class colloquium
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A black life class
colloquium
because: all black
lives matter
"A Black Life Class" Initiative
Written by Bettye Stevens Coney, MS, CPC, Ed.L., Equity Education,
Funds of Knowledge & Systemic Anti-Racism Consultant in Corroboration with
Patrick Coggins, PhD, Professor of Education, Stetson University
With Overwhelming Endorsements for the Initiative are:
Apostle Dr. Dannie L. Williams, Senior Pastor Citadel of Hope Ministries, Leesburg, FL
Pastor John H. Christian - Christian Worship Center - 4 Times Mayor and Commissioner, City of Leesburg, FL
Rev. Sandy Haxton, Founder of Interfaith Lake County, FL
ABOUT
a black life class colloquium
First Understanding:
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I understand that ALL lives matter.
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I understand that not ANY life is considered more or less important than another.
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I understand the desired outcome of the All Black Lives Matter Class Colloquium, indeed “our bottom line” and sole concentration in this presentation is “Black Lives.” The importance of this colloquium is reflected through the national narrative and the national reckoning resulting from the murder of George Floyd (and a list of others) by the police. This colloquium takes a fearless straight forward look at systemic structural and institutional racism that has been thrust upon America since the coming of African Americans to the Americas.
You see, America has never placed significant value on the history, being or plight of Black life. All of
America would tremendously benefit from knowing the rich illustrative text and subtext of the subject and its impact on the entire landscape of the country from the arts, sciences, architecture, as well
Presentation Overview
The topical history of the colloquium spans and includes the Moral, Immoral and Legal aspects of Black Life in America. Our aim is not to recreate the history of Black Life in America it is to lay bare that canvas that is uniquely America and paint great vistas of lives whose history demands to be told. As any journey whose path has not yet been fully charted, this history requires careful navigation.
This series begins in Africa the cradle of civilization. Our attention is drawn to Professor Henry Louis Gates, "AFRICA'S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS". Here we will discover Africa's innate, pure genius in leaving to the world, its creation of the arts, sciences, and technology.
Astonishingly, Professor Ivan Van Sertima, Rutgers University, once poignantly wrote that, "THE NERVE OF THE WORLD HAS BEEN DEADENED, FOR CENTURIES, TO THE VIBRATIONS OF AFRICAN GENIUS".
Further, this work encompasses a circle of violence, unfolding in our nation and into our local areas and state. These include
►The Ocoee massacre of 1920.
► The Rosewood massacre of 1923.
► The Groveland Four massacre of 1949.
►The story of Virgil Darnell Hawkins, a civil rights pioneer, of Okahumpka, Florida.
Our desire is to emphasize the great civil and social milestones in our collective history. In presenting the unvarnished facts of history and the current societal status of "BLACK LIFE”, we hope these oral and written expositions leave each of us, regardless of race or historical preface as brothers and sisters … longing for the answer to the question, “How and when do we do better?
Purpose
To present authentic history and facts for listening, learning and processing for understanding and knowing the essence of “Black Life in America".
Changing the perceptions of "BLACK LIFE" from:
To what "Black LIFE" in America" is:
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“An insignificant species that does not matter, useless, barbaric, void of love of self or family, invisible and having no feelings of pain and subject to human insult”
Highly intelligent, creative, talented, intuitive, resilient, yet highly sensitive to emotions and welfare of self and others, valuable and worthy of first-class citizenship in all areas of our American way of life”
Photo: Jahi Chikwendiu
(Washington Post November 25, 2019)
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Bettye Stevens Coney presently serves as a Consultant For Equity and Systemic Anti-racist Education; Culturally Relevant Teaching and Learning and the brain - the title and service she has provided as a member of the staff with Science Weekly Magazine of Silver Spring, Maryland, creating, relating, and adapting STEAM lessons to ensure that students from all ethnicities can see themselves as part of teaching and learning
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Founded The Heritage and Roots-Teacher Education Training Foundation, Inc.
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Presented for the Florida Head Start Leadership Conference on, A PRE-NATAL AND BIRTH TO FIVE APPROACH TO GETTING BOYS OF COLOR GRADUATED FROM HIGH (AND ENROLLED INTO COLLEGE) Orlando, Florida
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Presented nationally for the National Council on Educating Black Children, Las Vegas, Nevada & the National Black Child Development Institute, Nashville, Tennessee
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Published two academic and socio- wellbeing training manuals: GETTING BLACK MALES GRADUATEDFROM HIGH SCHOOL AND ENROLLED IN COLLEGE OR VOCATIONAL SCHOOL AND SECRETS TO GUARANTEERING SAFER SCHOOLS (THROUGH IMPROVED INTERETHNIC RELATIONS ON OUR NATION’S SCHOOL SITES)
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Presented for the Florida Education Association; Trained superintendents, administrators, principals, clerical personnel, bus drivers, students and church leadership groups in the area of cultural diversity; and, she has trained in many Florida school districts: Alachua (encore presentations), Polk, Clay, Dade, and Lake.
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Published author. Her first book was titled, MY SOUL SPEAKS TRUTH. MY SOUL SPEAKS TRUTH was adopted as a text book at Stetson University and used when multicultural education was taught; adopted as a text at Lake Sumter Community College for the course, African American Literature; used as a supplemental text, in history, at FAMU.
Bettye Stevens Coney
