“Community Ready,” a two word nugget these young fellows heard from Oakland Superintendent Antown Wilson, Saturday November 8, 2014, at the GradNation community summit an America’s Promise Alliance http://www.americaspromise.org/ and AT&T event held at Laney College.
All of the young men in the picture were asked, “What two things keep you in school.” Sixteen-year-old Luis Ramirez, shown second from the right, answered, “Number one, the love and support I receive from my family, friends, mentors and former teachers and number two the need for a diploma to get a job.” The other young men shared their top two reasons and other speakers inspired the attendees to become societal givers. Our black and brown boys need more educational options instead of exposure to cycles of violence, which increases the need for programs like Ceasefire and Oakland Unite.
Oakland has a choice. Invest in our children now or pay later to salvage wrecked lives. I prefer Wilson’s, “Community Ready,” approach given in his message ( http://youtu.be/tzdcFVP8xD0 ).
Gerald Green is a 25-year cancer survivor. Green released his memoir Life Constricted: To Love, Hugs and Laughter in 2010, which chronicles his family’s saga and victories over his three bouts with cancer: tongue cancer in 1995, neck cancer in 1997 and prostate cancer in 2008. His chapter, Fatherhood Love, appeared in the second edition of Black Fathers an Invisible Presence in America published by Routledge in 2011. Green’s poetry has appeared in the Healing Journey, an on-line publication, and The Monthly, a premier magazine of culture and commerce, which published one of his essays. Green’s writings like his article Prostate Cancer’s Time Zone reflect the importance of early cancer detection and the healthy impact of a loving family. Green is a member of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) and the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) ECOG-ACRIN Head and Neck Cancer Committee and the Cancer Research Advocates Committee.
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