Again, thanks to all who have been supporting this effort both financially and emotionally.
On Sunday, March 20th, Achieving Leadership's Purpose, Inc. and the Parents/Guardians of Group 19 hosted a fundraiser of their own. The event was so epic and amazing. We had about 200 audience members. The event featured talent by the students, modeling done by students. parents, and professional models. I mean fierce!!!! I was busy working but everyone had a great time. My soror Tanesha and my friend Imnet came to support. Shout out to them!!!
I've been a Program Coordinator with ALP for about 8 months now. ALP is a rigorous leadership development program that works with youth of the African Diaspora to encourage cultural education and civic engagement.
So, I may have told y'all that I received my MA in 19th Century Black History focusing on slavery. If not, now I just told you. Now that you know what I received my MA in, you're thinking "what was she planning on doing with that?" Trust me, everyone is wondering. The answer is "nothing". I really love the knowledge and the field. I initially planned to get my PhD but quickly learned that archive-living wasn't for me. I enjoy working with folks, not just writing about Race and Place in Binghamton in 1855 and 1865 (but doesn't that just sound interesting?...no? Oh! Well, I like it.)
So all that to say that I actually found an organization where I can put my knowledge of Black history to use. The last 8 months with ALP have been both amazing and challenging. I'm a big geek-- I love this job. A friend of mine called me a Cultural Black Nationalist. I accept that title. I really don't think leadership for people of color can be separated from knowledge of our history. Like Marcus Garvey's quote to the right: "A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." I strongly stand behind acquiring cultural knowledge in order to grow...
...but, though I hate to admit it, book knowledge isn't enough. For a while, I figured that the stuff I can cite and spout off the top of my head was good enough. We're constantly problematizing the constructs and reading big books. I think, for me, it's time to put that stuff to work. My experiences in Ghana will be chronicled and discussed with my students. This, I'm hoping, will encourage more action amongst other things.
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