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INSIDE THIS ISSUE FEB / MAR 2013
FEATURES
10 The Church and Black History 14 Black History Month and Barack Obama Story Archbishop A. Livingston Foxworth 20 Cover Grace Church of All Nations, Boston 26 Promoting African-American Student Achievement 31 I Call Her Chocolate
SECTIONS
04 Editor’s Note 08 RHEMA Health 16 RHEMA Spotlight 32 RHEMA Puzzles 33 RHEMA Showcase 34 RHEMA Word
Disclaimer Rhema is published every other month. No part of this publication is to be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. The Magazine can not be held liable for any error in any advertisement and any liability is limited to the total cost of the advertisement in error. The publisher however reserves the right to refuse any advertisement deemed offensive or inappropriate. The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are strictly those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rhema Magazine. Rhema Magazine takes reasonable care to ensure the accuracy of the information. However we will not assume liability for the opinions or statements nor the accuracy of the authors. We also reserve the right to edit information we deem inappropriate for this magazine.
RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB / MAR 2013
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Editor’s
I
Note
Consequently, I had to perform some self remember being
given an assignment in an English class to write an essay on “Who Am I?” Given that this was a college English class, I knew immediately that this would require more than the one paragraph I wrote for a similar essay on my first day of Primary school. Back then, my first grade teacher wanted to become more familiar with the 25 students in her class. This assignment was her way to get us to share a bit of information about ourselves with the rest of the class. Understandably, all that was required from my six year old brain were- my name, age, how may siblings I had and what I wanted to be when I grew up. It was a relatively easy feat, which I pulled off with no problems. Fast forward to the college English class- to be honest, I was a little taken aback when this assignment was given on the first day of class. However, I knew that the few lines I wrote back in Primary school would not suffice. I thought of nothing else on my ride home from class that night. “Who Am I?” Surprisingly, it was not as simple a question as I thought it would be- it was never something I was forced to examine in my adult years. I began to think of all my experiences, both good and bad that had contributed to my present self.
reflecting, and I came face to face with the things that truly defined me by confronting some things I had internalized. One piece of the very obvious information I included in the essay (something I never had to even think about at age 6) was the fact that I was a Jamaican of African descent. In fact, it was stated at the very beginning of that essay. I suddenly realized that I take great pride in being a descendant from a people so strong, so resilient and so incredibly brave. It is not something I take lightly nor something I take for granted. Through that journey, I no longer saw myself as others saw me but truly the way I saw myself. A very pivotal moment. I really cannot identify the moment when the transformation took place, and can only attribute that to the incremental, gradual changes, that resulted in me being at peace with who I was: embracing every facet of my personality and heritage with pride. Join me as I take this opportunity to salute all the Black History Makers being honored in this issue of Rhema. “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise, I rise I rise” Maya Angelou
Aside from the very obvious roles that defined me, mother, sister, friend etc, I was now faced with figuring out who I was at my very core.
RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
Valerie Brown
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RHEMA MAGAZINE: CONTRIBUTORS CEO/Founder - Andrew D. Gayle Chairman - Leon Morgan Editor in Chief - Valerie Brown Assistant Editors - Dacie Gayle and Dr. Alicia Anderson Contributing Editor/Columnist - Robby Thomas Columnist - Pastor William E. Dickerson Jr. Columnist - Linda Sharkey Columnist - David Carruthers Columnist - Kevin C. Peterson
Rhema: "A Greek word meaning "what is said". In Christianity it is used in reference to the sayings of Jesus Christ." Matthew 4:4 states"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every (Rhema) word that proceeds from the mouth of God".
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RHEMA
D
Health
Type II Diabetes
o you or someone you know suffer from Type II Diabetes? Well, the good news is that Type II Diabetes, commonly known as adult onset Diabetes is not only manageable, but in some cases, it is reversible. Twenty-five million adults are affected by Type II Diabetes, and 1 in 3 children born after the year 2000 will be affected by Type II Diabetes in their lifetime. The rise of childhood obesity is the leading cause of children who are being diagnosed as Type II Diabetics as early as in their teenage years. Eighty percent of chronic disease and illness can be reduced with nutritional education and dietary and lifestyle changes. Individuals diagnosed with Type II Diabetes who receive the proper education as well as the necessary behavioral interventions will have a greater chance of maintaining a healthy quality of life. Several factors contribute to obesity and Type II Diabetes. Foods such as white bread, candy, junk food, ice-cream, pastries and cookies are all categorized as high-glycemic impact foods. Beverages that are full of sugar and high fructose corn syrup, such as soda, flavored waters, as well as many fruit juices are also categorized as high-glycemic impact foods. Typically these types of foods and beverages have little or no fiber and protein. High-glycemic foods will raise blood glucose levels rapidly, which has a negative impact on how our body will use the energy as fuel. Each time we eat foods that are high glycemic, our body elicits an insulin response and the remainder of the glucose that is not used as fuel will be stored in the body as fat. The more consistently and frequently we RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
consume such foods, the more likely our body will gain weight.
I would like to use the analogy of how our bodily systems work as a comparison to how we fuel the engine in our cars. If we do not fill up on efficient fuel, our engine will not run effectively. It is the same with our body’s digestive, circulatory, and lymphatic systems, because they all work synergistically. If we do not fuel our body with foods that are rich in fiber and protein and essential vitamins and minerals, then it will become compromised and therefore will not perform and function efficiently. Following a dietary lifestyle that is low-glycemic would include foods choices that will stabilize blood sugar levels, and keep our body in a fat-burning mode. Low-glycemic impact foods include lean meats, beans, peas, lentils, unprocessed or whole grains, most vegetables (except white potatoes) and most fruits. These fats, proteins and fiber are not only essential for weight management, but they will also promote healthy neurological function and cognitive performance throughout the day. It is imperative for Type II Diabetics to consume a low-glycemic impact diet to promote healthy blood glucose levels. For more information on nutritional education, weight loss, chronic health challenges, or enhancing your overall quality of life, feel free to contact me. “The Energy and Life You Bring to Each Day Will Enter the Body Through Nutrition.” Linda Sharkey Certified Health and Nutrition Educator NutraMetrix Consultant Lsharkey23@aol.com 781-690-2610 rhemamagazine.com 8
The
Church and
BLACK HISTORY
W
By: William E. Dickerson Jr. (Pastor & Overseer of Greater Love Tabernacle)
hen we think of Black history, we cannot ignore the presence and power of the Black church. Black history deals with the story of individuals and families whose lives mainly emanate from Africa and the Caribbean islands. Many ancestors of the African Diaspora have made valuable contributions for us to share stories of Black history. When we consider the impact the Black church has made in Black history, we must dispel the myth that Black people were not introduced to Christianity until our ancestors came to the United States. The man named Simon, who helped Jesus carry his cross up to Calvary’s hill, was a Black man. The Black church has helped to shape Black history: there were slaves who had profound faith in the veracity of Christianity. Nat Turner was not only a slave but also a Christian preacher who believed in Jesus and led a revolt against his captors, the slave owners of his day. He was killed in the revolt but he stood up for freedom. In the eyes of some white historians he is depicted as evil, however, in the eyes of many truth finders he is viewed as a martyr and a Gospel messenger who fought and died for the dignity of his people. It was through the Black church that a woman of great faith named Harriett Tubman (nicknamed the female Moses) helped organize slaves to obtain freedom and settle in the north through the Underground Railroad. The Beacon Hill section of Boston MA is one area where some former slaves settled and worshipped God. In 1816 in Philadelphia, a preacher by the name of Bishop Richard Allen helped form and organize the first African American Episcopal Church (AME). The AME church has led the charge at many times and on multiple levels with regards to sharing the efficacy of the social gospel. In 1906, the Lord raised up Bishop Charles Harrison Mason and used him to give birth to The Church of God In Christ (COGIC). The efforts and impact of COGIC has touched millions around the world through deliverance, healing and transformed lives. Through its building programs, church planting, missions work and various outreaches, families and individuals are connecting with positive stories of redemption. In the 1950’s and 1960’s the Black church came together to fight against racism and segregation. The Black church communities and church based organizations helped to ameliorate the inhumane outlook of a very vile and pernicious nation. This movement known as the civil rights movement gave birth to such leaders as Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers and of course the Rev. Dr. Martin L. King Jr. The Black church has made an indelible mark upon Black History. However, it appears to be a doleful and dim reality that we still are very much segregated as a nation, especially when we consider Sunday morning worship time. The true history of Blacks cannot be contained in just religion, or the shortest month of the year, February: its impact is much broader. RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
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W
Written By: Kevin C. Peterson
hen Dr. Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week in 1926 he probably could not have imagined a historical phenomenon such as President Barack H. Obama. Woodson, after all, designed the week of recognition for Black Americans out of a desperate sense of necessity. Six decades after the end of chattel slavery, little formal documentation of black life in America, especially their accomplishments, were available for public absorption. Carter’s goal, then, was to give light to the challenges and achievements confronted by blacks during their span of the African-American experience in the United States. Obama’s presidency is for most Black Americans their highest achievement--surpassing the outcomes of the Civil War and Civil Rights Movements as well as the efforts led by such historical personalities as Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Justice Thurgood Marshall and the Reverend Jessie Jackson Sr. Remarkably, Obama presides over America in the age King, whose unparalleled and under-appreciated work in the 1950s and 1960s presaged an era of startling social and racial
RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
perestroika, when the minds of the majority of Americans began shifting to the support expansive civic equalities for black people. Obama’s election as president, possesses resonating significance as a high historical moment and is the juncture at which the nation begins to move beyond the hardened racial parochialisms and stereotypes of the past. At one time Obama represents the generational bridge over the troubled waters of American apartheid to a freer society where blacks move more effortlessly within the culture and are more represented in the halls of business, sports, entertainment and in the corridors of political power in places like state houses and in Washington D.C. At the time of Obama’s birth in 1961, only two blacks served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Now there are 44 black congresspersons serving and a sitting African-American Senator from North Carolina. At the same time, the Obama presidency has clearly had normalizing and integrating effects for black people moving forward. Obama’s re-election last November was made possible by a powerful coalition of Blacks, Latinos and Asians, which will collective comprise the majority of U.S. citizens in less than a generation from now,
rhemamagazine.com 14
according to demographers. This reality depicts blacks now, more than ever before, as interdependent upon other ethnic groups to which it has political, social and economic affinities. The America over which Obama presides signifies the salience of the black presence in the United States not only because of slavery. Black history, because of Obama, has gone mainstream, its content now a part of the everyday American reality. And to the larger public, the black historical presence is given greater appreciation and lasting attention. Black History Month--which is celebrated in February in commemoration of the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln--will continue to hold significance for African-Americans and the larger global community because the unique contribution and history of black people are the connective tissue that binds the American story to a large commitment to democracy as a form of advanced culture. Woodson was on to something by creating
Black History Month as a vehicle for learning and reflecting about key characters on the stage of our ongoing American saga. The month creates an opportunity to examine the verdant contributions of blacks who imagined and produced the spirituals, blues, jazz, gospel, and R&B. And during this month, the world of black letters come to light as we reflect on the offerings of writers such as James Baldwin, Richard Wright, Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks and August Wilson. Obama’s presidency splits our notions of black history into two distinct epochs. In the years to come African-Americans will invariably view their station in the United States as moving from abject subjugation to full-fledged engagement in the life and times of one of the most powerful and prominent civilizations in recorded history.
Kevin C. Peterson is founder and director of the new Democracy Coalition.
Spotlight
Reflections on the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr with Dr Julius Wayne Dudley - Written by Robby Thomas
I
recently sat with Dr Julius Wayne Dudley, to harvest his reflections on the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Dr Dudley, a history maker in his own right is a historian and literacy activist, responsible for shipping millions of books globally to places such as Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia, South Africa, Central Asia and the Caribbean. He is Professor Emeritus of History at Salem State University in MA, a graduate of Harvard University, University of Cincinnati, and Atlanta University. Similar to King, Dudley was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents were share-croppers and Dudley experienced first-hand many of the injustices Dr King and other civil rights leaders spoke out against and ultimately gave their lives for. Though years apart Dudley attended the same high school King attended, Booker T. Washington High, the first black public high school built in Atlanta. Dudley first heard about King and his activism during the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 and later the tragic bombings in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. In 1965, then a college student, the young Dudley met King at one the many student marches King helped organize. He states that, “King had a very big smile, fairly large hands, and a very friendly demeanor.” Dudley remembers that King offered very encouraging words to the marchers. For Dudley it was a special moment, having developed a blossoming interest in history, particularly the African slave trade. King had emerged as one of the premiere leaders of his era and a central figure in the civil rights movement. Dudley studied the context of King’s life, from his upper-middle class upbringing to his noted activism, from his brother’s mysterious death in 1969, (a year after King was assassinated), to the tragic murder of his mother who was shot during a church service in 1974. Dudley had the opportunity to meet King’s sister Christine and also interviewed King’s father as part of the research for his Doctoral dissertation. He recalls that the final years of the civil rights leader’s life were tumultuous, “…King was reviled by the White House because of his stances on Vietnam and his overall passivism, he was also challenged by liberal whites and black leaders Stokely Carmichael, Malcolm X and Roy Wilkins, President of the NAACP.” Dudley poses that the objective of King’s criticism was to weaken his moral standing and growing appeal within the broader community. Although his popularity waned, King aimed to move the fight northward to places like Chicago and Washington, where he delivered to the world his hallowed moniker, “I have a dream,” and established him as one of the country’s greatest orators. On April 3rd, 1968 at Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee, (with his usual impassioned rhetorical eloquence), King preached his final and perhaps most prophetic sermon; “I’ve been to the mountaintop.” On the evening of April 4, 1968, a sniper’s bullet propelled toward the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, King was the target...a few hours later he was dead. Dr Dudley remembers being in downtown Atlanta where there was an "eerie sense of dread" in the air. What ensued after major media broke the news was deemed abysmal as rioting swept the nation. In the aftermath, Dudley remembers waiting in line to view the slain leader’s body with thousands of other mourners. He frames a simplified synopsis of King’s legacy, "…King was an intellectual giant with a common touch; he was a maker of dreams that promoted new realities; he dug deeply into the Judeo-Christian ethos, though not excluding other religious beliefs, often referring to the commonality of all God’s children." “History places King in the RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
rhemamagazine.com 16
pantheon of American leaders, because he fought for social and economic justice in a manner that challenged the fundamental economic constructs of capitalism.” – Dudley further states that, "King was also an imperfect vessel, who transcended self-importance, finding importance in others more so than himself." He believes King fulfilled a uniquely prophetic role – Martyrdom… a practice common within the Abrahamic faiths. As King himself so aptly stated, “a man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.” Robby A. Thomas, is a Poet, Author and Columnist. He serves as Executive Director of the Boston Area Church League and Adjunct Instructor of Management at Urban College of Boston. Dr Julius Wayne Dudley References http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/julius-wayne-dudley-39 King photo credit to Bing images
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RHEMA
Cover Story
Archbishop A. Livingston Foxworth
T
Written By: Kevin C. Peterson
he Grace Church of All Nations is located in one of the poorest and most violent sections of Boston. It sits like a spiritual citadel in the middle of a sprawling, shifting neighborhood. It is a sanctuary situated in an archipelago of neglect, making it--for many who live there--a place among les miserables. The Grace congregation is a variegated mix of mostly African-American and Afro-Caribbean parishioners who convene weekly for worship services in a grey expressionless building. A faux mansard roof adorns its frontage. The sanctuary was once a neighborhood supermarket and then a notorious speakeasy where the city’s black riffraff gathered for gambling and grog. Public transportation buses, taxis, people on bicycles and trucks carrying commerce of various assortments regularly whiz by the doors of Grace; So do prostitutes and young men associated with gangs. So does foot traffic from a nearby charter elementary school; and weary-looking pedestrians returning home or traveling to nearby barbershops; hairdressers; nail salons; corner variety stores; a gas station; a Caribbean eatery; a store that sells African movies and the neighborhood health center. Yet, Grace stands out. Guided by Archbishop A. Livingston Foxworth, Grace is a bustling 1,800 member church he inherited from his father in 1979 when the congregation was a fraction of its current size. Under Foxworth, a musical prodigy who once worked for the late Reverend Ike, Grace, radiates and reflects his unique, sometimes idiosyncratic command; it is a ministry seeking refreshed ways at articulating to the lost a road to redemption. The transformation of Grace--now in its 50th RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
Archbishop A. Livingston & Lady Karen Foxworth
year of Jubilee--has been dramatic, growing from humble peripatetic beginnings. It’s now among the city’s larger churches, with a congregation comprised of the poor and middle classes and an emerging black professional set who emanate from across the city and suburbs. Latino, African, Caucasian and Asian members also make-up the church’s multi-ethnic congregants, all unhindered by forms of racial animus that burden the larger American society. “God gave me a vision that this would be a place where everyone--whatever his or her race was, whatever their ethnic background--would find Grace to be the place for them. Because there is no division in God’s Kingdom,” said Foxworth in a recent sermon. For Foxworth, a spiritual scion of a strict religious family, Grace is evolving into the church it was meant to be after it was founded in 1963 as the Pentecostal Household of Faith. Preternaturally gifted with a sense of song and nous for scriptural insight, Foxworth describes his parents as religious entrepreneurs who started their church among a coterie of family and friends. Members of Grace are convinced about its redemptive mission and the authenticity of its leader. Believing he is no Tartuffe, the congregation is as loyal to Foxworth as no other church members are anywhere, believing that their place in the Kingdom to come is intrinsically linked to their present place at Grace. Leadership at Grace abounds beyond its pastor to include a sampling of such stalwarts as Sister Bettye, at the helm of the administrative rhemamagazine.com 20
RHEMA
Cover Story
office and her assistants Stacie and Latonya, Pastors Etienne and Sutton, choir master Sister Christine, songsters Monica and Theresa, Brothers Rocha, Coney, Bertram, Williams, Allen, Milligan and Deacon Brown, sister Dell of the hospitality committee, Sister Dubique in Christian education, Sisters Parker, Turner, and Nicole among the ministers, Sisters Brady, Didi, Reid, Edna, Jordan, mothers Charles and Napier, dancers Jennifer, Lebone, and Fenton, greeters Price, Linda, Valerie, Sisters Janie and Cassie of the ushers, organist Bishop Hunter, Brothers Emmanuel, Alexis and the ever-elegant and acutely business-minded Lady Karen Foxworth, the Bishop’s wife. Wednesday night Bible study is the fulcrum of Grace’s ministry, around which circulates a weekly whirl of dance and choir rehearsals, budget meetings, men’s ministry meetings, conference planning, Haitian Prayer worship, deacon and usher meetings and the business of the church’s food pantry and pre-school academy. Come Sunday, Grace rises to its apogee. Women are regal in their hats, some white and sequined, others broad-brimmed with feathers of exotic colorings, bright bows and bands that give each glorious hood its unique character and flare. Older men are dressed in dark suits, some bow-tied in their Sunday’s best and many--namely the young men are decked-out in the new styles of designer jeans, form fitting shirts, garish watches and heads of tapered haircuts, dreadlocks or cornrows. First, there is the praise service which is itself a supple expression of joyful, euphonic song that catches and surprises the worshiper with dense musical shadings of spiritual drama and sustained emotive power. Its purposeful, designed mix of traditional hymns, gospel riffs, Negro Spirituals and contemporary Christian renditions create an eclectic, persuasive anthem of harmonic experience, giving an overall impact of the supernal. RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
Archbishop A. Livingston Foxworth At the very center of Sunday service at Grace is the sermon. Weekly, Foxworth, the preacher, is demonstrative and splendidly high-minded, delivering sermons that liberally employ polysyllabic word, metaphor, simile, synecdoche, tropes, rhetoric and samplings of the Greek, Latin and Hebrew languages. Sometimes the preacher is given to ancient acts of dancing in the spirit, glossolalia, prophesy and the laying on of hands. Always he ambles on the high cliffs of spiritual concern, imploring, beseeching his members to trust only in God. Foxworth is a man of enormous intellect, pulsing charisma, humor and wide-ranging empathy. A perfectionist, he avoids the shambolic and demands from himself absolute commitment to the niceties of Christian practice. As the black church is as an institution, Foxworth is resilient and resolute in serving as a minister of faith, grace and hope. For all that the black church has been in the past--a refuge for mourning mothers who have lost their sons to violence or jail, for fathers who have seen their families slip away, for young unwed mothers who lack education, for abandoned wives, for neglectful husbands, and for people drained by unforgiving poverty--it remains a central institution for ordinary people trying to redirect themselves toward new and victorious living. At Grace many find just this. And this is why they believe it is the best church in the world.
Archbishop A. Livingston Foxworth Kevin C. Peterson is executive director of church and community affairs at Grace Church of All Nations in Boston. rhemamagazine.com 21
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Promoting African-American Student Achievement: Part 4 By Dr Jennifer O. Burrell & Dr Alicia Anderson
In part one of this article series we
explored the impact of student
motivation and engagement on achievement. In the second part, we discussed two more factors that are important in the academic achievement of African American students:
practices. Cultural beliefs and behaviors range in intensity and consistency from person to person, workplace to workplace, or region to region, and can include trait-like (consistent) features but also adaptable (varying) features that adjust in various environments.
teacher and parent expectations, and racial identity. In this final part of the article, we conclude by discussing the last factor: culture. Culture A group’s culture, like a person’s personality, is complex, but “culture” is not a term we should be scared of. It can be argued that everyone has culture and a particular group of people having certain cultural characteristics does not mean that everyone in the group is the same. It simply means there are patterns reflected in people’s experiences, ways of thinking, and RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
In terms of classroom contexts, several researchers, including Drs. A. Wade Boykin1 and Carol Lee2, have found culture to be important for student learning. For example, for many African-American students, having a positive relationship with the teacher is critical to classroom success3. These students tend to perform better when they sense that their teacher understands them, values them, and genuinely cares about them as a person (not simply as an achievement test performer). For students with different cultural
rhemamagazine.com 26
backgrounds, this factor may not be
Conclusion
as critical to their desire to perform
The factors discussed in this article
well in the class. Examples of the
are not the only factors to consider in
different ways cultural preferences
promoting the achievement of
impact performance in the classroom
African-American students, but
have been found for White students,
research has shown that these factors
Black students, Latino students and
are very important to consider. We
other racial and ethnic groups. In
must remain steadfast in our efforts to
addition to the above example, there
ensure that our children are being
are many other cultural factors
educated, recognizing that a child’s
researchers are finding that optimize
level of education has serious
learning for students of color. Accord-
implications for the type of life he or
ing to Johnnie McKinley (p. 87) ,
she will live.
3
several strategies can be used to create a culturally competent class-
References
room for all students:
1. Boykin, A. W., & Noguera, P. (2011). Creating the Opportunity to Learn: Moving from research to practice to close the achievement gap. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. 2. Lee, C. D. (2008).The centrality of culture to the scientific study of learning and development: How an ecological framework in educational research facilitates civic responsibility. Educational Researcher, 37(5), 267–279. 3. McKinley, J. (2010). Raising Black Students’ Achievement Through Culturally Responsive Teaching. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
1. Communicating the acceptance of cultural, gender, linguistic, and historical differences to students 2. Using curriculum that describe historical, social, and political events from a wide range of racial, ethnic, cultural, and language perspectives. 3. Providing factual information to refute misconceptions and prejudices about different cultures. 4. Providing opportunities for students to critique the concepts they learned in class, their origin, and their authors’ perspectives. RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
Dr Alicia Anderson Dr Jennifer Burrell rhemamagazine.com 27
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RHEMA MAGAZINE
honouring Black History Month
RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
rhemamagazine.com 30
I Call Her Chocolate
Poem for Valentine’s Day
B
aby pardon me if I stare, but it is not often that I gaze upon beauty so rare. Like a female cat whose walk is sassy and smooth,there is a natural elegance to her which can easily make me lose my cool. Her dark complexion calls and speaks to me, deep like the blue sea, the essence of Ebony. I see this woman in the most prestigious form a woman can be A queen, a princess, I see her as royalty. Who is this woman; well I call her Chocolate. I have adored this woman from far and near There is something about her beauty that makes me draw near Should I dare speak to her and then what should I say? To make this wonder of a woman even look my way Young man you better speak soon and make sure your timing is right, Then maybe she’ll be in your arms on some dark lovely night. Now the pleasure is mine, I have heard Chocolate speak; And her soft spoken voice is making this strong man weak. Who is this woman? Well I call her Chocolate. Many times I have asked myself just what is at stake More than great conversation, but a beautiful soul mate Some chances like this just come once in a lifetime Such beauty and character are treasures and rare finds Her smile is simply radiant and her eyes are like doves More than infatuations, I’m talking true love I hear she’s a keeper like the women of old That Proverbs 31 type that reaches your soul Dark and lovely is she, please pardon me if I stare, but it not every day that I gaze upon beauty so rare. Written by David Carruthers, Author of Kill Your Giants, Unlock Your Greatness
RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
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RHEMA
Crossword Puzzle Black History
Across
3. First African American Mayor in Newton, Ma.(last name) 5. Conductor of the Underground Railroad (last name) 6. First black man on the Supreme Court (first name) 8. Stated “A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything” 9. Name of motel where Dr. King was murdered 12. She refused to give up seat on bus 13. First city in the United States with a black Mayor, black Governor and black president 14. Jamaican who started the Black Star Line Enterprise (last name) 15. First black Massachusetts Senator popularly elected to U.S senate
Down
1. School that the Little Rock 9 attended 2. Wrote the famous “I have a dream speech” (last name) 4. First Black President (Last Name) 5. Black teenager from Chicago killed by 2 white men (Last Name) 7. Abolitionist who escaped from slavery (hint: Frederick) 10. Baptist church where Martin Luther King preached 11. Inventor of the blood bank (last name)
RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
rhemamagazine.com 32
Showcase
African American Inventors
George Alcorn Invented X-Ray Spectrometer in 1984
Benjamin Benneker Invented the First Clock in the 1750’s
George Washington Carver Invented 300 uses for the peanut
Bessie Coleman First Black Female airline Pilot
George Crum Inventor of The Potato Chip in 1853
Dr Charles Drew Inventor of the Blood Bank
Amy Jaques Garvey Pioneer Black Female Journalist
Lewis Latimer Patent Draftsman for Alexander Graham Bell
Garrett A. Morgan Invented Gas Mask 1914 Traffic Signal 1923
Information was received from : http://www.black-inventor.com/James-E-West.asp http://inventors.about.com/od/blackinventors/a/black_inventors.htm http://madamenoire.com/192852/the-big-idea-7-grou ndbreaking-black-female-inventors/7/
Madame C.J. Walker Inventor of Female Hair Products First self-made Black Millionaire
http://www.jameslogancourier.org/index.php?catid=11&blogid=1&archive=2008-10 http://kareemabduljabbar.com/blog/black_history/
Daniel Hale William First to Perform Open Heart Surgery 1893
Solomon Chapter 1 vs. 1-14 Solomon’s Love for a Shulamite Girl 1 The song of songs, which is Solomon’s. The Banquet The Shulamite 2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— For your love is better than wine. 3 Because of the fragrance of your good ointments,Your name is ointment poured forth Therefore the virgins love you.
vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept. (To Her Beloved) 7 Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself By the flocks of your companions? The Beloved
4 Draw me away!
8 If you do not know, O fairest among women, Follow in the footsteps of the flock, And feed your little goats Beside the shepherds’ tents.
The Daughters of Jerusalem We will run after you.
9 I have compared you, my love, To my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots.
The Shulamite The king has brought me into his chambers.
10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, Your neck with chains of gold. The Daughters of Jerusalem
The Daughters of Jerusalem We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love more than wine.
11 We will make you ornaments of gold With studs of silver.
The Shulamite Rightly do they love you.
12 While the king is at his table, My spikenard sends forth its fragrance.
5 I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon.
13 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, That lies all night between my breasts.
6 Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the RHEMA MAGAZINE: FEB /MAR 2013
The Shulamite
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms In the vineyards of En Gedi. rhemamagazine.com 34
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