Educational Excellence

Happy Friday, All!

Is it me or are these times changing?!?  I wanted to thank Roz Reich from the Hollywood, FL Brahma Kumaris who sent me the lyrics to the new compilation of Bob Dylan tunes, “The Times, They Are A Changing”.  It is right on point in describing what he feels is taking place in the USA now.  In many ways, my life has come full circle, as I recall the times growing up during President John F. Kennedy’s time and the Civil Rights Movement.  My mother, “Mary” as she was called by most who knew her well, was involved in getting people who lived in the Projects to register and get out to vote.  In many ways, she was her own little grass roots movement though there were a few other community conscious people around in White Plains and Westchester County in general like Mr. Al Hampton, Mr. Hurvey Bradshaw and another woman from The Projects, Mrs. Elsie Harry.  There were many women involved in the communities in White Plains including Lake Street, Ferris Avenue, Schuyler DeKalb and what we used to call “The Valley”, a residential area where many African American, Latino and poorer white families lived!  There were “housing developments” in these parts of White Plains for the “service oriented” population that kept this “model city” growing!  It seems that in places like White Plains, “the people” have learned to live together … and are still doing a pretty decent job!

There are many communities, including Hollywood, FL, where the political leadership are actually “taking the lead” and doing what “the people” want and need in their lives rather than focusing on the corporate interests needs or big business.  Doesn’t the Constitution of the USA start with, “We, the people …” and these current “money suckers” in office have forgotten “the darn people”!  I always sought to drill into my students heads in my American History (US History) classes that “America was started as a business” … several “joint stock companies” in particular … and that the earliest “settlers” were hard core pioneers who had to fight for everything they had.  I won’t get into the earliest relationships between native or indigenous people ALREADY here, the slaves that were brought here against their will and the early settlers.  But note, this “USA” thing has always been a business … now more so than ever!  It is now that “we, the people” must take charge of the destiny of this land as it should never have been viewed as simply a “company” with money as the motive … not people’s rights and lives!

Okay, so it’s the weekend pretty much y’all!  Time to take it easy, if you can!

Peace,