits and cultural institutions serving their communities.

 

Among the big winners was the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, which received a hefty $1 million in capital funds for renovations, in part to the Fulton Street corridor.

 

Additionally, the Bed-Stuy Restoration Corporation, through Councilman Al Vann’s office also received $27,750 for the Senior Ambassador Volunteer Initiative, which provides programming that protects seniors from social isolation. It also organizes and educates seniors on important issues affecting them. It will also be used to continue the Bed-Stuy Healthy Food Access Project.

 

Another big winner from the budget was the Fort Greene Association and its offshoot, the Fort Greene Senior Citizens Council that received a total of $134,000 through the office of Vann and fellow Council members Letitia James, Charles Barron, Jumaane Williams and Darlene Mealy.

 

Additionally, the Fort Greene Association’s Young Minds Day Care Center, which was slated to close during budget negotiations, ultimately got refunded through the final budget to the tune of $160,000.

 

The Police Athletic League Wynn Center on Gates Avenue, which serves many residents from the Armstrong Houses and was also slated for closure, got refunded to the tune of $200,000. Vann also included $10,000 from his office’s discretionary funds.

 

The Bridge Street Development Corporation received $10,000 through Vann’s office to support its senior services program area, which is centered on the Quincy Senior Residence. Activities include fitness classes, movie nights, holiday parties, computer literacy education, and more.

 

Vann’s office also allocated $5,000 to the Bed-Stuy YMCA for older adults and their continued participation in the Empire State Senior Games; $15,000 to the Magnolia Tree Earth Center of Bedford-Stuyvesant for youth programming and $10,000 to Bed Stuy’s Project Re-Generation to support a teen job readiness program through its Foot Soldiers Services.

 

Vann, James and Williams and City Councilman Stephen Levin also gave allocations to The Brooklyn Steppers After-School Program toward their infamous drum line totaling $23,000.

 

Williams, who has been actively involved in stopping youth violence allocated $5,000 each to Connect, Inc. and Cool Culture, Inc. to create and sustain early intervention and violence prevention programs for youth in middle and high schools ages 12-21.

 

The Flatbush City Councilman also gave a $7,500 allocation to the Crown Heights Youth Collective, Inc. to provide mentoring and youth development

 

Barron’s office allocated $25.000 to East New York Kidspower, Inc. to be used for the youth football and cheer program, as well as after-school tutoring for the youth. The funds will be used for recreational events, travel expenses, transportation to and from games, uniforms and equipment, utilities and telephones to run the program.

 

Barron also allocated $72,500 to ManUp! Inc. to sustain programs such as after-school, summer camp, the Ready 4 Work job development center and Teen Center.

 

Additionally, Vann allocated $10,000 to the Society for the Preservation of Weeksville and Bedford-Stuyvesant History, and $29,714 to the Vannguard Urban Improvement Association, Inc. to assist youth, focusing on the provision of academic skills building and homework assistance during the school year and during the summer months.

 

For a complete list of the City Council allocations visit

http://council.nyc.gov

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