WEEK OF FEBRUARY 21, 2022 - erhs.la
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THAT'S A WRAP!
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 21, 2022
Dr. McKenna III an inspirational leader joins Local District Central's
Black Students Matter Town Hall as a guest speaker
The Black Students Matter Initiative brings many opportunities to transform our schools, to lead with
the equity lens, and engage in anti racist deeper learning through thematic inquiry & social justice. The
Black Students Matter Town Hall series offers opportunities for engagement and dialogue. The evening
of February 14th, provided a significant occasion to highlight Dr. George McKenna III story as our guest
speaker.
Dr. McKenna has served LAUSD in many capacities as a teacher, principal, and currently Board
Member for District 1. He holds various degrees including a B.A. in mathematics, an M.A. from Loyola
University, and an EdD from Xavier University. In 1979, Dr. McKenna became principal at George
Washington Preparatory High School. At the time, the high school was known to have many challenges
including gangs, drug dealing, and gun fights. Under Dr. McKenna's leadership and his reform efforts,
he transformed a failing institution, where now nearly 80% of graduates enrolled in college. Dr.
McKenna has received more than 400 citations and awards from civic, legislative and professional
organizations. His work was captured in the award-winning CBS movie, The George McKenna Story,
starring Denzel Washington.
Dr. McKenna's words resonated with many as he spoke passionately and said, "...from oppression to
access to housing, access to employment, access to education...the black community in America
created, along with some help from white Americans, historically black colleges and universities, even
though it was illegal to teach us when we were slaves. It was illegal for us to be educated and to learn
to read and write. You could lose your life if you tried to teach a slave to read or write, but we had the
audacity and the tenacity and the intentionality; which was a word that was used earlier talking about
the intentionality of Local District Central and the unapologetic approach to wanting to get an
education, ... so we did and my ancestors as well and it was very important to us to get an education."
Foshay Learning Center Presented
. "Life Every Voice"
Azaraiah Thomas, Vocalist
Joshua Burks, Drummer
Vincent Womack, Piano
Michael Hooks Video Recording
Daniel Axucar Editing
Click on the link to view the
entire presentation:
https://youtu.be/2DUVxVnJjYQ
ldcentral.net
THAT'S A WRAP!
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 21, 2022
The Glassell Park Los Feliz Community of Schools Gives Voice to
students, as they celebrate black history month
Posing questions is a powerful tool for change and that is exactly what happened at the Glassell Park Los
Feliz (GPLF) Community of Schools as Dr. Jose Rodriguez Community of Schools Administrator, along with
Cyrene St. Amant, Parent Educator Coach, created an opportunity to give voice to students as they
reflected on the many social issues that this country has faced both past and present. Here's what they
said!
It’s February in the United States, and at least since 1926 when Carter J. Woodson declared the second
week in February to be Black History week, (in present times, February is Black History Month) this month
has been associated with an examination of the history of Blacks and African Americans in this country.
These past few years in particular, have been momentous. The murders of George Floyd and Breonna
Taylor (among too many others) and the protests sparked by their deaths; the prominence of the Black
Lives Matter movement; the 2020 election that situated Kamala Harris as the first African American/South
Asian woman Vice President of the United States; the way the pandemic has ravaged the Black community
and other marginalized communities: all mark this time in history.
To mark this historic moment, Dr. Rodriguez asked Black and African American students at GPLF middle
and high schools to reflect and respond to the question, "What Does Black History Month Mean to You?"
Glassell Park/Los Feliz Community of
schools Participating schools include:
Irving STEAM Magnet MS
John Marshall SH
Thomas Starr King MS Magnet
Sotomayor Arts & Sciences
Magnet SPAN
Click on the link to view the video
presentation.
https://youtu.be/Go_gHmJM5Vc
ldcentral.net
THAT'S A WRAP!
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 21, 2022
Have you heard about Historic Black Colleges and universities?
Ld Central Students DID! here's how it went...
Recently students from over 19 Local District Central high schools attended the Black College Expo
at the Los Angeles Convention Center. They met with representatives of Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Students learned about post secondary options, and career
opportunities. They asked questions to the HBCU representatives, who answered their questions
having a deep understanding of the schools history and culture. In addition, many students were
offered acceptance letters on the spot, to attend their HBCU! Way to go Local District Central
students! A college going culture and clear pathways create opportunities along the journey
toward higher education. Also, if you would like to know more about the HBCU's here is one
descriptor: According to the National Center for Education Statistics, "Historically Black colleges
and universities (HBCUs) are institutions that were established prior to 1964 with the principal
mission of educating Black Americans. These institutions were founded and developed in an
environment of legal segregation and, by providing access to higher education, they contributed
substantially to the progress Black Americans made in improving their status".
Students also attended
the HBCU Caravan Tour!
The event took place at
Charles Drew University in
South Los Angeles!
Students from Foshay Learning Center,
Manual Arts SH, and Maya Angelou
Community HS, attended the only HBCU
Caravan in the West Coast, at Charles
Drew University. Students also met with a
select group of HBCU's college
representatives.
As students entered Charles Drew
University, they were greeted with a warm
welcome by representatives of Charles
Drew University. Students visited each
booth and spoke directly with
representatives. The Hosts of the event
were the National College Resource
Foundation & the Black College Expo.
Students were treated to a luncheon as
they started their networking journey for
future college and career plans.
ldcentral.net
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