Beyond the Bricks & India Masala

Beyond the Bricks

I attended the premiere screening of Beyond the Bricks on Wednesday November 18, 2009 at the Hip Hop Cultural Center in Harlem. It was simply amazing! The event lasted for three and a half hours which included the screening of Beyond the Bricks, and an interview and discussion session. The screening and discussion was hosted by Education Voters Institute along with the producers of the film.

The movie is a documentary that includes interviews with educators, administrators, elected officials, and activists who offer their ideas about solutions to the crisis facing young black men. This screening was an opportunity for not only me but for other adult figures to seek out the students who are caught in the middle of our education crisis.

Also, the powerful discussion with leading experts got me thinking about what we can do to provide a quality education for every child. The panel included Dr. John Jackson, President of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, Dr. Ivory Toldson, Senior Analyst, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Howard University Professor, Khary Lazarre-White, Executive Director, Brotherhood SisterSol, Shaquiel Ingram, 10th grader who was featured in Beyond the Bricks, and Dr. Adelaide Sanford, Former Vice Chancellor NY Board of Regents. The discussion session helped to explore policy solutions and actions that we can take to address the crises facing our students – especially minorities and those coming from an underprivileged family.

India Masala

I attended the India Masala during the International Education Week on Thursday, November 19^th for three hours. It was held at the NYU Kimmel Center sponsored by the Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS), the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs, the Student Resource Center, GARBA at NYU, NASHA at NYU, and SHRUTI at NYU.

They had great Indian food ready at the beginning, dance performances by NY Pandemonium, NASHA at NYU, GARBA at NYU, and Bhangra, and a screening of Nagesh Kukunoor’s feature film, Dor. The movie was in Indian with captions but I felt like there was a limit to understanding the full context of the conversations. I have never attended an International Education Week event during my four years at NYU so it was a new experience for me. It was a great way for me to involve myself in the NYU curriculum and also experience multiculturalism – it was my first time watching an Indian movie and watching dance performances in person.