in­
r i ed four
Ingle mother
nd h everal
. gr ndchildren. Yet he
. recently di covered there
. ere 10 of thing bout
bein a p rent he h d
never thought bout.
For ex mple, he y,
he h d never realized ho
import nt it i to e adult
I n u ge' te d of b by
t I wi th m n children 0
tbey le rn ood
vocabulary.
nd there i
I' of nickname .
people often u e nic -
. n me for our children tb t
cut them down,"
" John on.
What got John on think-
.. in bout the e thing i
- the Black Parenting
" Ed ucatio n Program
, (BPEP) in Minneapolis.
.f Dr. Ger Idine Carter.
founder and director of the
. Survival Skills In titute in
Minneapoli , developed
. • the program three years
ago to help BI ck p rent
ri e children who are
happy, elf-confident, and
prepared to learn.
JOHNSON SAYS the
BPEP program not only
opens doors of unde�
standing but give parent
upport and encourage­
ment as they struggle to
rai e their children under
difficult condition.
Every Monday night for
19 weeks a group of eight
to twelve parent a well a
mother -gather at their
church from ix until nine
to talk about rai ing
children. Many churche
provide chi Id care so
parents can bring their
children along.
Trained church mem­
ber like Johnson teach the
lessons and lead the dis­
cussions. The group fol­
lows a course of study that
includes information about
w hat children can do and
what they. need in order to
develop properly at each
tage from birth to ix.
"It's a matter of aware­
ness," says Johnson. "The
course gets us to think
about what we're u ed to
doing without thinking."
For example, says
Johnson, most parents
haven't thought about
using feeding time to give
children attention and af­
fection.
Especially if parents are
tired, she says, the
temptation i to put me
food in front of the child
and go turn on the TV.
"But in the course, we
talk about how important it
is to make feeding a time
of teaching and love,
whatever the child's age."
JOHNSON SAYS
, parents change their be­
t havior toward their
,
, children a they learn more
: about why their children as
: real little people who need
: to be treated with re pect,"
• says Johnson.
Relevant Education
Corporation at 4665 South
4th St. in Arlington, Vir­
ginia, i distributing the
material and conducting
train-the-trainer
work hops. Here i an op­
portunity for churches in
� every community to do
omething concrete to help
strengthen Black families
4 and Black neighborhoods.
Marian Wright Edelman
, is president 0/ the
Children's Defens« Fund,
a national voice lor
children.
DETROIT
PRAISING GOD- Bert-Anthony and Michele Mundy believe
younl mini ter are more In tune with today' youth. They
eneoura e youth participation and they aid," Jesu i the head of
our life." (Pboto by N. Scott)
Couple believes
youth need churches
DBTROIT- It has been said,
the youth are the "life-blood of
our existence." Without a doubt,
seasons have their appointed
time; moments when the bud,
the blossom and the withering
tages of life flourishes, and the
old gives way to the new.
The Mundys, Bert-Anthony,
26, and Michele, 24, said, "Jesus
is the head of our life; the church
is a resource." ,
Bert-Anthony is a hair stylist
and Michele an accountant at Al­
phai of Michigan, located in
Wan Lake.
Michele said the young
Blacks who are in the church
should reach out to their peers
and Bert-Anthony feels that the
youth have to be in the church
for anything effective to happen.
"There is only so far that I can
grow spirit\:lally by myself,"
Bert-Anthony said. "It would be
hard to make it in thi world
without Jesus."
Michele" unlike Bert-An­
thony, did n' t grow up in the
church, as Blacks are fond of
saying.
"The church was (is) some-
thing the Lord put on my heart
later on in life," she said. "I
would say (to the youth), try
Je us. Listen. Come to church.
Read. You will be surprised at
what you can learn."
Michele doesn't believe the
Black church is reaching the
youth because, she said, "(If
they were) there wouldn't be so
much going on."
The Mundys feel the younger
ministers are more in tune with
today's youth than the. older
ministers. And they encourage
. the youth to become involved; to
reach out to their peers. .
Bert-Anthony said, "I' don't
have a problem with the way
other people worship and I don't
think any person should judge
another. "
Michele agreed with tho e
entiments and added: "I believe
there is one God; one Bible,"
and nodded in agreement as
Bert-Anthony said, "Having
been in the world, I've come to
the realization that nothing in
this world i worth dying for.
There are plenty of mansions in
Heaven and Hell is for ever."
AKA focus on' Leadership
CHICAGO, IL. - Sessions on
leadership training and develop­
ment will dominate biennial
leader hip seminar of Alpha
Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority
July 18-21 in Chicago.
Special features will include
a keynote addres by IlUnoi At­
torney General Roland Burris,
the' pre entation of AKA' first
Peace and Ju tice Award , and a
Black women's surviv I walk.
Work hops on chapter opera­
tion and a forum on the cri e
of the 1990·s are al 0 scheduled.
The leadership training es­
. lions are de Igned to help AKA
officers develop the skills and
under tanding nece sary to
function effectively as leaders,
said AKA international presi­
dent Mary Shy Scott of Atlanta.
"An organization's effective­
nes i directly tied to its leader-
hip," Mr . Scott said.
Style, time management,
decision making, and conflict
management are among the
leadership trategies covered.
Follow hip and partnership are
al 0 examined.
The inaugural Peace and Ju - •
lice Award , which will become
an nnual event, will recognize
three individu I 'who have di -
tingui hed themselve in the
areas of law, media, and interna­
tional relation.
Mike Adams, teel wor er,
i 30. He aid, "The church don't
h ve nothing for me. They can't
••
•
ec
t
•
e
•
o
o
t C
s
Second suit filed
against Engler
ByRon Seigel
C orrespondellt
Recipients on General Assis­
tance (GA) are still receiving
checks during the first week of
June, despite an executive order
by Michi gan Governor John
Engler to abolish the program
June 1 and remove unemployed
people without handicaps and
wi thout children from all state
aid.
Mary K. Scullion, one of the
Special Attornies to the
MicbiganSpeaker of the House,
stated that the Circuit Court filed
a temporary Injunction again t
Engler's Executive Order.
This, she said, was in
response to a suit filed by
Democratic leader in the
Engler's E ecutive Order with
illegally transferring funds from
programs approved by the Legis­
lature.
Scullion, who is handling the
DECORATION DAY-Lindy Marie and Frederick H.-" JR"
Powell braved the rain as tbey placed nowers on the grave of
mother and grandmother, Geraldine Scott, during Memorial Day
weekend. (Pboto by N. Scott)
I don't Ire d
co
o
uit for the Speaker and other.
pI intive involved, aid that.
General Assi tance wa not the:
only program involved in their:
legal action. :
Engler appealed the injunc-:
tion to the State Supreme Court, :
which referred the matter to the ·
Michigan Court of Appeals, :
authorizing it to make a decision'
on the injunction Thur day June:
6. •
SCULLION AID the Court:
of Appeal could leave the tem-:
porary injunction in place, ma e:
it permanent or end it, allowing:
Engler to go ahead with the cut. :
She added that even w atever j
the court decision on the injunc- :
tion, it was not obligated to come:
to a decision on the issues of the:
case.
In the meantime, a legal agen- :
cy, the Michigan Legal Services:
(MLS) is expanding one of its :
own suits against the State of:
Michigan in order to protect the:
G.A. program. .
MLS Attorney Marilyn Mul-:
lane stated this is an expansion'
of another suit MLS was waging:
against an executive order'
Engler made to eliminate pay-:
ment for water bills. ·
Mullane said the second MLS :
suit might save G.A. if the first:
one by Michigan legislators,
fails. •
"We are. taking it day by day," .
she said.
�o ...
cl--