Inspiring messages of strength and hope in music videos by First Nation youth

Many Paths
Source: Many Paths … “The place where I was born is perfect”

Worth music video group shot
Source: Worth music video
Adams Lake (all girl) Indian Band’s “Worthy” carries a message of hope for youth:

The light will glow and inspire your journey … when you get a little older everything will be all right… you are worthy, you are worthy

Many Paths music video
Source: Many Paths music video
“Many Paths” with Kawacatoose First Nation youth

I’m going to keep my head up and make better decisions. You have to walk in my shoes to understand my position … If there’s one thing that a native people lack, the love and care – so unfair as I’m looking back … We walk the land of many paths, a narrow road that will lead us back to a life that we had … read more

Join John Legend in the conversation to FreeAmerica

John Legend invites you to join Free America
John Legend invites you to join FreeAmerica
Join the conversation with John Legend on his listening tour of American prisons for the FreeAmerica project.

“FreeAmerica is a multi-year culture campaign initiated by John Legend to change the national conversation about our country’s misguided policies and transform America’s criminal justice system.”

Its ambitious goal is to end mass incarceration in the United States of America. Get involved.

Youth incarceration
Source: freeamerica.org

Foro educativo en español Oct 28 en Rutgers Newark: logrando el grado universitario

Rutgers college forum en español

En el 28 de octubre 2017 de 3:00-9:00pm, Rutgers y El Grupo Latinoamericano de Cónsules en New Jersey (GLACO) auspiciarán su tercer foro educativo en español para informar estudiantes y sus familias sobre las vías asequibles para obtener el grado universitario en New Jersey. Asistentes aprenderán de panelistas expertos y recibirán consultas legales confidenciales acerca del estado migratorio de individuales estudiantes y sobre las nuevas políticas DACA. Consejeros de admisión y de asistencia financiera de varias universidades estatales estarán disponibles para contestar preguntas y ayudar con navegar el proceso de admisión. read more

Free! Job Fair at William Paterson University 9-1 on Jan 12 2017

Job Fair
Looking for your next employer? Come to the Job Fair at William Paterson University where the following industries will be represented:
Healthcare, Security, Retail & Sales, Finance, Transportation, Material Management, Government, and Manufacturing.

Thursday 12 January 2017 (Snow Date: January 13th)
9am – 1pm
1600 Valley Road
Wayne, NJ 07470

Veteran’s Assistance will be available.
PLEASE PLAN ON ARRIVING EARLY. SOME COMPANIES MAY NOT BE ABLE TO STAY UNTIL 1PM.

Click here to RSVP

Bring your best self, your resumé if you have one and partake of workshops like: read more

10 year old girl sings a sweet, pure and strong “Hallelujah” that might make you cry

Killard House School choir
Source: Killard House School via YouTube

Ireland has music deep in its soul. Phenomenal 10 year old Kayleigh Rogers leads her special classmates of The Killard House School in singing such a sweet, pure and strong Christmas rendition of Hallelujah that it brought me right to tears. It will do the same for you, if you’re lucky. God bless.

The BBC comments about Kayleigh’s stellar performance:

Kayleigh is one of 200 students aged three to 16 at Killard House School in Donaghadee, Northern Ireland … (she) often sings at the local Christmas concert at First Presbyterian Church, Newtownards, but this year she lost her voice and had to pull out of last Sunday’s service. Instead her headteacher played the video above, which had been filmed just weeks before at the school, and it left many of the congregation in tears. read more

An important essay by an honored student on the hypocrisies of inclusion in higher ed

Sung Yim with shaved head
Source: Sung Yim, courtesy of lutherxhughes.com

Sung Yim wrote an essay to Columbia University after essays the Korean poet was asked to submit as a student representative of Columbia College Chicago’s Nonfiction writing department were twice rejected and the last essay, cut down to almost nothing to eliminate any controversial bits. The author writes about the author’s own work:

It’s important to keep in mind that my work has always been scathingly political. That is, I would think, part of why the writing faculty nominated my work. It’s also important to keep in mind that they were soliciting short work of a long-form artist. I was clipping and revising each piece I was submitting to them, which took hours of free labor. read more

Principal Moody suspended for letting Paterson rapper Fetty Wap film music video at East Side High

Principal Zatiti Moody
Source: Urban Renaissance Media
A Paterson principal known for his educating excellence and strict discipline enforcement has been suspended from office by the New Jersey State appointed superintendent known for his attempts to keep Paterson students from experiencing quality education. The ostensible reason for the suspension: Principal Zatiti Moody allowed music phenomenon Fetty Wap to film a music video at East Side High School which contains twerking and portrays drug use. Behaviour that – like it or not – happens to be part of the school experience for many urban students. read more

New White House #DiaperGap program will cover every baby’s bottom!

#diapergap
Source: whitehouse.gov

This may sound way out there but I can totally relate to the difficulty 1 in 3 families have with the expense of diapering their babies, because I had it too when my kids were diaper age – a couple of decades ago. Tomorrow at SXSW, President Obama will announce the new ublic-private-donation partnership the White House is brokering called The Community Diaper Program, which is designed to bring a comfy diaper to every baby’s bottom.

The combination of these efforts created the Community Diaper Program, launching today, and available to any 501(c)(3) organization in the United States. Now, any non-profit (whether or not they currently provide diapers to families they serve) will able to purchase diapers as much as 25 percent cheaper than the current available price, with no minimum order and 48 hour shipping. This process addresses head on the storage and timing challenges expressed by non-profits in the field. The National Diaper Bank Network, which nationwide operates over 280 diaper banks (similar to food banks), estimates that their members will order more than 15 million diapers through this program in 2016 alone. Best of all, the Community Diaper Program is sustainable, fiscally and organizationally, and will continue to benefit families for years to come… read more

Powerful video: Eric Garner’s daughter supports Bernie Sanders because he’s a protester, like she is now

 Erica Garner
Source: Erica Garner endorses Bernie Sanders for President video

Erica Garner is the daughter of Eric Garner. In this powerful video clip, Ms. Garner tells about the impact her dad’s murder has had on her family’s life and her own life. She has had to explain to her young daughter Elissa that the racism she’s learning about in school, which Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought against, is:

Eric Garner poster
Source: Erica Garner Bernie Sanders for President endorsement video
… not really over … I’m a activist … My Dad’s name was Eric Garner. No one gets to see their parent’s last moments and I was able to see my Dad die on national TV … They don’t know what they took from us … he was loved daily … Elissa misses my dad. She tells me, “Are you OK mom, do you Miss PopPop?” She wishes he was there so her mom wouldn’t be sad any more. read more

Many excellent reasons young people like Bernie much more than Hillary

The Youth Vote Matters
Grfx source: whatkidscando.org
My answer to friend Bryan Alexander‘s question to friends earned me the top spot in his Facebook post list for 2016. He asked: “Here’s a question for readers of any political stripe. Why is Bernie Sanders winning much more of the youth vote, as compared to Hillary Clinton?”

My response. I’ve got 2 millennials at home, both social/environmental justice champions. They love Bernie for a plethora of reasons:

He explains how political and financial systems work, and they want to know. read more

Enchanting: deaf youth and a singing club sign and sing John Lennon’s Imagine

Imagine by Glee
Source: Facebook via Raquel Heredia Vincente and Madres Latinos de Vigo
All we who are truly blessed – with good hearing, sight and use of our limbs – can surely be inspired by this Glee video. Deaf youth and a singing club which includes a young man in a wheelchair, sign and sing John Lennon’s Imagine. Heartwarming and completely enchanting.

The best rendition I found of this awesome music video is on Facebook but the official trailer is worth seeing too:

And here are Spanish subtitles – traducción al español:

Gracias a mi bella amiga Luisi Motta de Madres Latinos de Vigo por haber compartido este tesoro. Como regalo Navideño era perfecto. read more

AMC: when you come to see Star Wars, please leave your Darth Vader mask at home

Star Wars fans in costume
Source: Wikimedia
Ari Wei is amused by AMC’s dress policy for Star Wars fans coming to see the new movie.

Lmao, the costume policy of AMC when you go on their website and click on showtimes for Star Wars:

“AMC does not permit weapons or items that would make other guests feel uncomfortable or detract from the movie-going experience. Guests are welcome to come dressed in costume, but we do not permit masks or face paint. In short, bring your lightsaber, turn it off during the movie, and leave the blaster and Darth Vader mask at home.” read more

Segregation in a school may not be a result of the ethnic composition of its attendance zone #p2

Interactive NYC schools map
Source: Map created by Center for NYC Affairs Center
The New School’s Center for New York City Affairs new report Are Schools Segregated Because Housing Is? It Ain’t Necessarily So, calls into question the assumption that highly segregated school populations reflect the resident population of their attendance zone. The results of the research which includes interactive maps shows:

… there are dozens of high-poverty elementary schools that serve mostly black and Latino children that are located in far more racially and economically mixed neighborhoods. read more

Must watch! The cutest munchkin versions of famous woman professionals

Viola Davis
Source: YouTube Fast-Forward Girls 2015 video by GoldieBlox
GoldieBlox’s Fast-Forward Girls project celebrates superstar women and the girls they inspire – 10 women role models who have “broken the mold, blazed a trail, and made it happen in politics, entertainment, sport, and STEM. Each superstar is played by a mini-superstar in the making…” and these girls are cuties!

Grown ups portrayed:
Amy Schumer: #iLookLikeAComedian
Hillary Clinton: #iLookLikeAPresident
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: #iLookLikeAJustice
Isis Anchalee: #iLookLikeAnEngineer
Beyoncé: #iLookLikeAnEntrepreneur
Nicki Minaj: #iLookLikeASuperstar
Jen Welter: #iLookLikeAnNFLCoach
Viola Davis: #iLookLikeAnEmmyWinner
Misty Copeland: #iLookLikeAPrincipalBallerina
Abby Wambach: #iLookLikeAWorldChampion read more