Woolies and Soweto Gospel Choir: Madiba Tribute

• Yahoo South Africa News/Woolworths - Woolworths tribute to Nelson Mandela

This was on Yahoo and I had to share it.

A South African chain store has laid on one of the most touching tributes to Nelson Mandela we've seen in the past week – and it was in the form of a flash mob.

Woolworths teamed up with the Soweto Gospel Choir, who posed as shoppers and store workers at the Parkview store in Johannesburg.

The choir then began an "impromtu" rendition of Asimbonanga [We have not seen him], singing:

Asimbonanga [we have not seen him]
Asimbonang' uMandela thina [we have not seen Mandela]
Laph'ekhona [in the place where he is]
Laph'ehleli khona [in the place where he is kept]

Asimbonanga
Asimbonang 'umfowethu thina [we have not seen our brother]
Laph'ekhona [in the place where he is]
Laph'wafela khona [in the place where he died]
Sithi: Hey, wena [We say: hey, you]
Hey, wena nawe [Hey, you and you]
Siyofika nini la' siyakhona [when will we arrive at our destination]

The song was written during Mandela's incarceration as a call for his freedom. 

Commissioner David Pickler, "Sat Yo'self Down"

Commissioner David Pickler is on a campaign to discredit the new Shelby County School system while he gives a pass to the municipal school district to slip out of the back door of the school merger.  He claims that Memphis City School has massive loss while former Shelby County Schools'  was a lesser degree.

 The Shelby County Schools' loss was not a lesser degree!

Here are some of the facts:
1.  Memphis City School equipment loss  was approximately 23%
The Shelby County School equipment loss was 18%.

I went to school that is a 5% difference.

The former Shelby County Schools system was a third of the size of Memphis City Schools but the former SCS's loss was 5% less than Memphis City Schools.  That means Shelby County Schools' loss was a greater percentage than Memphis City Schools.  Please public, do not buy Pickler's  ice water!!  It's lukewarm.

2.  The system has not been audited for equipment for over 30 years.  In that time, some equipment is out dated, not functioning, replaced and tossed.  Now, that's not the way to account for corporate equipment and the supervisor in charge of auditing this equipment should be called into question and policies developed to make sure this does not happen, again.

3.  Sources shared with me that the firm that audited the district sent notices to employees 24-48 hours before the audit during the summer vacation break.  Teachers and administrators were on vacation!!!  Some had equipment at home working and planning during the break.  Some stored their equipment to prevent thief.  The firm's failed their process by not sending more notice and doing it at a time when school was in session.  The first administrative days for teachers before students started would have been better.

I know there is some loss over a span of thirty years and citizens expect public leaders to be accountable and responsible.  We expect them to be good stewards of these resources. I expect the elected officials to seek the truth, gather the facts and not be reactionary.

I want Commissioners to have a thoughtful and thorough in that process when coming to conclusions..  Superintendent Dorsey Hopson stated that further review of this situation is necessary to determine the accuracy of the report and recommend policies and procedures to prevent this loss again. Now, he's right and that's the message the public needs until more is determined.

Maybe, Commissioner Pickler is sitting on the wrong Board of Education!  As my Granny would say when I was running around the house making a mess, "Sat Yo'self Down!"

Girl Rising! A Powerhouse Documentary!

Today, on a cold winter's day, I forced myself out of my bed this morning to see a film that focuses on the real struggles girls have in the world to be educated. It made my struggle to get up out of my comfort seem so insignificant and petty.  When I left the movie, I was ashamed of my internal struggle, while I was  challenging myself to do more and create more opportunities for girls.

One little Haitian girl, Wadley,  about 7 years old was so poor her mother had no money to pay for school. We take public education for granted in America and though it has it problems, the main problem is that our children are not coming with anticipation and excited about a chance to learn.

In many countries, a girl's education does not have value, nor thought of as necessary. Sacrifices are made to educate boys, while girls attend to chores, become  bonded laborers, or trafficked for sexual purposes.

Wadley literally  walked a couple of miles to carry multiple liters of water to her family everyday as a part of her chores.  And after that,  she walked to go to school.  Because her mother could not pay for her education, each day she was turned away from school by her teacher. One day, she told the teacher, "You may send away every day, but I will come back every day until I can stay."  The teacher finally gave in and allowed her to participate.

How could such a young child have that much "will and courage"  to defy a culture of hopelessness to seek a chance just to learn. As one of the story's  narrator' stated, "There is no miracle here in this story, just a girl with dreams."

 I thought of the 14 year old child in Afghanistan who was shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating education to girls. And then, I thought of America, the land of opportunity and promise. However,  girls still have to fight a culture of poverty and low expectations that entraps girls into gangs and sexual promiscuity, and a lack of respect for their God-given abilities and gifts.  Girls go up to be seen as trophy wives,  but not trophy business leaders. In America, opportunities are available and encouraged but the message of its value is being drowned by violence, domestic abuse of women, and the notion that we can get further by shaking our "assets" (using a common phrase that refers to a woman's diarrhea) on a video, rather than educating our minds and seasoning our intellect with wisdom. We call our little girls, Princesses, not Presidents. We teach them the beauty pageant wave, but not the firm handshake. I believe a Princess can lead with strength, intellect and dignity. I believe a cute wave can be a firm handshake in a corporate board room. I am not devaluing the title Princess nor the beauty queen, but I am adding to our value.  We can be pretty and smart. We can be graceful and strong.

Let me share a personal story with you. After we elected our first African American Mayor for the third time, I was elected to the Memphis City Council. I recalled a third grade class from Newberry Elementary that visited City Hall and as a Councilwoman I was asked to assist in giving them a tour. As we entered the Hall of Mayors, I asked them to look at all the pictures of all the Mayors that have served our great city, Memphis, TN.  They did.  Then, I asked what did they not see on the walls in the portraits of these great servants.  A tall, skinny, brown girl raised her hand, and before I recognized her said, "A woman is not on these walls."

Expecting her to say, "a black" because Mayor Herenton's picture was not on the wall and to hear, the answer "A Woman..." floored me. But, she is right and I don't know why women do not come into mind when we think of these offices.  For our daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and the girls all over the world we must value our girls as leaders. The only real "money makers" they have are not shaking "behinds", but stirring up their minds, intellect, and God-given gifts.

The documentary, Girl Rising, is powerful for all to see. I listened to the story of a Cambodian student here in Memphis as an Exchange Student who said it was her grandmother and mother who felt that she should get married before she was even 18 years old.  It was her father who saw her potential to lead in business and encouraged her studies. We sometimes think it's the men who hold us back, and many do, but there are times women fear the power of our own dreams.

I left enlighten and determined to do my part in changing the culture of the way we see girls and to unleash the potentials. The stories of these girls wanting to be educated are told by talented performers, Anne Hathaway, multiple Academy Award-winner Meryl Steep, and  Scandal's leading actress, Kerry Washington and Grammy Award-winner Alicia Keys and many more.  It will leave you in tears, but not tears of hopelessness. Your eyes will be filled with tears of inspiration.

Here in Memphis, one of America's poorest cities, we have an opportunity to change things for girls and women.  Let's make 2014 the Year of Girls and Women in the World and in Memphis!  Once a month in 2014,  I'll give you tips and suggestions of things we can do.  And remember, "One Girl with Courage is a Revolution."
(To see the Girl Rising official Trailer, please go to this link.)

http://www.blogger.com/blog-this.g?n=Girl%20Rising%20%28Official%20Trailer%29%20%2ANew%2A&source=youtube&b=%3Ciframe%20width%3D%22459%22%20height%3D%22344%22%20src%3D%22//www.youtube.com/embed/CkZtWC_B9NU%22%20frameborder%3D%220%22%20allowfullscreen%3E%3C/iframe%3E&eurl=https%3A//i1.ytimg.com/vi/CkZtWC_B9NU/maxresdefault.jpg


Girl Rising is a powerhouse documentary that forces your courage to RISE!

Government & Transparency? Answer: Government TV

While I was in Nashville surfing the channels on the hotel's television, I noticed a Channel called Metro3 Government TV.  We have something similar in Memphis called AC Wharton TV which is produced by our Memphis Library System. This station features good public interests stories about people and events in Memphis while the Mayor is the Talk Show Host.

I am proud to say that our Memphis Library System is one of the best in the country and a Department of Government that should make us feel proud. They are probably the lowest paid. but most efficient and effective in delivering service with good customer service skills. Through this department we have a television station which is a public service.

The Metro3 Government TV produces all the county's public meetings and shows them repeatedly on a schedule for the public to access. There is value in this approach for the citizens.  Many of the citizens are at work when these meetings take place so they seldom get a chance to participate or see their government in action.  The most faithful voters in our city are senior citizens. Yet, they are the one with the greatest digital divide. So, down-streaming on the computer is not a option for so many citizens. Here's a simple idea to the City of Memphis and County Commission: Produce your meetings on the public television stations.  It's a simple solution to bring transparency to government.

We once enjoyed having public radio broadcasts of the City Council meetings.  It was a popular service to our community.  However, we lost that service when the City of Memphis decided to stop its funding of Memphis City Schools. I couldn't blame them for terminating the service.  A smart councilwoman once told me, "When you come to kick a butt, remember you are bringing a butt."  Well, the termination of that service to our citizens was the "Butt" the City Council brought. But, I am happy to announce it has been restored.  So, listening on the radio 88.5 FM is an option.  Maybe, the goodwill of the Schools will encourage the City to also show goodwill and pay them their $57 million dollar judgement.

But, we still need television access with multiple viewing options. Here are the benefits:

• Informs your constituents of the issues discussed
• Brings government to the homes of its citizens through television
• Encourage more voter participation for the next election
• Models good government for our children to emulate, and
• Supports transparency in government 

Come on, I believe you can find the resources for this service to help your citizens appreciate a transparent government. 

By the way, Today is a City Council Day, I have been live streaming your committee meetings for the last two hours but there is no feed.  I called your office and was told the meeting was in session and they would alert IT of the problem.  This rarely happens with television.  Another reason to consider Thomas Edison's quote, "When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this, you haven't."