A MyBrownBaby Weekend: Mos Def and Goapele Encourage Kids To Go To Infinity And Beyond

I've BEEN saying we should elect Mos Def for president, particularly after I saw him in this If I Were President video on the hip online consortium GOOD. The man loves African American children with abandon. And for that, I love him back. I love him even more today knowing that he's all up in the middle of an awesome FREE program this Sunday that'll encourage kids to embrace science, math, and discovery.

Oakland's own Chabot Space & Science Center will play host to The Instituting Science In Schools (I.S.I.S.) Science & Culture Festival, which will bring live poetry, guest speakers, and a special, first-of-it's kind holographic appearance of NASA astronaut Leland Melvin and Mos Def, talking up math and science. Even sweeter: Bay Area soul singer Goapele is hosting, with her cute self.

The fair is all a part of I.S.I.S.'s mission to bring "culturally competent" science curricula to the next generation of American students, particularly in light of the fact that scores from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessement shows that the average science score of U.S. students lags behind those in 16 of 30 of the world’s richest industrialized countries. That same assessment shows that our students are even further behind in math, trailing counterparts in 23 countries.

What better way to engage and wow students with math and science—particularly African American children—by having them interact with poets, actors and astronauts who look like them?

If I lived anywhere near Oakland, I’d be all over this. Alas, I’m in Georgia. Cool stuff like this needs to happen here. But this weekend, it's going down in Cali. If you're in the area, treat the kids (and your wallet, seeing as it's FREE):

The I.S.I.S. Science & Cultural Festival

Chabot Space & Science Center

10000 Skyline Blvd.

Oakland, CA 94619

Sunday, September 5th 

11am-5pm

(Did I mention it's FREE?)

Register for the event HERE.

NASA I.S.I.S Program with MosDef & Astronaut Leland Melvin from OpenLineMedia on Vimeo.


Photo credit: Justin Warren of JSight Photography

The First Lady Ain't Nevah Lied...

See? This right here? It's why I just love me some Michelle Obama. First Lady Obama told Prevention magazine in its November issue that she learned "what not to do" as a mother from her own mom, Marian Robinson, who tended much too often to put her own two children first, sometimes to the detriment of herself. Mrs. Obama says her mom warned her not to make the same mistake:

"Throughout my life, I've learned to make choices that make me happy and make sense for me. Even my husband is happier when I'm happy," Mrs. Obama told Prevention. "So I have freed myself to put me on the priority list and say, yes, I can make choices that make me happy, and it will ripple and benefit my kids, my husband and my physical health."

"That's hard for women to own. We're not taught to do that," she added. "It's a lesson that I want to teach my girls."

Tell it, Shelley. Because the one simple truth is this: When mama's happy, everybody is happy. I think a new pair of shoes—a cute suede peep-toe bootie—would make mama very happy today. Yes, indeed.

Wish Upon a Star With Disney and Steve Harvey

"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you. . . "

That's the message Disney and Steve Harvey are spreading to teens, with the hope that they'll pack their bags—and their dreams—and head to Walk Disney World Resort to participate in the Disney's Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey. The event, created to inspire and enrich high school students, invites 100 kids to participate in workshops with Disney cast members and executives, hear inspirational stories from entertainment celebrities and professional athletes, and enjoy the Disney theme parks – where they can see, first-hand, the results of people who turned their dreams into careers as "Disney dreamers." They'lll learn about careers in everything from culinary arts to animation, set design and show production to the business of sports and more. Indeed, during the 2009 Disney's Dreamers Academy, some of the guest speakers were Chef Jeff Henderson, National Football League Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow, pop/R&B recording artists Fantasia and Keyshia Cole, ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith and, of course, Steve Harvey.

Nominations for the Class of 2010 are being accepted from now until Oct. 2, 2009; young dreamers—who must be enrolled in high school for the 2009-10 term—can be nominated by anyone, including parents, guardians, teachers, church members, social organizations—even themselves. Although a high GPA is not required, students must exhibit a desire to learn, perhaps needing only additional motivational support to excel.



Take it from Steve: This is a fantastic program meant to inspire young people who normally don't have a chance to be exposed to a variety of job skills and job opportunities and meet with people in the fields they're interested in. "We want to give our young achievers the tools to become overachievers—to make their dreams a reality," he said.

Amen to that, my brother. I can't tell you how inspiring it was for me when I was in the 11th grade to attend and volunteer at a National Association of Black Journalists conference, where black writers and broadcasters from around the country gathered to talk about careers in journalism. I left that conference convinced that I just HAD to be a writer—and it was all because someone took the time to just talk to me about it. That's all it took—exposure.

Won't you help a teenager in your life realize his/her dream? All it takes is for us grown-ups to take the initiative to fill out a form—a simple form. WE can potentially change a kid's life. I have a few kids in mind that I'd like to nominate. If you know someone who would benefit from the Disney's Dreams Academy with Steve Harvey, click HERE to fill out the nomination forms.