Our Communities Need Volunteers This New Year

Community Service By Businesses,

This holiday season I volunteered at the Clara White Mission in Jacksonville, Florida to help in serving food to the homeless. Businesses represented also were volunteering their employee’s time: PHH (a mortgage company) and Blue Cross and Blue Shield an (insurance company). I did not know what to expect from the facilities, the people or their clients (homeless), but the businesses that volunteer set the tone for a wonderful holiday for those that were present. I was pleasantly surprised that the food that was prepared was of very good quality. The cooking staffs are very professional, helpful and knowledgeable in creating nutritious meals. They were learning the skills necessary to work in various food industry careers, from their experiences in the Culinary Arts Program at the Clara White Mission. Theirs is a sense of purpose, understanding that they serve a humane principle in feeding the homeless and providing services that contribute to the community that they life and work in. The clients (homeless) were treated with respect and dignity. They were not looked down on, judged nor mistreated in any way. That is the vestiges of a First Class organization; it reminded me of a valuable lesson that no matter what a person looks like or has gone through we should not nor need to judge them by their appearance. As the old saying goes, “never judge a book by its cover”. Business owners know the importance of professional dress, but what of those who are good workers, but lack the means to dress as “we see fit”, who are we to judge those that are going through tough times.
The Mission, "The Clara White Mission is to reduce homelessness through advocacy, housing, job training and employment by partnering with business and local community resources." The significance did not escape me to the fact that I was contributing my time to a cause that was ongoing for years here in Jacksonville, Florida. I learned about the history of the Clara White Mission that can be found at: http://www.clarawhitemission.org/ and through a tour of the facilities. Because of the dedication, passion and purpose of the workers they support the cause of helping those who need these services to survive. Without these services the homeless would be challenged more so to find food, shelter and community services. In 2003, 17,500 people experienced homelessness in Jacksonville, 86 percent more people than in 2000, these men and women may have been business owners themselves,
(http://www.endhomelessness.org/content/article/detail/2014). Because of our current economic volatility there are more homeless on our streets and in our shelters and homeless centers, the numbers are growing across this country. We can see the ravages of the economic struggles as businesses are going under each and every day.
Many of the homeless are located in downtown and at the beaches of our city. In our schools there are children and young adults who are homeless, and sit in our classrooms trying to better themselves through the educational system of our public schools. Regardless of their conditions they work to improve life for themselves and families through the educational opportunities that are available. That is why this challenge is the responsibility of all businesses small or large.
I cannot afford to judge anyone, nor look down on those who are homeless. I don’t know their struggles, challenges nor do I know their medical or financial circumstances. That is not my place to question, but as a business owner it is my responsibility and our responsibility as national community to help those who need help in living and surviving until they can provide for themselves. Even if it is volunteering time to feed those who do not have the resources to feed themselves, how close are we to joblessness and homelessness?
I do not know the stories of these men, women and in some cases children, but can visually witness the struggles that many face in this volatile economic and political change we are experiencing. I can only say for myself that I have a greater appreciation for my blessings in serving my church and working in an industry (education) that has a direct impact on the lives of children and adults.As I drive to work on some occasions I see some of these same individuals going about their day to day activities while I work to shape young lives the best that I can and in turn pray for the children that are faced with hunger, homelessness and other challenges that I cannot imagine. There are many of our leaders who are proponents to volunteering time in community service: John F. Kennedy, Jr., Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and now President-elect Barack Obama. Many of us including myself are just a pay check or pay checks away from financial chaos if struck with a medical or financial setback. There are no bail outs for us only hard work, cutting back on expenses, budgeting our earnings, and prayer, but the homeless have no where to go, we cannot wish them away, put them in situations of incarceration with over crowding jail cells or move them to other cities that are hurting also. The majority are the products of our own communities and may have been our neighbours or family members. There is no place for them to go except in many cases the streets. We as a community that can support Jaguars, Gators, Ospreys, Seminoles, Hokies, Bulldogs, Tigers and others in physical and emotional pursuits of entertainment should be able to support those that at one time or another may have sat beside us, ate with us, worshipped with us, taught us, serviced our cars and our physical ailments in hospitals now need our help.
Volunteer some time to help those who you pass by every day and may at one time themselves or someone like them helped you or had been a blessing to you before the ravages of life and situations contributed to their current lifestyle of unemployment and homelessness. How can we sit in our homes, condos, and apartments and eat, drink and claim to be appreciative without sharing our time with those who need just a small amount of time to feed them, talk to them and encourage them. Our titles, jobs, degrees, political and religious affiliations do not place us above anyone, when it comes down to it we are all close enough to financial ruin to see a possible heartfelt situation for ourselves and our families.
This new year season we should not only pray and give thanks for ourselves and families, but provide some time to help those who just need a hand, a hand to pass them a hot plate, a warm blanket, or a friendly handshake. We are all thankful for our blessings, but now we should also think how we can bless others because it only takes a few challenges in our lives and we may be facing homelessness or the loss of a vehicle, a job or more.


William Jackson, M.Ed.
williamderekjackson@gmail.com
"Copyright William Jackson, All Rights Reserved 2008"

Should African Americans Be Blogging ???

Acceptance of the Digital Divide by Minorities and the Ramifications of Technology Ingnorance.

There is a mounting influx of digital technologies that are embedding themselves in the lifestyles of people in the Black community. One of these is the act of Blogging, Webster’s dictionary describes blogging as, “diary: a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page“. African Americans arerapidly moving into the digital age that is embracing cosmopolitan ideas and multicultural nuances with the help of technology. The inclusiveness of technology is taking many minorities into the 21st century where they are connecting to the world. Blog (web log) technology is web based and inclusive to all people regardless of color and culture thus allowing a euphoria of ideas and intellectual exchanges. There is an estimated 8 million bloggers in America (The State of Blogging (2005), Pew Internet & American Life Project).
Change blends with the traditions of traditional living, lifestyle and technology inclusion; technology is infused in all aspects of life and is expanding daily. In order to compete African Americans need toaccept change and embrace the execution of productivity tools that areprevalent in the business and educational world. There is so much technology available in our businesses and schools of secondary and higher education, the question is, are our teachers and business leaders being taught the appropriate use of these technologies that are becoming relevant in the business and educational world, and are they willing toshare their knowledge? African Americans should be exposed to and using these technologies, if not they may again be hindered by ignorance and unprepared to do business on a global scale. The possibility of expanding and encouraging knowledge, requiring the proficiency of reading (literacy/comprehension) and writing (creative thought process). Blogging requires the participation of writers and readers involved in a symbiotic relationship that is dependent upon each other.
Statistically African Americans are behind in technology applications and implementation (digital divide) professionally and educationally. The areas of reading (literacy/comprehension) are challenging areas for those that struggle not too just read, but comprehend (understand) what they read The old adage of, “if you want to keep something secrete write it down”, is applied to those who do not strive to increase their knowledge through reading and educational exploration.
Blogging is a new world, a world of digitized created writings on a multitude of subjects that readers can ravagely consume and interactively respond to. Teacher, Joel Arquillas states, ”I like the fact that it is a living document. Students, parents, teachers and the community can comment or discuss the stories that I post”. Where does that leave our business community when it comes to gaining new incites in business and cultural awareness? The act of blogging opens doors to avenues of business ventures to expand literary and informational talents and understand the power of the reader or audience.
It has been said that blogging compares to the Guttenberg’s press (http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page). Arquillos also states that his students “learned the power of writing and being able to defend their view”. No one is excluded or segregated from connecting to others with like ideas, business interests or controversial opinions. All that is needed is for a person to connect. Why is blogging important to African Americans; because of the wealth of information that is important to educational and professional growth greater than MySpace (myspace.com) and Facebook (facebook.com) social networking sites. African Americans need to become aware of the potential to expand their knowledge base locally and globally in areas of politics, economics, business, medicine, education and cultural diversity. Many African Americans unfortunately have a ”head in the sand” mentality when it comes to technology usage and application in business and in some cases education and medicine. Blogging allows the participants to be co-creators in this age of digital media that is transforming social interaction, taking social networking to new levels of cognitive growth not just empirical information that is irrelevant and in some cases professionally and socially detrimental. Is blogging going to be another technology that passes African Americans by, therefore leading people to be ignored, ignorant (to it’s applications) and disconnected from using a protocol (digital tool) for cultural, business and professional enrichment? African Americans should continue to embrace new media and new technologies especially in the digital world were the access to information can mean “the difference in a promotion and upward mobility in business or being stagnant and living in a dark closet digitally disconnected” (Gladzena Young, PHH).
Blogging is a new wave for cyber-publishing for African Americans to share their stories, ideas, passions, and in some cases rants and raves. This media is not about complaining about perceived or experienced injustices, although in the case of the Jena 6 it was an effective tool for the distribution of information, and an opportunity to share cultural, historic and enriching perspectives on the African American plightin American and the judicial system. Textual manipulation is not the only option, but blogging can be spiced up with photos and video that is more personal and interactive. The opportunities are endless as to what a writer can do, what they can share and how they can engage discussions. Blogging instills creativity, empowerment and critical thinking skills into our people that allows for their talent in writing. The very nature of the Internet is allowing people to not just retrieve information, but post information that may compete with resources of traditional newspapers and magazines at a fraction of their cost of publication.
The capability for African Americans to launch their own newspaper, magazine, radio and even television shows at a very low cost is within the grasps of a person with a computer that can support this technology. If the mind-set does not change for many, African Americans will once again be left out, disconnected and have a limited impact to social, business and political issues. Our voices will once again be like distant rumblings of thunder that most people disregard as insignificant and a distraction…
We as a people must embrace technology and all thatit has to offer, all the possibilities of imagination, self-empowerment,and cultural enhancement. Blogging is just a tip of the digital iceberg. The Internet, Podcasting, Wikis, Chatting along with Blogging areall interactive and self directed tools that avail themselves tocognitive growth and connection to multicultural awareness that is being embraced and welcomed to all our communities. Technology is about communication between peoples. Let us start communicating and engaging creativeskills in our writing to inform and empower, go forth and Blog…
William Jackson
william.Jackson@ewc.edu
"Copyright William Jackson, All Rights Reserved 2008."

The Bar Has Be Raised for American Children By Our Future President

The Bar Has Be Raised for American Children By Our Future President
"There are no excuses for growth in our children"

As I sat there at 1:50 am on a Wednesday, November 5th morning still mentally trying to grasp the significance of the Tuesday, November 4th election results it dawned on me that our children/young people have no excuses for continuing to have saggin pants to portray some sort of message of rebellion and defiance against society and authority; all our young men: Black, White, Hispanic, Asian and others have no excuses for their academic failings in our school systems. Our young ladies have no excuses for getting on welfare and being welfare mothers and perpetuating this lifestyle to their children; parents have no excuses for not working with their child’s teachers for they are possibly raising another President or governmental official. As the slogan stated these past months, “there needs to be a change” and “change is coming”, but the change needs to come from our cognitive decisions to follow a man who has set a great example of hard work, dedication and not falling into a typical stereotype as a Blackman or child of a single parent household. Our children and young adults have no excuse for staying unemployed and seeking a hand out or making excuses why not to work or why they cannot learn. Our young adults in high schools across this country have no excuses for not graduating from high school and continuing on to college, trade school or a career in the military.

We as a people have no excuses for not rebuilding our communities; we have no excuses for not empowering and supporting our churches. There are no excuses for not supporting our President-elect soon to be the 44th President of these United States. We have no excuses for not taking pride in ourselves, our culture and our heritage. There are untold millions of people that participated in the “Movement” from the early 50’s to the 60’s and continuing even to today, just to afford Mr. Obama a opportunity to run for any office let alone the highest office of this land. There is no excuse for educational ignorance, racial prejudice, and low self esteem of our children, especially minority children who claim that there are no role models and everyone they see in the government or in power is White. There is no excuse for young adults and older adults to blame the fact that they did not have a father in their lives as many do to give purpose and reason behind their chosen failures and willingness to be financial and criminal burdens on society. There is no excuse for any of that now.

Our President-elect has shown that you can be successful being raised by a single mother and grandmother without a father. Now that we have a different face as a President-elect and soon to be the President of the United States of America, what excuse is there for us as a people not to be successful. To make a defining decision to work hard for our success and not let obstacles or excuses get in the way. As Michelle Roberts, Publisher of “Just Sayin”
(http://www.noturmommasnews.com/JustSayin110208.html) stated, “in disproportionate numbers we’re still lamenting and blaming “the man”. This idea or perception cannot be used as an excuse any more. We have a role model that has shown that you can have a Black man who was raised by his mother and grandmother not having excuses for perpetuating a thug persona, selling drug, committing crimes, and disrespecting the opportunity for education. He does not have an “I blame the system” nor the slave mentality that many minorities still seem to suffer from of blaming everyone else for their ignorance. I have not heard of any stories about President-elect Obama where he is trying to impregnate as many woman as possible trying to live some fantasy life as a governmental Pimp or Mack daddy.

Unlike the last Democratic President who had rumors and accusations of being “like a Black man” in his sexual urges and extra-marital affairs. Now we have a true Black man who has set a higher standard, is he going to be respected just as much if not more?I hope and pray that not just people of color see this, but all Americans that as a collective whole we can accomplish great thing if we just put aside our differences of color, religion and socio-political and economic differences. Now is the time to learn where we need to be going. We have just witnessed that “during our lifetimes, we all have many experiences and we all learn things. Whether or not you apply those academic and life lessons to your present circumstances shows whether or not you possess wisdom” Alan Riley. As I follow the teachings of my Senior Pastor Rudolph McKissick Sr. and my Bishop Rudolph McKissick, Jr. there is guidance and teaching to acquire and use wisdom. In their teachings it is imperative to gain wisdom to guide and reinforce our understanding and responsibilities of being citizens of this world and how to behave in this world as a united people.Written in ESV version of the bible, “Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people' Deuteronomy 4:6 (ESV).

This election has shown the world that we are still a great nation no longer saying that one race or one people have all the answers, but collectively we can accomplish a global change in the world. Stated by Earl L. Small, “My people I say to each of you that anything is suddenly possible and all goals are ours to conquer and the only limitations are those that are self imposed. The long journey that started all those years ago within the dark bowels of those slave ships, whose very decks were stained with the blood of our ancestors, the same blood that flows through each of us, joining and binding our history and heritage reminds us of the same journey that has taken us thru slavery and the cotton fields of the south, and led us to the pulpit of a visionary Pastor from Ebenezer Baptist Church named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who foretold all of this in his "I Have A Dream" speech....” Earl L. Small (The Jacksonville Minority Professionals Network). There should be no more lamenting that this is not my country from Blacks/African Americans, he is not my President, “he don’t look like me”, by any Blacks/African Americans or whatever people of color, shade or degree are willing to call themselves. Now they have a face to motivate and inspire them. If this does not do something for the millions of minority children and young adults today they are truly trifling in their decisions to accept failure and do nothing to improve their lives. In the words of Judge Greg Mathis, “Young men: Put down your guns, pull up your pants, and pick up a book. Take your education seriously. If you are a father, be responsible. Support your child financially and emotionally. Young women: Turn off the radio when a sexist and demeaning song comes on. It doesn’t matter if "the beat is hot;" you must have more respect for yourselves”.

Maybe now with change evident these words will now ring true for our young people in the 21st century.There is no educational, professional or personal goal that is out of reach for any of us no matter if we are African American, Native American, Asian American, Hispanic American, European American, Haitian American, Jewish American, German American, Jamaican American and so forth. This is our President-elect that we have voted into office. As President-elect Obama has stated it is now time to get to work as all Americans.

William Jackson, M.Ed.http://williamdjackson.tripod.com/
"Copyright William Jackson, All Rights Reserved 2008"