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By
Thi
choo
hund
'th rally-fund
d mic, cultural and
tiona! etiviti . Today, 0 of
t om Schoola - on in
o nd nd t ot in W
ington, D.C. - thriving
ucc 8aful ft r- chool pro­
grams.
Interns from th B! cit Stu­
dent Leader hip Net ork
(BSLN), who coordinated nd
ran the Summer Freedom
School ,continued their wor in
th e two Freedom School .
The Fundi Freedom School,
held at the Metropolitan W ley
AME Zion Church in Washing­
ton, D.C., mee thr after­
noons a and two Saturdays
a month. Sixty high chool tu­
dents and over 50 elementary
and junior high students benefit
from tutoring and mentoring,
snacks provided by a local com­
munity development organiza­
tion and many other activiti .
Students participate in their
own community rviee and ad­
vocacy projects and produce a
newsletter for the surrounding
community.
ight Edelman
ON-SITE coordinator Ber­
nadette B t says the success of
the program is fueled by the
hard wor and dedication of the
parents. Every "Freedom Fam­
ily, - or parent of a Freedom
School student must volunteer
wanzaa banner ang
over Alabama capitol
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. (AP) -
There's a new addition to the
traditional red and green
Christmas decorations in down­
town Birmingham. They're red,
4IIJII18A..aHdb
, ngfro
posts, celebrate Kwanzaa, a
seven-day African heritage fes­
tival beginning Dec. 26.
Malika Yamini, owner of
Volunteers
gather
to rebuild
church
MCCOMB, MISS. (AP) -
Almost 150 volunteers
came out early Saturday
morning to begin rebuild­
ing the first of two rural
black churches burned by
three white teenagers.
The workers arrived at
Springhill Freewill Baptist
Church in Amite County at
7:30 a.m. with lumber, in­
sulating board, plywood
and nails.
The church was burned
to tl.e ground in the pre­
dawn hours of April 5, the
anniversary of Martin
Luther King's assassina­
tion.
The workers, which in­
cluded both blacks and
whites, said they came be­
cause they rejected the ha­
tred and bigotry implied in
the tragedy.
AT 7:15 SATURDAY
morning a few leaders
stood near the concrete
foundation which had been
poured earlier. By 8:25 a. m.
the first section of stud wall
was raised, and by 10 a.m.
the perimeter stud walls
were all in place.
Frank Martin of First
Baptist Church, Magnolia,
who had been co-chairman
of the fund-raising drive to
rebuild the church, said,
"The response is fantastic.
The Lord's going to build
this church. It's just a bless- ,
ing to be her wh n it hap­
pens."
State Rep, Clem ttl,
R-Jay aid, "I was sup­
pes to b t m ing in
Vicksburg, bu 1 h d to
come her . This i lov ."
The volun plan to
m again? xt Saturday.
UTURE P for Fundi
include th ddition ofparenting
claases for th p nts of pro­
gram participants and th kids'
o n theatrical pr entation
that th chool ho to a
fundrai r.
When Margaret Payton, prin­
opal of Santa Fe Elementary
School in North Oakland, CA,
visited the Summer Freedom
School that w serving many of
her students, he w so thrilled
that he became a volunteer. As
the ummer came to a cl e and
parents exp an inte tin
eeing -the program continue,
Payton agreed to make her
school the site for a imilar after­
chool program. Today, the
Santa Fe Freedom School m
Yamini's Accessories and Books
in downtown Birmingham, said
red, black and green are African
liberation colors.
"It goes something like red .
�����,��k' Ww�� __ ---
also the colors of Kwanzaa," she
said.
K\VANZAA HAS GR WN
in popularity since its inception
in 1966. Originally celebrated
mostly by black nationalists, it
now is being observed in the
United States, Canada, Eng­
land and many African nations.'
Kwanzaa is Swahili for "first
fruits" and is based on African
winter harvest festivals.
Mrs. Yamini and others who
want to s the celebration 0
Kwanzaa grow in Birmingham
appeared before the Binning ..
ham City Council a year ago.
This fall, the council approved
an appropriation for the ban­
ners.
Mrs. Yamini was hired to
manufacture 57 banners for Bir­
mingham Green and the Cul­
tural District. The first banners
went up last week when the
Downtown Action Committ ,
which handles downtown ban­
ners, took down the banners
celebrating the Southeastern
Conference football champion­
ship.
Mrs. Yamini said she cut
cloth in the three colors and
sewed it together on a machine
to make the banners. Then she
silk-screened the "Happy Kwan­
zaa" messa on the fronts.
ners reflect Birmingham's mul­
ticultural heritage.
"It really helps to promote us
as the new American South and
ali-Am .
3
two hou per month. With some
p n volun ring much
eight hours a w k, B t ys
they have no problem enforcing
thi rule. "I am really over-
helmed by the level of commu­
nity ownership of this project,"
she s ys. "Even if we weren't
here, the program would ill go
on."
Th Freedom Schools are
just one example of the ways in
which we can combine human
and community resources to
make a difference for black chil­
dren. Their focus on creative
learning, family involvement
and intergenerational activities
will help to rebuild the black
extended community family and
bridge the gaps between chil­
dren, youths, adults and elders.
These are ne ary steps in our
work to Leave No Child Behind.
To learn more about the F
dom Schools, the Black Student
Leadership Network or th Black
Community Crusade for Chil­
dren, call 1-800-ASK-BCCC.
Marian. Wright Edelman. is Pre went
vf til Ctuldreni Deien , Fund, ana·
tional VOL e for children and part of the
leader hip of th Black Commuruty ru-
adefor lhildren, WhLdl U c irdinated b
Vi?
Billh )ar l l n �ram.
Thi I n urum m.rkc- .iv.ulahlc to the L
nr�aJ"/d HIll hun Itl'd ... pt hiuh \ I II JIm
I) \ltlUI1 111 1)/ n (l It I ' u d t tt (l.l t
SHE SAID IT'S appropriate
that the banners are handmade.
Most gifts given during Kwan­
zaa also are handmade.
While Kwanzaa may sound
foreign to some folks, Mrs.
Yamini said it's an equivalent to
Italian-Americans' celebr tion
of Columbus Day and German­
Americans' Octoberfest.
She said the Kwanzaa ban-
We appreciate your
letter and comment ·
Plea e end them to:
Michi an itizen
12541 econd
Highland Park Ml
4 20
D
c this poem to Jud. G
'ftJrlQll.!rJlip. Will you pleas prinl this poem ill
e.
The stoical countenance of Judg Geor
l. a grand view to behold, His basso voic ifies the auditorial
realm.
This judge' tkJivery is not ter e nor rude but precise
From the beginning to the endin 01 his state nis.,
No buttonhole is left open .......
No design is structural without a purpose ......
No t}rought is spoken without in-tkpth thinking ......
No floundering is noted without, exactness of purpose.
. Judge Crockett; your cool Solomonic approach on the bench
Enhances the whole judicial sphere for all to enfold.
Profound and prophetic utterances from your vocalizations
Chills the listener'S ears to the bone.
Congratulations! and many Salutations to you for a
Beautiful job well done ill the trial-of-trials of 1991.
We are proud of your one-oil-one approach in balancing
The judicial scales 01 Justice.
The world is proud of you, America is proud 01 you,
Michigan is proud of you, Detroit is proud of you,
And God utters His words, "Well done, thou good and
Faithful Servant.
Yes, we truly greet you, Judge George A. Crockett, as a
Living Solomon of the 21st Century,
CONGRATULATIONS?
Juanita Chenault Carman
Poet/poem compo ed 1119/91
Depression: Treat It. Defeat It.
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