Tonight PBS is airing "Freedom Riders", Stanley Nelson's award-winning documentary about the 1961 Freedom Rides, when more than 400 Black and white Americans risked their lives traveling on buses and trains throughout the south challenging the Jim Crow laws. This is a powerful, inspirational story of an important part of American history. Check your local listings for show times, [...]
It's February. Black History Month. While many of us wonder why only one month out of the year (and the shortest one at that) is designated for paying national attention to African-American contributions to American history, let us put our cynicism aside, and embrace the many opportunities available this month to help our children learn about our history. Our [...]
Hope you got a chance to see "Red Tails" this weekend. What an inspirational, action packed ride! The aerial fighting scenes are incredible. The good news is that lots of folks went on opening weekend. As Box Office Mojo reports, "Red Tails cruised in to second place with a very respectable $18.8 million", which is more than several other [...]
While you are making plans to see "Red Tails", the film about the Tuskegee Airmen produced by George Lucas (try to go this weekend!), also make a note to check out "Double Victory", Lucas' documentary companion to "Red Tails", on The History Channel. Originally aired earlier this month, "Double Victory" will be shown again on The History Channel as [...]
Red Tails is an action film inspired by the heroic exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all African American World War II aerial combat unit. Directed by Anthony Hemingway ("The Wire"), from a screenplay by John Ridley ("Undercover Brother") and Aaron McGruder ("The Boondocks"), the film features a powerful ensemble cast led by Oscar winner Cuba Gooding and [...]
In an earlier post, GCP covered New Jersey Police Detective Sergeant Thomas Rich's presentation on sexting (Texting, Sexting: What You and Your Children Should Know, November 22, 2011). Today's focus is cyberbullying, featuring perspectives from Sgt. Rich and others*. Cyberbullying, says Sgt. Rich, is "the next generation of hate". He recommends that we teach our children that their words [...]
GCP recently attended a seminar on "Texting, Sexting, Facebook and Cyberbullying" conducted by New Jersey Police Detective Sergeant Thomas Rich. Sgt. Rich has worked on the issues of Internet safety for over ten years, and through his company, "Always Connected", advises law enforcement, educators, parents and children of all ages how to utilize technology in a positive way. Here [...]
A professor at a Pennsylvania university recently set out to determine how college student's grades are impacted by their Facebook usage. Today's New York Times reveals his study's surprising conclusions, in an article found here. The study found that while spending an inordinate amount of time on Facebook is related to negative outcomes, just checking Facebook for a few [...]
This week National Public Radio is featuring a series called "School"s Out: America's Dropout Crisis" in which it looks at the dropout crisis through the stories of five people, three of whom have already dropped out and two who are at risk. The series overview can be found here. Today's broadcast features the story of Patrick Lundvick, a Black [...]
Ben Jealous responds to the growing opposition to the NAACP's role in the lawsuit against the NYC Department of Education in an op-ed piece in today's NY Daily News, found here. Readers, what are your thoughts on this issue? It is your turn to weigh in!