 Alice Deal Weekly Bulletin
February 23, 2009
"Think globally. Listen compassionately. Act inclusively." |
Thought for the Week
"Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it, and you'll start believing in it."
-- Jesse Owens |
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STAY INFORMED!
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Parent - Teacher Conference!
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This Friday!
Please get to Deal a few moments before the conference to park. Parking is tight!
Also, please remember to stop by and conference with elective teachers!
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Monday - Bell I
Tuesday- Bell I
Wednesday - Bell II (Bell II Activity)
Thursday - Bell I
Friday - Parent-Teacher Conferences |
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High School Applications Update |
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Deadlines are fast approaching. Please get on track if you wish to apply to any of the following high schools.
Dunbar Pre-Engineering
February 28
Cardozo Trans Tech
March 15 |
| Academic
Advisor |
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Next week the last in the first series of instructional focus walks will take place. The walk is scheduled for 5th period on Thursday, February 26 - so a selection of 7th grade teachers will be observing their peers. Last week's focus walk during 4th period was a powerful reminder of the success Deal teachers have with maintaining student engagement during all parts of their lessons. We will again be looking for student engagement and active questioning during the teacher observations.
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IB Middle Years Program |
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| Deal hosted special education teachers from Maryland and Virginia in an IB networking session. This event was designed to help special education teachers to develop strategies and improve IB MYP instruction through sharing of ideas, work, and concerns. Only teachers from IB schools (or candidate IB schools like Deal) were invited to attend. Ms. Bruce, Ms. Brown, and Mr. Brecher represented the Deal special education team. Special thanks to the custodial staff for creating a welcoming space and Ms. Spann and Mr. Turner for giving up their teaching space. Attendees were very excited about the networking - partly because it confirms for many schools that the IB MYP is designed for all students in IB World Schools. |
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Upcoming Activities!
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Monday
Success Academy in room N101, 3:30 - 4:30
Tuesday
Ms. Kim meets with Shepherd ES at 6 pm
Student Council Meeting, 3:30
Girls Softball Informational Meeting in the gym, 3:30
Thursday
Focus Walk - pd. 5
A Quiet Place, 3:30 - 4:15
Success Academy, 3:30 - 4:30
Friday
Parent-Teacher Conference Day
March 2nd
City-wide Science Fair Workshop in room 301; 3:15 - 4:00
March 3rd
DCBAS - Reading
(Testing Bell Schedule)
March 4th
DCBAS - Math
(Testing Bell Schedule)
March 5th
World Language Trip Meeting for students and families, 6:30 pm
March 12th
Department Chairpersons Meeting, 3:30 pm
PTA Parent Workshop, 7 pm
March 13th
DCIAA Cheerleading Competition
March 19th
Faculty Meeting, 3:20 pm
March 23 - March 27th
Spring Break
March 30th
School resumes!
April 3rd
Record-keeping day,
12:15 dismissal
Periods: 1, 3, 7, 4, 5
April 9th
Awards Assembly #2
Report Cards Issued
April 10th - 13th
No School
April 14th
School Begins
April 15th
Faculty Meeting, 3:20 pm
April 16th
Emancipation Day Holiday
April 20-24th
DC CAS Testing
May 26th
Reception at Smithsonian Museum of American Art for Team Braveheart art/writing stories books
June 11
8th grade promotion
June 15
Last day of school for students
June 17
Last day of school for teachers
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Message from Principal Kim
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 Wow! I am completely rejuvenated from the energy at the Deal auction!
It was just fantastic! The inspirational art, the building, the yummy food, the fabulous items, and most importantly the people and the energy! It is intoxicating to be in the midst of such awesome people!
I speak on behalf of the teachers, staff, and students of Alice Deal when I thank all the people who solicited items, chaired categories, donated wonderful items, purchased the items, helped to set up or clean up, and played trouble-shooter along the way. Such an event does not simply happen; many hands, minds, hearts, and hours went into its preparation. A special thanks to this year's auction co-chairs, Ms. Page Kennedy (mom of Georgia Rochon) and Ms. Cindy Sherman (mom of Kelly Sherman)! These ladies sure know how to throw a party!
Thank you so much for being such strong supporters of our school.
This Friday, there is no school for students as we conduct our third round of parent-teacher conferences. If you have not yet scheduled an appointment with your team, please contact your team leader. Although all the elective teachers will be available for walk-in conferences with parents, the core teachers will not be able to accomodate them. Please arrive a little early for your conferences, as parking spaces are tight!
Principal Kim
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Announcing the Next DC-BAS
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Students-Have you been happy with your DC-BAS results so far?
You will have another opportunity to take the test again before the final DC-CAS in April. This is an opportunity to practice your test taking skills and to see how well you are progressing from test to test. Most students at Alice Deal Middle School have made average to above average progress this year. We want to encourage you to continue with your best efforts.
The next DC-BAS will be administered on Tuesday and Wednesday the first week in March. The March DC-BAS Math Assessment will include five items requiring the use of calculators. The items will be placed at the end of the tests and will be separated with clear instructions that calculators are to be used with the following five items. Students should bring a calculator on Wednesday, March 4.
Throughout the city, students will be taking Reading and Math exams in preparation for the DC-CAS. Sharpen your #2 pencils and your thoughts! Be well fed, on time and ready March 3 and 4!
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Teachers & Staff Members
- Thanks for all your support and flexibility with NAEP testing last week!
- Thanks to all the teachers who donated items to the Deal auction. Also, thanks for coming out to celebrate on Saturday!
- Thanks for hosting the IB Special Education teachers from Maryland and Virgina last week! We are excited to have them recognize how awesome we are!
- This week, we are hosting DCPS teachers and administrators from Oyster-Adams School and Kramer Middle School. These educators are interested in learning from our best practices. They will be attending department meetings on Tuesday and Thursday of this week, as well as being observers in your classrooms! Please welcome them in your classrooms!
- Please read the Food for Thought article and use it if you can in discussions with students. You should consider using it for the DC BAS reading or if you have a "teachable moment." By now in your team meetings, you should have discussed rigor and planning for instruction. You know that we are preparing our students for much more than a standardized exam. We are preparing them to be successful thinkers and doers in life. Please remember to prepare at least 1-2 higher-order thinking questions for each lesson so that students are constantly challenged in their thinking. If we prepare lessons to hit a rigorous target, our students will be more than prepared for any standardized exam.
Success AcademyThe
first Success Academy was held last Thursday after school. A select
number of 7th and 8th grade students have been identified as
participants in this cognitively-focused activity. Students are
breaking down CAS results and exploring each question in the math
strands in which they struggled. The twist? Principal Kim, Assistant
Principals Dacoba and Neal, and Academic Advisor Albright are the
teachers! The next Academy session will be this Monday (the 23rd) for
Academy 7th graders; on Thursday (the 26th), 8th graders will be in the
house. The Academy runs from 3:30 until 4:30 on these days. The Academy
is another example of the rich opportunity Deal students have to master
critical subjects. In this, it takes its place alongside
morning/lunch/after-school tutoring and help offered and staffed by
Deal's dedicated teachers. If you have received a letter informing you
that your child was invited to participate in the Success Academy,
please help us by reminding them to attend! Deal hosts Debate! Deal will be hosting the DC Urban Debate League this Saturday, February 28th.
We expect between 100-150 debaters plus parents, coaches and judges. We
will be using 25 classrooms for the individual debates. Teachers,
please be assured that no child is allowed into a classroom without a
judge present. If you think you might be interested in debating next
year, this is your perfect opportunity to stop in to watch us in
action. Spectators are very welcome! The first of four rounds begins
around 9:00 and the awards ceremony (in which Deal always figures
prominently) usually ends by 3:30pm. Go Deal Debaters!
Aztec News
Congratulations to Sonia Schlesinger on winning the Local Cluster School Spelling Bee. Good luck at the City-Wide Competition in March!
Team Aztec - A Quiet Place
Team Aztec will hold A Quiet Place this Thursday in the Cafeteria from 3:30 -4:15. A Team Aztec teacher will contact a parent/guardian if a student is invited to the program.
Student Council
The Student Council will meet on Tuesday in Mr. Kirschenbaum's room after school to finalize counting our Pennies for Patients and to review the new Deal Mission Statement. Please plan on attending.
Deal Documentary
In an effort to document our many exciting instructional activities, Mr. Simmons and the AV crew are interested in videotaping students and staff. All teachers are encouraged to contact Ms. Simmons to arrange times for the AV crew to videotape you and your students "in action."
Please give us as much time as possible, but if something REALLY exciting pops up at the last minute please share it with us and we'll try to record it.
Attention all Cleveland Competition Choir Members
We will begin mandatory after school rehearsals in March for all choir students going to Cleveland. All rehearsals will be on Thursdays from 3:30 - 4:30pm in the choral room. Here are the dates. Please plan accordingly.
- March 5
- March 12
- April 2
- April 23
- April 30
- May 7
Girls Softball Meeting
Girls who are interested for trying out for the girls softball team need to attend an informational meeting on Tuesday February, 24 after school at 3:30 in the gym.
Citywide DC Mathematics, Science, and Technology Fair Information All Grand Award Winners from the Deal Science Fair please see information below to prepare for the annual DC MST Fair. The Citywide Fair will be held March 14, 2009 at McKinley Technology High School. Deal students will compete against students from Washington D.C.'s public and private schools in the 7th and 8th junior division.
February 25, 2009- Exhibit Contract, Registration Form, and ISEF forms due to your child's science teacher--forms distributed by Science Teachers.
March 2, 2009-(3:15-4:00 pm Room 301 Ms. Hampton) Citywide Workshop for students includes a review of exhibit boards by the science teachers and completion of the online registration form. Students must make the recommended corrections and adjustments to the presentation board by Friday, March 6th.
March 6, 2008-Exhibit corrections are due to the science teacher. Completed registration packet including ISEF forms will be returned to students for project registration. This is the last day to complete the online registration if the student did not attend the Citywide Workshop March 2, 2009.
March 11-12- 4:00-7:00 Citywide project registration McKinley Technology High School Gymnasium-completed registration forms (including ISEF forms) must accompany the display board. This information has not been finalized by the Fair coordinators, please verify the date and time on the DC MST Fair website http://dcscifair.org.
Department of Music Listserv
The Music Department uses a listserv in order to communicate information to its students and parents. All students involved with the Department of Music should sign up to be a member of this listserv. To become a member send an email mail to roger.jackson@dc.gov.
"Music! Just Imagine!" Coming in March
March is "Music in Our Schools" month. The Music Department has put together a list of events in celebration of "Music in Our Schools" month. It is the hope of the department to promote this year's theme, "Music! Just Imagine."
EVENTS:
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Washington Performing Arts Society and Washington National Opera - Performing a small Opera at Deal, title "Let Freedom Ring", The Marian Anderson Story
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Steel Tears - Performing the genre of Rock & Roll at Deal
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North Carolina A&T State University Vocal Jazz Ensemble - Performing the genre of Jazz at Deal
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Kennedy Center Performance - Selected Deal students perform at the Kennedy Center
Winton Marsalis Performance - Students will be special guests at a concert featuring Marsalis
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Capitol City Jazz Project Continues - Students will participate in a workshop with Marsalis and/or some of his band members
Social Studies Professional Development Opportunity
The American Turkish Association of Washington DC's Annual Teacher's Workshop will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2009 at the Turkish Embassy. It is a free program featuring speakers on Turkey and Turkish culture, delicious Turkish food, paper marbling demonstrations and a raffle which includes a round-trip ticket to Turkey as the top prize. Please register at http://www.atadc.org by March 14th.
Lost and FOUND Textbooks
Donovan Barnes - Spanish
Edward Bent - History
Dennis Centeno - Math
Jackson Conley - English
Vanessa Flores - French
Te'Von Greene - History
Karen Herrera - History
Cleo Hines - Science
Nhat Hoang - English, Chinese
Terence Jones - English
Michael Kusnet - Science (Interactions)
Ciara Mackey - Math
Robin Martin - Science
Emma Noel - Spanish
Jose Reyes - Science
Karen Velasquez - Spanish
Cordell Wright - History
Please take better care of your books - they are critical resources for our learning community!
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Before & After School Activities This Week ...
Monday AM
Monday PM
- Debate Team, 3:20 - 4:30 pm
- Rugby, 3:30 - 5 pm
- Ms. Stanley's Reading Group, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- Cheerleading practice, 3:30 - 5 pm
- Student Council officer meeting, 3:20 - 4 pm
- Tutoring with Ms. Mason, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, Rm 211
- LAYC tutoring 3:30 - 5:30 pm
- MathCounts, 3:25 - 4:45 pm, RM 105
- Tutoring with Ms. Brown & Ms. Bruce, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- NHD support with Ms. Mostoller, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- Movie Club with Ms. Ortiz, 3:30 - 5 pm
- Yoga with Ms. Kelley, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- Success Academy, 3:30 - 4:30
Tuesday AM
- Jazz Band, 7:45 am
- Concert Choir, 7:45 am
- Ms. Stanley's Reading Group, 7-8:30 am
Tuesday PM
- Student Government meeting, 3:20 pm, RM 207
- Human Rights Club meeting, 3:15 pm
- Ms. Stanley's Reading Group, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- Drumline, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- International Cooking Club, 3:15 - 4:30 pm
- Art Club, 3:20 - 4:20 pm, Ms. Washington's classroom
- LAYC tutoring 3:30 pm
- Chinese Club, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- Cheerleading practice, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- Team Olympians Study Hall with Ms. Kinzer, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- Deal Softball meeting, 3:30 pm
Wednesday AM
- Ms. Stanley's Reading Group, 7 - 8:30 am
- Concet, Choir, 7:45 am
Wednesday PM
- LAYC tutoring, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
- Cheerleading practice
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Show Choir, 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm
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Mathcounts, 3:25 - 4:45 pm, RM 105
- CAPS, Counseling Session, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
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Spanish Club, 3:20, RM G-5
Thursday AM
- Ms. Stanley's Reading Group, 7 - 8:30 am
- Cleveland Band, 7:45 am
- Concert Choir, 7:45 am
Thursday PM
- Rugby, 3:30 - 5 pm
- Ms. Simpson-Wayne's Video Exercise Class, 3:30 -4:30 pm
- Ms. Stanley's Reading Group, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- LAYC tutoring, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
- Jazz Combo, 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm
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Team Aztec - A Quiet Place, 3:30 - 4:15 pm, Cafeteria
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Green Scholars DCCAS after school tutoring , 3:30 - 4:15 pm, RM 303
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Team Olympians Study Hall with Ms. Kinzer, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- Success Academy, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- A Quiet Place, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Friday AM
Friday PM
- Field Games with Mr. Brecher
- Tutoring with Ms. Brown & Ms. Bruce, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
- Knitting with Ms. Wells, 3:30 -4:30 pm
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As always, students should only be at school with parent permission! |
Food for Thought...
U.S. Attorney
General Eric Holder Remarks prepared for delivery at the Department of Justice African-American
History Month Program
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Every year, in February, we attempt to recognize and to appreciate
black history. It is a worthwhile endeavor for the contributions of
African Americans to this great nation are numerous and significant.
Even as we fight a war against terrorism, deal with the reality of
electing an African American as our President for the first time and
deal with the other significant issues of the day, the need to confront
our racial past, and our racial present, and to understand the history
of African people in this country, endures. One cannot truly understand
America without understanding the historical experience of black people
in this nation. Simply put, to get to the heart of this country one
must examine its racial soul.
Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting
pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too
many ways, essentially a nation of cowards. Though race related issues
continue to occupy a significant portion of our political discussion,
and though there remain many unresolved racial issues in this nation,
we, average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about
race. It is an issue we have never been at ease with and given our
nation's history this is in some ways understandable. And yet, if we
are to make progress in this area we must feel comfortable enough with
one another, and tolerant enough of each other, to have frank
conversations about the racial matters that continue to divide us. But
we must do more- and we in this room bear a special responsibility.
Through its work and through its example this Department of Justice, as
long as I am here, must - and will - lead the nation to the "new birth
of freedom" so long ago promised by our greatest President. This is our
duty and our solemn obligation.
We commemorated five years ago, the 50th anniversary of the landmark
Brown v. Board of Education decision. And though the world in which we
now live is fundamentally different than that which existed then, this
nation has still not come to grips with its racial past nor has it been
willing to contemplate, in a truly meaningful way, the diverse future
it is fated to have. To our detriment, this is typical of the way in
which this nation deals with issues of race. And so I would suggest
that we use February of every year to not only commemorate black
history but also to foster a period of dialogue among the races. This
is admittedly an artificial device to generate discussion that should
come more naturally, but our history is such that we must find ways to
force ourselves to confront that which we have become expert at
avoiding.
As a nation we have done a pretty good job in melding the races in the
workplace. We work with one another, lunch together and, when the event
is at the workplace during work hours or shortly thereafter, we
socialize with one another fairly well, irrespective of race. And yet
even this interaction operates within certain limitations. We know, by
"American instinct" and by learned behavior, that certain subjects are
off limits and that to explore them risks, at best embarrassment, and,
at worst, the questioning of one's character. And outside the workplace
the situation is even more bleak in that there is almost no significant
interaction between us. On Saturdays and Sundays America in the year
2009 does not, in some ways, differ significantly from the country that
existed some fifty years ago. This is truly sad. Given all that we as a
nation went through during the civil rights struggle it is hard for me
to accept that the result of those efforts was to create an America
that is more prosperous, more positively race conscious and yet is
voluntarily socially segregated.
As a nation we should use Black History month as a means to deal with
this continuing problem. By creating what will admittedly be, at first,
artificial opportunities to engage one another we can hasten the day
when the dream of individual, character based, acceptance can actually
be realized. To respect one another we must have a basic understanding
of one another. And so we should use events such as this to not only
learn more about the facts of black history but also to learn more
about each other. This will be, at first, a process that is both
awkward and painful but the rewards are potentially great. The
alternative is to allow to continue the polite, restrained mixing that
now passes as meaningful interaction but that accomplishes little.
Imagine if you will situations where people- regardless of their skin
color- could confront racial issues freely and without fear. The
potential of this country, that is becoming increasingly diverse, would
be greatly enhanced. I fear however, that we are taking steps that,
rather than advancing us as a nation are actually dividing us even
further. We still speak too much of "them" and not "us". There can, for
instance, be very legitimate debate about the question of affirmative
action. This debate can, and should, be nuanced, principled and
spirited. But the conversation that we now engage in as a nation on
this and other racial subjects is too often simplistic and left to
those on the extremes who are not hesitant to use these issues to
advance nothing more than their own, narrow self interest. Our history
has demonstrated that the vast majority of Americans are uncomfortable
with, and would like to not have to deal with, racial matters and that
is why those, black or white, elected or self-appointed, who promise
relief in easy, quick solutions, no matter how divisive, are embraced.
We are then free to retreat to our race protected cocoons where much is
comfortable and where progress is not really made. If we allow this
attitude to persist in the face of the most significant demographic
changes that this nation has ever confronted- and remember, there will
be no majority race in America in about fifty years- the coming
diversity that could be such a powerful, positive force will, instead,
become a reason for stagnation and polarization. We cannot allow this
to happen and one way to prevent such an unwelcome outcome is to engage
one another more routinely- and to do so now.
As I indicated before, the artificial device that is Black History
month is a perfect vehicle for the beginnings of such a dialogue. And
so I urge all of you to use the opportunity of this month to talk with
your friends and co-workers on the other side of the divide about
racial matters. In this way we can hasten the day when we truly become
one America.
It is also clear that if we are to better understand one another the
study of black history is essential because the history of black
America and the history of this nation are inextricably tied to each
other. It is for this reason that the study of black history is
important to everyone- black or white. For example, the history of the
United States in the nineteenth century revolves around a resolution of
the question of how America was going to deal with its black
inhabitants. The great debates of that era and the war that was
ultimately fought are all centered around the issue of, initially,
slavery and then the reconstruction of the vanquished region. A
dominant domestic issue throughout the twentieth century was, again,
America's treatment of its black citizens. The civil rights movement of
the 1950's and 1960's changed America in truly fundamental ways.
Americans of all colors were forced to examine basic beliefs and long
held views. Even so, most people, who are not conversant with history,
still do not really comprehend the way in which that movement
transformed America. In racial terms the country that existed before
the civil rights struggle is almost unrecognizable to us today.
Separate public facilities, separate entrances, poll taxes, legal
discrimination, forced labor, in essence an American apartheid, all
were part of an America that the movement destroyed. To attend her
state's taxpayer supported college in 1963 my late sister in law had to
be escorted to class by United States Marshals and past the state's
governor, George Wallace. That frightening reality seems almost
unthinkable to us now. The civil rights movement made America, if not
perfect, better.
In addition, the other major social movements of the latter half of the
twentieth century- feminism, the nation's treatment of other minority
groups, even the anti-war effort- were all tied in some way to the
spirit that was set free by the quest for African American equality.
Those other movements may have occurred in the absence of the civil
rights struggle but the fight for black equality came first and helped
to shape the way in which other groups of people came to think of
themselves and to raise their desire for equal treatment. Further, many
of the tactics that were used by these other groups were developed in
the civil rights movement.
And today the link between the black experience and this country is
still evident. While the problems that continue to afflict the black
community may be more severe, they are an indication of where the rest
of the nation may be if corrective measures are not taken. Our inner
cities are still too conversant with crime but the level of fear
generated by that crime, now found in once quiet, and now
electronically padlocked suburbs is alarming and further demonstrates
that our past, present and future are linked. It is not safe for this
nation to assume that the unaddressed social problems in the poorest
parts of our country can be isolated and will not ultimately affect the
larger society.
Black history is extremely important because it is American history.
Given this, it is in some ways sad that there is a need for a black
history month. Though we are all enlarged by our study and knowledge of
the roles played by blacks in American history, and though there is a
crying need for all of us to know and acknowledge the contributions of
black America, a black history month is a testament to the problem that
has afflicted blacks throughout our stay in this country. Black history
is given a separate, and clearly not equal, treatment by our society in
general and by our educational institutions in particular. As a former
American history major I am struck by the fact that such a major part
of our national story has been divorced from the whole. In law,
culture, science, athletics, industry and other fields, knowledge of
the roles played by blacks is critical to an understanding of the
American experiment. For too long we have been too willing to segregate
the study of black history. There is clearly a need at present for a
device that focuses the attention of the country on the study of the
history of its black citizens. But we must endeavor to integrate black
history into our culture and into our curriculums in ways in which it
has never occurred before so that the study of black history, and a
recognition of the contributions of black Americans, become
commonplace. Until that time, Black History Month must remain an
important, vital concept. But we have to recognize that until black
history is included in the standard curriculum in our schools and
becomes a regular part of all our lives, it will be viewed as a
novelty, relatively unimportant and not as weighty as so called "real"
American history.
I, like many in my generation, have been fortunate in my life and have
had a great number of wonderful opportunities. Some may consider me to
be a part of black history. But we do a great disservice to the concept
of black history recognition if we fail to understand that any success
that I have had, cannot be viewed in isolation. I stood, and stand, on
the shoulders of many other black Americans. Admittedly, the identities
of some of these people, through the passage of time, have become lost
to us- the men, and women, who labored long in fields, who were later
legally and systemically discriminated against, who were lynched by the
hundreds in the century just past and those others who have been too
long denied the fruits of our great American culture. The names of too
many of these people, these heroes and heroines, are lost to us. But
the names of others of these people should strike a resonant chord in
the historical ear of all in our nation: Frederick Douglass, W.E.B.
DuBois, Walter White, Langston Hughes, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther
King, Malcolm X, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Charles Drew, Paul
Robeson, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Vivian Malone,
Rosa Parks, Marion Anderson, Emmit Till. These are just some of the
people who should be generally recognized and are just some of the
people to whom all of us, black and white, owe such a debt of
gratitude. It is on their broad shoulders that I stand as I hope that
others will some day stand on my more narrow ones.
Black history is a subject worthy of study by all our nation's people.
Blacks have played a unique, productive role in the development of
America. Perhaps the greatest strength of the United States is the
diversity of its people and to truly understand this country one must
have knowledge of its constituent parts. But an unstudied, not
discussed and ultimately misunderstood diversity can become a divisive
force. An appreciation of the unique black past, acquired through the
study of black history, will help lead to understanding and true
compassion in the present, where it is still so sorely needed, and to a
future where all of our people are truly valued.
Thank you.
Source: http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/speeches/2009/ag-speech-090218.html
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