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4 Films Every Educator Teaching Black Students Should Watch

SAN DIEGO VOICE AND VIEWPOINT — So, where can teachers see accurate and empathetic representations of the struggles, successes, and joys of teaching Black kids in deliberately underfunded and disenfranchised schools? And, most importantly, where are films that present possible suggestions and solutions for educators?
The post 4 Films Every Educator Teaching Black Students Should Watch first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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By Aziah Siid, | Word in Black | San Diego Voice and Viewpoint

Racial prejudice and bullying, a lack of funding, inadequate mental health support, and inexperienced teachers — those are just some of the challenges Black students face in America’s K-12 public schools. We see some of these issues show up on television on “Abbott Elementary,” but representations of Black students and schools are a mixed bag on the big screen. Some films — we’re looking at you, “Dangerous Minds” — dive right into the stereotype of the white savior teacher who rescues bad Black kids from their terrible neighborhoods and families.

So, where can teachers see accurate and empathetic representations of the struggles, successes, and joys of teaching Black kids in deliberately underfunded and disenfranchised schools?

And, most importantly, where are films that present possible suggestions and solutions for educators?

Here are four films every educator teaching Black students should watch. They’ll give folks an idea what the challenges are, what solutions people are trying, and sometimes they make us smile:

1. The Great Debaters 

Featuring Hollywood A-listers like Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, and Kimberly Elise, the 2007 hit movie, “The Great Debaters,” is based on a true story about historical Wiley College’s first debate team.

Portrayed by Denzel Washington, professor Melvin B. Tolson inspires the 1935 team to perform at their highest level as they go through a nearly undefeated season. The Southern heat, a lynch mob, Jim Crow, and sexism, all the while working tirelessly to make it to the championship match against Harvard University’s debate team.

Whether it’s opportunities not being presented, being judged harsher than their white counterparts, or simply the prejudice they receive from simply being Black, the film is a modern-day parallel to the challenges Black students, teachers, and coaches  face when pursuing excellence.

2. Teach Us All 

In 1957, nine African American students were escorted to the doors of Little Rock Central High School, three years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision deemed it illegal to segregate schools. During their first few attempts to enter, the students were spit on, blockaded, and forced out of Arkansas high school. But eventually, they would walk into the building.

Decades later, the discrimination and inequalities Black students faced then have taken on new shapes and forms all over the country. The 2017 documentary, “Teach Us All,” produced by Ava DuVernay’s film distribution company ARRAY, puts what happened in Little Rock as the backdrop to looking at education in three different cities – New York, Los Angeles, and Little Rock. The film looks specifically at the roles of teachers in creating educational change, as well as how the community and students themselves are demanding justice.

3. Building Bridges

Being the first Black student to attend an all-white elementary school couldn’t have been easy in 1960 Louisiana? But that was the reality for 6-year-old Ruby Bridges, who had to be protected by federal marshals as she entered William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans.

The 1998 Disney-produced film about Bridges, who is now 69, was recently banned from a Florida school because a parent worried it would make her child feel guilty about racism. Given that school segregation jumped 35% from 1991 to 2020 in the 100 largest school districts, the depiction of Bridges’ journey is a reminder of the role teachers can play in counteracting disrespect and racism in schools.

4. Waiting for Superman 

School choice has been helpful for some families, harmful for others, and life changing for a select few.

The 2010 documentary, “Waiting for Superman,” follows the five young New York City students during the high stakes lottery selection to get into one of the city’s charter schools. Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim puts faces and names to education statistics and gives us a look at the education system from a parent and child perspective. It also sparks plenty of reflection on the lengths families will go to ensure their child has access to an excellent education, regardless of societal or economic status.

The post, “4 Films Every Educator Teaching Black Students Should Watch” first appeared on San Diego Voice and Viewpoint.

The post 4 Films Every Educator Teaching Black Students Should Watch first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Chavis and Bryant Lead Charge as Target Boycott Grows

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises.

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By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

Calling for continued economic action and community solidarity, Dr. Jamal H. Bryant launched the second phase of the national boycott against retail giant Target this week at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. Surrounded by civil rights leaders, economists, educators, and activists, Bryant declared the Black community’s power to hold corporations accountable for broken promises. “They said they were going to invest in Black communities. They said it — not us,” Bryant told the packed sanctuary. “Now they want to break those promises quietly. That ends tonight.” The town hall marked the conclusion of Bryant’s 40-day “Target fast,” initiated on March 3 after Target pulled back its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) commitments. Among those was a public pledge to spend $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by 2025—a pledge Bryant said was made voluntarily in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020.“No company would dare do to the Jewish or Asian communities what they’ve done to us,” Bryant said. “They think they can get away with it. But not this time.”

The evening featured voices from national movements, including civil rights icon and National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., who reinforced the need for sustained consciousness and collective media engagement. The NNPA is the trade association of the 250 African American newspapers and media companies known as The Black Press of America. “On the front page of all of our papers this week will be the announcement that the boycott continues all over the United States,” said Chavis. “I would hope that everyone would subscribe to a Black newspaper, a Black-owned newspaper, subscribe to an economic development program — because the consciousness that we need has to be constantly fed.” Chavis warned against the bombardment of negativity and urged the community to stay engaged beyond single events. “You can come to an event and get that consciousness and then lose it tomorrow,” he said. “We’re bombarded with all of the disgust and hopelessness. But I believe that starting tonight, going forward, we should be more conscious about how we help one another.”

He added, “We can attain and gain a lot more ground even during this period if we turn to each other rather than turning on each other.” Other speakers included Tamika Mallory, Dr. David Johns, Dr. Rashad Richey, educator Dr. Karri Bryant, and U.S. Black Chambers President Ron Busby. Each speaker echoed Bryant’s demand that economic protests be paired with reinvestment in Black businesses and communities. “We are the moral consciousness of this country,” Bryant said. “When we move, the whole nation moves.” Sixteen-year-old William Moore Jr., the youngest attendee, captured the crowd with a challenge to reach younger generations through social media and direct engagement. “If we want to grow this movement, we have to push this narrative in a way that connects,” he said.

Dr. Johns stressed reclaiming cultural identity and resisting systems designed to keep communities uninformed and divided. “We don’t need validation from corporations. We need to teach our children who they are and support each other with love,” he said. Busby directed attendees to platforms like ByBlack.us, a digital directory of over 150,000 Black-owned businesses, encouraging them to shift their dollars from corporations like Target to Black enterprises. Bryant closed by urging the audience to register at targetfast.org, which will soon be renamed to reflect the expanding boycott movement. “They played on our sympathies in 2020. But now we know better,” Bryant said. “And now, we move.”

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The Department of Education is Collecting Delinquent Student Loan Debt

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — the Department of Education will withhold money from tax refunds and Social Security benefits, garnish federal employee wages, and withhold federal pensions from people who have defaulted on their student loan debt.

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By April Ryan

Trump Targets Wages for Forgiven Student Debt

The Department of Education, which the Trump administration is working to abolish, will now serve as the collection agency for delinquent student loan debt for 5.3 million people who the administration says are delinquent and owe at least a year’s worth of student loan payments. “It is a liability to taxpayers,” says White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at Tuesday’s White House Press briefing. She also emphasized the student loan federal government portfolio is “worth nearly $1.6 trillion.” The Trump administration says borrowers must repay their loans, and those in “default will face involuntary collections.” Next month, the Department of Education will withhold money from tax refunds and Social Security benefits, garnish federal employee wages, and withhold federal pensions from people who have defaulted on their student loan debt. Leavitt says “we can not “kick the can down the road” any longer.”

Much of this delinquent debt is said to have resulted from the grace period the Biden administration gave for student loan repayment. The grace period initially was set for 12 months but extended into three years, ending September 30, 2024. The Trump administration will begin collecting the delinquent payments starting May 5. Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, president of Talladega College, told Black Press USA, “We can have that conversation about people paying their loans as long as we talk about the broader income inequality. Put everything on the table, put it on the table, and we can have a conversation.” Kimbrough asserts, “The big picture is that Black people have a fraction of wealth of white so you’re… already starting with a gap and then when you look at higher education, for example, no one talks about Black G.I.’s that didn’t get the G.I. Bill. A lot of people go to school and build wealth for their family…Black people have a fraction of wealth, so you already start with a wide gap.”

According to the Education Data Initiative, https://educationdata.org/average-time-to-repay-student-loans It takes the average borrower 20 years to pay their student loan debt. It also highlights how some professional graduates take over 45 years to repay student loans. A high-profile example of the timeline of student loan repayment is the former president and former First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, who paid off their student loans by 2005 while in their 40s. On a related note, then-president Joe Biden spent much time haggling with progressives and Democratic leaders like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer on Capitol Hill about whether and how student loan forgiveness would even happen.

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VIDEO: The Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. at United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

https://youtu.be/Uy_BMKVtRVQ Excellencies:       With all protocol noted and respected, I am speaking today on behalf of the Black Press of America and on behalf of the Press of People of African Descent throughout the world.  I thank the Proctor Conference that helped to ensure our presence here at the Fourth Session of the […]

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Excellencies:

      With all protocol noted and respected, I am speaking today on behalf of the Black Press of America and on behalf of the Press of People of African Descent throughout the world.  I thank the Proctor Conference that helped to ensure our presence here at the Fourth Session of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent.
      The focus on AI and digital equity is urgent within the real time realities today where there continues to be what is referred to as the so called mainstream national and international media companies that systematically undergird racism and imperialism against the interests of People of African Descent.
         We therefore call on this distinguished gathering of leaders and experts to challenge member states to cite and to prevent the institutionalization of racism in all forms of media including social media, AI and any form of digital bias and algorithmic discrimination.
            We cannot trust nor entertains the notion that  former and contemporary enslavers will now use AI and digital transformation to respect our humanity and fundamental rights.
              Lastly we recommend that a priority should be given to the convening of an international collective of multimedia organizations  and digital associations that are owned and developed by Africans and People of African Descent.
Basta the crimes against our humanity!
Basta Racism!
Basta Imperialism!
A Luta Continua!
Victory is certain!
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