---Proverbs 2003 calendar and greeting cards---
The Proverbs 2003 Calendar and Proverbs Greeting Card Collection is a vibrant collection of thoughtful proverbs that inspire, motivate, and sooth the spirit. Published by Carmen Morris, President of Carmen Morris & Associates, Inc., a leading African American communications firm in Miami, the glossy, four-color Proverbs 2003 Calendar showcases a special proverb for each month. These monthly words of wisdom give an opportunity for inward reflection and space to keep note of birthdays, doctor's appointments, important meetings, and other items. The Proverbs Greeting Card Collection is an assortment of 12 colorful, glossy cards spotlighting individual Proverbs. Each greeting card has a blank interior for personal messages. All of the Proverbs have been selected from the Old Testament. Proverbs are a source of spiritual, emotional and mental rejuvenation. "I believe that we can renew ourselves every day by looking to the Lord for our daily motivation," said Morris. "Many people are too busy or tend to be too intimidated if they need to search the Bible. This way the words of inspiration complimented by beautiful pictures are readily accessible and easier to digest." For more information on these products or to connect with Carmen Morris, send email to fgilles152@aol.com.

---Black American students in an affluent suburb: a study of academic disengagement---In response to news that an upcoming book by John U. Ogbu, "Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb: A Study of Academic Disengagement," argues that research shows that African-Americans' own cultural attitudes towards achievement are to blame for the achievement gap between Black and White students, Ronald Ross, the Dr. Israel Tribble, Jr. Distinguished Fellow in Urban Education Reform for the National Urban League, stated the following: "Why ask an anthropologist to explain what is wrong with education? Why not an educator? A few extreme Black conservatives are given prominence far in excess of their proportionality to the total Black community. The League holds that it is useless to waste time and energy with those who would blame the victims of racism. Blacks in a white environment, whether middle class or not, still suffer overtly and/or covertly from racist attitudes of teachers and/or students. Profiling exists in many forms; not just cops stopping Black drivers. It is also white teachers and their fears of and lowered expectations for Black students. Teachers are at the heart of student achievement. How competent are they in their pedagogy? How well do they motivate their students? What they expect of each child is at the heart of student achievement. Black students in particular need to be validated by their teachers. Did Ogbu ask or delve into how the students felt their teachers felt about them? This would be imperative for developing more accurate and worthy contributions to the discussion of student achievement. Finally, there are no definitive studies to show Black students do not have high expectations and a lower desire to achieve. In fact the opposite is true." Ron Ross was named as the first Dr. Israel Tribble, Jr. Distinguished Fellow in Urban Education Reform for the National Urban League on August 1, 2002.

---Make sure that your child is not left behind---
On behalf of Gov. Mark Schweiker, Education Secretary Charles B. Zogby announced that results from the 2001-02 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) with scores broken down into the following categories: race, ethnicity, gender, economically disadvantaged students, students with special needs, migrant students and students with limited English proficiency. "Our goal is to have all Pennsylvania students proficient in core subject areas like reading and math," Secretary Zogby said. "And our recently released assessment scores show that many students are on the right track. But too many of our children -- especially minorities -- are behind in these critical areas and are not getting the education they need and deserve. For the first time last year, we highlighted the problem of the `achievement gap,' and in doing so, took the first step toward solving it. Minority children are performing better than last year, but we still have our work cut out for us so no Pennsylvania child is left behind. "The disaggregated results show the number of children in each category and the percentage of students who score at each of state's four performance levels -- advanced, proficient, basic and below basic -- on the PSSA. Based on 2001-02 assessment results, 22 percent of African-American fifth- graders statewide scored proficient or advanced on the state's reading assessment, which remained the same percentage from the last year. The percentage of African-American fifth-graders statewide scoring below basic dropped from 54 percent to nearly 49 percent. Hispanic fifth-graders also showed improvement in reading, with nearly 29 percent scoring proficient or advanced, up from 26 percent in 2000-01. The percent scoring below basic dropped from 49 percent to 43.4 percent. In contrast, this year's results show about 65 percent of white fifth- grade students and more than 60 percent of Asian students scored proficient or advanced on the reading test, an increase of almost 1 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, about 13 percent of white fifth-graders and nearly 17 percent of Asian fifth-graders scored below basic this year. Under the federal "No Child Left Behind Act," school districts are required to set measurable achievement goals for economically disadvantaged students, major racial and ethnic groups, students with special needs and students with limited English proficiency.

---Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights announces book awards---In the only award of its kind, the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights announces its 18th set of winners of Outstanding Book Awards that help us carve out paths towards social justice. This year's winning authors write of oppression and its consequences, but most importantly about resiliency in response to oppressive conditions. The books also correct inaccurate historical memories. Three novels, two memoirs, and five different sociopolitical analyses are in the midst. People's poet Jimmy Santiago Baca is one award recipient for A Place top Stand: The Making of a Poet, his life story including his learning to read and write while incarcerated. Graciela Limón's novel about the Zapatista uprising in Mexico takes on imperialism, resistance, misogyny and more. Welfare Racism: Playing the Race Card Against America's Poor by Kenneth Neubeck and Noel Cazenave shows how whites' fears of blacks shaped the "reforms" of the past decade. A History of Affirmative Action: 1619-2000 documents the real affirmative action of white privilege. For more information about the ten winning books and their authors, go to www.UnityFirst.com. The Myers Center, housed at Simmons College, Boston, MA., has worked for 18 years, says director Loretta J. Williams, to promote ideas and understandings that generate more effective activism dismantling structures of domination in today's society. For more info, go to www.myerscenter.org or contact Loretta Williams at 617/521-2171 or send email to lorewill@myerscenter.org.

--- United Feature Syndicate to distribute column on race, family and community---Starting January 3, 2003, United Feature Syndicate will distribute a weekly column by Mary A. Mitchell that addresses issues that concern us all: justice, social responsibility, family and race. An editorial board member for the Chicago Sun-Times, Mitchell combines reporting, hard facts and common sense in a weekly column that covers political, societal and personal issues. Since the column started in 1996, Mitchell has attracted a large and diverse readership that includes young, older, white, black, Hispanic, suburban and city readers. For more information, send email to: lkuczwaj@unitedmedia.com

--Dance legend Katherine Dunham to be honored at International Conference of Blacks in Dance---A special tribute to legendary dance pioneer, choreographer and educator Katherine Dunham will be one of the highlights of the 15th Annual Conference of the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) scheduled for January 16-19 in Washington, DC. Ms. Dunham, a 1983 recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, is best known for her anthropological work with dances of the Caribbean. The IABD conference has become the Mecca for Blacks in dance, bringing together prominent artists, dance companies, directors, choreographers, college students and educators in an international forum of dance artists to promote artists, demonstrate new techniques and address issues and concerns in the world of dance. Other conference highlights include a pre-conference symposium on January 15 at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts with master artists Carmen DeLavallade, Donald McKayle, Ann Williams, Cleo Parker Robinson, Eleo Pomare, Baba Walter Nicks, Baba Chuck Davis and established dance artists Ronald K. Brown, Debbie Blunden-Diggs and Lula Washington, followed by a concert featuring historically black colleges and universities. For more information, call (202) 488-4948 or send email to ofield@erols.com.

---NAACP Image Awards---
The 34th annual NAACP Image Awards honors excellence in the arts by African-American artists and performers. The show will be broadcast on the Fox network March 13, 2003.

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