How is everyone doing?

Hi polichicks,

What's new in your life? Hope everyone is doing well. Working on Nikki Tsongas' and Deval Patrick's campaign...guess it's in my blood. If anyone wants to be an organizer for the Governor, let me know. Talk soon. My number is 978-902-7893 Denise

GREATEST MINDS Conference

GREATEST MINDS
A Gathering of Black Bostonians
A Two Day Gathering of Black Bostonians Who Are About Getting Things
Done
Friday, June 6, 2008 & Saturday, June 7, 2008

Sponsored by the National Black College Alliance's Next Generation
Program

Hibernian Hall
184 Dudley Street
Roxbury, MA 02119
Dudley Square, Roxbury

Phone: 617.442.8045
Email: greatestminds@gmail.com

WHY GREATEST MINDS - A GATHERING of BLACK BOSTONIANS? Why not!

For years, Boston has struggled with its image as a city unfriendly to
its African-American residents. Along with the image goes the fact that
Boston has very little black representation in politics and in the ranks
of senior management, or civic life in general. Historically, black
professionals have come (or returned) to Boston to work, only to leave
within a couple of years.

NBCA's NEXT GENERATION is helping young individuals of color who want to
live in Boston, develop action steps to become more civically engaged to
get things done! GREATEST MINDS is about informing and leveraging the
experiences and thought power of professionals of color to make a
positive and sustainable change in Boston communities. GREATEST MINDS
goal is to bring together like minded people to initiate change and
remain committed to the goal until the goal is realized.

This conference is sponsored by the National Black College Alliance's
Next Generation program. It is also sponsored by a number of community
based agencies and other civic organizations.


GREATEST MINDS
A Gathering of Black Bostonians
A Two Day Gathering of Black Bostonians Who Are About Getting Things
Done
Friday, June 6, 2008 & Saturday, June 7, 2008

CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE

FRIDAY
Friday, June 6th, 2008
5:00pm - 6:00pm REGISTRATION
6:00pm - 9:00pm OPENING SESSION

Hibernian Hall
184 Dudley Street
Roxbury, MA 02119
Dudley Square, Roxbury

LEADERSHIP: Passing or Taking the Leadership Torch: An Intergenerational
Discussion about Black Leadership in Boston

FRIDAY
Friday, June 6th, 2008
6:00pm - 9:00pm

Robert Lewis, Jr., Vice President for Programs of the Boston Foundation,
Mel King, Executive Director of the South End Technology Center,
Tulaine Shabazz Marshall, Vice President of United Way of Massachusetts
Bay and Merrimack Valley,
Cynthia Loesch, Director of Community Organizing for FAMILY Inc.
Darnell Williams, President and CEO, Urban League of Eastern
Massachusetts

Moderators:
George "Chip" Greenidge, Jr., President of the National Black College
Alliance
Lynson Beaulieu, Director of Programs and Strategic Leadership, The
Schott Foundation for Public Education

FIRST FRIDAYS RECEPTION and NETWORKING

FRIDAY
Friday, June 6th, 2008
10:00pm - 2:00pm

Johnnie's On the Side
(formerly Anthem)
138 Portland Street
Boston, MA

Hosted by the First Fridays United, the A Group, Upper Echelon Events,
the GREATEST MINDS Planning Committee and National Black College
Alliance's NEXT GENERATION program

SATURDAY
Saturday, June 7th, 2008

Hibernian Hall
184 Dudley Street
Roxbury, MA 02119
Dudley Square, Roxbury

8:00am - 9:00am REGISTRATION
9:00am - 6:30pm CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

EDUCATION (K-12): Where Will your Kids Go To School Charter, Public,
Private, Religious School or Be Home Schooled; A Discussion about
Education Options for Youth In Boston

9:00am - 11:30am
Michelle Brooks, Assistant Superintendent for Boston Public Schools for
Family and Student Engagement
Jean McGuire, Executive Director of METCO, Inc.
Dr. John Jackson, President of the Schott Foundation for Public
Education
Scott McCue, Principal, Boston Preparatory Charter School
Mweusi Willingham, Headmaster, the Engineering School at Hyde Park
Educational Complex
John Matthew Borders IV, Associate Director of Admissions, St.
Sebastian's School
Willie Rodriquez, Executive Director, Boston Campaign for Proficiency
Cedric Crowe, Teacher, Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School
Naia Wilson, Principal of New Mission Pilot School

Moderator:
Laina Cox, Assistant Principal, Harbor School and Board member of the
National Black College Alliance

NETWORKING LUNCH
SATURDAY
Saturday, June 7th, 2008
11:30pm - 12:30pm

NETWORKING LUNCH with Colette Phillips, Colette Phillips Communications.

Colette Phillips will introduce Kaleidoscope, a resource and
professional booklet connecting people of color with the vast
opportunities, resources and networks in the Greater Boston area. She
will also share networking strategies and tips on how you can break the
glass ceiling in Greater Boston on finding new mentors, new
relationships, and new business contacts.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Start Your Own Business in Boston; the Do's and Don'ts

SATURDAY
Saturday, June 7th, 2008
12:30pm - 2:00pm

Reggie Nunnally, Director, City of Boston Business Assistance Center
Andre Porter, Director of Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of Small
Business and Entrepreneurship
Ken Guscott, Founding Partner, Long Bay Management Company*
Kelly Chunn, Kelly Chunn and Associates
Terryl Callaway, President, Nex Graphix, Communications and Printing
DJ Saki, All-Nite Juice Bar
Edgard Arty, co-founding Partner, MOD Boston Clothing Boutique
Anthony Lewis, In the Streetz Entertainment/Hollyhood DVD
Barrington Edwards, Owner, Haven Arts Café

*still confirming

Moderators:
Mr. Richard Futrell, Professional Recruiter, Aerotek, Inc. and CEO, Ice
Reign Entertainment and alumni member of the National Black College
Alliance
Wynndell Bishop, Buyer, Raytheon Corporation, alumni member of the
Partnership Alumni Association and the National Black College Alliance

POLITICS: So you are interested in Running or Supporting a Candidate for
Office: The Nuts and Bolts of Political Campaigning and How To Do It
Successfully

SATURDAY
Saturday, June 7th, 2008
2:30pm - 4:00pm

Ron Bell, Director, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of Civic
Engagement
Joyce Ferriabough, political strategist
Ego Ezedi, former city council candidate, City of Boston
Emmanuel Bellegarde, former state representative candidate for 12th
Suffolk District
Linda Dorcena Forry, state representative for 12th Suffolk District
Horace Small, Executive Director, Union of Minority Neighborhoods
Michael Curry, former member of Boston Urban Progressives

Moderator:
Sean Daughtry, alumni member of the National Black College Alliance,
President of the Greater Boston Morehouse College Alumni Association,
and former member of Boston Urban Progressives

NIGHTLIFE & NETWORKING: Where Do Black People Go to Have A Good Time to
Meet People and Network: A Discussion about Options and Possibilities
and Challenges

SATURDAY
Saturday, June 7th, 2008
4:30pm - 6:00pm

Rusty Pendleton, Owner, Funky Fresh Records
Eddie Cue, Promoter and Touch 106.1 FM
Kareem Lyder, President, A1 Entertainment
Herby Firmin, Creative Director and Founder, TSM Events
DJ Nomadik, Soulkore Productions
Sali Rowe, 9 Alarms Productions,
Harold Austin, Upper Echelon/First Fridays United,
Izzy Pina, 360 Ultra Lounge
DJ Bruno, UtopiaBoston.com

Moderator:
Darius McCroey, Principal, Elevated Media, alumni member of the National
Black College Alliance and President of the Greater Boston Howard
University Alumni Association

6:00pm - 6:30pm Evaluation, Thoughts and Next Steps for GREATEST MINDS

GREATEST MINDS CLOSING RECEPTION & NETWORKING at Hibernian Hall

SATURDAY
Saturday, June 7th, 2008
8:30pm - 12midnight

Hibernian Hall
184 Dudley Street
Roxbury, MA 02119
Dudley Square, Roxbury

Join us as we explore the evening and hear Boston's newest talent in
jazz, hip hop, poetry and performance. Bring your business cards and
network.

Hosted by:
Nuri Chandler-Smith, BlackOUT Boston
Herby Firmin, TSM Events, (The Social Mixxer Events and Marketing
Events)

And a Special Surprise Guest will also be in attendance. Guess who?

COME TO GREATEST MINDS and CREATE AN ACTION AGENDA FOR BLACK BOSTON IN
LEADERSHIP, EDUCATION, POLITICS, ENTREPRENUERSHIP and NETWORKING

Build your community and join young people, veteran community activists,
corporate leaders, college students, educators, and next generation
leaders as we share information and put action steps for Black Boston.

This gathering will bring together Boston's GREATEST MINDS who are about
making things happen for Black Boston. This two day event will bring
together different generations ( Generation X, Generation Y, Baby
Boomers, and Matures ) to listen, learn, network and collaborate on ways
you can make the resources in the city work for you individually and
collectively. We also encourage for you to bring your mothers, fathers,
sisters, brothers, and other family members to make this a truly
intergenerational conference. The GREATEST MINDS conference is open to
all races and ethnicities - so if you want to share information and help
- show up.

This conference will be for the first 200 people who register and pay a
registration fee of $25.00. Here is the online link to register and pay
for the GREATEST MINDS Conference:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/35459


TO PURCHASE TICKETS AND REGISTER FOR THE GREATEST MINDS CONFERENCE,
please go to the following link
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/35459

Tickets can also be picked up the National Black College Alliance office
- NBCA 2304 Washington Street, Suite 200, Roxbury, MA 02119 and at
Nubian Notions, 57 Warren Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 in Dudley Square.

LIMITED TICKETS and SEATING up to 200 people. Tickets are going
FAST!!!!!!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE GREATEST MINDS CONFERENCE, please call
617.442.8045 or email us at greatestminds@gmail.com or go to
www.nbcalliance.org for updates or contact:

underrepresentation of women in politics

Our Own Glass Ceilings

By Ruth Marcus
Wednesday, May 28, 2008; A13
The Washington Post


As Hillary Clinton cracks her head against what she likes to call "the highest and hardest glass ceiling," there's no doubt that she craves the presidency as much as any man does.

But a new report from the Brookings Institution suggests an unexpected reason for the relative paucity of women elsewhere in political office and the dearth of credible female presidential candidates: an ambition gap.

"Somewhat surprisingly," write political scientists Jennifer Lawless of Brown University and Richard Fox of Loyola Marymount, women's underrepresentation "is not because of discrimination against women candidates. In fact, women perform as well as men when they do run for office. In terms of fundraising and vote totals, the consensus among researchers is the complete absence of overt gender bias."

Rather, the "fundamental reason for women's underrepresentation is that they do not run for office. There is a substantial gender gap in political ambition; men tend to have it, and women don't."

Surveying thousands of business leaders, educators and political activists, Lawless and Fox found "clear and compelling evidence that women, even in the highest tiers of professional accomplishment, are substantially less likely than men to demonstrate ambition to seek elected office." These results held true regardless of age, partisan affiliation, income and profession.

Equally unsettling, they note, this ambition gap is not shrinking. The number of women seeking political office grew steadily during the 1980s, and surged in the early 1990s -- remember the Year of the Woman? -- but has since leveled off. Today, women account for fewer than one out of four elected statewide officials, one in six members of Congress, and -- perhaps most relevant considering the traditional road to the presidency -- eight of 50 governors.

Why this reluctance to take the political plunge? "Women are less likely than men to be willing to endure the rigors of a political campaign," Lawless and Fox write. "They are less likely than men to be recruited to run for office. They are less likely than men to have the freedom to reconcile work and family obligations with a political career. They are less likely than men to think they are 'qualified' to run for office."

Oh, boy -- oh, girl?-- does that ring true.

The women in the survey were far less likely to be married or have children than the men were, and those who did had their hands full: 60 percent of the women, compared with 4 percent of the men, said they were responsible for the majority of child care.

As Beloit College political scientist Georgia Duerst-Lahti put it, "Women may now think about running for office, but they probably think about it while they are making the bed." Chugging down the Mommy Track may leave little time for pursuing a third, often all-consuming career.

The ambition gap also reflected an underlying, and pronounced, cockiness gap. One-third of men, but just one in five women, rated themselves "very qualified" to hold political office; twice as many women (12 percent) as men (6 percent) considered themselves "not at all qualified." Men were more likely to try for federal office, women for the local school board. Nearly half the women, but fewer than a third of the men, said they did not "have thick enough skin" to run.

Those responses resonated with my own experiences. Becoming a parent tempered my career ambitions in ways I never anticipated. There are jobs I once wanted -- jobs I'd be good at, actually -- that now I would not pursue.

If the gender tables were turned, would Michelle Obama leave two young daughters at home to run for president? How would voters respond if she did? Would her husband put his career on hold to manage the family?

When the governor of Alaska gave birth the other day to her fifth child, my initial, not-especially-enlightened thought was: How in the world will she manage that? I have just two kids to juggle and no state to run, and I'm dropping balls left and right.

The cockiness gap, too, has parallels in the opinion-writing business. The undeniable underrepresentation of women on op-ed pages has always struck me as more a function of limited supply (women willing to speak out) than inadequate demand (male chauvinist editors). It is intimidating to put your opinions out there, especially in an age of online, highly personal vitriol. It takes a certain unbecoming arrogance to believe you have something valuable to say -- even one time, no less week after week.

Sometimes the hardest glass ceilings are the ones women impose, whether knowingly or unconsciously, on ourselves.

marcusr@washpost.com

Become a Mentor!

Good Afternoon,

I write to you today in these times of recession to ask you to spend. But spend a little differently.

I would like you to spend social capital. All my life I have had a plethora of role models that helped open up the world to me through athletics, arts and crafts and civics. Unfortunately, as most of you know, most youth raised in Roxbury and the surrounding areas are not as fortunate.

For the past 8 or 9 years I have committed myself to being the same type of positive role model for youth as my mentors were for me. I have worked at Dorchester's Little House engaging young people in the evening teen program. I have worked with Dorchester Bay's Youth Force and Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative's Youth Council. It is some of the most gratifying moments of my life not only spending time with young people but watching and helping them develop into young adults with life skills and strong values.

In our community the need for more mentors is great (especially men) ! There are over 3,000 young people in the 02119 zip code alone between the ages of 7-14. Many of them in low income single family households.

My current work is as a recruitment coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay.

Here's is where the spending happens. . .

You yourself can spend time (a commodity most people think they don't have) and volunteer to spend a couple of hours, a couple of times a month for a year with a young person who's life you can impact merely through a one to one friendship. . .for more details please ask. . .there is a great process that matches you with a young person with similar interests and a fantastic infrastructure that supports you the child and the child's family throughout.

or

You might know of a person who potentially would be a great "Big" in which case please help them connect with me.

or

You may know of an upcoming event where I could possibly share information with people.

or

You may work for a company or organization that supports or encourages community involvement and philanthropic efforts. In which case I would love to contact HR or a decision maker that could facilitate an information session either downtown at our home offices (dinner, my treat for the session) or on site at your company/organization (lunch, my treat for the session).

I know your time is valuable, and you may be thinking what would I do with the child. "Littles" as we call them have told me that some of their enjoyable activities are things we as adults consider chores. (washing the car, planting flowers, running errands, seeing parts of Boston they have never seen before, going to events that Big Brothers Big Sisters get tickets for and pass on to "Bigs" at no charge)

Please think about it. . . and if you have any ideas how to increase mentoring of the young people in our community don't hesitate to share it.

I thank you in advance,

Carlos Henriquez

(617)956-0291 work

(617)642-4195 work cell

chenriquez@bbbsmb.org

ADDITIONAL NOTES RE: FINAL CASE STUDY

Interview Transcripts:

Please include these in AT LEAST ONE presentation ready copy in an appendix/annex

Consent Forms:

Please include your consent forms in BOTH presentation ready copies in an appendix/annex

Interview Guides:

Please include your consent forms in BOTH presentation ready copies in an appendix/annex

Great job to all last nights presenters!

And good luck to everyone in the final presentations and with the final case study.

Do not forget your two copies and envelopes.

I will be marking you down if you misuse APA style and for grammar/spelling mistakes.

Good luck!
Jasmine

Summer Internships in NOLA

The Southern Institute for Education and Research is accepting applications from graduate and undergraduate college students for unpaid summer internships. Two full-time positions are available to run through August 15, 2008. Interns will be responsible for their own travel and housing. They will collaborate with the Institute's staff on new projects aimed at racial healing and reconciliation in the aftermath of Katrina and promoting effective social justice volunteer service.

Based at Tulane University, the Southern Institute is a non-profit race relations center dedicated to improving ethnic relations in the Deep South through tolerance education and communications training. Founded in 1993, the Southern Institute's programs help young people understand the causes and consequences of prejudice by examining the past. For the adult community, the Southern Institute offers programs on communal trauma and race and a highly acclaimed cross-cultural communication workshop that enables participants to understand and work effectively with people from different cultures.

Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Meredith Bethune at mbethune@tulane.edu by May 20.