RECENT POSTS
This current council has been extremely difficult to work with. There were new people who came on council with their own agendas and did not care what it would take to accomplish their goals. They immediately joined forces with older council members and set this council on nearly 2 years of lack of focus. There have been so many seed of discourse and distrust that have been sown when it was totally uncalled for. There have been many successful attempts at causing confusion to keep the business of this policy setting board off balance. There has been total unreasonableness in hearing the facts on very critical issues that this board should have been handled that were either dealt with unreasonably, have been tabled not to come back up or just left hanging in the air. The city employees' approval rating for this council was a sad 26%. The media has even labeled this council as “dysfunctional.” We have a good mayor, but she needs a board that has respect for the board members and her leadership. I have tried to be a voice of common sense leadership during the past two years.
(1) Business Friendly – Supported reasonable incentive request, advocating for more business-friendly practices, supporting MWBE as an important program to assist small business development.
(2) Communication –Attended functions all over
(3) Employee Morale – Requested a cultural audit for the City to deal with the “isms”. Supported Police; intervened in attacks on the City Manager and advocating for employee right to be respected, visited various work sites to understand what the city employees need and feel.
(4) Equity - Attended Civil Rights Conference – questioning resources and pushing for parity in
(5) Gangs – Attended Gang Forums; supported funding Police Gang Unit; provided parent information with Gang 101 material; attended seven Back-to-School functions; advocated for Youth Programs like summer jobs, youth leadership programs, GYC, NCLM Youth Summit and Parks and Recreation Youth Summit;
(6) Homelessness – Taken the leadership role for the
(7) Public Trust – Continued to be available; developing communication tools such as this annual report, distribution of City materials and information.
(8) Jobs – Taking lead in “Growth for
(9) Police – Advocated for computer equipment for the department, a new position for a fingerprint specialist; advocated for fairness in treatment of Black Police Officers involved in the Police scandal, sharing law enforcement experience with council to help explain some concerns about law enforcement.
(10) Social Capital – Appointed young professionals to Boards, encouraging more citizens to involve themselves in their community; participated in Bicentennial activities and distributed Bicentennial activity books for kids as well as other materials relative to the Bicentennial and other City functions;
(11) Transparency – Attended twenty NNO programs and distributed City information; appeared on radio and television shows to try and explain the going ons with the council, attended neighborhood meetings and held town meetings
(12) Transportation – Led the effort to get funding for new route to Brightwood Community; advocated for summer bus service for GTCC; served as liaison for GTA, TAC, PART; advocating for transit for non-traditional riders, requested half price fares for summer school students using GTA, supported new GTA transportation hub in District 1, advocated for the Nealtown connector
Intervened in
Supported the Glenwood Neighborhood Plan
Development of the Southeast Neighborhood Coalition
Convening the organizational planning group for the
Collected food and personal items for persons in need
Advocated for jobs, training and entrepreneurship opportunities for ex-offenders
Downtown Greenway project beginning Phase 1 in Warnersville
WiFi in all the public libraries
Provided leadership training at GTCC and support water/sewer resource for GTCC’s Northwest Campus
Sidewalk projects on
Supported bringing NFBPA Conference to
More support and enhancement to NC A&T Homecoming Pavilion
Requested the Completion of the report by Human Relations Commission on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Opposed re-opening of the White Street Landfill
Supported youth programs such as Midnight Basketball, Youth Leadership program, Catholic Summer work program, SMART, SAVE, Hayes Taylor YMCA, LYFE and HOPE Project
State President of NCBEMO and participant in the Black Summit, an alliance of Black Elected Officials
My platform is serious, but simple:
1. Support diverse economic development to keep and bring jobs with livable wages
2. Provide leadership for economic and resource parity in
3. Create program structures for youth, seniors and the disadvantage
4. Provide fair and balanced leadership to the City of
It is my desire that everyone in District 1 feels empowered to lead and make
The
http://my.barackobama.com/hisownwords
GREENSBORO, NC – Studies have shown that teens and children often become involved in illegal activities when they have a shortage of positive role models and too much idle time. Greensboro Police Officer Alex Ricketts is hoping to steer Greensboro teens away from problem behaviors by encouraging them to participate in a midnight basketball program, beginning Friday, February 29.
“This program is designed to provide our youth with a safe place to have fun and interact with positive role models,” Ricketts said. “This is a positive step our community can take to keep our young people active and safe and away from negative influences that can be so enticing to a bored teen.”
As part of the program, Ricketts will invite community leaders, business leaders, pastors and others to speak to the youth who participate. “This will be a mentoring program as well as a youth sports program,” he said.
The midnight basketball program will take place on Fridays from 9 pm to 12 midnight at the Simkins Center at Barber Park. The program will continue through August 15.
Volunteers are needed to help make the program a success. For more information, call Officer Ricketts at 574-4035.
National Women’s History Month
March 2008 Theme:
" Women's Art Women's Vision"
How it began
In the 1970’s, women’s history was virtually an unknown topic in public schools or in the general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the
In 1979, efforts were begun to secure a congressional resolution declaring the second week in March “National Women’s History Week”. In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD co-sponsored the first joint Congressional Resolution. Within a few years, thousands of schools and communities were celebrating National Women’s History Week, supported by and encouraged by resolutions form governors, city councils, school boards and U.S. Congress.
To honor the originality, beauty, imagination, and multiple dimensions of women’s lives, the 2008 theme for National Women’s History Month is Women’s Art: Women’s Vision. The history of women and art is quintessential women’s history. It is the story of amazing women’s accomplishments acclaimed at the time but written out of history. Join us in ensuring that their accomplishments are never forgotten. This year’s theme provides a special opportunity to discover and celebrate women’s visual arts in a variety of forms and mediums that help expand our perceptions of ourselves and each other. The honorees are: Judy Chicago - 1939 Painter/Printmaker/Tapestry/Needlework, Harmony Hammond -1944 Painter, Edna Hibel – 1917 Colorist, Painter, Stone Lithographer, Serigrapher, Etcher, Sculptress, and Filmmaker, Lihua Lei – 1966 Multimedia Installation, Violet Oakley –1874-1961 Muralist, Stained Glass Artist, Rose Cecil O’Neill – 1874-1944, Painter, Illustrator, Sculptress, Faith Ringgold – 1930, Painter/Quilter, Miriam Schapiro – 1923 Print/ Painter Lorna Simpson – 1960 Artist, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith –1940, Painter/Printmaker, Nancy Spero – 1926 Painter, June Claire Wayne – 1918, Painter/Lithographer
Celebrate the history of women in your life and community.
National Women’s History Project Website: http://www.nwhp.org
Other Websites on African American Women’s History
http://library.lib.binghamton.edu/subjects/africana/afrowomen.html
http://library.duke.edu/specialcollections/collections/digitized/african-american-women/
http://www.africana.com/
http://womenshistory.miningco.com/homework/womenshistory/cs/africanamerican/
http://www.DistinguishedWomen.com/subject/BlackHist.html
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/africanamerican/a/black_women.htm
http://blackquest.com/link.htm
Test Your Knowledge of Women's History
1. Who founded
2. What woman was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. ?
3. What Black woman refused to give up her seat to a White man, in
4. Who was the first woman to run for President of the
5. Who opened up social work as a profession for women, and also won the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize for her anti-war organizing work?
6. Which Mexican-American woman has repeatedly been the leading money winner in the Ladies Professional Golf Association?
7. Who was the first woman Poet Laureate of the
8. Who was the first “First Lady” to have developed her own political and media identity?
9. Who wrote the first version of the Equal Rights Amendment, in 1923?
10. Who was the first Black woman elected to Congress?
11. What leading suffragist was arrested and convicted of attempting to vote in the 1872 election?
12. Who was the first Chinese-American woman ever elected to hold a statewide office in the
13. What journalist traveled around the world in 72 days in 1890?
14. What woman was turned down by 29 medical schools before being accepted as a student, graduated at the head of her class, and became the first licensed woman doctor in the
15. What former slave was a powerful speaker for the rights of women and Black people?
16. When was the Equal Rights Amendment first introduced into Congress?
17. Who was the last queen of the Hawaiian Islands, deposed because American business interests wanted to annex
18. Which woman was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for holding religious discussion meetings in her home?
19. Who spoke out for the advancement of American Indians’ rights from speaker’s platforms nationwide and before Congressional committees in the 1880s?
20. Who drove a stagecoach across the roughest part of the West without anyone knowing until she died that she was a woman?
21. Who was the first Hispanic woman to serve as U.S. Treasurer?
22. Who was the Shoshone Indian woman who served as guide and interpreter on the Lewis and Clark expedition?
23. Who was Chair of the Board and publisher of The Washington Post and Newsweek magazine, and also oversaw six broadcasting stations?
24. About 20,000 women shirtwaist workers staged a strike for better working conditions. Their action was called the “Uprising of the 20,000.” When and where did his strike occur?
25. When did officials of Little League Baseball announce that they would “defer to the changing social climate” and let girls play on their teams?
26. As vice president of the United Farm Workers, what woman has been vital in speaking for civil and economic rights for farm workers throughout the
27. When did Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 go into effect, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded school programs and activities?
28. What woman was invited to teach nuclear physics at
29. What woman served as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, freeing hundreds of southern slaves and leading them to safety in the North? A $40,000 reward was offered for her capture.
30. What woman is credited with helping free more than 2,000 Chinese women and children smuggled into
31. Who was the first African-American woman poet to have her works published?
Find answers at http://www.nwhp.org or contact Sankofa Heritage Foundation for a workshop or display.Compiled by
Sankofa Heritage Foundation
I do not believe there has been any attempt to cover up or keep the public from knowing the truth about the police scandal of 2005 or any other situation within the city. The police issue is and has been a very complicated situation that has required responsible actions by all involved. Having been a Greensboro Police Officer, I know first hand some of the harmful behaviors that can happen in a police department. I do, however, feel that our police department is doing a good job for the citizens and is now being appropriately run by Chief Bellamy and his staff.
It is totally unfair for council members who have only been on the council for 2 months to decide that the manager's job performance is unacceptable especially since they came in with preconceived attitudes. And if all you are looking for are mistakes, you will find them or create them. When someone does not want to learn and listen, you will go off on the least little thing which is part of what has been going on with this current council. It is also a sad commentary for imperfect people to require total perfection from others.
If we think about it for a moment, some of the situations the current management for the city is dealing with were brewing during past administrations. At least this administration has taken the leadership to deal with issues that were not of their doing. And there is an attitude that exists with most people that change is good as long as they don't have to change. In order for the city of
I believe this manager and his entire staff have made every effort to do the will of council which sometimes has shifted faster than a flag's directions in a wind storm. They have tried to be responsive to request even if it meant working late nights, weekends and through personal tragedies. Some of the time and money has not been used for the best purposes in the budget times we are in just to meet the demands of council members who take the position that staff is trying to hide something. The ongoing situations that the police scandal has caused are now going into the third year with no reasonable end in sight with all of the legal pieces to still be dealt with. We must be careful not to let the total operation of the city suffer because of a heavy preoccupation with this one issue because of malicious and erroneous accounts in some media outlets.
If we are to get through this with reasonable and fair outcomes, we must not kill the messenger. As we know, armchair quarterbacking is a no risk sport. Many people do not know the depth that; Mitch Johnson and his staff and the former council went to, to resolve this very unpleasant chapter in city history. There will be no quick fix for this problem and changing leadership at this critical point is not the answer.
Mitchell Johnson is a bright, creative, can do young man. He may not have been completely ready for the kind of challenge he has had to deal with for the past 2 years, but he has tried to make the best of a bad situation for us all. And in fairness to him, I do not think any city manager would have dealt any better with the issues the city is facing. The council's job is not to run or micro manage the city. We set policy. And we have an entire city to be responsive to not just one issue that is consuming a tremendous amount of all kinds of resources.
There obviously is no quick fix to the issues facing the city and I believe we should step back, stop being inflamed by extreme allegations in some of the entities calling themselves newspapers or media and let our professional staff do their jobs. I think the new council members need to show some respect and give themselves time to learn what city government is about and be apart of a total team instead of running rough shot over people because of campaign promises just for the sake of saying I did something.
The city can not work efficiently if it is micro managed by some council members and the media. As for our city manager and administrative staff - Never judge a man until you have walked in his shoes. Even a former mayor said we need to get off of this stage of pettiness and get on about the business of running good city government for the good of ALL of its citizens.
Form or participate in your Neighborhood Association
Contact Donna Newton at 851-2748 for assistance
Monday, February 11, 6:30 - 9:00 pm
The Fellowship Hall at the corner of Friendly Avenue and Commerce Place in the West Market Street United Methodist Church building.
Town Hall meeting with Mayor Yvonne Johnson
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, March 8, 9:00 to 11:00 am
Greensboro Public Library - Nussbaum Room
219 N Church St.
Updates on the Land Development Ordinance rewrite and the effectiveness of the Rental Unit Certificate Ordinance (RUCO) with Dick Hails and Dan Reynolds from the City and representatives from the Housing Coalition.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, April 10, 6:30 - 9:00 pm
The Greensboro Historical Museum
130 Summit Ave.
City Manager Forum with City Manager, Mitchell Johnson
_____________________________________________________________________________
Location for the following meetings are indicated as "GPL" for the Library, at 219 N. Church St. and "CFGG" for the Community Foundation at 330 S. Greene St.
Saturdays from 9:00 -11:00 a.m.
May 10 - CFGG
July 12 - GPL
September 13 - GPL
November 8 - GPL
Thursdays from 7:00- 9:00 pm:
April 10 - CFGG
June12 - GPL
August 14 - GPL
October 9 - GPL
December 11- Holiday Dinner (Location to be determined)
For more information on grants for Building Stronger Neighborhoods contact Donna Newton.
The strength of our communities lies in our neighborhoods and their leadership.
"Cosby Kids" Program Announced at N.C. A&T
GREENSBORO, N.C. – An innovative project was unveiled this morning by three Guilford County educational leaders in the historic Dudley Building at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
N.C. A&T Chancellor Stanley Battle, Guilford Technical Community College President Don Cameron, and Guilford County Schools Superintendent Terry Grier announced at a joint news conference plans for a new “Cosby Kids” at North Carolina A&T State University Program. This major educational initiative is named for nationally acclaimed entertainer/educator Dr. Bill Cosby.
The partnership involving N.C. A&T, GTCC, and Guilford County Schools is a multifaceted initiative designed to enhance the academic performance and related areas of African-American and Hispanic students in the fourth, sixth and eighth grades. The overall goal of the "Cosby Kids" Program is to ensure that targeted children perform at grade level or above in the areas of reading, math, and science.
Funding for the "Cosby Kids” at N.C. A&T Program will come from A&T, GTCC, and Guilford County Schools in the form of actual dollars and/or services offered for the children and their parents. In addition, funds will be provided by fundraising efforts with Cosby and funds from foundation and federal agencies. A small project that will serve as the pilot for the "Cosby Kids" at N.C. A&T Program was recently funded through a dropout prevention grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. This program, titled "The Stepping It Up Program," is a collaborative effort involving A&T, the Black Child Development Institute of Greensboro and Kiser Middle School. "The Stepping It Up Program" is an enrichment program designed to improve academic performance and leadership skills of 30 eighth grade students at risk of dropping out of school. It will include the following activities on A&T's campus: a Summer Academy; a fall Saturday Academy; tutoring and mentoring services, monitoring of academic performance and attendance; and the creation of a step dance team to perform in local and state venues.
The "Cosby Kids" Program is motivated by N.C. A&T's commitment to education. A&T, as one of America's largest HBCUs, plays an important role in reducing educational and health disparities as well as the problems associated with these
disparities, such as low educational achievement and poor economic status. N.C. A&T has a longstanding tradition of getting involved in these programs such as the following:
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have had a long history of ensuring that education is accessible and open to all people. However, the road to higher education does not begin at high school graduation because disparities in educational achievement are even observed in elementary school. Addressing this issue requires the development of programs that are culturally appropriate and are implemented before high school to prepare youngsters for college. Therefore, the question becomes: "How can N.C. A&T, as a high research activity institution, work
with Guilford County, the state, and the nation to prepare students to enter college?" This program represents one way for A&T to bring university resources to address this problem.
N.C. A&T students, faculty and staff have a long and proud tradition of community volunteerism which is conveyed in many different ways on and off campus. This program is an extension of this philosophy because it provides an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to tutor, mentor, and lead other program-related activities.
The “Cosby Kids" at N.C. A&T Program is based on previous educational research and a conceptual model that recognizes that children do not develop in isolation, but flourish in the context of their peers, families, teachers, schools and the larger community. The question is, "How will the 'Cosby Kids' at N.C. A&T Program work with these entities to foster academic success?" The answer reflects a multi-faceted, holistic approach that reaches out not only to students, but also to families and teachers.
1) First, each participating child will be paired with a mentor. Mentors for the "Cosby Kids" Program will be recruited from community volunteers as well as from faculty, staff and students (upperclassmen) from N.C. A&T and GTCC.
2) An after-school instructional curriculum will be conducted as an after-school initiative on A&T's campus. The curriculum will be designed to enhance basic skills (particularly math, reading, and writing) as specified in the North Carolina standard course of study. The curriculum will be offered every day as an after-school program from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
3) Participating students will also receive tutoring. Faculty, staff and students from A&T and GTCC will be recruited and trained to serve as tutors, as well as groups such as the National Black Child Development Institute.
4) The program will offer workshops for parents to obtain information about their children's performance and ways they can assist them. Parents will be given information regarding the meaning and impact of the No Child Left Behind Act, the North Carolina standard course of study, and the testing program and standards for the State of North Carolina. Workshops will provide parents with skills in communicating with teachers about their children's performance, discipline issues, and related matters. Additionally, parents will be informed about resources that are available within the school system and ways to advocate for their children. In addition, parents will be assisted in their efforts to improve their own education so they can contribute to their children's academic success. Workshops will be conducted at community sites such as GTCC and houses of faith within the targeted area.
5) There will be workshops for teachers. Teachers are important for student success and parental involvement. Through their actions, teachers send messages to children about whether they are accepted and competent enough to accomplish tasks given. In order to be effective, teachers must understand the needs and environments of the students that they teach. Teachers will learn effective teaching strategies for teaching the targeted children. They will also learn discipline strategies and ways to help children achieve academically. Fourth, sixth, and eighth grade teachers from targeted schools will be invited to participate in these workshops.
“Cosby Kids” Program Contact: Wendell Phillips, Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Community Relations and Special Projects – 336.334.7940 – wphillip@ncat.edu