Say Brother; Black Youth and Education; 7

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brothers and sisters Welcome to say brother I'm Jim Sproule your host for the show. Again tonight we will take a look at the events activities and talents in our community. Say brother We'll bring you the melodic blues sound of lovely Wendy Michaels

news and commentary will be presented by Jacqueline banks. Teenagers do it Thomas we'll report on one of Boston's first African weddings. Sarah and Shaw and guests will discuss the positive steps being taken toward ensuring better education for all children and jazz group. The stark reality is featured in their original composition acting thinking and feeling. Say brother now introduces songstress. When Michael's with ten cents a dance take Sin City. Yes that's what they pay me. How they pay me

10 cents a day. Pansy's rough guy as my guy. 7 to midnight. I need you. I'll leave the saxophone. Love you. I'm nice having my to my mind. Sometimes I

sound like it's a queen. Now a song that you need is to get my 10 cents. Day by day Xanterra plays a role. Say it can pay attention to. Want to read I swear I look at me

I know I know what I don't. I I you know I it I really take it. I just come out

Oh I do I love like when Michael will be seeing more of her later in the show. But let's turn now to our community news with Jacqueline banks sitting in this week while Brian Rollins vacations in Jamaica the annual Black Power conference began today in Philadelphia with the theme for black people only this year's conference which is being held at the Church of the Advocate promises to be the largest attended so far. And Boston will be well represented thanks to the efforts of our brothers Corps and the United Front the United Front voted to let Corps handle the preparations for the four day meeting Abbas appropriately painted

all black list purchased to take 46 brothers and sisters from the Corps office on Blue Hill Avenue to Philadelphia this morning several station wagons and another bus will leave from the Corps office on Friday midnight. This transportation will be provided for brothers and sisters who were not able to leave town this morning. The fare $15 round trip. It is also expected that a large number of our Spanish speaking brothers and sisters who attend this year's conference the official delegates from Boston are John Young of course. Chuck Turner and Ted Edmond's from the United Front. It's still not too late to attend the black power conference. The conference is for us and we must lend our support and all available help. Black students at colleges and universities in the Boston area are getting themselves together to orient incoming black freshmen and transfer students to the

college scene. Plans are well underway at Northeastern B you Tuffs Harburg. For orientation week activities the northeastern Afro society will start their activities with a picnic on Sunday September 9th for approximately 100 black students on Tuesday morning. The United Front announced that as of that date all funds from the United Front would be deposited in the unity Bank the first deposit made on Tuesday totaled over $150000. Making the presentation to the bank where John Young Chuck Turner and Leroy Boston on Monday afternoon shortly after 2:00 p.m.. Several community agencies received calls from the mothers for adequate welfare informing the organizations that representatives for the mothers were en route to the main building

of the welfare department on Hawkins street. Upon their arrival at the Hawken Street building the mothers and young children were bombarded with rocks tomatoes and other debris by construction workers across the street. The alarm went out through the black community agencies and within a few minutes members of youth Alliance Corps the black panthers Niekro and Porro Afro had converged on the scene when the construction workers saw the turnout from the community. They immediately went back to their building privater members of the community agencies then challenged the police who had been present all through the confrontation as to whether the offenders would be apprehended. The police department said they had no proof of the violaters identity and therefore no arrest would be made even though a local television station had taken pictures throughout the entire demonstration. There was still not

enough evidence for the police today. No one has been taken into custody. The question still remains whether members of the black community should be forced to respect a police department that offers us no protection. The construction of the Warren Gardens apartments has been a constant source of trouble to the black community for over a year because of its poor construction and lack of normal facilities that would be included in all other apartment buildings. Five months ago acting on behalf of the Roxbury Community United Front presented a list of demands to the Beacon redevelopment company and ostensibly a nonprofit organization that obtained four and one half million dollars from the United States government to build in Roxbury. The list of demands included construction of fire escapes our fire exits. Removal of floor level windows as high

as three stories to prevent possible injury or even death to small children. And when it was discovered that the second and third floors had been damaged from a fire that started on the first floor it was demanded that fire doors be installed on each floor. Other demands were the placement of metal stripping from the foundation to 12 inches above the foundation. Is it proper to prevent rats from entering the building. Replacement of the present would awnings outside the building to fireproof metal and adequate maintenance and janitorial staffs. The builders refuse to accept any of these demands until pressure was put on them last week. People from the community marched on Lauren gardens close to it and seen construction workers home until an arbitration board could be set up. The board was formed and Baycon redevelopment finally agreed to meet the demands put before them. The builders

have agreed that in order to get men to work on the upkeep of the building they will abide by federal regulations and employ members of the hard core community first. If there are not enough skilled workers available those persons jobs will be placed in apprenticeship programs until they become trained. This is Jacqueline banks reporting the save rather this special note was handed to me just before airtime. Again this black community has been violated again. A black brother has suffered at the hands of the oppressor. Early Thursday morning a young black student who has been closely associated with the black panther party was shot while walking down Warren Street. His assailants were young white boys driving a white car having walked to a friend's house who was not at home. The brother continued to walk to the corner of

Intervale in blue hill Avenue where he encountered two other brothers who helped him and took him to the hospital. There was a contradiction in the fact that a man is subject to the violence of an outsider in his own community. But then this condition has always existed in the ghetto. It is the essence of racism. The unique aspect of this incident lies in the fact that all the contradictions of racism have been heightened to the point where a black man is not yet truly safe on the streets of his own community at any time whether during a rebellion or during periods of relative peace. One is forced to ask the question of himself. Is revolution really possible inside the melting pot blues. Is the music of old people blues and old black men can really get into a thing together.

Let's dig at the Blues and the old blend naturally into that thing. So you know. Donny but I've got to say that. You're. Sorry. I. But I've. Got to. See you.

Well. I don't see. That. Is. One. Of. The. Questions. No matter. What time. The. You know mom says. No. So. She said. Oh.

No. No we see you. Keep. Your word and turn around. No. Why not keep on thinking about my. Dad. We've been here. And we. Never.

Knew. Where. We were driving. Down the street. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. Whoa. That's. Why. You. Say brothers teenage reporters Stuart Thomas stays in isn't groovy things

Stu. Tell us about the happenings in and around the town. Well Jim first off I'd like to introduce my guest tonight. Her name is an awesome name Smith and last Saturday night when I went to what we think was a very unusual wedding and I thought I'd invite him to give you a young black ones view of the wedding. It was one of the first African ceremonial weddings ever to be held in Boston. Just about everything was different unusual and beautiful. For instance the wedding march was a love supreme by John Coltrane. The first thing I noticed was the ashes instead of tuxedos or tails. Yes just had on goal shirts and as we were strolling in probably behind our brothers we heard no dry pianos of violins I heard the African jazz sound a few message killer. Bride was dressed in an African gown made of white and soaked taffeta. I was told she made it herself to match the dress she wore headdress silver shoes and white stockings.

The groom were a naval suit and sandals. The bridesmaids were African gowns and headdresses similar to the brackets. When the ceremony began the bridesmaids led the march down the aisle. Making on a rocker. On a new crisp white cop. The body of the ceremony went much like traditional American weddings and style but the sermon was directly related to the problems a young black couple of faces in today's world. And the vows of bride and groom will not only love to honor want to know them but to live in accordance with the new principles of blackness established today. And to bring up their children to have black pride and respect for the blackness. Those were some of the things that I saw in the woods and not like they asked me to give you her impressions I feel this wedding gone a great happiness to me as a

black person a feeling of great strength and pride going to me as I was the union of Jackie Octavius knowing the couple as I do. I know they have a great deal of pride and love one another and fly race. Their marriage showed a complete readiness and acceptance for each other and a part of our race is true heritage. I know that they are ready to give. Their children all the things that were denied them in the way of black pride history and heritage. I can truly say that I feel the strength in our race growing. In wedding is the most important part. The acceptance for one another and I'll raise. The beauty and the strength that it has I feel that people are realizing unity is the most important thing that we have as a people.

This type of marriage is a new start. Of black unity. Where black children of tomorrow will not be denied what their parents had. In the aspect the black is truly beautiful. I think now as a special tribute to the newlyweds I will read a few words that a sister wrote to them which expresses the same feeling that I have. Here are two beautiful black people. They all found each other's beauty. This union will be a beautiful one. It will flourish and grow. Your children will be fortunate very fortunate for they will not have to search for their identity as we do. You'll be there to teach them and live in peace. Well Jim that's all we have for tonight. Stay brother for young man about. Years. Now say brother brings back to the spotlight blues singing sister Gwen Michaels with a beautiful lover and title. All. Please.

See the score. Do. I. See. I do know you. Oh she is he. Do you see. Me.

I. Saw she do they. Pay. To. You. Yes. I. Do. I. Really like it's like a first lady. All I see. I.

Do. I guess. I can switch my baby. Oh. I see. I. Do. I. I. See. We not.

Oh. She. It's. You. Sarah and she keeps on top of what's happening in community affairs tonight she and her guests will discuss some of the efforts being made inside and outside the Boston education system. Now large cities are now and have been in some type of crisis about the educational system. Overcrowded classrooms a shortage of teachers teaching methods the need for a new curriculum particularly Afro-American history and the burning issue of community control.

All of these things are pieces of a puzzle that keep changing. With me tonight to discuss the educational system in Boston particularly as it relates to black children are Jean McGuire a Roxbury resident the only black pupil adjustment counselor in the Boston Public Schools General Hill. Another black teacher nominee for interim project director for the king Tumulty coalition Francine Mills director of a vocational education program for Operation Exodus. John Jackson another black teacher who has been involved in the experimental work study program of the Boston public schools. And Patricia Rhyner. A parent and a worker with the parent education committee as a result of programs that have been operated this summer and plans are being made for the

next school year. What kinds of things can our black children expect when they go back to school in the fall for the coming school year. Well I would like to start by saying. The community. As we know it. And. And change. I'm speaking now basically all of the things that could come about in September. As you know. The time of the king coalition has been working for the last seven eight months trying to bring together what I believe is one of the best efforts put forward by the Boston school system. But you know we're now at an impasse over the black principal question. What has this been done. Well we've we've been working. Parents For the first time now parents teachers administrators. Business people community people who have been working to put together a program which would benefit the children in what way. Well we've planned after school

enrichment programs involving teacher aid. Raina is one of the people who have been involved in the work and they are in the institute this summer to come into the school. To help sensitize not only white teachers but some black teachers to the problems of Roxburgh. This is very important. But the issue now revolves around the black principal. And whether we will have one September 4th and these two schools. As I said earlier this is the first time. And then I know that after eight years of teaching the Boston school system I'm sure Jeanne can bear me out that parents have been actively involved. And now. The chances are that this program will not. Come into being because the superintendent schools. Says that. Maybe next year. This is what he's in for. I mean as of September

4th. They will probably be no black principals in the school. We met this morning with him three and a half hours with the whole council. Now the council is made up of. Parents from the king and told all the area's. Teachers from these two areas. And. We've worked all summer. On this project. But. I mentioned sensitizing where he teaches the school administration. He had some sensitivity. To the problem in the community relating role models for the kids. Could this program have been a forerunner for similar kinds of programs on elementary school level or even high school level. The overall scope would include elementary school is a three year project. It would include all the feeder school for these two schools. And it's now in jeopardy. And I would. Want parents to be aware of what is going on and hopefully

between now and September 4th we can resolve this issue by principal and we should and hopefully will have black principals in these two schools. Now. The question what if. We don't. This that looming I guess that remains to be seen. What other kinds of things are coming up in education for four kids. One of the real needs in the community has been a. Larger supply of well-trained and as Jerry said sensitive teachers preferably black teachers for our community the institution which trains enhanced training in the past a predominant number of the Boston public school teachers use the state college at Boston which was formerly Boston City Teachers College. Up until this year it has had a very very small number of black students. You can major new education at this college or you can get a bachelor of

arts or better science. However the college is located in Roxbury it has a reasonable tuition and it should be more responsive to the needs of this community. At the. Beginning of the summer a program was started which enrolled about 48 black and white students predominantly black in number in the state college in a program preparing them for entrance in the fall. All the students are now. Full fledged freshmen. We hope out of this number that in four years five years we should have. A considerable number. Perhaps of black teachers entering into the Roxbury Community North Dorchester and in the south end I'm sure that some of them would wish to go into other fields. But this is just the beginning. A college that has almost 4000 students and is very close to rasper in fact in Roxbury should it have perhaps at least fifteen hundred students so that we would be assured of a certain number of teachers coming into the community who are from the community. And we hope.

Perhaps with these students in the college that the administration the faculty will wake up to the community in which they are going up to this point I'd say that Boston State College has had a very peripheral role. And what is actually going on in public education in Boston. Well in terms of teachers does need to teachers how about guidance counselors vocational education. No they're experimental works. Work study programs going on there seemed to be a lot of things going on but still no we keep hearing the same statistics repeated about you know reading levels then no need for sensitising teachers and all this. I mean. Why can't we seem to make as much headway with all these things going on. I think there is a focus on. The realization that there is a definite need for change in the vocational education system as it stands today especially when it applies to the teenagers that are being graduated out of the technical and trade

schools that have no place to go and they're not properly prepared to go into the industry. The technical logical advances they can't cope with them at all. You find. That our black youth are in the street even if they do have a high school diploma because of this lack of preparation to cope with the advancement of this society today. And so there is a crying need to train them and to upgrade the vocational curriculum also. And this is where you're really going to start improving the economic status and you can start in the schools. And I think that industry should play a much larger role or a role they haven't played. They've played a very small role on the East Coast as far as implementing some sort of change in high school vocational curriculum and our students are just being lost in the middle someplace. Now if they take an academic course

and they don't get a scholarship to get into school I'll say they're just an average student. They can't get a job because they're not properly prepared to do anything to go to college and poorly prepared to do that. You find a lot of them coming out of high school and having to scrape up monies to take a two year course in some intermediate college which is continually perpetuating the situation that they were in in the first place. So you get a lot of disgusting young talented youth that their. Minds are being completely. Just undeveloped and they're just being depressed and squashed in the system. And I think that's something definitely can be done about it. I have started a program this summer. Commenced July 15th. Placing 45 views out of the Roxbury North Dorchester area and from the south and I would have liked to been able to place more into vocational programs but however

I got. Just a minimal amount of support. And with that with that I did the best I could. I'd like to see this program grow. I'd like to see some of our black businessmen come into the picture and support the program. I've only been directing my cry for support to the large industries but I think as the United Front. Has done we can get our black businessmen to also back up this effort and make it our own community effort to help our youth advance themselves for the future. Well some of you work inside the school system and some of you work outside the school system. What kinds of things do you hear from parents and from the kids themselves what's their view of the educational system in the city of Boston. We don't hear enough.

From the parents. I think we should hear more. And hopefully this is coming about with the arm of the revolutionary movement has gone on in this country. We need change. Everyone realizes change but change seems to be coming along slowly. That's been part of my job this summer. Getting to the parents and to talk about how they can be involved in the educational process of their children. And we do find out that Louis parents just you know waiting to be ask kind of into the school system because they've had a feeling that they they wouldn't have a voice in any in in anything that their child would be involved in. And I'd like to just hear a little bit up on the Summer Institute where there was 18 community people with 18 teachers to change curriculum and attitudes in the school.

And not that the parents will go in as teachers major aides such like you know monitoring the corridors and things like that. But being actually in the school room being a helpmate to the teacher was good. Working out new curriculums. What about the parents that were uninvolved in our you know an institute this summer as you're going around working. No. What kinds of things do you hear from them as teachers. What kinds of things do the parents express and the kids themselves which is something that needs to be you know there are people that need to be listened to very carefully to in terms of what they're looking for. Well they'd like to have a strong. Parent group. In the school you know involved with you know with the whole school as. An awareness for them to actually know just what. Kind of education. Educational programs are going on and knowing you know being

trying to be as much a part of it as they can. That has been our whole thrust this summer is to try to you know get the parents on the inside of them and make them keep the school doors open and let them know that the school belongs to the community and the community can be involved in it. And the schools haven't had strong parent groups they've had groups that have been manned by the education the administration but not by the parents themselves. One thing that exodus is doing is we have community organizers working out of our office at this time. Right now we started about a month ago to organize parents and they're going door to door knocking on doors and I think this is one sure way of getting parent involvement that is really are over. It's been needed. You know how long it's long overdue. We're awakening the parents to the needs of the students and we're also asking the

organizers to talk to any children that might be in the household because as you mentioned you can get more from the student themselves. And what we try to do is have sort of like roundtable discussions and have meetings and block meetings and try to get out of the student exactly what they'd like to see and they absolutely are disgusted with the system as it is today. And they tell us that all the time are discussed and they they're it because it gives them no incentive and no hope and absolutely no encouragement and fact it almost it almost encourages failure. And they the teachers. There isn't because of the overcrowding and the insensitivity of the teachers. The teachers have no hope either. We're losing a lot of good teachers because of this educational system here and the ones that we have left here with the exception of some have very little interest in the student as a person. And it's and it's more geared toward this disciplinary action

and more as what's happening now. Why are they still in the way. Never they never think about the cause or the home or just what is the problem. You have a student that's in school that's causing trouble. Why if they're not in school they're on the street there is a reason why. And you mentioned counseling before we have to improve the counseling in the schools. Not part time counselors counselors are teachers and counselors. This is a serious problem and youth should be taken seriously on and the youth continue to say that we're not offering them anything. This is a decaying system and they can look all around them in the Midwest and on the West Coast and everywhere and see better systems than we have here in a so-called Athens of the East. What kinds of counseling do they have in this in the school system know what's the extent of the counseling. We have got guidance counselors in high schools. One thing neither one. No I think the average is two to a

class that is two for the 9th to the 10th up through the 12th grade. In most of the junior highs I assume by now there are there is at least one guidance advise our guidance counselors who have not yet been given the status and the pay of guidance counselor and I think this is an era and part of the school system not that I don't think that teachers shouldn't perhaps get the highest paying system I think it ought to be turned down the other way because after all the teacher handles the majority of the children through his or her years of tenure there really is no such thing as elementary guidance. And this is where there needs to be a strong guidance program your guidance load should be somewhere in the area of 100 to 200 pupils per counselor. Now if the injury has more problems it should be even higher. We don't anywhere near approximate that in Boston. There hasn't been that much support for pupil personnel services. Is there any way that parents could perhaps you know get involved in asking for more guidance counselors if there are these kinds of services cost money salaries

in-service training a whole area of elementary guidance is a very important one because this is where reading problems spelling problems behavior problems begin to show up. And this is where they should be nipped in the bud by the time a student gets into junior high and he's faced with puberty and growing up. He has other problems on top of his academic ones and much of the emphasis in the school system will in the future have to be on the early school preschool and the first three grades because by far the most overcrowded grades at this point whether or not a grade is overcrowded depends on the area the school some schools have 30 40 and a first grade. Others have 19 and 20. And some of them in the ghetto. Some of them outside was Roxbury Hyde Park. Other parts of the city. That problem is a scattergun one it's not just in any one area but I think parents don't know until their children get in trouble that they should in fact have some say so after all we are their servants. The school system exists for the education of Boston schoolchildren. And I think this is the overriding factor which needs to be

kept in mind that the administration of the school system the hiring of teachers all this is for the children and nothing else. How can parents and children get more involved. This is why this. Type of program is so important because when we have money federal money coming in to bring about some of these very things we're talking about parent involvement. We have monies for. Community organization. We have money for extra programs that deal with parents. But as I said it is now centered around the principal issue. And we all know we all say we need black role models for kids on the top level. And the principal is the top level project director and assistant project. But the principal. And this is why this program is vital for the system. And by the way this is a second second best program. In the entire country the program the Boston Globe. And this should also try and with the work study. Well I'd like to redirect myself to from a work study. It's one of the

brightest spots in the Boston public schools. It's a dynamic program. Very small. I think how many students a neighborhood of 300 students present. And we hear every new plant now on. Newbury Street which will be entering in September. There are. A representative number of black students in the program. I. Think that. The. Boston. Business community has responded very well to providing jobs and a work experience that's going to be meaningful to the students. What did the students do in this program. Well the students basically attend school on a. Daily basis and also get work experience. And one of the firms. Usually these are large business firms that have. Made some. Provisions to hire to take on these students. And we have direct supervision by

the classroom teacher art teacher who is assigned to a certain number of students. And this is done on a year round basis as opposed to the 9 or 10 month basis that is normally the work time for the Boston Public School teacher they are. Paid throughout the entire summer if the particular business is operating. They have opportunity to gain valuable work experience but they also get a normal diploma upon graduation. So there are opportunities for some small number of work study program like teachers are involved this fall. This is a sore spot. Perhaps. Not. To say answer the question. Well to be. Quite frank I'm the only one. Come September. This is. Perhaps not in my best interest to say why I am not able to justify the.

First small number. At present. But. I would hope to see more and. Black. Teachers in the program. And. Particularly those who are. Able to. Make the transition without any great loss. Thank you all very much for being with us tonight. Now back to the other set Jim spool and the rest of say brother. Now say. Brother. Introduces the new exciting jazz sound. Of the stark reality. Here they are what their original composition acting thinking feeling. Yes.

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c. You. Are closing poetry by Linda Hall. I'm too young. I'm too young. I don't want to die. I want to be famous. I don't want to run. I'm tired of running. I want to walk now. I want to live now. I want to be free. I don't want my face in shame. I want to walk with my head held high. I want to be free. I want to be just as good as the next man. I want to know why. And only they cannot be a full

blown