Archer's Aim on Target
Paul Scott
I don't know if you've seen the old HBO series, "The Wire" but it's about a neighborhood in Baltimore that even the cops are afraid to enter. There are real life 'hoods in Durham that remind you of that series. "The Bottom" is one of them.
If you aren't from Durham you probably only know the area by the names of the streets that often appear in newspapers because of drug arrests and murders, Enterprise St. and Scout Drive.
This is the area where Barry and Carmen Archer have decided to develop a youth program.
"Everywhere I've lived has been a hood," says Barry Archer who moved from Richmond, Indiana to Durham in 2006. While in Indiana, the Archers formed the award winning Barak Source for Learning, a program that focuses on diversity training, conflict resolution and community building.
Three years ago they moved their family of eight to Durham to not only be closer to family but they thought that they could be part of the solution to some of the city's problems.
In 2008, Barry says that he saw a lot of children walking aimlessly around the area of the Southside Community Center so he decided to volunteer to pilot a summer program. So this year, Barak Source for Learning teamed with three associates, Zayd Malik Shakur, Christopher Brown and Kevin Spencer and formed the Advanced Educational Program. They developed a summer curriculum based program at the center that ran from June 22-July 17.
The program served 30 children who showed up at 7:30 every morning just in time for a hot breakfast. Barry said that he asked the young men that hang out on the corner to help provide security for the children.
He also said that he brought in police officers to discuss such hot button issues as police brutality.
"It was an opportunity for the children to feel better about the police and the police to feel better about the children, said Carmen Archer.
"It removed the uniforms because uniforms are gang symbols, too," Barry added.
This is just the beginning for Barak Source for Learning as they will partner with other community organizations this fall to provide conflict resolution and other community services.
While so many people are throwing darts at Durham's youth, it's good to see the Archers are aiming in the right direction.
Barak Source for Learning can be reached at (919) 824-3627 or baraksourceforlearning@yahoo.com
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283
Showing posts with label diversity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diversity. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Saturday, November 29, 2008
First a Black President; Now a Black Jesus
First a Black President; Now a Black Jesus:
Dreamin' of a Black X Mass
Paul Scott
Now that most of America has finally gotten over the fact that in a few weeks the leader of the free world is going to be a black man, I've got a real shocker for y'all and you might wanna sit down for this one...
The man whose birthday that you go in debt celebrating every December 25th...
Well, he was black too!
Not only that. But he was a black man who was baptised by a radical preacher named John the Baptist and hung out with a reformed terrorist named Simon Peter.
So, you might want to get a refund on that new $100 nativity scene that you just brought from WalMart because that pale skinned Christ child laying in the manger in your front yard is, well, an impostor
Since, the last election many white folks have been busy patting themselves on the back bragging about how America has finally become tolerant of all cultures and racism is a thing of the past.
But hypocrisy for most folks goes but so far. And when you start messin' with the traditional image of some one's religious icon, all bets are off!
Traditionally, the image of a caucasian Christ has been as American as apple pie. Whether you, personally, despise the taste, you swallow it anyway. That's the sacrifice of being a patriotic American.
However, with this sudden embrace of diversity, can America finally accept that in all likely-hood, Jesus (Yeshua) probably resembled the new president elect, Barack Obama more so than the 43 presidents before him?
From a geographical standpoint, it would be virtually impossible that a person born in the region of the world commonly known as "the Middle East" courtesy of a man made ditch known as the Suez Canal which separates it from Northeast Africa could have pale skin and not get a terrible sun burn. Also, he could never have hidden in Egypt for so many years, incognito.
Now, we've all heard the much parroted argument that his skin was like an "olive."
(Yeah, but more like one of those black olives that they put on your sandwich at Subway.)
Historically speaking, the image of the blue eyed, blond haired Jesus is the result of artistic license taken by European artists such as Michelangelo who used his family members to pose as Biblical characters. And since Pope Julius II gave the painting a thumbs up, no one questioned it.
But after nearly 500 years, don't you think that it is time to change the traditional image of Christ to one more reflective of historical accuracy than ethnocentric bias ?
For many white folks this is much to do about nuthin'. But your ancestors didn't get brought here by Captain John Hawkins in chains on the "Good Ship Jesus of Lubeck." Neither were you told that your servitude was divinely ordained by the same image that's on the Christmas cards that you get every year.
Now if you are one of those highly intellectual scholars who believes that "Jesus" is simply an esoteric concept that should not be subjected to historical scrutiny, the color of Christ is a moot point.
However, if you are one of those Bible thumpin' Evangelicals who believes that everything in the Bible is the 100% unadulterated word of the Creator, than in 2008, you've got some explaining to do to convince me that Jesus was not a man of color.
Especially, since people have been preaching the Gospel of cultural diversity for the past year. If a predominately white congregation wants to prove their cultural and religious tolerance to me, all the pastor has to do is replace the white fellow with the straight hair above the pulpit with a black man with dreadlocks. Then we can break out the eggnog and sing a soulful rendition of Silent Night, together.
Let's face it. This is a new day in America and now that the Pandora's box of cultural diversity has been pried open, don't be surprised if you start seeing black Jesus figurines popping up all over the place.
So, to all my white Evangelical Christian friends, I leave you with my Hip Hop version of a popular song of the season.
"May your days be merry, not wack"
"And may all your Christmases be black"
Paul Scott "the Hip Hop Truth Minista's" blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Dreamin' of a Black X Mass
Paul Scott
Now that most of America has finally gotten over the fact that in a few weeks the leader of the free world is going to be a black man, I've got a real shocker for y'all and you might wanna sit down for this one...
The man whose birthday that you go in debt celebrating every December 25th...
Well, he was black too!
Not only that. But he was a black man who was baptised by a radical preacher named John the Baptist and hung out with a reformed terrorist named Simon Peter.
So, you might want to get a refund on that new $100 nativity scene that you just brought from WalMart because that pale skinned Christ child laying in the manger in your front yard is, well, an impostor
Since, the last election many white folks have been busy patting themselves on the back bragging about how America has finally become tolerant of all cultures and racism is a thing of the past.
But hypocrisy for most folks goes but so far. And when you start messin' with the traditional image of some one's religious icon, all bets are off!
Traditionally, the image of a caucasian Christ has been as American as apple pie. Whether you, personally, despise the taste, you swallow it anyway. That's the sacrifice of being a patriotic American.
However, with this sudden embrace of diversity, can America finally accept that in all likely-hood, Jesus (Yeshua) probably resembled the new president elect, Barack Obama more so than the 43 presidents before him?
From a geographical standpoint, it would be virtually impossible that a person born in the region of the world commonly known as "the Middle East" courtesy of a man made ditch known as the Suez Canal which separates it from Northeast Africa could have pale skin and not get a terrible sun burn. Also, he could never have hidden in Egypt for so many years, incognito.
Now, we've all heard the much parroted argument that his skin was like an "olive."
(Yeah, but more like one of those black olives that they put on your sandwich at Subway.)
Historically speaking, the image of the blue eyed, blond haired Jesus is the result of artistic license taken by European artists such as Michelangelo who used his family members to pose as Biblical characters. And since Pope Julius II gave the painting a thumbs up, no one questioned it.
But after nearly 500 years, don't you think that it is time to change the traditional image of Christ to one more reflective of historical accuracy than ethnocentric bias ?
For many white folks this is much to do about nuthin'. But your ancestors didn't get brought here by Captain John Hawkins in chains on the "Good Ship Jesus of Lubeck." Neither were you told that your servitude was divinely ordained by the same image that's on the Christmas cards that you get every year.
Now if you are one of those highly intellectual scholars who believes that "Jesus" is simply an esoteric concept that should not be subjected to historical scrutiny, the color of Christ is a moot point.
However, if you are one of those Bible thumpin' Evangelicals who believes that everything in the Bible is the 100% unadulterated word of the Creator, than in 2008, you've got some explaining to do to convince me that Jesus was not a man of color.
Especially, since people have been preaching the Gospel of cultural diversity for the past year. If a predominately white congregation wants to prove their cultural and religious tolerance to me, all the pastor has to do is replace the white fellow with the straight hair above the pulpit with a black man with dreadlocks. Then we can break out the eggnog and sing a soulful rendition of Silent Night, together.
Let's face it. This is a new day in America and now that the Pandora's box of cultural diversity has been pried open, don't be surprised if you start seeing black Jesus figurines popping up all over the place.
So, to all my white Evangelical Christian friends, I leave you with my Hip Hop version of a popular song of the season.
"May your days be merry, not wack"
"And may all your Christmases be black"
Paul Scott "the Hip Hop Truth Minista's" blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com
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