BE NOLA Newsletter: April Edition
Be Nola - Black Education for New Orleans
BENOLA builds the capacity of Black-led efforts to advance educational progress in New Orleans.
Dear BE NOLA Friends & Supporters,
I hope that this newsletter finds you in good spirits! We have been on the move this month and I’m excited to share our latest updates and opportunities to get involved.
First up, mark your calendars for GiveNOLA Day on May 2nd! Every year so many of you support our participation in this annual 24-hour fundraising event and we hope we can count on your support again this year.?Early giving is now open ?and you can help spread the word !?
We are also in month five (yes, month 5!) of the Black Is Brilliant Institute pilot. It has been such a beautiful experience to see the brainchild of our resident dreamer, Stevona Elem-Rogers, come to life and then watch the inaugural class flourish with each convening.
Below you’ll find a few more fun details about what we’ve been up to this past month - check it out and thanks,?as always, for holding us in your hearts.
Warmly,
Adrinda Kelly, Executive Director
April Spotlight: Welcome BE NOLA Board Members
We are thrilled to announce that three truly amazing individuals,?Okyeame Haley, Gina Bell, and Dr. Jeff Benjamin , have joined BE NOLA’s incredible Board of Directors!?Each of them brings a wealth of experience, passion, and commitment to the BE NOLA family. Their addition to the board signifies an exciting next step?in our organization's journey.
An attorney by trade, Okyeame has also served on the Black Is Brilliant Institute advisory council; Gina is a teacher coach and past participant in several BE NOLA programs; and Dr. Jeff is an education researcher with a background in higher education administration.
We look forward to the transformative impact their leadership will bring!?
GiveNOLA Day 2023 is Almost Here!
We are on a mission to raise $12K for GiveNOLA Day on May 2nd for special programming to support Black educators. Can we count on you to donate? You do not have to wait until GiveNOLA Day on May 2nd to give -?you can give right now ! (Or, you can add a reminder to give to your calendar:?Apple ??Google ?Office 365? ?Outlook )
Thank you for your continued investment in our work to support Black educators in New Orleans - it truly means the world!?
Black Is Brilliant Institute: Leading with Love?
It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of BE NOLA’s pilot of the Black Is Brilliant Institute fellowship.?We have learned so much from the Institute's advisory council, veteran mentors, and fellows during the last five months and we are so grateful!?
April’s Black Is Brilliant Institute convening kicked off at the?Amistad Research Center . Featured speakers included Dr. David Robinson-Morris, Lona Edwards Hankins, Dr. Ashonta Wyatt, and the wonderful Center archivists, Lisa Moore and Felicia Render, who took the Institute fellows on a journey through New Orleans Black education history. Fellows were able to explore powerful collections and papers of Black artists, educators, authors, business leaders, clergy, lawyers, farmers, and musicians that make up the rich tapestry of civic leadership in New Orleans and beyond.?
This was followed by an intimate chat with Dr. Ashonta Wyatt and Lona Edwards Hankins on the importance of leading with love in education. They reflected on their upbringings, their different?leadership styles, and their shared belief that our aspirations for?the children of New Orleans should be no different than what we want for our own children.?
The fellows then learned ways to regulate their parasympathetic system through mindful stretching and breathing during a yoga session in Audubon Park, led by the Director of?The Ohm Well , Valerie McMillian. The day ended with a lovely brunch held at the beautiful Chloe Hotel on St. Charles Avenue.?
You can support the Black Is Brilliant Institute and other valuable BE NOLA programming by?donating to us for GiveNOLA Day 2023 .?
领英推荐
Partner Spotlight: Amistad Research Center?
This month’s BE NOLA Partner Spotlight features the Amistad Research Center. The Center has been a beloved BE NOLA partner for years, providing archival direction for our online course,?History and Contemporary Context of Black Education in New Orleans ,?as well as authoring a chapter of our 2020?Black Is Brilliant Report .?
The Center traces its roots to 1966 when the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries at Fisk University set out to preserve the historical records of the American Missionary Association. After a series of relocations and transformations, Amistad, now an independent non-profit organization, found its permanent residence at Tulane in 1987.
The Center offers a refuge where the records of artists, educators, authors, business leaders, clergy, lawyers, factory workers, farmers, and musicians are held sacred. These archives reveal the untold stories of enslavement, race relations, African American community development, and the civil rights movement. Amistad's resources have given birth to a new understanding, as scholars and the wider community delve into the labyrinth of its holdings, unearthing histories long hidden in the shadows of mainstream narratives.
For more information on the Center’s hours of operation, programming, collections and how to book group tours, please click below.?
What We're Reading
This month, we are reading Young, Gifted, and Black: Promoting High Achievement Among African American Students?alongside our Institute fellows.
In a trio of thoughtfully interwoven essays, Theresa Perry, Claude Steele, and Asa Hilliard contend that the unique social and cultural position held by Black students, within a society that frequently undermines and stereotypes their identity, profoundly impacts their educational pursuits and presents unparalleled challenges. However, they remain steadfast in their optimism, contending that by sincerely engaging with and understanding the dynamics at play, we can uncover practical and empowering approaches to nurture high achievement for all.?Click below to secure your copy from a Black-owned bookstore today!
BE NOLA Out & About: Dillard's Multicultural Education Conference
When we say April was a busy month, it was a BUSY month! Drin has been on the move, sharing her insights at various speaking engagements throughout the month.?
Among her many appearances, Drin’s keynote speech at the Center for Racial Justice’s Multicultural Education Conference at Dillard University stands out. Discussing how the “1811 Slave Revolt Matters in Multicultural Education,” she inspired students, educators, and community by weaving her own personal experience of finding her voice in the study of the Transatlantic War of Enslaved Africans (a.k.a. slave rebellions) and how enslaved peoples’ strategies of resistance and marronage shape her orientation to BE NOLA’s work.?
Jazz Fest 2023 Playlist
It’s Spring in New Orleans and that means it’s festival season! Whether you’re Jazz Festing this year or not, here’s a playlist we’ve been enjoying to tap into the festival season vibe.