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Good Morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay.

Well guys, hold on to your seats because we are coming up on what promises to be a very bumpy ride … Stuff is about to hit the fan…

Of course, as we all know by now, that longtime civil rights pioneer, Glen Beck, is holding a march in Washington at the Lincoln Memorial labeled Restoring Hope, on this Saturday August 28, the 47th anniversary of Dr. King’s 1963 March on Washington…

And Glen Beck speaking at the March on Washington site is like Hitler keynoting at the Anti-defamation league;
Or, David Duke joining the NAACP;

Or, Osama Bin Laden going to Sunday Mass;

You get the point.  It’s ridiculous!!!

Maybe not quite as ridiculous as Jay taking off all his clothes in that Booty meat video . . . but pretty darn ridiculous!!

Now, putting aside the brazen disrespect to King’s legacy shown by Beck—I’m going to tell you what upsets me even more, Sybil…

As a community, it seems like we’re always caught reacting to problems and devastating events rather than preparing and organizing for the challenges that will surely come…

Let me explain. Even though I don’t know all of the details of Beck’s successful permit bid for his upcoming march, you guys likely heard the incomparable Dick Gregory come out and justifiably blame black folks for not thinking ahead enough to secure the date at the Lincoln Memorial before Beck could get it…

Maybe we were blindsided and just didn’t expect anyone to pull something like this… But whatever the case, one thing is clear…

An organized community, or a community with strong organizations, will avoid these kind of surprises because someone is always standing watch…

Effective organizations are seldom caught off guard… We need look no further than BP and the Gulf spill to see an example of a fractured organization where folks were inept, asleep, disorganized and even criminal in their negligence…

Effective organizations have to communicate with each other as well… and I’m certainly not blaming any one group for the permit thing, but what I am saying is, if folks were well organized and communicating, it’s much less likely this would have happened…

If we’ve learned anything as a community from the lesson of Katrina, it’s that we can not depend solely on government agencies to take care of us or assist us in our times of dire need… even though we pay taxes for them to do so…

No, we don’t need to let them off the hook for what we deserve as citizens, but we need our own back up plans or safety nets in place in case government agencies don’t do what they’re supposed to…

An example: Many independent and nonprofit support groups were created in the aftermath of Katrina and the recent oil spill… and that’s a good thing…

Well what if we didn’t wait for these massive tragedies to happen before we thought of creating such support groups or “first-responder” groups…?

And, more importantly, since we know that future tragedies and communal slaps-in-the-face will come given the tumult in today’s world, unpredictable weather patterns, and opportunists like Glenn Beck, shouldn’t we be proactive and prepare now…?

I don’t know, Tom, maybe I’m just talking crazy… I certainly don’t have all the answers and would never claim to…

But I do feel the organizations that claim to lead us and stand watch need to be proactive and on the same page when it comes to protecting and representing our community…

So I am pleased that you, Tom, Rev. Al and the National Action Network will be marching that same day at the historic Dunbar High School in DC…

All of our groups must be prepared not only to respond to –but also to prevent– the slights and atrocities before they occur…

I mean come on, if the FCC were on its job, would Jay ever have been able to flash his naked behind all over the internet?

Just kidding, Jay.  But seriously, if nothing else, we should all think about how we can bring this about by petitioning, joining and supporting our existing organizations to make this happen, OR starting our own organizations and support groups to do so…

Because right now, we’re getting caught off guard much too often, reacting to the last atrocity as opposed to anticipating and preparing  for the next one…

I’ll leave you with this:
http://thinkexist.com/quotation/despair-is-most-often-the-offspring-of-ill/411141.html

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie, in Love and Hope.

admin Uncategorized

Good Morning TJMS Family.

Well folks, we’re coming up on Black family reunion time.  There’ll be a lot of families getting together to celebrate reunions…

This is all good, but we have to face the sad fact that when it comes to one of the most important foundations of family life – marriage – the numbers aren’t looking too promising.

The 2009 census showed that 42 percent of black adults reaching their 40s had never married as compared to 23.6 percent of whites… It also showed that African Americans divorce more and have more children out of wedlock…

Now, of course, there are a number of complex reasons behind these stats: the legacy of slavery, black male incarceration, high unemployment, and the list goes on….

But I want to talk about something that is often overlooked when it comes to relationships and marriage…

And that is the individual… yep, you heard me right, even though the idea of the individual seems to contradict the idea of marriage and family…

It doesn’t … I’d argue it could even be one of the most important elements in a relationship…

You see, in marriage we assume important roles… that of wife, husband, mother, father, provider…

But, even with these assumed roles, each of us is still an individual who deserves to enjoy life, set and accomplish goals, and fulfill our dreams…

Think about it: How many times have you heard of marriages or relationships failing because one person feels ‘stifled’ by the other, or are forced to put their goals or dreams “on the shelf” because of the roles they now play…?

My point is this: healthy individuals help produce healthy relationships; healthy relationships produce healthy marriages; and healthy marriages produce healthy families…

If we want to have strong relationships, we have to work on ourselves and become the best individuals we can be… Then we can fully appreciate and more clearly recognize other healthy individuals…

And even if we are already married or in a relationship, we need to spend each day growing spiritually and engaging life in ways that make us happy…

Or, to put it another way, if we want good, solid relationships, both individuals need to be happy and fulfilled…

A wedding should not be the end of one’s growth; it represents a new opportunity for our growth within a committed and loving relationship where both people are growing, learning and maturing…

For as they say, when it comes to relationships, “We can grow together, or grow apart.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope and this is TJMS at its Best.

admin Family

Good Morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay.

Tom, international events have been in the news a lot recently… There is, of course, the ongoing carnage trouble spots like Afghanistan, Iraq, the Congo, Somalia and the Sudan…

There have been important developments in South America as well, especially the growing tensions between the border countries of Venezuela and Colombia over Venezuela’s alleged harboring of Colombian left-wing rebels…

As you know, Sybil, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recently threatened to cut off his country’s oil supplies to the U.S., accusing the American government of using its alliance with Colombia to instigate the conflict and potentially start a war so that the Americans can finally get control of Venezuelan oil…

hmm…certainly not the first time America has been accused of instigating an international conflict to get more oil…

In any event, while many folks have heard of the outspoken Chavez and his oil-producing nation of Venezuela,  I want to focus more on Colombia today, a country commonly known for its prominent role in the international drug trade…

But there is a lot more to know about this country … For example,…there are an estimated 5 to 10 million Afro-Colombians in the country, making up 21% of the population.

In fact, Colombia has the third largest Black population in the Western Hemisphere, following Brazil and the United States.

And unfortunately, just like Black folks in many other places, Afro-Colombians are going through some serious struggles…

While the country has recently tried to further stabilize itself with the election of a new president with ties to the U.S., its Afro-Colombian population has continued to suffer racism, exclusion from significant political power, and displacement as a result of the nation’s ongoing internal conflict.

Over 4 million Colombians have been internally displaced by violence and an estimated 700,000 refugees have fled to other countries… Few people realize that Colombia rivals the Sudan as the largest internally displaced population in the world…

Tom, the situation there is ugly…

You see, many Afro-Colombians are suffering and dying, and their leaders are being assassinated because they own rights to lands where multinational mining companies want to dig for gold, oil and other valuable resources…

Those who speak out are being threatened and targeted by brutal para-military groups that operate with impunity since the Colombian government is fully aware that these land owners are getting in the way of international commercial profits…

Dozens of Afro-Colombian leaders have already been murdered this year…

And people are being forced from land where their ancestors have lived for hundreds of years…

It’s very sad… and what our Afro-Colombian brothers and sisters need is our attention and our voice…

Especially since the United States has an emerging relationship with the new regime and has considerable influence on the country…

Many people who are outraged by the violence are pushing the United Nations, the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, the United States Congress, and the United States Department of State to pressure the Colombian government to protect the lives, rights and liberties of Afro-Colombians.

The Washington Office on Latin America, wants members of the U.S. Congress to move forward with House Resolution 1224 that promotes the protection and rights of Colombia’s Afro-Colombian population and Internally Displaced People.

Certainly, we should push for the same… You can locate and contact your representative at www.house.gov and tell them to get HR 1224 passed.

You can also find out more about the plight of Afro-Colombians at www.wola.org.

I’ll leave you with this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that sums up why we should always be aware of and committed to the plight of our fellow man and our fellow black people in need of help around our world…

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin International Events

Good Morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay.

Tom, August is upon us once again and, in the South, it’s back to school for those countless students hoping summer would never end…

…don’t know if they’re gonna run that Staples commercial again where the joyous father floats through the aisle past those sad-lookin’ children on a shopping cart singing, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” but they need to…

And speaking of sad realities for children going back to school, a new year brings a not-so-delightful return to school lunches as our children become reacquainted with such memorable entrees as Tater Tots, that durable American classic; Turkey Tetrazini, which most researchers have yet to figure out…

…and hot dogs & burgers as rubbery as MC Hammer’s checkbook…

But wait a minute –bad jokes aside—what if, this year, schools and communities became interested in taking a healthier, more local approach to their student lunch programs…?

What if, Sybil –given the mountain of research linking our poor diets to such childhood disorders as obesity, diabetes, Attention Deficit Disorder and other learning disabilities—there was a movement afoot to transform school lunches, where healthy food is a priority and where chicken nuggets lose out to fresh local produce…?

Well guys, there is… and the Kellogg Foundation is a big part of it…

The WK Kellogg Foundation, of course, has supported and advocated for children and their communities for almost 80 years… One of their current targets for reform is, in fact, school lunches…

In April, Kellogg surveyed adults across the country and found that most Americans believe nutrition in local school meals falls far short of what children need, and that the foods most associated with school meals – pizza, nuggets and burgers – are the same foods parents believe should be significantly reduced on school menus…

The survey also revealed that, given the crisis of childhood obesity, there is near-unanimous agreement that improving the health of American children requires communities to prioritize access to fresh produce and daily exercise…

Now this information is all well and good, Jay, but there are reasons why what these parents want has, for the most part, not happened thus far… especially in our communities…

The federal government currently only provides a few bucks to schools for subsidized lunches and most of that goes to pay for cafeteria workers and overhead, leaving little money for meal ingredients…

As a result, many schools don’t cook at all, but merely rely on reheating cheap, processed foods for their cafeteria menus…

But Tom, check this out… Here’s an example of what one innovative community is doing to combat this…

In Washington, D.C., some local chefs are collaborating with parents to take over kitchen operations on a nonprofit basis at Tyler Elementary, a school that is over 80% African American with most of its children receiving subsidized lunches…

They are replacing the prepackaged meals with food cooked from scratch and served on real plates with real silverware…

They’ve pledged to get rid of all processed foods filled with preservatives, additives, food coloring, and other chemicals, and to buy directly from local farmers, and organically when possible…

And they are getting around the money issue by putting parents to work in the cafeteria as volunteers and using the savings in labor to buy better food from local growers…

Wow… Now this is democracy in action… a community taking control of its food supply for the sake of its children…

And isn’t it time we stopped allowing institutions to feed our students whatever kind of crap they may while we sit around as parents and wonder why our children are obese, diabetic, inattentive, struggling in school, and constantly ill…?

Fortunately, Tyler Elementary is not alone; Other school communities, in CA and other states, have taken similar steps…

You can find out more about how your community can keep your children healthy and well fed by going to foodandcommunity.org…

I leave you with a very simple saying that is as timeless as it is true…

And that is: “You are, what you eat.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Uncategorized

Good Morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay.

Tom, you’ve heard me talk about issues of media and race before… Very important, given that in our society, unfortunately, image is everything…

And given this visual approach to politics, news and society, it is critical that we have individuals in positions of visibility and power who look like us and come from experiences similar to ours to help us navigate these images.

Let me explain: All of us, at one time or another, have experienced being ‘the only African American in the room…’

…could have been at a new job, at a conference, or in a new neighborhood or school…

And in those unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable situations, many of us have been relieved to spot another black face –be it an employee or neighbor—who sees us, gives us a knowing wink, and then kindly “shows us the ropes…”

Well I bring this up today, Sybil, because you may have seen the CNN interview a few days back with pioneering and now-retired anchor woman, Carole Simpson, on the current lack of black anchors on mainstream news networks…

Simpson did not hold her tongue… She came out firing at the mainstream news organizations – including CNN — about their lack of diversity and the racism she faced years ago and the racism African Americans continue to face in a media industry that continues to be white male-dominated…

Simpson pointed out that, in this day and age, it is absurd that the numbers of black mainstream anchors is declining…

And she had every right to … for no one would know better how broadcast media works than Simpson … When it comes to media, she was that beautiful African American face in a white-dominated society that showed us the ropes each day…

One of the most successful and prominent journalists who ever lived, Simpson was a staple on ABC News for nearly two decades winning three Emmys, covering the most significant world issues, and becoming the first woman and first minority to moderate a presidential debate…

Whether it was the first Persian Gulf War, the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings or other major stories, Simpson was always there…

And if you want a brutal example of what she went through to bring us this crucial African American perspective, I got one for ya…

You may recall, Tom, that Simpson was in South Africa in 1990, broadcasting live, the release of Nelson Mandela…

But what many may not remember was that Simpson was beaten across the back by a white South African policeman while covering a demonstration led by Archbishop Desmond TuTu the day before Mandela’s release…

Talk about news from a black perspective… or better yet, black and blue perspective…

But you get the point… Simpson, like other black journalists and anchors, can offer a unique perspective …
Without such voices and representation, our American story lacks both relevance and context…

Now, of course, there are things we can do to try and change this… We can certainly reach out to all the major networks and push them to hear our voices and show our faces…

We can go online to the Federal Communications Commission site at fcc.gov and file a complaint with their Consumer & Governmental Affairs division…

But we can also start our own media outlets which, given the internet and changing technologies, is a realistic step that many in our community are already taking…

And, of course, we can continue to support our own existing black-owned media vehicles, like the excellent platform you provide for us, Tom, thank you very much…

So whatever we do, let’s push to ensure our perspectives, our context and our stories get heard in the vehicles we support and that get their advertising dollars from our viewership…

We shouldn’t support or empower vehicles that don’t support or empower us…

I’ll close with this. A prominent 20th century media executive once said: “All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it… Or we can help lift it to a higher level.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Media

Good Morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay.

Tom, you’ve often heard me use this weekly platform to talk about issues concerning children…

After all, as parents, a large part of our lives are devoted to the beautiful, challenging, and rewarding art of raising children…

We feed them when they’re hungry, nurse them back to health when they’re sick, hug and protect them when they’re scared or hurt, and tuck them into bed when they’re tired… (even though they somehow end up in our bed by the morning…)

Now, Sybil, because life and relationships certainly have their challenges, parents don’t always see eye to eye, and they may, unfortunately, split up, separate, or even divorce…

And if the parents can’t see through their own emotional issues and pain to recognize that the children simply want, and still deserve both parents in their lives, there’s gonna to be trouble…

That said, let me tell you about a parent, a father by the name of Tewodross Melchishua…also known as ‘Tee”

Tewodross is a talented brother living in the DC area who is an independent film producer, artist, designer, animator, and professor at Bowie State (let’s hear it for the HBCUs)…

He loves all five of his children ranging in age from 3 to 17 including two sets of TWINS from a previous marriage.

In the late 90s, after his first marriage didn’t work out, Tee and his ex-wife shared joint custody of their twins – 2 boys and 2 girls.

One day, in 2000, he went to pick up his then 6 and 7 year old children from their mother for the weekend, as he always did, and they simply weren’t there…

Did you hear what I just said, Tom…? They were GONE… The mother had disappeared… to Egypt!!!!!!

I can’t even begin to imagine, as a mom, how that must have felt…?

For the past ten years –that’s right, I said ten– Tee has done everything in his power to first locate his children and then reunite with them…

He finally got a telephone and email address for his ex-wife . . . before she took the children and relocated again to yet another country!

He found her again and ultimately convinced the mother to allow the teenage sets of twins to travel to the United States alone to visit their father…

So Sybil, believe it or not, we’re still hoping for a relatively happy ending here …

But this is just one father’s story. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children estimates that over 1000 family abductions occur in the United States every day…

And international family abductions – where a parent or relative kidnaps a child and takes them to a different country—occur, on average, a reported 16,000 times a year and often leave the “Chasing Parent” with huge emotional and financial burden…

The main problem is that many of these countries simply REFUSE to return these American children back to the United States.

Sometimes, as in Tee’s case there is a difference of religion; sometimes as in the recent high-profile cases in Brazil and Japan, no reason is given.  Amazingly, this is also the case even where the country is a friend or ally of the United States, and even where the country has signed the Hague Convention, the international treaty designed to protect children from these abductions.

You can get more information on parental abductions at missingkids.com.

You know Tom, I’ve occasionally heard people without children wonder why anyone would want to bring a child into this sometimes cruel and unpredictable world…

Maybe this saying from the late writer & blogger, Liz Armbruster, offers the answer: “I brought children into this dark world because it needed the light that only a child could bring.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Abuse, Children

Good Morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay.

Tom, as you may remember, a couple weeks ago, I did a commentary on the Johannes Mehserle case –the cop who killed an unarmed Oscar Grant in Oakland in 2009 – just days before his controversial verdict of “involuntary manslaughter” was announced …

I also wrote a piece this weekend for NewsOne called, “How Much is One Black Man Worth?”

The article juxtaposed the Mehserle verdict with the almost simultaneous announcement of LeBron James move to Miami, and shades of that were, of course, echoed by Jeff on Tuesday…

…except I didn’t go after Rev. Jackson… That part is between Jeff and Jesse, and I love them both…

My article discussed the irony of how our American society had pretty much determined that one young man’s life –that of Grant– was apparently worth very little, while another young brother who dribbles an orange ball up and down a court –‘King James’– was apparently worth about 100 million…

The article became the most popular piece and went viral on the site not long after I wrote it and generated a whole lot of discussion . . .

I think it struck a chord because folks were troubled by the verdict and the ironic timing of the announcements…

…also because, as a community, we are sick and tired of seeing unarmed black men being killed or brutalized at the hands of those who are supposed “to protect and serve…”

It raises the question: How much is one black man (one black man’s life) actually worth…?

I bring this up again today, Sybil, because of the recent report on Black America Web about another unfortunate young brother –an 18 year-old from Stafford County, VA who suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism affecting his ability to communicate and interact.  That young man, Reginald Latson was incarcerated after an incident in which police approached him while walking down the street to a friend’s house.

Reginald was waiting for a local library to open when he decided to take a walk to visit a friend… Police say someone called in to report a quote-unquote “suspicious man” in the area who “was possibly carrying a gun…”

Police approached the autistic teenager, who possessed no weapon, and, according to police, a confrontation ensued in which the teen attacked an officer for no reason…

Reginald reported that the officers came at him with abusive language and racial slurs…

Now, Jay, I obviously wasn’t there and I don’t know what actually went down…

That said, there are still some very troubling things about this case …

First, it’s hard to figure out the “possibly carrying a gun” thing… That’s pretty vague… and “convenient”

And while Reginald was initially placed in a hospital for evaluation after the incident, the judge in the case –who could have granted an extension after the thirty days– recently decided to instead send Reginald to jail where the autistic teen is in an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous environment…

It’s reported that Reginald had made great strides in dealing with his condition, holding a job at a car wash and attending school…

He’s not used to being away from his mother and he’s terrified in jail.  In fact, doctors had recommended to the court that because of his condition, Reginald be allowed to stay at the hospital until his July 30th preliminary hearing.

But let me be clear: I can’t say if law enforcement did anything wrong in this case, but I can say that jailing this young man who obviously needs support for his condition may destroy his life…

Tom, maybe somehow we can help this living black man before his life is destroyed because of his unfortunate encounter with law enforcement…

And while we await the results of the recently-opened federal probe into the Grant shooting, and the sentencing of Johannes Mehserle, let’s use our energies to ensure our young men are being valued and not dying or languishing needlessly at the hands of our less-than-blind system of justice…

You can go to the “Justice for Reginald Latson” page on Facebook for updates and to see what can be done…

I leave you with this quote from an ancient philosopher that still holds true today: “Justice will not come until those who are not injured are as indignant as those who are.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Black Men, Reginald Latson

Good Morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay!

We have a holiday coming up this weekend, guys… Happy Father’s Day Tom and Jay!

I hope you guys have a wonderful day…

And remember, we’ve got a twofer this weekend…

That’s right, this weekend we also celebrate Juneteenth, the day 145 years ago when word finally made its way all the way down to Texas that slavery was no longer the law of the land…

It was on June 19th1865 that Union soldiers finally arrived at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War had ended and that enslaved Africans in the region were free…

This was a full two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had little impact on Texas because there were no Union troops in the area to enforce the measure until the 1865 surrender of the Confederacy…

Yep, black folks down there got the word real late…

So it could be said, Sybil, that Juneteenth is the only holiday that officially celebrates CP time…

Better late than never, right…?

But I want to put something in perspective today… Think about this for a moment…

Way back in the 19th Century –before Juneteenth– down in Texas, people of color were stopped when traveling away from the plantation and told to produce their papers showing that they’d been given permission to move about…

Even if they had the correct papers, they were commonly harassed by authorities…

Sadly, here in the year 2010 –in so-called ‘post racial America’– the state of Texas is currently considering following Arizona’s lead and introducing legislation to allow Texas authorities to once again, stop, potentially harass, and ask people of color for their papers…

Talk about back to the future, Jay…

…and speaking of going back, Tom, as I said before those of us who think these disturbing legal measures don’t pertain to us as black folks best think again…

First off, a substantial number of Latinos are black… the term Latino does not refer to a racial category… Latinos, of course, can be both black and white and a whole lot are black…

Second, when has racial profiling not affected us? How many of you really believe that cops with bad intentions are going to try and decipher a difference between black and brown before demanding our papers or harassing us…?

And, most importantly, why would anyone feel it is actually okay to legalize –a century and a half after the end of slavery—a process by which people of color on the streets of our nation could be stopped and asked for their papers…???

Please, stop the madness… No matter how you feel about immigration, this is definitely not the right answer… In fact, it is a serious threat to all Americans and our civil liberties…

So as we celebrate the spirit of Juneteenth and the belated emancipation of those deep in the South 145 years ago, let’s make sure we are not guilty today as people of color of throwing ourselves back to a time where folks could stop us and ask us for our papers…

Because the line between freedom and security is about as thin as the line between black and brown…

Paper thin…

You can go to the website of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights at  “http://www.civilrights.org” and find out more about promoting a more equitable policy of immigration reform for our nation.

And this weekend, as you pay tribute to the concept of freedom, keep this World War II-era quote attributed to a German pastor in mind:

“THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for me,
and, by that time, no one was left to speak up.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

admin Holiday

Good Morning TJMS Family.

Well, there’s certainly been a lot going on lately down in the Lone Star State…

That’s right, Texas has been in the news recently for a number of reasons – not many of them good…

Last week, many of us watched in horror the video of the fired African American teacher at the Houston charter school beating up an African American boy…

And we’ve also been troubled by the recent textbook controversy in which a conservative slant is being imposed on millions of the state’s public schoolchildren…

Both situations say a lot about the current state of education in Texas… but today, I’m going to focus on the physical assault…

I watched the teacher on Good Morning America after appealing to the media to quote-unquote “give her side of the story”… I couldn’t imagine what that would be given the tape of her beating, dragging, and kicking a terrified 13 year-old …

After the teacher, her attorney, and the host viewed the tape, the teacher correctly acknowledged there was nothing that could ever justify her actions… “Exactly” I thought, before wondering why she’d even come on the show…

And then I knew. After claiming her adrenaline was high because of a prior incident, she got back to her classroom to find the door locked and a group of children circling a recent transfer and special-needs student… She said the children – the boy in particular — were standing around the student in a “threatening” way and that they were all African Americans with prior court issues and that the special needs student was white…

Wow… guess the teacher and her white attorney thought that was a pretty important point… So important, they wanted to say it on international TV although they already admitted there was no justification for assaulting the boy…

I guess it didn’t matter that the teacher wasn’t protecting the student at that point since the boy she was beating was cowering in a corner in fear …

I guess the whole purpose of her interview was to appeal to white America and to show how she was standing up for one of theirs …’

What other purpose could there have been for her TV appearance…? Why mention the race of the students at all?

Is it horrible that any young student can be taunted by others? Definitely.

But when an adult, and a teacher no less, totally loses it, repeatedly assaults a child cowering in front of her, and then appeals to the court of public opinion on the implicit basis that a white child’s trauma at the hands of African Americans is somehow worse than the opposite, that’s beyond belief…

And that teacher should be held accountable in both a court of law and in the court of public opinion…

I leave you with this: “What is done to children, is what they will do to society.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in love and hope and you are listening to the TJMS at its Best.

admin Abuse, Public School, Texas

Good morning Tom, Sybil, and Jay and welcome back!

Well Tom, international events are at center stage once again with the recent and tragic attack on several ships on a humanitarian relief mission to Gaza by the Israeli military.

The international community is up in arms, as it should be, because the attack resulted in the death of at least 10 civilian aid workers with many more wounded and the ship was carrying aid to those in need in Gaza when attacked.

But Tom, I’m going to take a step back today and offer a different perspective on the whole situation.

We’ve seen such violent scenarios enacted over and over again with Israeli-Palestinian relations in the region we’ve come to know as the Middle East…

…it seems like the troubles there are as old as time and never-ending…

But regardless of the politics or history of these conflicts –and regardless of what labels we choose to apply – be it claims of “aggression” or “terrorism” – once again, men, women and babies are needlessly dying, being injured, being displaced or generally having their lives turned upside down…

And in a lot of cases, many of the lives lost, lives the news so sterilely refers to as “casualties” – as if there was something casual about losing a loved one — had nothing to do with the politics that brought the situation about in the first place…

So, with all of this conflict and death –and in light of this most recent loss of lives in the region – how can we push for peace in a way that makes sense and recognizes the common humanity of Palestinians and Israelis…?

Well, on one basic level, there is a fairly simple answer: We act on it.

That’s right… we act on the principle of our common and shared humanity despite our differences…

Let me give you an example, one that literally shows us how folks can recognize each others’ humanity while acting to change the world…

There is an organization located in Israel called Peace Child Israel that, over the past two decades, has promoted peaceful coexistence using theater and the arts for Palestinian and Jewish teens…

While they are taught about democratic values, tolerance and mutual respect, Palestinian and Jewish teens also work together to create original dramas about coexistence … The plays are performed, both in Arabic and Hebrew, for family, friends and the public at-large …

Peace Child Israel has continued its work for 22 years despite the ongoing politics and violence that continues to affect the lives of its young participants…

The program is currently run by Melisse Boskovich, a former Israeli extremist who now is only extreme in her desire for Arabs and Jews to coexist and live together peacefully …

In practice, Sybil, it means that a facilitator, along with Boskovich, sits in a room with a group of Arab and Jewish teenagers and gets them to talk about their prejudices, fears and hopes before they work on a production together…

Critical thinking, non-violent communication, and listening skills are reinforced as participants get trained in conflict resolution, issues of equality, and cultural differences…

So it’s a program that uses art that, hopefully, will one day have a positive impact on the art of politics and, in turn, prevent, of course, the art of war…

And its lessons, Jay, go beyond the theater, and even beyond Israeli-Palestinian relations…

For no matter how bad things get – no matter how many people die needlessly whether in war, terrorism or on a ship bearing aid for people in need—there is still no substitute for getting people in the same room to engage in dialogue and interact with one another constructively…

You can learn more about Peace Child Israel at mideastweb.org/peacechild

Akbar Ahmed, a college professor and former Pakistani diplomat, puts it best:

“Dialogue by itself is empty… But dialogue that leads to understanding leads to the idea of actually getting to know each other… When people become friends, they don’t think of blowing themselves up and killing each other. They are prepared to make compromises, to change, to accommodate.”

Until Next Time, this is Stephanie in Love and Hope.

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