Browsing: Westside Gazette

The Westside Gazette Newspaper is honored to feature these contributions made by Broward County Students in our Jr. Photojournalism Program.

     “You know, there’s a point in your career where you take whatever you can get. And then, early on in my career, I realized, oh, I don’t want to do that. I actually want to do certain kinds of roles,” says the Trinidadian born actress. “You then begin to be brave enough to begin to say no to certain things. And then there comes a time, when you reach a point in your career where you intuitively choose certain kinds of work. I’m so pleased to be at that point and that I’m still relevant,” she adds.

And 84 percent of Black respondents said people not seeing racial discrimination where it exists is a bigger problem than people seeing racism where it doesn’t exist. Whites were the only group where a majority, 52 percent, said the opposite was true – that the bigger problem is people seeing racism where it really does not exist.

“Every student has a right to an educational experience where they feel safe, engaged and supported. However, the fact remains that far too many students, especially Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and same gender loving (LGBTQ/SGL) students, find college campuses and K-12 schools to be hostile and unsafe spaces, which makes it challenging to learn and develop the skills, experiences and credentials needed to succeed in the global 21st century labor market. Black transgender and gender nonconforming people face unique and sometimes disproportionate challenges, including hate crimes that make it harder for them to succeed in school and in life. 

     Well, how can we feel more professional and less like factory workers producing widgets? First, we must clarify our mission. Students are not widgets. There can be no reject bins for human beings with different needs and varied learning intelligence!

     Our perceptions of the value of ourselves and others often determine our treatment of and reactions toward those we view as less than or not as valued. Wars are fought over cultural and religious differences. Regardless of the injury, all people’s blood is red and all of us can hurt or grieve, regardless of color.

     Judge Berzon, in her opinion, notes that the decision, while important, is unlikely to impose dire consequences on cities. “The distressing homelessness problem…has grown into a crisis for many reasons, among them the cost of housing, the drying up of affordable care for people with mental illness, and the failure to provide adequate treatment for drug addiction. The crisis continued to burgeon while ordinances forbidding sleeping in public were on the books and sometimes enforced.”

     “Our strategic partnerships with progressive and powerful organizations like the National Coalition of 100 Black Women are vital to achieving our mission because they provide the amplification needed to reach more Black women with life-saving information and resources,” said Linda Goler Blount, President & CEO, The Black Women’s Health Imperative.

     The lesson from all of this? If we are going to oppose Russian electoral interference—which we should—then what is demanded of democratic-minded people in the USA is absolute opposition to interference in the internal affairs of countries trying to pursue their own paths, particularly when those paths are consistent with rule of law and democracy.

in answer to the question when cultures clash in the classroom, who suffers, we all do! Poorly educated students make for a society that alienates its young, one that is unable to retain skilled and experienced teachers, and a country frustrated with unemployment, under-employment, and an ever-growing culture of violence, fear, and intolerance. Court systems and privatized prisons, along with mortuaries, result when the classrooms act as prep schools for these expensive alternatives.