APFC Newsletter Final

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www.akbarpray.com Akbar Pray Foundation for Change WE ARE THE SOLUTION TO OUR OWN PROBLEMS Issue 1 March 22, 2012 Mission Statement Central HS SJA Lecture Series November 2, 2011 December 16, 2011 January 4, 2012 January 13, 2012 Diana Ortiz, Exodus Inc. looks at the consequences of being guilty by association after spending 23 years in prison. Superior Court Judge, Hon. Martha T. Royster discusses Choices, Consequences and the Criminal Justice System Dr. Robert Johnson, Dean of UMDNJ talked about trauma and stress in violent communities. CELEBRATION FOR A KING: CHS’ rap artist Freak joins Madd Maxx on stage for MLK The Akbar Pray Foundation For Change (APFC) is a not for profit grassroots organization, dedicated to redirecting the lives of our urban at risk youth. It has been and remains our organization’s mantra that " we are the solution to our own problems." It is our core belief that there are those within our communities, if so engaged, who can help turn the tide of crime, delinquency and recidivism which grips the lives of so many our inner city youth. Operating from the premise that to effectively attack or address any problem you must start at its root, we have begun a program in some of our city’s schools and group homes, where we supply speakers, mentors, CDs and written material from the organization’s founder, which cuts to the heart of the problem experienced by many of these youths. Some times working with former gang members, inner city icons and others that have what is referred to as ‘street cred’, we have been able to achieve remarkable results. Expanding on our mission, we continuously recruit individuals from various work disciplines to aid in educating young men and woman with marketable skills. To those ends we have engaged people both inside and outside our community to come to our classes and or workshops to share and discuss the ups and downs, ins and outs of a wide range of work disciplines and careers. Never favoring one career path over any other, we have invited professors, urban fiction writers, successful members of the hip hop industry, general construction contractors and a Superior Court Judge to these open discussions and Socratic Circle seminars. Again, it is our core belief that " we are the solution, to our own problems. " In closing. We invite your participation in this noble undertaking. IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO? IF, NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?

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www.akbarpray.comAkbar Pray Foundation for ChangeWE ARE THE SOLUTION TO OUR OWN PROBLEMS Issue 1 March 22, 2012Central HS SJA Lecture SeriesNovember Diana Ortiz, Exodus Inc. looks at 2, 2011 the consequences of being guilty by association after spending 23 years in prison. December Superior Court Judge, Hon. 16, 2011 Martha T. Royster discusses Choices, Consequences and the Criminal Justice System January 4, 2012 Dr. Robert Johnson, Dean of UMDNJ talked about trauma and stress in violent c

Transcript of APFC Newsletter Final

Page 1: APFC Newsletter Final

www.akbarpray.com

Akbar Pray Foundation for Change

WE ARE THE SOLUTION TO OUR OWN PROBLEMS

Issue 1 March 22, 2012

Mission Statement Central HS SJA Lecture Series November

2, 2011

December 16, 2011

January 4, 2012

January 13, 2012

Diana Ortiz, Exodus Inc. looks at the consequences of being guilty by association after spending 23 years in prison.

Superior Court Judge, Hon. Martha T. Royster discusses Choices, Consequences and the

Criminal Justice System

Dr. Robert Johnson, Dean of UMDNJ talked about trauma and stress in violent

communities.

CELEBRATION FOR A KING: CHS’ rap artist Freak joins Madd Maxx on stage for

MLK

The Akbar Pray Foundation For Change (APFC) is a not for profit grassroots organization, dedicated to redirecting the lives of our urban at risk youth. It has been and remains our organization’s mantra that " we are the solution to our own problems." It is our core belief that there are those within our communities, if so engaged, who can help turn the tide of crime, delinquency and recidivism which grips the lives of so many our inner city youth.

Operating from the premise that to effectively attack or address any problem you must start at its root, we have begun a program in some of our city’s schools and group homes, where we supply speakers, mentors, CDs and written material from the organization’s founder, which cuts to the heart of the problem experienced by many of these youths. Some times working with former gang members, inner city icons and others that have what is referred to as ‘street cred’, we have been able to achieve remarkable results. Expanding on our mission, we continuously recruit individuals from various work disciplines to aid in educating young men and woman with marketable skills.

To those ends we have engaged people both inside and outside our community to come to our classes and or workshops to share and discuss the ups and downs, ins and outs of a wide range of work disciplines and careers. Never favoring one career path over any other, we have invited professors, urban fiction writers, successful members of the hip hop industry, general construction contractors and a Superior Court Judge to these open discussions and Socratic Circle seminars.

Again, it is our core belief that " we are the solution, to our own problems. " In closing. We invite your participation in this noble undertaking.

IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO?

IF, NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?

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Letter to the Editor

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Peace Brother Pray,

I know it s been awhile since I last spoke to you through Ms. Harris or via email but I want to insure you I have taken strong heed to your letter. I thank you for your knowledge, as well as you’re remarks on my road of choice. There are many people who give thanks for my positive life choices, including you. I read a quote by Nelson Mandela that made me think about things you have spoken about. The quote goes: "The greatest glory in living, lies in never falling, but in rising every time you fall".

"The greatest glory in living, lies not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall."- Nelson Mandela

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You stated that you lived by a mantra and that you would rather be a "lion than a lamb". I m not going to lie when I first heard this I laughed. I joked about it, but only because I thought, who do you know that would want to be a lamb instead of a lion in the jungle? Then I thought, this weak harmless lamb would live until he dies of old age, but this lion everyday he must prove himself, he must be the "KING," but with that title comes consequences, as you said.

I believe that America builds this character by making us believe that all American males should be the

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"lion." Well in the great words of Malcolm X "I m not an American. I'm one of the 22 million Black people who are the victims of Americanism. One of the 22 million Black people who are the victims of democracy, nothing but disguised hypocrisy." Brother Akbar, because you live or have lived your life as the "lion" do you consider your self an (American).

Peace, Love, and Respect yours truly, your brother Elijah

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Peace Elijah !

It has been a while since I last heard from you. Ms. Harris has keep me somewhat abreast of what's been going on on your end, still it is nice to hear from you directly from time to time.

I am somewhat familiar with the quote you cited by Nelson Mandela. There is another quote from the late Benjamin May, President of Morehouse University, it goes like this " “The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your

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goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.”

In the quote that you mentioned regarding living in the jungle and whether it is better to be a lion than a lamb, that quote is an old African quote of proverb, though it is easily applicable to the wretched circumstances that many of us find ourselves in or create for ourselves by our choices. There is an unfortunate reality in life, though perhaps even more so in our urban centers or hoods, bad things often happen to good people. The probability of that

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happening Elijah increases in direct proportion to our engagement in the so-called " game.”

In my past life Elijah I lived my life as a lion. Many say the king of my kind. But as you noted and I stated, living the life of a lion has consequences. Having said that and ending here in that area. Remember this Elijah, as you walk through the desolate landscape of the streets, nerds Elijah run the world.

Continued on page 3

“The Tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.” Benjamin May

www.akbarpray.com Issue 1, March 22, 2012

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Continued from page 2

They run Ebay, America Online, Facebook, YouTube, GM, Virgin Records and Green House industries now to numerous to mention. They don't know a Glock from a Desert Eagle, a Triple Beam Scale from a Fish Scale. They don't know how to cook it up or the difference between mainlining and skin-popping. And you know what Elijah, they are all the better for it.

Thugs, would be gangsters, and go hard niggas run street corners, housing projects, and small crews

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of uneducated underachievers. There is no comparison between the two. The difference Elijah is the difference between lighting and a Lightening Bug. Thank Allah Elijah you have already made a choice and you have chosen wisely. You have made a choice that almost guarantees that I won't see you coming this way. To the degree if any that my words have somehow added to your choice, then Elijah I am twice blessed.

Finally, in answer to your question regarding whether I consider myself an American, I was born in America and enjoy some but not all

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of the rights and privileges exercised by its citizens. I am an African American and thus, to that degree here African may be the operative word. Once while debating a commentator on TV many years ago, the commentator insisted to Malcolm X that because he was born in this country he was an American. Malcolm’s reply to this query was as follows:

If a cat has kittens in an oven…does that make them biscuits?

I hope that that answers your question. Be well young brother.

Love and respect. Akbar Pray

Letter from the Editor

Many years ago, a commentator insisted to Malcolm X that because he was born in this country he was an American. Malcolm’s reply to this query was as follows:

“If a cat has kittens in an oven…does that make them biscuits?”

www.akbarpray.com Issue 1, March 22, 2012

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CHS SJA Awarded Teacher Innovation Fund Grant www.akbarpray.com Issue 1, March 22, 2012

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March 2, 2012

Congratulations to The Central High School, Social Justice Academy teacher team of Amir Billups, Landon Wagner, Sidrah Sheikh and lead teacher Milagros Harris, for having been selected to receive grant funding from the Newark Teacher Innovation Fund.

The Foundation, funded by a gift from Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, received over 110 applications from 37 schools across Newark, and only chose 25 to receive funding to implement a new program. The Foundation for Newark’s Future is partnering with the Community Foundation of New Jersey to distribute grant payments.

The Foundation for Newark’s Future hosted a celebration during the week of February 20th with special guests. It gave the teachers a chance to meet other winners and show off their project plan.

Developed in 2010-2011, the mission of the Social Justice Academy (SJA) at Central High School is to encourage students to identify problems and injustices that affect them and their communities through extensive research, culminating in proposed actions and policies. The newly revised NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS) call for students to become “active, informed citizens” expanding the responsibility of social studies teachers beyond making real world connections to historical events.

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The category of “Connecting Schools and Communities” will allow the Social Justice Academy to implement these standards while creating an inquiry-based program that allows students to build agency in addressing community issues and the self-efficacy to engage in society at large.

Funding will support the development of the inquiry-based modules to be implemented in each of the three initial courses (i.e., Introduction to Social Justice, Facing History and Ourselves, and Jurisprudence) offered in the SJA.

The current projects focus on the effects of urban violence on school age children who reside in violent communities. The students will engage in activities that promote critical thinking, develop technological skills, encourage civic engagement and promote agency among our future leaders.

The Social Justice Academy has been working in tandem with the Akbar Pray Foundation for Change, a newly formed organization, led by Mr. Pray a longtime Newark resident, who has provided the academy with speakers, writings and audio messages that bring a cautionary against extralegal activity from a voice that resonated within the community in spite of the fact that Mr. Pray has been incarcerated for almost 24 years.

Members of the foundation are working with students to create a film that chronicles their experiences as they conduct their research. The objective is to bring

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attention to issues related to the plague of urban violence, while using the students’ and the communities’ resources to develop solutions to the problems created by long term exposure to trauma and violence.

The students, guided by their teachers, members of the APFC and other supporters, will work to develop a presentation that would be heard before the Mayor and the City Council. Ultimately the goal is for the students’ findings to be used to support a program for school age children who suffer from PSD, and create a memorial for their friends, family, and other members of the community who have been victimized by the violence.

In Ms. Harris words; “This project has the potential to be a life changing experience for our kids, as well as those of us taking the journey with them. Their stories need and deserve to be told as only they can tell them.”

“This project has the potential to be a life changing experience for our kids, as well as those of us taking the journey with them. Their stories need and deserve to be told as only they can tell it.”

If you would like to submit any material germane to the issues the foundation is addressing please forward them to me for review with a release statement. –AP

e-mail to: [email protected]