Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free. (America never was America to me.) Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed-- Let it be that great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme That any man be crushed by one above. (It never was America to me.) O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe. (There's never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free.") Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars? I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek-- And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak. I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one's own greed! I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil. I am the worker sold to the machine. I am the Negro, servant to you all. I am the people, humble, hungry, mean-- Hungry yet today despite the dream. Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers! I am the man who never got ahead, The poorest worker bartered through the years. Yet I'm the one who dreamt our basic dream In the Old World while still a serf of kings, Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true, That even yet its mighty daring sings In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned That's made America the land it has become. O, I'm the man who sailed those early seas In search of what I meant to be my home-- For I'm the one who left dark Ireland's shore, And Poland's plain, and England's grassy lea, And torn from Black Africa's strand I came To build a "homeland of the free." The free? Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today? The millions shot down when we strike? The millions who have nothing for our pay? For all the dreams we've dreamed And all the songs we've sung And all the hopes we've held And all the flags we've hung, The millions who have nothing for our pay-- Except the dream that's almost dead today. O, let America be America again-- The land that never has been yet-- And yet must be--the land where every man is free. The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME-- Who made America, Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, Must bring back our mighty dream again. Sure, call me any ugly name you choose-- The steel of freedom does not stain. From those who live like leeches on the people's lives, We must take back our land again, America! O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me, And yet I swear this oath-- America will be! Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death, The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies, We, the people, must redeem The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers. The mountains and the endless plain-- All, all the stretch of these great green states-- And make America again!
Illinois-NAME was formed by several faculty, staff and community people in Springfield in 2006. Illinois-NAME is a local chapter of NAME and supports the intentions of the National Association for Multicultural Education. Visit Illinois-NAME's website at https://edocs.uis.edu/jherr3/www/illinoisNAME.htm . Visit the National NAME website at http://www.nameorg.org .
Friday, March 11, 2011
Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The Defender Online
In Defense of The Defender Online
I have been following the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc.'s 'The Defender Online", offering a ray of search tags and blogs for sites that support the causes of freedom and justice for all. The Defender Online suddenly began to appear in my email box as an email newsletter. Although I did not read it every single time it appeared, it became like an old friend, an old pair of house slippers, a comfort to know that someone is still fighting the fight of good faith. One thing that I observe is that in the 21st century, we now have taken the fight for freedom and justice for all from the streets to computer systems. That may not be a bad thing, as the Internet, the World Wide Web now connects us in ways that 'who knew' we would be connected, across the oceans, around the globe and back again. Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Childhood Obesity, Nutritional Deficiencies, Lack of Adequate Exercise and Poor Academic Performance Link Study Needed in Illinois
In the state of Illinois, there are 740,200 children ages 18 and under living in poverty (State Health Facts, 2008). In Springfield School District 186 located in Sangamon County, 62.9% of its students are low income as reported as participants in the free and reduced lunch program (Illinois Interactive Report Card, 2009). Academically, the district does not meet the Annual Yearly Progress standard for its students in reading and mathematics, due to low student test scores. We therefore hypothesize that with the greater portion of its students living in poverty and all that poverty entails: poor nutrition, poor diet habits, lack of money for nutritious foods, lack of access to nutritious foods, that there is a link between poor nutrition and poor academic performance
The importance of studying the link between childhood obesity and learning would be to establish interventions that could be replicated. Interventions such as an education and training component using such tools as the Internet and blogging, launching nutrition and cooking classes; the establishment of school fruit and vegetable gardens, having access to fresh fruits and vegetables; and the instituting of in-class physical activity for all students.=================================================
RECOMMENDED LINKS TO FOLLOW THIS PHENOMENON
Let's Move.Gov - A nationwide initiative to promote making healthy choices, improving food quality in schools, increasing access to healthy, affordable food, and increasing ...
Learn the Facts About the Epidemic of Childhood Obesity - Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled ...
The importance of studying the link between childhood obesity and learning would be to establish interventions that could be replicated. Interventions such as an education and training component using such tools as the Internet and blogging, launching nutrition and cooking classes; the establishment of school fruit and vegetable gardens, having access to fresh fruits and vegetables; and the instituting of in-class physical activity for all students.=================================================
RECOMMENDED LINKS TO FOLLOW THIS PHENOMENON
Let's Move.Gov - A nationwide initiative to promote making healthy choices, improving food quality in schools, increasing access to healthy, affordable food, and increasing ...
Learn the Facts About the Epidemic of Childhood Obesity - Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled ...Should we Be Shaming Obese Children? (video) - With childhood obesity continuing to plague the youth of America, The Onion asks the question: Should we be shaming these obese children more? According to these experts, yes. And on top of that, insulting these kids can be fun for the whole family. But sending them in calorie-burning meltdown isn't the only answer. The obese are regularly glamorized on TV. The solution: "If you introduce a fat character, have that fat character die of heart disease before the season is over."
(VIDEO)
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