Young Men and Boys of Color Can Now Receive Free Remote STEM Content and Literacy Support

Millions of students are out of school, but class is still in session. And as students log on to online portals, a number of educational leaders are doing their part to ensure that black boys do not get left behind.

The Sims-Fayola Foundation recently announced that they are partnering with FYR is LIT (Fueling Youth Reading is Leaders in Training) to provide online tutoring services for young men anywhere in the country whose literacy development has been impacted by school closures or e-learning due to COVID-19.

The Sims-Fayola Foundation is a Denver-based nonprofit with a mission to improve the life outcomes of young men and boys of color and to increase the capacity of those who work with them. Through this online offering, young men will be encouraged to continue their learning and be introduced to STEM.

Related: Barack Obama and Eric Holder Address Challenges Young Men of Color Face Amid COVID-19

As outlined by the organization in a statement:

Individual tutoring sessions led by LIT Tutors will be tailored to the students’ literacy and reading needs based on their intake assessment conducted by master teacher, Dr. Leslie Hamdorf, and Orton Gillingham, an associate candidate.

Tutoring sessions last for 40 minutes and will use the Zoom software to connect the LIT Tutor and the student. The Orton Gillingham approach is both diagnostic and prescriptive, so the format of the session will be as follows: letter annunciation and phoneme awareness, spelling rules, writing practice, and read aloud.

Tutoring Step-by-Step Sign-Up Process:

• Step 1: Submit an inquiry by emailing us using the button below.
• Step 2: Virtual intake assessment conducted by Dr. Hamdorf. This assessment lasts between 25-45 minutes.
• Step 3: Match student with a LIT Tutor and agreement for the number of sessions decided.
• Step 4: Begin online tutoring sessions with LIT Tutor.

If you are interested in literacy tutoring for a young man you know, click here to submit an email request to the Sims-Fayola Foundation.

 

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PAC committee seeks to draft Michelle Obama as Biden’s VP nominee

A new political action committee is working to build “substantial grassroots support for a potential Michelle Obama candidacy and help garner media attention for a vice-presidential nominee who has the power to beat Donald Trump.”

The Committee to Draft Michelle Obama filed a Statement of Organization last month with the Federal Election Commission. The group is headed by a small group of liberals with experience in politics. According to their website, DraftMichelle.org, “Millions of Americans support Michelle Obama as the Democratic Party’s VP Nominee. We’ve assembled a group of advocates who are on the forefront of the initiative.”

READ MORE: Biden says he’d pick Michelle Obama as his VP ‘in a heartbeat’

In a comprehensive statement, the group states that it “firmly believes that Ms. Obama will not only benefit the Democratic ticket this November but also help lead this country to be more just and caring.”

CHICAGO, IL – NOVEMBER 13: Former first lady Michelle Obama kicks off her “Becoming” book tour with a signing at the Seminary Co-op bookstore on November 13, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. In the book, which was released today, Obama describes her journey from Chicago’s South Side to the White House. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The group says that they think that November’s presidential election is “a historic battle to reclaim the soul of America,” and explains that the havoc wrecked by the coronavirus epidemic means that the Democratic Party must nominate a vice-presidential nominee “who has the trust of the American people, a vision to lead our nation forward and empathy for the challenges faced by all Americans.”

Further, they go on to say that they, “believe that Mrs. Obama’s perspective will go a long way towards building an honest, people-centered campaign this year as well as positively informing policy in the White House in years to come.”

READ MORE: Michelle Obama ‘Becoming’ doc set for Netflix on May 6

While all of that is true, Mrs. Obama has stated, emphatically, that she has no desire to run for public office. In fact in her memoir, “Becoming” she wrote: “I’ll say it here directly: I have no intention of running for office, ever.”

However, while The Committee to Draft Michelle Obama may have one person in mind for vice-president, they said in their statement that, “However strongly we support Ms. Obama as former Vice President Joe Biden’s running mate, we will transfer our resolve to whoever joins the ticket to defeat the most dangerous incumbent in the history of our nation.”

The post PAC committee seeks to draft Michelle Obama as Biden’s VP nominee appeared first on TheGrio.

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Young Men and Boys of Color Can Now Receive Free Remote STEM Content and Literacy Support

Millions of students are out of school, but class is still in session. And as students log on to online portals, a number of educational leaders are doing their part to ensure that black boys do not get left behind.

The Sims-Fayola Foundation recently announced that they are partnering with FYR is LIT (Fueling Youth Reading is Leaders in Training) to provide online tutoring services for young men anywhere in the country whose literacy development has been impacted by school closures or e-learning due to COVID-19.

The Sims-Fayola Foundation is a Denver-based nonprofit with a mission to improve the life outcomes of young men and boys of color and to increase the capacity of those who work with them. Through this online offering, young men will be encouraged to continue their learning and be introduced to STEM.

Related: Barack Obama and Eric Holder Address Challenges Young Men of Color Face Amid COVID-19

As outlined by the organization in a statement:

Individual tutoring sessions led by LIT Tutors will be tailored to the students’ literacy and reading needs based on their intake assessment conducted by master teacher, Dr. Leslie Hamdorf, and Orton Gillingham, an associate candidate.

Tutoring sessions last for 40 minutes and will use the Zoom software to connect the LIT Tutor and the student. The Orton Gillingham approach is both diagnostic and prescriptive, so the format of the session will be as follows: letter annunciation and phoneme awareness, spelling rules, writing practice, and read aloud.

Tutoring Step-by-Step Sign-Up Process:

• Step 1: Submit an inquiry by emailing us using the button below.
• Step 2: Virtual intake assessment conducted by Dr. Hamdorf. This assessment lasts between 25-45 minutes.
• Step 3: Match student with a LIT Tutor and agreement for the number of sessions decided.
• Step 4: Begin online tutoring sessions with LIT Tutor.

If you are interested in literacy tutoring for a young man you know, click here to submit an email request to the Sims-Fayola Foundation.

 

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/35xzwNP

House Democrats Propose Widespread Student Loan Forgiveness Bill Due To COVID-19

The COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, has caused severe economic fallout that has crippled the lives of Americans around the country. While the Senate has passed a stimulus package with initiatives to help Americans through this outbreak, many feel that the current package does not do enough to curb long-time economic side effects as a result of the massive job loss from the pandemic. Now House Democrats have come together to propose a new way to save the economy from the pandemic’s effects by canceling student loan debt for millions of borrowers.

Many student loan borrowers have been greatly impacted by the coronavirus and are left with no income to pay off their debt. While service providers provide some limited options such as interest rate freezes and temporary forbearance, many are not eligible for various reasons. Depending on how long the quarantine goes, it can have severe consequences on borrowers.

The Student Debt Emergency Relief Act has now been sponsored Rep. Ayanna Pressley and others to address the mounting student debt that has been crippling Americans. “During this unprecedented crisis, no one should have to choose between paying their student loan payment, putting food on the table or keeping themselves and their families safe and healthy,” said Pressley according to Yahoo Finance. “We must prioritize debt cancellation for the 45 million student loan borrowers who are struggling to pay off their debt during this difficult time.”

The bill would cancel $30,000 in federal student loans and how student loan forgiveness to be tax-free, meaning debt cancellation would not be taxed as income. It would also give the government power to assume borrower’s monthly payments so users would have more options to remain on track for their loan payoff in addition to suspending all involuntary collections such as wage garnishments.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/3fmHCx9

House Democrats Propose Widespread Student Loan Forgiveness Bill Due To COVID-19

The COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, has caused severe economic fallout that has crippled the lives of Americans around the country. While the Senate has passed a stimulus package with initiatives to help Americans through this outbreak, many feel that the current package does not do enough to curb long-time economic side effects as a result of the massive job loss from the pandemic. Now House Democrats have come together to propose a new way to save the economy from the pandemic’s effects by canceling student loan debt for millions of borrowers.

Many student loan borrowers have been greatly impacted by the coronavirus and are left with no income to pay off their debt. While service providers provide some limited options such as interest rate freezes and temporary forbearance, many are not eligible for various reasons. Depending on how long the quarantine goes, it can have severe consequences on borrowers.

The Student Debt Emergency Relief Act has now been sponsored Rep. Ayanna Pressley and others to address the mounting student debt that has been crippling Americans. “During this unprecedented crisis, no one should have to choose between paying their student loan payment, putting food on the table or keeping themselves and their families safe and healthy,” said Pressley according to Yahoo Finance. “We must prioritize debt cancellation for the 45 million student loan borrowers who are struggling to pay off their debt during this difficult time.”

The bill would cancel $30,000 in federal student loans and how student loan forgiveness to be tax-free, meaning debt cancellation would not be taxed as income. It would also give the government power to assume borrower’s monthly payments so users would have more options to remain on track for their loan payoff in addition to suspending all involuntary collections such as wage garnishments.

from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/3fmHCx9