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by Phyllis C. Murray
Apr 1, 2006
/blockquote>
Where is the African American Museum of
the City of New York?
By
Phyllis C. Murray
In 1991, an African Burial Ground was unearthed in lower
Manhattan. Amid the subsequent controversy, which also
surfaced, was the fact of the absence of an African
American Museum in the City of New York. A...See More/blockquote>
Where is the African American Museum of
the City of New York?
By
Phyllis C. Murray
In 1991, an African Burial Ground was unearthed in lower
Manhattan. Amid the subsequent controversy, which also
surfaced, was the fact of the absence of an African
American Museum in the City of New York. Although talks
followed which were related to creating a small
Interpretive Center with Government Services Administration
funding, neither an African American History Museum nor an
Interpretive Center have ever materialized in New York City.
This is indeed unfortunate. It is evident today that the
early African American slave-labor cleared the landscape of
New York City. And history documents how the economy of the
city and the nation was built on the backs of an enslaved
labor force of Africans. These facts are even evident
throughout Westchester County and throughout the state
where one can find the names of the seemingly revered
slaveowners on the signposts which mark their streets and
roads: streets and roads that the labor of their enslaved
Africans and Native Americans built. It must be also noted
that Africans comprised a major part of the creation of
colonial New York from its beginning. Slavery was as
common in the North as it was in the South.
The contributions of African Americans, past and present,
deserve recognition/validation. Teachers, students and
parents need this information to supplement the study of
American History which remains incomplete without the
infusion of African American History. Where can we go to
see the chronology of important events which tell of the
contributions of Richard Allen: Father of the Black Church
System; Sojourner Truth: First Female Antislavery Speaker;
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad; the
369th Infantry Regiment "Hell Fighters":the first of the
Allied armies to reach the Rhine; Marcus Garvey's Back to
Africa Movement; William E. Dubois: Scholar, Civil Rights
Activist: Ralph Bunch: United Nation's mediator in the
Palestine War and first African American to be awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize; Langston Hughes: Poet Laureate; and many
more whose stories need to be told?
Yet, one would merely have to look at the list of museums
in NYC to get a true picture of what is important in the
race to validate other persons, places and things in New
York City. New York City has a museum for practically
everything and everyone. However, you will not find an
African American History Museum in New York City.
Furthermore, given the fact that African Americans have had
to fight for everything that most groups received as human
beings, we are not surprised to note that the issue of a
museum has not been on the top of a list of priorities in
New York City. Even today, as African Americans continue to
fight for existence, for respect; for justice, in a hostile
and often toxic environment, there is not a curriculum in
the city which includes the findings from the New York
City's African Burial Ground Project: A project which
details the physical consequences of slavery.
Several groups affiliated with the African Burial Ground
Project fought to have the Tweed Building as the site for
an African American museum in the 90s. The Museum of the
City of NY site was also proposed. However, the Museum of
the City of NY decided to remain on Fifth Avenue and not
move to Tweed as planned. Hence, the Board of Education
moved into the underutilized Tweed Building. The rest is
BOE history.
If land can be set aside for almost anyone or anything in
New York City, why can't the City of New York find the land
for an African American History Museum? And if the 34
story office tower, which is located at 290 Broadway, can
rest upon a 17th Century African Burial Ground in NYC, it
is must be conceivable that the "idea" of creating an
African American History Museum in New York City cannot
rest in the 21st Century.
by Phyllis C. Murray
Apr 1, 2006
/blockquote>
Are We a Part of the Solution to the Plight of the
African American Male in Education?
By Phyllis C.
Murray
Yesterday evening's forum on the Plight of the African
American Male in Education: Part II, provided
Westchester residents with a stone of hope toward
removing the growing mounta...See More/blockquote>
Are We a Part of the Solution to the Plight of the
African American Male in Education?
By Phyllis C.
Murray
Yesterday evening's forum on the Plight of the African
American Male in Education: Part II, provided
Westchester residents with a stone of hope toward
removing the growing mountain of despair which plagues our
nation. Yesterday evening we witnessed a new trend: an
infusion of exemplary programs which are already in place
within Westchester High Schools which work daily, toward
ameliorating an insidious problem which left unchecked
negatively impacts society. The Woodlands Individualized
Senior Experience; Ossinings' High Hopes Expectations
College Track; Byram Hills' Intel Science Program; and
Mount Vernon High School's Business Club, are proof
positive that there are already solutions to the
heightening drop-out rate among African American Males in
Westchester public schools. These programs are indeed,
worthy of much praise and emulation. These programs should
be replicated nationwide.
Charles Ogletree, Esq., the keynote speaker for the
evening, advocated the inclusion of the African American
History within the curriculum. I firmly believe that
African American history should also be infused in our
American History. It should also take its rightful place in
textbooks and historical societies throughout the nation.
African American History should not be relegated to one
month in the shortest month in the year. The African
American Heritage of this nation is older than the history
of Westchester County. And the contributions of the African
American men and women to the growth and development of our
county and nation have been well documented. Therefore, it
is imperative that our academic institutions provide access
to this history.
Our public academic institutions must also provide free
access for all citizens to a free education. And equity in
education for all Americans must become our new national
mantra. Surely, public education was what the early
immigrants relied on as they attempted to move from abject
poverty to prosperity; from lower class status to the
middle or upper class status; from their mountain of
despair to a stone of hope. Our public schools worked for
the children of early immigrants in America; it must work
for all American children, today.
Yet, because of institutionalization of racism in our
society today, many African American, like many new
immigrants, are trapped on an economic ladder which rests
horizontally at the base of the walls which surround our
inner cities. This cycle of failure can only be broken
through education.
In 1964 Martin Luther King reminded us of the
following:" It is precisely because education is a road to
equality and citizenship that it has been made more elusive
for Negroes than many other rights. The warding off of
Negroes from equal education is part of the historical
design to submerge him in second class status." Apparently,
the nation was not listening when Dr. King spoke. And
therefore today, if we are not a part of the solution to
the plight of the African American male in Education,
perhaps we just might be... part of the problem.
by Phyllis C. Murray
Apr 7, 2006
/blockquote>
A Portrait of African American Bravery and Patriotism
By: Phyllis Cynthia Murray
"Every American home, and especially every Negro American
home, should have and keep in its confines a record of the
great achievements of the Negro in this war. The older
people should know of them and the young peopl...See More/blockquote>
A Portrait of African American Bravery and Patriotism
By: Phyllis Cynthia Murray
"Every American home, and especially every Negro American
home, should have and keep in its confines a record of the
great achievements of the Negro in this war. The older
people should know of them and the young people should be
taught them. They should grow up with these examples of
bravery and patriotism engraved on their very souls."
From: "A Pictorial History of The Negro in the Great World
War 1917-1918"
It was my good fortune to come across this unique
publication by the Tousissant Pictoria Co., Inc. The
publication was printed in 1919 to record the bravery and
heroism of the African Americans in war and further inspire
and guide the race for the future. It was the intent of the
publisher to "win and keep for it the high meed of esteem
from the world which it so richly deserves."
In 1999 I began researching the early African Presence in
Scarsdale, NY. Subsequently this search brought me to
Scarsdale's WWII Memorial in Bonaface Circle. The World War
II monument in Boniface Circle documents the presence of
Scardalians who served our country in a time of war. This
wall of honor included the names of three members of an
African American Family: Leon Pitt, Martin Pitt and
Theodore Pitt. There were others from this family , who
served our country from this small community. Surya
Peterson served in the United States Army from 1952 to
1955; Douglas Upshaw served in the U.S. Army; William
Peterson served in the US Navy during World War II.
These were Scarsdale's black soldiers fighting to secure
the rights of others, drafted into the U.S. military
services to secure the same freedoms African Americans
could not enjoy in Scarsdale or anywhere else in America
until after the civil rights legislation was passed in the
1960s. It is not an anomaly to find the names of African
Americans among the many soldiers thus honored. The African
presence in Scarsdale and elsewhere is as old as the
incalculable towns /villages/cities in America.
These courageous black soldiers followed in the footsteps
of the brave African Americans throughout our nation.
African Americans did their part in the Revolution; in the
War of 1812; in the Civil War; in the war with Spain, and
at Carrizal, Mexico. In fact, the first man to fall in the
Revolution was a black man, Crispus Attucks; Nicholas
Biddle, was the first American to die for the Union during
the Civil War in 1861; the first to fall in the Civil War
was a member of one of the Northern regiments passing
through Baltimore en route to the front; the first to fall
in the war with Spain was Elijah Tunnell, who was killed at
Cardenas Harbor in Cuba, and the first to fall in the
beginning of America's conflict with Germany was a colored
man on one of the cattle ships that was torpedoed. The
first to receive the French Gold Palm and the Croix de
Guerre was a colored man, the first U.S. troops to reach
the Rhine, and the first troops to march through the
Triumphal Arch of the returning troops was the New York
Gallant 15th Regiment. And lest we forget, Benjamin O.
Davis, the first black general in the history of the United
States, who served in the Spanish American War, World War I
and World War II. Unfortunately, segregation in the armed
forces did not end until President Harry S. Truman issued
Executive Order 9981 in 1948.
.
I do not believe it was just a coincidence that I received
this book. Memorial Day is approaching again. Perhaps it is
just the right time to celebrate the valiant men who made a
way out of no way. Therefore I have unrolled this history
for us to see today as we "win and keep for it the high
meed of esteem which it so richly deserves."
Heroes of the Old 15th Infantry
Officers and Men of the Regiment Who Have Been Awarded the
Croix de Guerre for Gallantry in Action
"New York's own colored soldiers have performed a military
task which will be recorded forever as one of the brilliant
achievements of their race. They have endured fatigue and
privation without a murmur. They obeyed orders without
hesitation or questioning. They have maintained iron
disciple. And they have met the enemy with a courage and a
striking power that have reflected added glory upon the
American Army. To the question whether the colored race is
capable of high achievements, it is only necessary to reply
by pointing to he record of the 15th Regiment, New York
Nation Guard, on the battlefield of France in defense of
the menaced liberties of the world" New York Evening Mail.
Feb. 18. 1919"
SERGT. A. A. ADAMS
CORP. JOHN ALLEN
LIEUT. H. J. ARGENT
LIEUT. R.R. DE ARMOND
LIEUT. G.A. ARNSTON
CORP. FARRANDUS BAKER
SERGT E. W. BARRINGTON
SERGT. M. W. BARRON
SERGT. WILLIAM D. BARTOW
CAPT. AARON T. BATES
CORP. FLETCHER BATTLE
CORP. R. BEAN
CORP. J. S. BECKTON
PVT. MYRIL BILLINGS
SERGT. ED. BINGHAM
LIEUT. J. C. C BRADNER
PRVT. ARTHUR BROKAW
PVT. H.D. BROWN
PVT. T. W. BROWN
LIEUT. ELMER C. BRUCHER
PV. WM. BUTLER
1ST CL. PVT. J. L. BUSH
SERGT. JOSEPH CARMEN
CORP. T. CATTO
CORP. G. H. CHAPMAN
SERGT. MAJOR B. W. CHEESMAN
ACTP. JOHN H. CLARKE, JR.
LIEUT. P.M. CLENDENIN
CAPT. FREDERICK W.COBB
SERGT. ROBERT COLLINS
LIEUT. J. H. CONNOR
SERGT. W M COX
1ST SERGT. C.D. DAVIS
LIEUT. CHARLES DEAN
PVT. P.DEMPS
WAGONER MARTIN DUNBAR
CORP. ELMER EARL
PVT. FRANK ELLIS
SERGT.SAM FANNELL
CAPT. ROBERT F. FERGERSON, JR.
CAPT. EDWARD J. FARRELL
CAPT. HAMILTON. FISH. JR.
CAPT. EDWIN R.D. FOX
LIEUT. CONRAD FOX
SERGT. RICHARD W. FOWLER
PVT. ROLAND FRANCIS
Pvt. B. Freeman
Pvt. I. Freeman
Sergt. A. Gains
Wagoner Richard O.Goins
Lieut. R.C. Grams
Pvt. Stillman Hanna
Pvt. Hugh Hamilton
Pvt. G.E. Hannibal
Pvt. Frank Harden
Pvt. Frank Hatchett
Corp. Ralph Hawkins
Colonel Wm. Hayward
Lieut. E.H. Holder
Sup. Sergt. Wm. HoLliday
Corp. Earl Horton
Pvt. G. Howard
Lieut. Stephen H. Howey
Sergt. MAJOR Clarence C. Hudson
PVT. ENREST HUNTER
SERGT. S. JACKSON
CORP. CLARENCE JOHNSON
1SR SERGT. DE F. JOHNSON
PVT. GILBERT JOHNSON
SERGT. GEORGE JONES
LIEUT. GORMAN R. JONES
SERGT. JAMES H. JONES
PVT. SMITHFIELD JONES
PVT. J.C. JOYNES
LIEUT. W.H. KEENAN
LIEUT. ELWIN C. KING
LIEUT. HAROLD M. LANDON
LIEUT. NILS H. LARSEN
MAJOR DAVID A. LESPERANCE
LIEUUT. W.F. LELAND
PVT. E.W. LEWIS
PVT. W.D. LINK
MAJOR ARTHUR W. LITTLE
LIEUT. WLALTER R. LOCKHART
SERGT. B. LUCAS
PVT. LESTER A. MARSHALL
PVT. LEWIS MARTIN
1ST SERGT. A.J. MCARTHUR
CAPT. SETH B. MACCLINTON
PPVT. ELMER MCGOWAN
PVT. HERBERT MC GIRT
CAPT. COMERFORD MCLOUGHLIN
PVT. L MCVEA
1ST. SERGT. H. MATTHEWS
1ST SERFT JESSE A MILLER
1ST SERGT. WM. H. MILLER
SEERGT EE. MITCHELL
PVT HERBERT MILLS
CORP. M. MOLSON
LIEUT. E.D. MOREY
SERGT. G.A. MORTON
LIEUT. E. A. NOSTRAND
SERGT. SAMUEL NOWLIN
CAPT. JOHN O. OUTWATER
LIEUT. HUGH A PAGE
LIEURT OLIVER H. PARISH
SERGT. C.L PAWPAW
PVT. HARVEY PERRY
SERGT. CLINTON PETERSON
LIEUT COLO W.A. PICKERING
LIERUT RICHARD PRATT
1ST SERGT. JOHN PRATT
SERGT. H.D. PRIMAS
PVT. JEREMIAH REED
LIEUT. DURANT RICE
PVT. JOHN RICE
SERT. SAMUEL RICHARDSON
SERFT. CHARLES RISK
PVT F RITCHIE
LIEUT G.S. ROBB
CORP. FRED ROGERS
PVT. LIONEL ROGERS
PVT. GEORGE ROSE
LIEUT R.M. ROWLAND
SERGT. PERCY RUSSELL
SERGT. L SANDERS
PVT, WILLIAM SANFORD
PVT. MARSHALL SCOTT
CAPT. LEWIS E. SHAW
CAPT. SAMUEL SHETHAR
LIEUT. HOYT SHERMAN
MAJOR G. FRANLIN SHIELS
PVT. SIMPSON
1ST SERGT. BERTRAND U. SMITH
PVT DANICEL SMITH
SERGT. HERMAN SMITH
CORP. R.W. SMITH
MAJOR LORILLARD SPENCER
SERGT. J. T. STEVENS
CORP. DAN STORMS
LIEUT GEORGE F. STOWELL
CORP. T. W. TAYLOR
LIEUT FRANK B. THOMPSON
SERGT LLOYD THOMPSON
SERGT A.L. TUCKER
SERGT. GEORGE VALASKA
LIEUT. D.H. VAUGHN
CAPT. EDWARD A. WALTON
CAPT. CHARLES WARREN
SERGT. LEON WASHINGTON
PVT. CASPAR WHITE
CAPT. JAMES WHITE
SERGT. JESSE J. WHITE
1ST. SERGT. C.E. WILLIAMS
PVT. ROBERT WILLIAMS
SERGT.REAVES WILLIS
PVT. H. WIGGINGTON
SERGT. L. WILSON
PVT. TIM WINSTON
SERGT E. WOODS
PVT GEORGE WOODS
LIEUT. A.D. WORSHAM
SERGT. E.C. WRIGHT
PVT. GEORGE WOOD
LIEUT A.D. WORSHAM
SERGT. E.C. WRIGHT
by Phyllis C. Muray
Apr 9, 2006
/blockquote>
INSIDE THE MELTING POT
By Phyllis C. Murray
"When the nation is made ready by enlightenment, its good
fortune will make Black History Month an anachronism. No
culture should by its spotlight eclipse another, and the
reputation of one cannot flourish at the expense of
another. We are a unified but...See More/blockquote>
INSIDE THE MELTING POT
By Phyllis C. Murray
"When the nation is made ready by enlightenment, its good
fortune will make Black History Month an anachronism. No
culture should by its spotlight eclipse another, and the
reputation of one cannot flourish at the expense of
another. We are a unified but not yet united
civilization. " Ron Issacs
In 1991, the phenomenon of unearthing 400 enslaved Africans
from a 17th Century African Burial Gound in lower
Manhattan, was the beginning of a search by many for their
African ancestral past. That road of discovery has had many
twists and turns. However, the records remain. The slavers
and historians of that era kept copious notes. And
fortunately we have had access to the incalculable research
from the African Burial Ground Project OPEI Update founded
in 1991 and directed for over a decade by Dr. Sherrill
Wilson.
If we take another look at life in colonial New York and
search beyond the Dutch West India Company's enticement of
free land and free trade, we will see that the DWI company
provided another enticement to white settlers: enslaved
Africans to labor without compensation. In the East India
Company's charter of Privilege and Exemption for the
patrons the following is noted: "in that document for the
purpose of encouraging agriculture, the company agreed to
furnish colonist as many blacks as they conveniently could.
These "blacks" were brought from the West Indies.
(Griffin.) Furthermore, as reported by Lamb in the History
of New York. "Every family who could afford it invested in
the brand of industry filling of several vessels
exclusively for the slave trade and the bringing to New
Netherlands a large invoice of the colored population of
the torrid zone. One of the greatest wants of the colony
was skilled labor and indeed labor of any kind. Thus the
Dutch recruited settlers with an advertisement that
promised to provide them with slaves who would accomplish
more work for their master at less expense than what farm
servants who must be bribed to go thither by a great deal
of money and promises."(Staples)
The Historic Wyckoff House which is located in Brooklyn, NY
is an example of colonial life in early NY. A recent
article: "Glimpse the 17th Century at Historic Wyckoff
House," describes the property as one which spanned 40
acres. It was also viewed as a property that was a highly
successful working farm. Wyckoff, its owner, became the
richest man in the region. It may also be noted
that: "Slaveholdings in New York were second only to its
counterpart in Charlotte, North Carolina." (Wilson) We must
also acknowledge the fact that not only were Africans
enslaved, the Dutch also benefited from the confiscation of
Native American land and the enslavement of Native
Americans.
The Native Americans and Africans helped make the Dutch
wealthy land barons as they farmed large areas, working
fruit orchards and attending the livestock for food. Flax
was grown for linen thread and sheep provided wool for
clothing. A visit to Phillpsburg Manor Upper Mills today in
North Tarrytown will provide additional insight into the
lifestyle of the Dutch gentry of this period. This site was
manned by enslaved Africans that worked in the
aforementioned capacities as the Philipses reaped the
reward from this free African labor.
"From the Lenape, the Dutch learned how to use the land for
survival. Lenape women taught Dutch women how to use dyes
from trees, berries and the soil. The settlers hunted wild
animals and gathered foods in the woods and the fields."
(Crawford and Secor.) The Africans were brought to the area
because of the specific skills the they possessed. The
advertisements for fugitive slaves attested to the myriad
occupations of Africans in the colonial period. For
example: coopers, navigators, planters, brass casters,
woodcarvers, weavers, builders, fishers, and sailors
translated into financial success for the Wyckoff and other
Dutch slavers. "For very department of the household there
was a slave allotted. They hoed, drilled, shod horses, made
cider, raised hemp and tobacco (Schylerville) looked after
the horses and the garden, made and mended the shoes, spun
and wove, made nets, canoes, attended to fishing worked as
carpenters, each house hold sufficient unto itself .
(Humphrey, Mary.)
Bland Taylor writes:" in 1698, 15% of Kings County
population were slaves. Kings County by the 18th Century
became the heaviest slave holding county in New York State.
Although 1/5 of New York State black population were free
by the end of the 18th Century only 3% (46) free blacks
resided in Kings County, the smallest number in the state.
In largely Dutch Kings and Richmond Counties, the number of
enslaved blacks sizable until 1820. Dutch farmers in these
counties tenaciously held onto their farms by using
valuable slave labor. As late as 1820 , only 55% of Kings
County blacks and a minuscule 18% in Richmond County were
free. Blacks older than 45 years remained Slaves in 1820,
because masters were unwilling to accept responsibility for
their maintenance otherwise. (Making a Free People)
The Wyckoff Associated reported the following: In 1835
Cornelius Bennett bought the property from Hendrick
Wyckoff. Later the city opened streets resulting in the
destruction of two barns and the "Slaves's quarters." I
1968 the homestead was designated an official NYC Landmark.
The story of colonial enslavement of African and Native
Americans in New York and its environs is repeated
throughout Westchester, Putnam Counties. And to know the
past is to understand the present. Case in point:The
African American presence in Scarsdale, NY is as old as the
village itself. And like Brooklyn so many of the 5 boroughs
in New York City, Africans were present to change the
tangled landscapes. In fact, in 1712, eleven years after
the formation of the Manor of Scarsdale, the inhabitants
numbered only 12, of whom four were white, the remaining
eight were enslaved Africans.(Scharf)
While compiling the data to develop the premise of an early
African presence in Scarsdale it became obvious that this
information was already well documented in texts by
historians. Yet, many Americans were not aware of the fact
that Slavery in the United States existed in the North as
well as the South.
As a resident of Scarsdale for thrity-five years and a
lifetime resident of New York State, it has become evident
that some of the issues which impact race relations today,
are merely the vestiges from the Slavery of yesteryear.
However, what is truly unique about Scarsdale, may be seen
if we look further into the history of Scarsdale. It is
then that we can witness the heroic efforts of New York
State Governor Daniel Tompkins, a resident of Scarsdale, as
he made a recommendation to the Legislature in 1817 to
abolish Slavery by 1827. We can also witness the courage of
the Quakers who manumitted their enslaved Africans by 1782
and even required themselves to train their former slaves
to earn a living and to find a place to live.(Singsen). And
we can witness the beneficence of Quakers who were active
in the Underground Railroad hiding slaves in barns and
secret cupboards on Mamaroneck Road.(Singsen)
.
Racism today is merely a remnant of Slavery's past
revisited in the present. Today , we have two separate
chronicles of history : one white and one black. Yet, the
two belong together.
Understanding our true past will enable one to understand
the present. However, the care of the future is in our
hands.
Yes, Ron Issacs, "When the nation is made ready by
enlightenment, its good fortune will make Black History
Month an anachronism."
Phyllis C. Murray,Educator,Author
UFT Chapter Leader
/blockquote>
What are some technology devices that I can use with
reading comprehension, phonics and writing?
by Phyllis C. Murray, Teacher/Editor
Apr 30, 2006
/blockquote>
WHAT IS A TEACHER
Written by Bibana ~Ashanti ~~Jamal~~Ellenah
~~Diana ~~John Henry ~~and Mohammed
A teacher is a symbol of learning: a leader of learners and
a miracle to education.
A teacher is an educational god that leads us to goodness
while caring for our learning spirits.
...See More/blockquote>
WHAT IS A TEACHER
Written by Bibana ~Ashanti ~~Jamal~~Ellenah
~~Diana ~~John Henry ~~and Mohammed
A teacher is a symbol of learning: a leader of learners and
a miracle to education.
A teacher is an educational god that leads us to goodness
while caring for our learning spirits.
A teacher is the captain of our educational journey; Exact
about everything.
A teacher has the courage enough to teach; And knows mostly
all the answers.
Teachers become our heroic inspiration.
Teachers educate us with all of their knowledge. Smart and
spirited, teachers can make our brains work like computers.
Yet, our teachers can also hold our hands when we need it.
Teachers reach to the sky to get what we need; And exit a
subject just at the right time.
A teacher possesses the academics and grace that we all
love. Teachers care for us in every imaginable way.
Our teacher is the hero in our learning lives.
Education is the key to success. That is what our teachers
have taught us.
Teachers are a class struggle in liberty: Believing in
kids; Reaching out to kids; And instilling pride within all
of us.
Our education is important to our teachers. Therefore our
teachers struggle hard to teach every student: Checking
exams after school; explaining things so they are easier;
And reading to us or teaching us how to read.
Each one of our praises we give. And for everything our
teachers do, we will thank them today, tomorrow and always.
Editor: Phyllis C. Murray
NB This piece was created by the Fifth Graders of P.S. 75X
to honor their teachers: Ms Sharin Terado, Mrs.Gisella
Montalvo .Mrs Elena Garcia et al. On May 5, 2006,
P.S.75X , will receive the Pathfinder Award. P.S. 75X has
been designated by the Business Council of New York State,
as one to the 12 most improved schools in New York State.
/blockquote>
your butt stinks.
by Phyllis C. Murray
May 19, 2006
/blockquote>
OUR TEACHERS HAVE CLASS AND CLASS SIZE MATTERS
By Phyllis C. Murray
On Thursday,May 18, 2006 at 8:00 a.m., P.S.75X teachers,
paras, and parents joined their sisters and brothers in
solidarity throughout the city in an informational
picketing campaign. The picketing took place outside
their respe...See More/blockquote>
OUR TEACHERS HAVE CLASS AND CLASS SIZE MATTERS
By Phyllis C. Murray
On Thursday,May 18, 2006 at 8:00 a.m., P.S.75X teachers,
paras, and parents joined their sisters and brothers in
solidarity throughout the city in an informational
picketing campaign. The picketing took place outside
their respective schools. This is one of a series of
actions in May, which the United Federation of Teachers'
Delegate Assembly has declared “Class-Size Month.”
The UFT has done its Homework. And the research tells us
that Smaller Classes:
1. Raise student achievement
2. Lower dropout rates
3. Make classes more orderly
4. Give Students the individual attention they need
100,000 New York City voters have signed petitions to put
an amendment on the ballot in November that will make
smaller classes the law in all schools. It would use 25% of
the funds from the Campaign for Fiscal Equity settlement to
make class size in New York City the same as the rest of
the state.
The next action will be on Thursday, May 25, at 4:00 p.m.,
when educators will pass out class-size leaflets at major
transportation hubs which will include the Hunts Point
Station. Around that time, the UFT will also be launching
a major ad campaign urging the city to make class-size
reduction a priority.
WHAT DO WE WANT? SMALLER CLASS SIZE.
WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW
Click below to view English and Spanish version of flyer.
([link removed])
by michael casey
Jul 4, 2006
/blockquote>
I write comedy , I live in Birmingham England.
My comic novel is called
The Butcher The Baker and The Undertaker most of my
material is suitable for age 12 upwards. Here's my Bio and
ADVERT
Comedy made simple for everybody of every age . Coming
from Birmingham England , which was where JRR Tolkein came...See More/blockquote>
I write comedy , I live in Birmingham England.
My comic novel is called
The Butcher The Baker and The Undertaker most of my
material is suitable for age 12 upwards. Here's my Bio and
ADVERT
Comedy made simple for everybody of every age . Coming
from Birmingham England , which was where JRR Tolkein came
from ,
click on documents and read
The Butcher, The Baker & The Undertaker (c) a comedy
drama for everybody
-----------------------------------------------------------
---------------------
A novel , plays and humour essays all on my site
[link removed]
Thats all , now make me an offer
[link removed]
[link removed]
ALL my material is on the other sites , this one just has
the novel plus 1st chapter of my 2nd book. All material is
mine and my copyright.
p.s. the photo on my microsoft id is my mum's house where
she was born and lived with her 7 brothers and sisters
until my mum was 12years old. My Yahoo Id has my own photo
I HOPE YOU CAN USE SOME OF MY WORK WITH SOME KIDS,
LAUGHTER BREAKS DOWN BARRIERS.
I RETAIN COPYRIGHT OF EVERYTHING , BUT TEACHERS MAY USE IT
AS A NOT FOR PROFIT TOOL.
by michael casey
Jul 5, 2006
/blockquote>
Michael Casey 10 Reginald Rd Bearwood Warley B67 5AQ
England
Email [email removed]]
Internet Story ©
By
Michael Casey
So all I had to do was send an email , and then I’d be a
writer , my book in every shop , my face smirking from
cardboard cutouts of me holding my bo...See More/blockquote>
Michael Casey 10 Reginald Rd Bearwood Warley B67 5AQ
England
Email [email removed]]
Internet Story ©
By
Michael Casey
So all I had to do was send an email , and then I’d be a
writer , my book in every shop , my face smirking from
cardboard cutouts of me holding my book aloft . My book
had a great title , so it was bound to sell . A Nation Of
Shopkeepers was a great title , if only people could
remember their History , were people interested in
History , and for that matter my book . It wasn’t a
history book , would people think it WAS a history book ,
and then not buy it . It was a comedy drama , about a
street of shops , interconnecting short stories , for all
the family , but would people notice the levels , the
strands of humour , or would they say it’s a Ma & Pa
book , and miss the joke , just as one publisher called
did ?
I decided to keep the title , though I had a reserve
title , The Butcher , The Baker and The Undertaker . Then
I realised the US market would rename it The Butcher , The
Baker And The Funeral Arranger . You don’t think about
such things when you are writing the book , you’re just
happy , on a roll , in love with your own intellect , or
just surprized you actually DO have any intellect , then
you discover that you are dyslexic , you really are
dyslexic , thankfully not a really bad case , just
dyslexic . As you proof read you see you have put BUT
instead PUT , LEAD instead of READ , things like this and
other strange things . Sure there are spellcheckers but or
is it put , you have to check it anyway . As you read you
are surprized at your own ability . You didn’t waste
4years in journalism school , but your writing is GOOD ,
Did I write that ? Then your chest filled with pride you
get somebody else to read it , and guess what ? They think
its crap . So now you have to decide , should I give up or
should I carry on ?
I gave up for as while , while is a unit of years in my
case , my life took another path , so the writing was
forgotten , it lay dormant for years , then like a phoenix
it arose , or more truthfully , like a tortoise awaking
from hibernation , sleep still in my eyes I slowly poked
my head out , then back in , went back to sleep again ,
then finally with the pangs of hunger in my stomach I just
had to do something . In my case it was eat , as in really
eat , then I turned to my old Atari and realised it was
not PC compatible , so I bought a new , or rather an old
new Atari which was PC compatible . Then I spent a day
copying my files so that I could read them on a PC . Then
I wrote a few more pieces before I realised I’d get
nowhere in England . The chances of being published were 1
in 2000 . So like a bear , I went back in my cave and
slumbered .
Meeting my wife Jing Jie was a turning point in my life ,
and not just because it was like Thunder as Jing Jie calls
it , it was a turning point because I had a professional
opinion on my writing , from a journalist at the very top
of the tree . Her uncle is an editor in chief , so his
comments were and are like gold , worth more than my first
coffee and Cadbury’s chocolate , the pleasure rush I
treat myself to every day , his comments really were that
important to me , and I really DO like my Cadbury’s , so
being better than Cadbury’s is the highest praise I can
give . So I knew the quality of my writing , even if
others said and say its crap .
Getting a modern PC and internet connection was another
turning point . Email in our house is like water and
electic in any other homes . Jing Jie can “talk” to her
mum in Shanghai every day . To friends all over the world
as well . Birmingham IS the centre of the universe .So
with hope and fear I had to transfer my files from my old
Atari to the new PC . The floppy discs were old and
battered , several were unreadable , finally my work , my
babies were safely on the new PC . Just to be on the safe
side I set up a website , so now my work was on somebody’
s server in the US , thousands of miles away , safe from
fire or theft . I could also put our new baby’s photos on
the web site so that my Chinese family in Shanghai and
Maimi and friends all over the world could see Annie and
Jing Jie and me , they could even read my work too .
So now all I had to do was market my work in the US ,
simple really , soon I’d be doing something useful with
my life , making people laugh . I’d be a writing whore ,
I’d get paid to make others laugh , the best job in the
world . So how would I set about it ? I got a list of
radio stations from the internet and started sending
emails galore . I’m talking in the hundreds now , to
radio stations the length and breath of the US .They could
publicise my site then eventually I’d get published , or
my play would get produced . It was simple wasn’t it . So
merrily I went about my business , sending emails galore .
Years before I used to send off big heavy envelopes with
my work in , with more persistance than hope in my
heart .”Thank you for your pieces of paper“was the best
put down . I once even met a writer and he agreed to to
read my play Shoplife , then he wrote back calling me a
plagerist , because it was so good . So I used his note as
toilet paper , Shoplife was so good because I had 20years
of experience given to me by my sister , I just improved
on it , but yet I was called a Copyist , so naturally I
was angry and used his note to wipe my bum .
I wondered why my strike rate was so low with my emails to
radio stations , then somebody casually mentioned , “You
do know they will just delete anything with an
attachment” . In these days of viruses or worms which I’
ve discovered is the new trendy word , nobody can risk
their PC , so I merrily send and they merrily delete . I’
d been wasting my time , but not my money because I’d got
a 24/7 package on my internet from AOL .However one radio
station did read Shoplife . The DJ or is it Host , he
called it hilarious and he could not stop reading it . It
turned out he was an actor as well , though isn’t
everybody an actor in the US ?
So I thanked him , and quoted him in my future
advertising .Humour is a funny thing . The things that
make English people laugh are not the same as the things
that make Americans’ laugh . We are constantly told by
people on tv that English TV is the best in the world ,
the US material we see is the top 10% , the rest is
rubbish . But I know I’d never get my foot in the door in
England so I had to persist with my American campaign , so
now I pasted in my material , no attachments . Just get
them hooked , then paste in a sample then direct them to
[link removed]
Then bingo part2 of my life could begin ,I’d be the man
that made America laugh , a naïve sentiment , but it was
honest .Only AOL turns things into zip files and some
people cann’t unzip your files , its like wanting sex but
your zipper is broke and you cann’t get your trousers
off . Such a strong urge , but no forfillment .
I switched to MSMAIL and pasted in my stuff , things
started to happen , my files weren’t being deleted or too
zipped up to be read . At least I wasn’t frustrated any
more . Now I had an agent interested , and a new
magazine , even a theatre replied .All praise to Bill
Gates , and to a Christian called Pat Verato who pointed
me in the direction of a few good sites .However some of
the sites that I trawled through were just , so very
American . Hey , you too can be a writer , just send me 10
dollars and I’ll send you my book “How to make 10
dollars” , and he does . Then there’s magazines you
can subscribe to , yes you’ve guessed it , just send
another 10 dollars “Writing for Beginners” . There’s
all these agents too who are so successful , persuading
tap dancing bus drivers to write about Tap Dancing For Bus
Drivers , the complete self help book , costs 10 dollars .
The agent gets 20percent , and the bus driver pays
5000dollars to print 500 copies , then he can boast he’s
a writer , not just a bus driver , and guess what if you
pay 10 dollars you can learn to tap dance too .
As for me , what do I think of all this ? I’d say just
keep on writing , stop your selling , or attempts at
selling , just write a bit . Add to your catologue of 3
poems and 2 short stories , then search for an agent .
Believe you’ll never be published and then you won’t be
disappointed. There is one final thing you can do though ,
just tell everybody to go to my site
[link removed] !
End
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Teacher Chatboards
Our current textbooks have African American history and
literature woven throughout. The problem I see is some of our
black students taking education for granted.
Imagine my dismay this year to have a young black man (who
habitually comes to class red-eyed, by the way, when he shows
up at all) interrupt...See More