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Energy, Media Professionals Offer STEM Advice to Indy Youth at National Conference

NNPA NEWSWIRE — In addition to meeting energy professionals, the students received advice on creating and maintaining a successful career in STEM. Several companies, including Southern California Edison, American Petroleum Institute (API), British Petroleum (BP), and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), entertained questions and offered advice to attendees.

Published

5 years ago

May 15, 2019

Oakland Post

By Demi Vaughn, Special to the NNPA Newswire

The American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE), a national organization with a 50-year history of educating young people on the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, recently left an indelible mark on the Indianapolis youth, during their 42^nd annual conference.

Held at the Marriott Downtown, more than 600 energy leaders attended the four-day conference, which opened powerful discussions on the field’s emerging policies, career options, entrepreneurial involvement, and social responsibility.

Among the event’s key activities — the AABE Youth Forum — featuring 25 aspiring engineers from Pike High school, proved most exciting.

In addition to meeting energy professionals, the students received advice on creating and maintaining a successful career in STEM. Several companies, including Southern California Edison, American Petroleum Institute (API), British Petroleum (BP), and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), entertained questions and offered advice to attendees.

Tyrone Mitchell, a Diversity and Inclusion Manager at BP, said that internships prove very important once students enter college.

“Please be focused on getting internships. Getting that experience cannot only benefit you in the workplace, but you will also know what industry you like and don’t like,” Mitchell said. “I was able to get an internship with BP, and I chose to come on to BP because of the experience they gave me. So, it made the transition easier for me.”

David Ford, a mechanical engineer at Southern California Edison agreed with Mitchell’s assessment of internships, but also admonished students to gain focus as a means of successfully navigating college.

“There’s a lot of things you’re going to deal with in college. Focus on the most important things you need to do every day,” said Ford. “During your first year in college it’s really important that you get a discipline down, because if you don’t you can easily blow it.”

At the end of the session, students received a surprise visit from Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., a civil rights leader, and President and CEO of NNPA.

“There are tremendous career opportunities in the energy sector for African Americans,” Chavis said. “The future is going to be determined by how well humanity utilizes science to solve our problems, and I encourage young people in the Black community to get involved with STEM programs at a young age. One thing I intend to do with NNPA is to raise more public awareness about the opportunities in the energy sector for Black Americans.”

Chavis, who has a background in chemistry, said that he thinks the educational system doesn’t prepare millennials of any race for the world of the future.

“The world of the future is going to be much more of a global economy. It’s going to be more science- and data-based, and more coding. Some schools don’t even teach these things, while other schools do. There are inequities in the educational system, and some are racial inequities. At the NNPA, I’m trying to challenge some of these racial inequities when it comes to education and career opportunities.”

Chavis was the editor of his high school newspaper and said that his science background has improved his skills as both a reader and writer.

“Developing an appetite at a young age to read, write, and to be a journalist is so important. I encourage young writers and journalists to use their pens to promote social change, and ensure our communities are treated fairly.”

Paula Glover, CEO of AABE, said that opportunities abound in the energy industry for students of all majors.

“If you look across college majors, you may have students who are history majors who work in public policy. Two of our executives were music majors, and they went on to law school; they work in our industry in either environmental policy, environmental law, or health and safety.”

Demi Vaughn is a senior at Ball State University, and can be reached at dmvaughn@bsu.edu

Chavis, who has a background in chemistry, said that he thinks the educational system doesn’t prepare millennials of any race for the world of the future. (photo: Nathanael Corrales)

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.