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8 More Knowledge, More Power Increasing Youth Awareness
Gettin’ Groovy A sit-down with Kendrick Dial and The Lyrical Groove
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16 Being Ikea Embracing Me; Embracing Others 19 It’s a Groove Thang The Lyrical Groove 24 iChooseLife Youth Leadership Development Program 34 Get Credit Healthy Guide to Financial Fitness 36 Doing It Together 3 Benefits of Group Exercise
COMMENTARIES 10 Kingdom’s Dawn Book Review 38 Mind Over Matter Church & Dealing With Mental Health
PROFILES 12 Meni Atuatasi Man Transformed 30 Neighborhood House Association With Rudy Johnson
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WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil and sons Thaddeus and Titus
Take time to
be a dad today. fatherhood.gov 877-4DAD411
More Knowledge, More Power:
Increasing Youth Awareness by Mallory and Morgan Webb
DID YOU KNOW? 1 out of 4 blacks are killed on a daily basis? DID YOU KNOW? African Americans now constitute nearly 1 million of the total 2.3 million of people incarcerated? DID YOU KNOW? 35% of black children grades 7-12 have been suspended or expelled at some point in their school careers compared to 20% of Hispanics and 15% of whites? DID YOU KNOW? 5 times as many Whites are using drugs as African Americans, yet African Americans are sent to prison for drug offenses at 10 times the rate of Whites?
Today, as youth, it is essential to our everyday lives and our freedom to not only know our rights and when and how to use them, but to also understand what’s going on in the world around us to evoke and inspire change among our peers for a better future. In response to the disconcerting current events with cases surrounding individuals such as Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Freddy Grey, people of color are faced with a multitude of questions: What could have been the outcome if they had known their rights? How many lives could have been spared? These questions then open up an even bigger concern; Is not knowing our rights the cause of or continuous of police brutality, violence and/or incarceration? While directly or indirectly affected by the disparities that plague our communities, most teenagers’ lack of social awareness and concern for the condition of the world 8| May/June/July/August - Issue 2 - 2015
hinders our progress to be better. In contrast to the generations of our parents and grandparents, we have seemingly become distracted by things such as social media, shiny technological devices, sports and partying. Yet, the future belongs to the youth of today. In the midst of it all, we are not able to ignore the question constantly plaguing us: How can we help change the world? So, we (the Webb Sisters) have decided to be the exception and not the rule by joining the fight to make this world a better place and inspire youth to become more aware and involved in shaping our futures. Our method of change is through the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Organization for youth. As officers (President, Mallory Webb and Secretary, Morgan Webb) of the Youth NAACP, we strive to obey what God has spoken to our hearts to do: be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. God has given us confidence, opportunity, and support to get involved with the organization’s efforts to keep the community informed, educated and equipped with the tools needed for a brighter tomorrow. Being a part of this organization is a way for youth to actual DO something about the world around us! Recently, we traveled to Philadelphia for the 106th NAACP National Convention. A countless amount of members from all over the world attended (youth branches and adult branches). Meeting youth branches from all across the world was an eye-opener to us because they gave us ideas on how to get other youth involved in the fight to make a change. They taught us things such as: how to create ways to visually teach students what to do when they are pulled over by the police; how to keep youth excited about working for the greater good; and how to have fun while serving others. The unity of the organization was recognized while watching the President of the United States, Barack Obama, speak live at the convention. He spoke about the abuse of imprisonment time and how blacks are given longer sentences than that of any other race for small crimes (briefly mentioned in a statistic on previous page). Leaving the convention, we were excited about imparting knowledge and igniting enthusiasm in others to be a part of the world-changing gang. Because though the statistics given at the beginning of this article are alarming and heart-wrenching, what is most devastating is the willingness and permission to remain ignorant and/or cause distance between you and the problems that do, in fact, affect you. Standing before the congregation of the Bayview Baptist Church with my fellow youth officers of the NAACP while being sworn in by our Senior Pastor Terry Wayne Brooks, he said this, “They are not the future; they are the present.” Pastor Brooks meant that we are here now; and because the problems we face are here today, we need to change the world we live in right now. It’s the only way we’ll have a hopeful future. Now, that I DO KNOW…what do I do? Our answer is to be informed, get involved, and care. Because the numbers you see above, don’t lie. Statistics by http://www.naacp.org/ pages/criminal-justice-fact-sheet
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Highlights from May to August
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Jacob “Cubby” Miranda, Bass Guitarist
Brisa Lauren, Vocalist
Kendrick Dial, Spoken Word Vocalist and Band Leader
Mike “Token” Benedetto, Guitarist
Glenn “Gk” Sanders, Drummer
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To Be A PerfecT PArenT. There are thousands of kids in foster care who will take you just the way you are.
888. 200. 4005
AdoptUSKids.org
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by Jasmine Sadler
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Doing It Together:
3 Benefits of Group Exercise by Abigail Gonzalez
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WHAT THIS PLACE NEEDS IS ACTIVE PLAY EVERY DAY.
Thanks to our work with NFL PLAY 60, we’ve brought fun fitness programs to more than 35,000 kids. And it can happen here too.
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