Jersey Journal: Our Pride and Joy
JC teen is Harvard bound for the summer
By Barbara Milton, Ph.D., LCSW
May 02, 2013, 6:00AM
Brittany Thomas, 16 year old sophomore at McNair Academic High School is headed to Harvard for college science courses this summer. She is taking steps towards becoming a biomedical engineer, inspired by a story in a magazine about an African American female who is a stem cell researcher. In that moment Brittany knew that with hard work and dedication...
Author's Media Kit
Includes: the author's biography, book synopsis, press release, author inspiration and contact information.
Blog photo credits: pexels.com, pixabay.com
A young man approached me and inquired about going into business part time. My response to him was phrased in the form of question. I asked him, “What are you good at?
We have all heard the catch phrase, "Each One Teach One."
This phrase originated in the United States during slavery, when Africans were denied education, including learning to read. Many, if not most slaves were kept in a state of ignorance about anything beyond their immediate circumstances which were under control of owners, the law makers and the authorities. When a slave learned or was taught to read, it became his duty to teach someone else, spawning the phrase "Each one teach one."
This blog post again references the need for the support of local businesses, expansion and job creation within our communities. Tell me, what’s the incentive for our young people entering the work force to remain a part of the village? What do they have to invest in? What is there for them to build upon? Are we actually supporting a premise for them to desire to leave and never look back?
While I travel about the city and nearby areas searching for community-based black owned businesses to frequent, I have observed that many, if not most of our local businesses are owned and operated by proprietors who are employed full-time. I understand that for many, the full time job is the consistent flow of resource fueling and funding the business venture. This is not an impossible feat, however, organization and discipline around schedules is very important.
Keeping in step with the stated theme of "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child," and the appropriated action to "Reclaim the Village," I believe we must look at the inner workings of the village and take proper action, yes, the necessary steps to arrive at our desired outcome.
The village community is about the people, but we the people must commit to becoming productive participants within our village.