2008 black history theme: carter g. woodson and...

Volume 10, Number V October 2007 Curriculum and Instruction, Social Sciences

Inside this Issue

Dr. Robert B. Ingram Scholarship 2

Life of Dr. Robert B. Ingram 3

Africando 2007 4

Finding Oprah’s Roots 5

The ASIWAJU Project 6

Summer Heat 2007 7

2007—2008 Competitions 8

African American History – Goals for 2007-2008

By John R. Doyle, Administrative Director

Curriculum and Instruction, Social Sciences

Staff in Curriculum and Instruction, Social Sciences, is proud of its ongoing efforts to support the State and District mandated study of African American history. We recognize that our efforts are but a part of the broader commit-ment to bringing African American history to all of our students in the Dis-trict. Special thanks must go to the many administrators, teachers, media specialists, African American History Advocates, and community members who have worked to ensure that African American history is implemented successfully in all Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Your efforts and dedication are needed and greatly appreciated. To support your commitment of time, energy, and talent, Social Sciences will continue to provide leader-ship and support for the African American history instructional requirement, while also promoting the District’s primary goal - improved student literacy and achievement.

Social Sciences is quickly moving forward with plans for 2007-2008 that include workshops for teachers, academic competitions for students, and a variety of co-curricular programs to support the African American history requirement. New instructional materials have been developed to support instruction in African American history. These materials are being edited for distribution across the District. Specific goals to support African American history in 2007-2008 are outlined below.

Provide instructional support for African American History Advocates and classroom teachers;

Provide workshops for African American History Advocates, teachers, media specialists, and administrators to support required in-struction in African American history, while also emphasizing literacy and improved student achievement;

Develop new instructional materials to support instruction in African American history;

Publish The Griot, the African American history newsletter; and Provide electronic updates and information to African American History

Advocates on resources and programs. To request assistance or additional information on African American history, please contact me or any other staff member in Social Sciences at 305-995-1982. Again, thank you for your support and have a successful school year!

2008 Black History Theme: Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of

Multiculturalism

FOR TEACHERS WHO LOVE AND INSTRUCT OUR CHILDREN

A Legacy of Service

The Honorable School Board Member Robert B. Ingram, Ph.D. served as School Board District #1 representative and as a Full-Professor and Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs at Florida Memorial University.

Dr. Ingram was the former Mayor of Opa-Locka and the former President of the National Conference of Black Mayors. Dr. Ingram came to the table of academic excellence with the patient understanding of a pastor, the political knowledge of a government leader, the theoretical wisdom of a professor, and the assurance of an administrator.

As a School Board Member, Dr. Ingram was the representative of a district encompassing 1,205,813,284 square feet with 52 schools and 43,663 students. He chaired the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Program and served on the Value Adjustment Board.

Before his most recent assignment, Dr. Ingram was Chairperson of the Extension and Continuing Education Division at Florida Memorial University. Dr. Ingram’s responsibilities at that time included development of the Division’s Interdiscipli-nary Degree program. Additionally, he developed the Credit for Life Experience Program along with an innovative pro-gram funded by the DeWitt Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund to assist highly motivated paraprofessionals earn their Bache-lor’s Degree in Education.

Dr. Ingram’s strong academic credentials included a Ph.D. in Applied Behavioral Science, from Union Institute, Cincin-nati, Ohio, a Master in Administration and Supervision of Adult Education and Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Jus-tice both from Florida International University, Miami, Florida.

Evidencing a strong ability to work within complex organizations, Dr. Ingram was a positive force in fostering positive race relations, becoming the first African-American police officer to be assigned to the all-white section of downtown Miami. He was also the first African-American police officer to be assigned to Miami’s prestigious Motorcycle Unit and then later to the Imposing Internal Security Unit (the unit that investigated complaints of police wrongdoing).

Dr. Ingram was the first African-American police officer to retire from the Miami Police Department and become Chief of an Urban Police Department (in the city of Opa-Locka) and he was the first African American City Manager of South Miami, Florida.

Possessing the demonstrated ability to maintain and strengthen relationships with a wide range of constituencies, Dr. Ingram was appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute of Non-Violence where he served as Chair. Additionally, he was a member of Miami Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, Sigma Pi Phi, Alpha Rho Boule Fraternities; Dade County Performing Arts Trust, Salvation Army, Boy Scouts of America, and the N.A.A.C.P.

An often heralded community servant, Dr. Ingram was the recipient of over five hundred awards. Among them is the Peace and Unity Award from the St. Martin de Pores Association; awards from the United States Justice Department Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service for Outstanding Community Service.

Further, Dr. Ingram received, from the Metro-Dade Community Action Agency, the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award; he was also the recipient of the Living Legend Award from the W.J. Redmond Christian Academy (for thirty years of community service); and the Richard G. Hatcher Outstanding Mayor Award by the National Conference of Black May-ors for outstanding and dedicated service.

Dr. Ingram was also the recipient of the first President’s Achievement Award for outstanding and dedicated service at Florida Memorial University. He was honored by the Union Institute as the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. He re-ceived an award from the Cuban Doctors in Education for Outstanding Contributions to Education. Dr. Ingram was hon-ored as an Outstanding Graduate from every college and university he attended. Recently, Dr. Ingram received an hon-orary Doctor of Divinity degree from Smith Chapel College, Tallahassee, Florida.

Dr. Ingram was the subject of numerous articles in magazines such as Jet, Cosmopolitan, and Reader’s Digest. He was also featured in the October/November ’95 issue of African Profiles International, the September ’83 edition of Ebony magazine, and was on the cover of the June-September ’89 issue of Southern Dawn magazine. He was also listed in the May ’95 issue of Ebony as one of the 100 Plus Most Influential Blacks in America.

The Life of Dr. Robert B. Ingram FOR TEACHERS WHO LOVE AND INSTRUCT OUR CHILDREN

10th Annual Conference Bridges Gaps

The theme for this year’s AfriCANDO confer-ence, organized by the Foundation for De-mocracy in Africa, centered on recent trends in trade and development for the African con-tinent. A variety of approaches were ana-lyzed and discussed by professors and com-munity leaders who served as speakers and panelists. Delivering the inaugural address was former Director General of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, emphasizing the need for a people to have a strong knowledge of their own history in order to move forward in unity. In regards to strategies to develop Africa into modernity, most panelists concluded that the western model does not benefit Africa as a whole, as it conflicts with the traditional val-ues of its people. It was emphasized how the rapid development of technology (televisions, computers, cell phones) is inter-fering with the respectful relationships be-tween youth and their elders and, much worse, fueling deadly wars in countries such

as the Kongo. In the area of education, it was discussed how the major gaps be-tween the needs of the global economy and local economies in Africa need to be narrowed, mirroring the problems inner-city schools and communities experience in the United States in relation to stan-dardized testing and maintaining a com-petitive edge in the areas of math and science. Especially notable was the youth panel, in which students from Carol City Senior High School had the opportunity to dialogue with educational leaders about the need for peoples of African descent all over the world to maintain a strong level of consciousness over global economic, technological and health trends so that they can effect posi-tive change for their communities.

By Antonio Ugalde


In January, PBS aired Henry Louis Gates, Jr., new documentary film, “Oprah’s Roots, “ in which Dr. Gates traced Oprah Winfrey’s ancestry back to slavery, and then, using sophisti-cated DNA analysis, traced Oprah back to Africa. The film was critically ac-claimed, and generated an

audience of four million viewers. At the same time, Dr. Gates published a book, Finding Oprah’s Roots, Finding Your Own, to explain how African Americans can undertake for themselves the fascinating process of tracing their ancestry using genealogy and genetic analysis.

Thanks to the generosity of a philanthropist, Dr. Gates, a W. E. B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities and the Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University, will be sharing the book, Finding Oprah’s Roots, Finding Your Own, and the DVD of the PBS program with every secondary school in our District.

Dr. Gates’ latest book Finding Oprah’s Roots, will be available in all secondary school media centers in the near future, We are patiently awaiting the arrival of the materials in the Of-fice of Curriculum and Instruction, Social Sci-ences.

Professor Gates is Editor-in-Chief of the Ox-ford African American Studies Center, the first comprehensive scholarly online resource in the field of African American Studies and Afri-cana Studies. He is co-editor with K. Anthony Appiah of the encyclopedia Encarta Africana published on CD-ROM by Microsoft (1999), and in book form by Basic Civitas Books un-der the title Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience (1999). His most recent books are America Behind the Color Line: Dialogues with African Americans (Warner Books, 2004), African

American Lives, co-edited with Evelyn Brooks H i g g i n b o th a m (Oxford, 2004), and The Anno-ta ted Unc le Tom's Cabin, edited with Hollis Robbins (W. W. Norton, 2006).

In 2006, Profes-sor Gates wrote and produced the PBS documentary also called "African American Lives," the first documentary series to employ genealogy and science to provide an understanding of African American his-tory. He also wrote and produced the docu-mentaries "Wonders of the African World" (2000) and "America Beyond the Color Line" (2004) for BBC and PBS, and authored the companion volumes to both series. Professor Gates is currently at work on a sequel to "African American Lives."

Professor Gates is also the author of several works of literary criticism, including Figures in Black: Words, Signs and the "Racial" Self (Oxford University Press, 1987); and The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of Afro-American Literary Criticism (Oxford, 1988), winner of the American Book Award in 1989. He authenticated and facilitated the publica-tion, in 2002, of The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts, the only known novel by a female African American slave and possibly the first novel by an African American woman. He is the co-author, with Cornel West, of The Future of the Race (Knopf, 1996), and the author of a memoir, Colored People (Knopf, 1994), that traces his child-hood experiences in a small West Virginia town in the 1950s and 1960s.

Finding bÑÜt{Ëá Roots Coming soon to your school!



In a joint effort between Curriculum and Instruction, Social Sci-ences, Supervisor Sherrilyn Scott and Marie-Odile Val Com-munity Outreach & Grant Coordinator of Florida International University, African New World Studies a new program, ASI-WAJU will be implemented.

The word ASIWAJU is a Yoruban word meaning “pioneer” or “the one who opens paths.” The ASIWAJU educational outreach project has been developed by the Brazz Dance Theater and plans are being made to implement the ASIWAJU pro-ject, in January 2008 at Miami Carol City senior and Booker T. Washington senior high schools.

The Brazz Dance Theater aims to promote the production of dance as a form of art by bringing cultural and artistic awareness to the community through dance con-certs, classes, and workshops. Their belief in the arts, particularly dance, is fun, inspiring, and is designed to allow students to experience a positive transformation and journey in their lives.

The “ASIWAJU” mission states that, “we hope to start the process of opening path-ways into the arts for students who may not otherwise have that opportunity.”

The flexible program model is a 12-week residency and students will focus on Afro-Brazilian techniques twice a week. Classes are free of charge to students.

The program is designed to have a direct impact on the community as it builds an awareness and appreciation for dance that might not otherwise be available to stu-dents.

The ASIWAJU project will have particular relevance to students because Afro-Brazilian dance speaks of the empowerment of a people, community effort, and the power to bring forth a positive attitude towards life. All of these concepts and val-ues are especially important for young generations to experience.

In addition, through the ASIWAJU project, the students will have the experience of participating in classes, interacting, and performing with professional dance artists.

Students that participate in the ASIWAJU project will gain an appreciation of dance as a form of art and expression and will be offered a stimulating learning environ-ment by interacting in a diverse peer group.

Congratulations Miami Carol City Senior High School and Booker T. Washington

Senior High School!

The ASIWAJU Project

South Florida’s Transnational Childhoods:

Integrating African Diasporas across the Curriculum

The Transnational: Inte-grating African Diaspo-ras across the Curricu-lum Teacher Institute was held at Florida Inter-national University, June 11 — June 15, 2007. Dr. Sarah J. Mahler, Director of the Center for Trans-national and Compara-tive Studies welcomed t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s . Throughout the institute, several scholars pre-sented. The presenters were, Dr. Jean Rahier, S o c i o l o -gist/Anthropologist, pre-sented “Exploring Afri-can Diasporas: A Theo-retical Introduction”; Dr. Terry Rey, Department of Religious Studies,

The workshops were a huge success and received glowing reviews from all that attended.

Kudos to all that participated and presented. The workshops on Multicultural Education were a hit with lessons that emphasized geography, literacy, history, physical education, art, and math. They were developed and presented by four outstanding M-DCPS educators:

• Ania Amat, M. A. Milam Elementary

• Theresa Fletcher, Herbert A. Ammons Middle

• Santrell King-Elston, Kensington Park Elemen-tary

• Antonio Ugalde, Booker T. Washington Senior

Thank you all for a job well done!


Temple University pre-sented “The South Flor-ida African Diaspora for the Senses” and con-ducted a field experi-ence; and Dr. Augusto Soledade, Department of Dance, Florida Inter-national University who instructed participants on performing Diaspo-ras. The institute was extremely informative and well received by teachers. Keep your eyes and ears open for updates and informa-tion on the next Trans-national Childhoods teacher institute.

Through out the year, M-DCPS in conjunction with Florida International University and the University of

Miami, offers various workshops and insti-tutes for teachers. The purpose of the insti-tutes and workshops is to provide teachers with an interdiscipli-nary curriculum enrich-ment program de-signed to supplement the Competency-Based Curriculum.

This year, during M-DCPS 2007 Summer Heat workshops, Curriculum and Instruction, Social Sci-ences, offered various workshops for teachers.

THE SCHOOL BOARD OF

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA

Mr. Agustin J. Barrera, Chair

Dr. Martin Karp, Vice-Chair

Mr. Renier Diaz de la Portilla

Ms. Evelyn Langlieb Greer

Ms. Perla Tabares Hantman

Dr. Robert B. Ingram

Ms. Ana Rivas Logan

Dr. Marta Pérez

Dr. Solomon C. Stinson

Rudolph F. Crew, Ed.D, Superintendent of Schools

The GRIOT Editorial Board Sherrilyn Scott, Editor, Curriculum and Instruction Supervisor

Timothy A. Barber, The Black Archives

John Doyle, Administrative Director, Social Sciences

Dr. Stephanie Lee-Harris, Teacher, Golden Glades Elementary

Lula M. Longley, Teacher, Liberty City Elementary

Thirlee Smith, Jr., Retired Instructional Support Specialist, AAH

Peter Ho Tung, Instructional Support Specialist

Dr. Geneva K. Woodard, Associate Superintendent, Office of School Improvement Zone

The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, adheres to a policy ofnondiscrimination in employment and educational programs/activities andprograms/activities receiving Federal financial assistance from the Departmentof Education, and strives affirmatively to provide equal opportunity for all asrequired by: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – prohibits discrimination on the basis ofrace, color, religion, or national origin. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – as amended – prohibits discriminationin employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, or national origin. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 – prohibits discrimination inemployment on the basis of gender. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), as amended – prohibitsdiscrimination on the basis of age with respect to individuals who are at least 40. The Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended – prohibits sex discrimination in paymentof wages to women and men performing substantially equal work in the sameestablishment. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 – prohibits discrimination againstthe disabled. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) – prohibits discrimination againstindividuals with disabilities in employment, public services, publicaccommodations and telecommunications. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) – requires coveredemployers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to “eligible”employees for certain family and medical reasons. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 – prohibits discrimination inemployment on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Florida Educational Equity Act (FEEA) – prohibits discrimination on the basis ofrace, gender, national origin, marital status, or handicap against a student oremployee. Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 – secures for all individuals within the statefreedom from discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin,age, handicap, or marital status. School Board Rules 6Gx13-4A-1.01, 6Gx13-4A-1.32, and 6Gx13-5D-1.10 –prohibit harassment and/or discrimination against a student or employee on thebasis of gender, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, political beliefs,marital status, age, sexual orientation, social and family background, linguisticpreference, pregnancy, or disability.


Black History Essay Contest • February 2008

Griot Newsletter (Release Dates)

• October 2007 • January 2008

• April 2008

African American Read-in Chain • Monday, February 4, 2008

Black History & Culture Brain Bowl • Coaches meeting October 26, 2007

• Register your team today!

Theodore Gibson Project • November 2007– May 2008

2008 Black History Theme: Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of Multiculturalism

2008 black history theme: carter g. woodson and...

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