Last night was Oscar night, and the two highlights of the evening came courtesy of "Selma". First, we were treated to John Legend and Common's amazing performance of the song "Glory", which was nominated in the Best Original Song category. Then, when they won the Oscar for "Glory" (to no one's surprise), they gave acceptance speeches which were, well, [...]
Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of this love-celebrating holiday, here are some love poems from Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906), renowned poet, novelist and playwright of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Dunbar's first poems were published in a Dayton newspaper when he was 14 years old. While much of Dunbar's more well known [...]
Today 12 additional cities joined the #SelmaForStudents movement and announced their success in raising money to send students to see the movie "Selma" for free. Read about it here. African American leaders, now joined by generous citizens of all hues, are working together across the country to ensure that the next generation understands and appreciates the important history of [...]
Halloween is upon us! High on the list of Halloween treats for many of our children are scary movies, and this weekend the theaters, networks and cable channels will have many for them to choose from. But how do you know whether your child is really ready to handle watching a scary movie? Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization [...]
As the shootings in schools, malls, and other public places seem to be happening more and more frequently these days, parents are once again wondering if violent video games, especially the "first person shooter" games which allow the player to travel armed throughout the game and "kill" everyone in sight, contribute to actual gun violence. In the aftermath of [...]
Remember "Reading Rainbow"? That delightful children's series which encouraged reading, hosted by LeVar Burton and aired on PBS from 1983-2009? Burton has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise one million dollars to create an online version to expand the program's reach. When Reading Rainbow went off the air in 2009 Burton bought the rights to the show and [...]
As summer approaches, thoughts turn to family vacations. We at GCP love hitting the road with the kids, and have been doing so since they were tiny tots. Family vacations can provide some of the best times of your life. Whether it is a road trip of a few hours or a journey to another part of the world, [...]
Diane Primo, founder and chairman of marketing company IntraLink Global and mother of three (a daughter and two sons), challenges us all to help our children thrive by encouraging them to Tech It Off--turn off all devices--for one hour, on October 10th, 2014, from 8-9pm. Primo is greatly concerned that our children, our beloved Millennials, who are consuming media [...]
American Promise: The PBS premiere of "American Promise" happened last night--did you see it? This is the documentary in which an African-American husband and wife filmmaking team chronicled their son and his friend's journey from kindergarten through high school at a predominantly white private school in New York City. If you missed it, you can catch it tonight at [...]
Did you know that November is Hip-Hop History month? Whether you are a huge fan, a mild enthusiast, or would prefer to hear anything else when your kids are controlling the music, you can't deny that hip-hop has had a significant influence on modern culture. Harvard University's Hip Hop Archive, which is devoted to the serious study of hip [...]