“So please ask yourself: What would I do if I weren’t afraid? And then go do it.” Sheryl Sandberg

In a stroke of marketing genius befitting the Chief Operating Officer of the social media phenomenon, Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg chose Women’s History Month to launch her new book, Lean In, and begin a national dialogue about “Women, Work and the Will to Lead.” Ruth Standish Baldwin was a co-founder of the National Urban League more than a century ago and the inclusion and empowerment of women has been one of our most important priorities. Today, Former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman serves as Senior Vice Chair on our Board, and almost half of our 95 local Affiliate CEOs are women. For that reason, we applaud Sandberg for her new book and are proud to join in the conversation.

We all know that historic barriers of gender discrimination, as well as the responsibilities of bearing and caring for children have made it more difficult for women to balance work and family. But Sandberg contends that women too often “hold ourselves back in ways big and small, by lacking self-confidence, by not raising our hands, and by pulling back when we should be leaning in.” Lean In appears to be written by and for women for whom the path to executive leadership has always been a realistic, if somewhat difficult, journey. But the book has sparked another conversation in Black America about how women of color have always had to “lean in” to overcome the dual hurdles of racial and gender bias.

Consider how Harriet Tubman leaned into the face of death to lead a thousand slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Or how Sojourner Truth stood up and boldly asked “Ain’t I a woman?” at the 1851 Ohio Women’s Rights Convention. Consider how Fannie Lou Hamer who was “sick and tired of being sick and tired,” fought for African American voting rights as an organizer of the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer and Vice Chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Or how a quiet seamstress named Rosa Parks, leaned in, sat down on a bus and lit the fuse of the civil rights movement.

Decrying the lack of women at the top of corporate America, Sandberg does admit that, “The gap is even worse for women of color, who hold just 4 percent of top corporate jobs, 3 percent of board seats and 5 percent of congressional seats.” But, with rising numbers of Black women in college, preparing themselves for successful careers, clearly a lack of drive or ambition is not the problem.

Lean In urges women to “Sit at the Table,” “Seek and Speak Your Truth,” “Don’t Leave Before You Leave,” and “Make Your Partner a Real Partner.” These recommendations present a road map of success that has obviously worked for Sheryl Sandberg. But, it is largely the lack of support, the pressures of single parenthood, and systemic racial and gender discrimination that continue to keep women of color from getting a foot in the corporate door. The empowerment of all women depends on closing the wage gap, protecting women’s reproductive rights, providing greater workplace flexibility, having more women in non-traditional professions like science and engineering, and supporting common sense measures such as the Violence Against Women Act which was recently reauthorized and signed into law by President Obama.

If men and women lean in together, we can foster gender equity and a better America.

Marc H. Morial, former mayor of New Orleans, is president and CEO of the National Urban League.

An estimated 14,000 black students were not able return to campus this fall. Their absence was the direct result of a reinterpretation of a loan program designed to help poor and minority students cover the cost a college education.

The story behind this crisis is a disturbing mix of unfulfilled campaign promises and a seemingly callous disregard for the academic mission of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Early in the first Obama administration a gap funding loan program was created to cover the difference between PELL grants and other government backed college funding. The program is known PLUS, an acronym for Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students.

PLUS loans were designed for parents whose credit history would disqualify the family from securing a traditional bank loan to cover college expenses. When the program was launched parents with good credit history with the last 90 days (no bankruptcy, garnishments, liens etc.) would qualify for a loan.       

However, in October 2011 the Department of Education added new underwriting standards, which made it significantly harder to get approval for a PLUS loan. Instead of 90 days parents were required to prove their credit worthiness for five years. “Based on last year’s trends, nearly half of would-be PLUS borrowers this academic year might be turned away” says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Finaid.org.

An estimated 90% of black students rely on loans to help pay for college. “The denials have hit particularly hard at historically black colleges and universities,” said Johnny Taylor, director of the Thurgood Marshall Foundation. The concern that HBCU students might not return to college because they can’t get loans has proven true for thousands sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Parents have come to rely more on PLUS loans to pay the tuition bills, “as college prices continued to rise and home equity lines of credit have dried up” says Inside Higher Ed writer Libby A. Nelson. “Historically, the approval process for the loans has been relatively lax” Nelson writes.

“The change was made quietly -- the department didn’t convene a rule-making panel or issue a letter to colleges explaining it -- but the impact was dramatic,” Kantrowitz said. “Denials for PLUS loans jumped after the new requirement took effect, midway through the 2011-12 academic year. According to preliminary Education Department data, 38 percent of applicants for the loans were denied -- 10 percent more than in the previous year.” 

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), is  encouraging Marylanders to take advantage of free tax preparation and e-filing services available through the IRS Free File program. Since its inception in 2003, Free File has offered 70 percent of taxpayers free access to leading commercial tax preparation software. This year, every taxpayer with a 2012 Adjusted Gross Income of $57,000 or less may visit www.IRS.gov/freefile to prepare, complete and e-file their federal tax returns at absolutely no cost. This service is made possible through a partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance, a coalition of industry-leading tax software companies.


“This tax season, I encourage constituents to take advantage of free tax help available through the IRS Free File program,” said Senator Cardin. “Free File provides access to online tax software that helps you prepare and e-file you federal tax returns – at absolutely no cost. The service is available to everyone who made $57,000 or less last year. This is a valuable tool I hope people will use.”

To begin, taxpayers should visit the IRS website - www.IRS.gov/freefile. Users will find a list of Free File Alliance member companies and may either choose one that fits their needs or utilize the “Help Me Find a Company” tool. After selecting a tax software company, users will be transferred to the company’s website to prepare, complete and electronically file their federal income tax returns. The service is also available in Spanish.

The Free File Alliance is also partnered with the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) — a walk-in service for low-to-moderate income taxpayers — which offers Free File software on self-assist kiosks at VITA sites in 29 states.

Quote: This “let’s protect our children” ploy is

a cheap, tawdry appeal to the emotions, which is probably why it’s popular among Democrats and liberals.

Et tu, Howard County?

That ritzy subdivision to the south and west of Baltimore doesn’t have much gun crime, or much of any other type of crime either. Out of all of the state’s subdivisions, Howard County is probably the one that needs a gun buyback program the least.

But the county had one anyway on Saturday, March 16.

County residents – and  non-county residents, I suppose – just drove to a Howard County government parking lot along Route 108 and handed in their firearms. In exchange, they got $100.

According to a story in The Baltimore Sun on March 18, county leaders are now convinced that they live in a much safer place.

chief William McMahon of the Howard County Police Department: “This is part of an overall gun safety program.”

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman: “There are now hundreds of fewer rifles and handguns in Howard County that could fall into the hands of children or thieves.”

I see a bright future for Ulman in Democratic Party politics in this state. Notice the sly, sneaky way he gratuitously implied that we’re doing this all for the safety of the kiddies?

That’s what all this “gun buyback” business is about, you know: protecting “the children.”

After the Newtown massacre of Dec. 14, protecting “the children” – through more draconian gun laws, through gun buy-back programs – became all the rage among liberal Democrats.

The implication was clear: liberals and Democrats love “our children” and want to protect them at all costs. Conservatives, Republicans and those nut jobs in the National Rifle Association HATE “our children,” and want to see them slaughtered in our schools and on our streets.

This “let’s protect our children” ploy is a cheap, tawdry appeal to the emotions, which is probably why it’s popular among Democrats and liberals. After Newtown, Democrats and liberals ratcheted up the emotional appeal, “arguing” that we must do something, ANYTHING, to solve the gun problem.

So we have renewed proposals to ban so-called assault weapons. We have laws proposed that would limit the capacity of rounds a particular firearm can have. We have calls for more thorough background checks.

Here’s the problem: none of that would have prevented the tragedy at Newtown.

The weapons Adam Lanza used to kill his mother, Nancy Lanza, himself, 20 students at Sandy Hook Elementary School and six staff members belonged to Nancy Lanza, not Adam. She would have passed any background check.

It has come to light that Adam Lanza was indeed a very disturbed young man. The signs were there for Nancy Lanza to see.

Instead of getting her son the help he needed – or, at the very least, getting all firearms out of her house – Nancy Lanza, according to news reports, aided and abetted Adam Lanza’s use and knowledge of firearms.

The Newtown tragedy was completely preventable; the person that could have prevented it was the one person that didn’t: Nancy Lanza.

Let’s bring this closer to home for a second. Robert Gladden Jr., the nut job that recently pleaded guilty to shooting up Perry Hall High School on the first day of the 2012-2013 school year, sent a text message the night before he went on his mini-rampage.

“I am going to bring a shotgun and 21 shells,” the text read. “I’ll let your imagination do the rest. And I trust you not to tell anyone about this so please don’t.”

Gladden couldn’t have had any better luck if he’d dialed “m” for “moron.” The hapless twit he texted kept quiet, apparently oblivious to the carnage that could have unfolded at Perry Hall the next day.

Democrats and liberals want to protect us – especially “our children” – from guns. Who’s going to protect us from the clueless cretins among us?

“Do something great! I love you!” As he prepares for school each morning Brendan Canty’s mom speaks these heartfelt words of support and encouragement to her son Brendan, a Coppin College Preparatory Academy student who wants to be an animated and live action documentary filmmaker.

His mom’s words brought him a bit of magic. Brendan’s dream to work on a movie set made a quantum leap when he was selected to participate in the 2013 Disney Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine. He overcame tremendous odds beating  out than more 5,000 students nationwide who applied to the program.

Brendan, one the 100 students awarded an all-expense-paid trip to the Walt Disney World Resort will participate in hands-on, full-immersion workshops covering a range of career paths from animation to zoology. His mom will accompany him to Florida, all her expenses paid as well.

This is indeed a great accomplishment. However, Brendan is no stranger to beating the odds. Diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism, neither he nor his family have let a learning disability limit his dreams.  An excellent student at Coppin Academy, a charter school affiliated with Coppin State University, Brendan says he gets his inspiration from his mother. 

During his four days at the Disney Dreamers Academy Brendan will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet with and receive mentorship from a Hollywood movie producer. And there are plans for him to create a short film to launch his portfolio of work.

Entering its sixth year, Disney Dreamers Academy takes place in a magical setting: The Walt Disney World theme parks. Both on stage and behind the scenes, the parks become vibrant ‘classrooms’ leading to career discoveries, the pursuit of dreams and fun memories to cherish for a lifetime.

Motivational speakers and celebrities share their stories and provide insight on how to achieve success and pursue their dreams. Dreamers have the opportunity to cultivate relationships with other students from across the nation while they gain first-hand knowledge from Disney experts and world-renowned entrepreneurs and executives.

“Over the past five years, we have helped 500 Dreamers unlock their potential and get started on their journeys in life,” said Disney Dreamers Academy Executive Champion Tracey D. Powell. “The sixth Disney Dreamers Academy marks another year of continued motivation, education and success. Everyone leaves this program inspired to live their best life.”

Steve Harvey, syndicated radio and television personality, and Essence Magazine will host the students. “Disney Dreamers Academy gives hope and inspiration and exposes youth to a world of possibilities,” said Harvey. “We are excited about another opportunity to transform lives and give students an inside look at what their future can hold.”

Essence Communications President Michelle Ebanks added, “We are excited about the sixth Disney Dreamers Academy. This program transcends the normal classroom setting, taking learning to the next level. This year we plan to go above and beyond to encourage  Dreamers.

Applicants answered a series of essay questions about their personal stories and life dreams. Students were selected by a panel of judges that included Powell, Harvey, Ebanks, Mikki Taylor (Editor-at-Large, ESSENCE Magazine), Yolanda Adams (gospel music legend), Terrence J (actor and host of E! News), Stephen A. Smith (broadcaster and sports analyst), and Dr. Steve Perry (education advocate and CNN commentator).

Education Matters gives The Disney Dreamers Academy two thumbs up for its selection of students that includes children diagnosed with a learning disability. Their capacity to see beyond labels and perceived limitations not only makes dreams come true, it helps make a better world for all. Kudos to Brendan Canty and his family! 

Jayne Matthews Hopson, an education writer and the mother of a college-aged son believes education matters because “only the educated are free.” 

Here’s a stroke of managerial genius, courtesy of those big brains running the Baltimore Ravens: reward your most valuable player by punishing him. The most valuable player in question is, or rather was, wide receiver Anquan Boldin. It sure as heck wasn’t quarterback Joe Flacco.

But when the dust settled after the Ravens’ Super Bowl victory, it was Flacco that got paid – a six-year contract worth $120.6 million – and Boldin that got dissed. Because of salary cap issues, the Ravens couldn’t raise Boldin’s $6 million annual salary. But they didn’t have to ask the man to take a $2 million pay cut either.That’s a pay cut of 33 percent. Show of hands: how many of YOU would take a 33 percent pay cut after doing excellent work?

By every demonstrable measure, Boldin had an excellent season. Without him, the Ravens don’t win the Super Bowl. Without Boldin, the Ravens don’t even make it to the Super Bowl, much less win the thing. I’ll beat this dead horse one more time. (I would say one last time, but the truth is I’d probably be lying.) Let’s go back to the regular-season game in which the Ravens played the San Diego Chargers.

The Ravens trailed by three late in the fourth quarter. The Chargers were giving them quite a smack-around and the Ravens faced a fourth and 29. Flacco tossed a pass to running back Ray Rice, who was just a wee bit beyond the line of scrimmage. That means Rice had to run a good 25 to 28 yards to make that first down.Rice eluded tacklers for about 10 to 15 yards. With about another 10 to 15 yards to go for that first down, a Chargers tackler zeroed in on him before being taken out by a Ravens blocker.

Who threw that block that sprung Rice for that final 15 yards. Check the tape, it was Boldin.

The Ravens used that first down to eventually tie the game and win it in overtime. Without that victory, they finish the season at 9-7 and probably don’t even make the playoffs.

Now I understand National Football League salary cap issues. I knew that some Ravens, once Flacco got paid, probably wouldn’t be suiting up for the 2013 season.

I knew that one of those Ravens might well be Boldin. What I didn’t know was how ridiculously and egregiously the Ravens would diss Boldin in the process.

Lesson number one for Ravens management – who, believe me, are of the type that inspired the observation that “the first myth of management is that it exists” – you NEVER ask anyone to take a pay cut for excellent work.

Not for one percent. Not for five percent. Not for 10 percent. And you sure as hell don’t ask excellent performers to take a 33 percent pay cut.

Lesson number two: you don’t trade away excellent players for low-round draft choices. The Ravens traded Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round draft choice.

You read that correctly: a sixth-round draft choice. What Ravens management is telling us is that their most valuable and productive player of the 2012 season was essentially worth no more than a sixth-round draft pick.

One of two things typically happen to sixth-round NFL draft picks. Either they don’t make the team, or they end up riding the bench. What does it tell us about Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and general manager Ozzie Newsome that they think Boldin is nothing more than a scrub?

I hope Bisciotti and Newsome aren’t feeling their oats and thinking that the Ravens’ Super Bowl XXLVII victory is because of anything they did. The decision to diss and then trade Boldin tells us exactly what happened.

The Ravens won Super Bowl XXLVII in spite of, not because of, Bisciotti and Newsome.

Keeping up with the latest trends in educational ideology can be a challenge for parents who seeking a curriculum that best prepares their child for post high school work and study.

Over the last ten years there’s been a push to get classrooms “wired” by providing all grade school students with their own computer and access to the Internet. These efforts have gained wide acceptance as the most effective way to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.

Advocates of STEM education believe a course of study that emphasizes science and math over the arts will help students meet the demands of job market. It is widely accepted that 21st century careers will required a highly trained workforce, significantly diminishing the need for unskilled, manual labor.

However, a decade of this formalized,widespread push for more computers and STEM-based courses has decreased or eliminated art from grade school classrooms. The question, a growing number of thought leaders and progressive minded-educators are questioning the wisdom of marginalizing the education of creative thinkers.

A surprising group of parents at the forefront of rejecting the idea that high tech teaching tools offer primary students an academic advantage. “I fundamentally reject the notion you need technology aids in grammar school,” said Alan Eagle, who holds a computer science degree from Dartmouth.

Eagle works in executive communications at Google, the Internet search Engine giant. Part of his job is to write speeches for Google’s chairman. In his professional life he uses all the latest technology, including an iPad and a smartphone. But, says his daughter, a fifth grader, “doesn’t know how to use Google.” He believes “computers inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans.”

Eagle’s daughter Andie attends a Waldorf School in Southern California. There are 160 Waldorf throughout the country, including the Waldorf School of Baltimore, located in the city’s mount Washington neighborhood. The Waldorf School adheres to a teaching philosophy that promotes learning through creative, hands-on tasks.

Three-quarters of the students at his daughter’s school “have parents with a strong high-tech connection. Eagle doesn’t see a contradiction. “Technology”, he told the New York Times “has its time and place: If I worked at Miramax and made good, artsy, rated R movies, I wouldn’t want my kids to see them until they were 17.”

A typical day includes multiplication lessons taught through casting yarn on a knitting needle and acquiring the long range planning strategies to make a pair of socks or sharpening problem solving skills by studying the interconnections of human anatomy.

Second graders, “standing in a circle learned language skills by repeating verses after the teacher, while simultaneously playing catch with bean bags. It’s an exercise aimed at synchronizing body and brain. Here, as in other classes, the day can start with a recitation or verse about God that reflects a nondenominational emphasis on the divine,” says New York Times technology reporter, Matt Richel.

Paul Thomas, a former teacher and an associate professor of education at Furman University has written 12 books on public educational methods. He says “a spare approach to technology in the classroom will always benefit learning. Teaching is a human experience. Technology is a distraction when we need literacy, numeracy and critical thinking.”

Americans for the Arts cautions against the idea that teaching the arts is a “frill,” something extra students get if time, energy and resources permits. Unfortunately, when budgets are tight, arts programs, teachers, and supplies are often cut first. The organization stresses the importance of learning through the arts, which:

• Stimulates and develops the imagination and critical thinking, and refines cognitive and creative skills.
• Has a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and has proven to help level the "learning field" across socio-economic boundaries.
• Strengthens problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, adding to overall academic achievement and school success.
• Develops a sense of craftsmanship, quality task performance, and goal-setting— skills needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
• Teaches children life skills such as developing an informed perception; articulating a vision; learning to solve problems and make decisions; building self-confidence and self-discipline; developing the ability to imagine what might be; and accepting responsibility to complete tasks from start to finish.
• Nurtures important values, including team-building skills; respecting alternative viewpoints; and appreciating and being aware of different cultures and traditions.
• Plays a central role in cognitive, motor, language, and social-emotional development.
• Motivates and engages children in learning, stimulates memory, facilitates understanding, enhances symbolic communication, promotes relationships, and provides an avenue for building competence.
• Provides a natural source of learning. Child development specialists note that play is the business of young children; play is the way children promote and enhance their development. The arts are a most natural vehicle for play.

Jayne Matthews Hopson, an education writer and the mother of a college aged son believes education matters because “only the educated are free”.

It’s time to man up – I was wrong about Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.

First, some background. I wrote a column in 2008 under the title, “Winners and Losers from Election ’08” in which I listed Jesse Jackson, Sr. as one of the biggest losers of that year. 

Here is what I said: “His past contributions to America are undeniable, but his future place is uncertain. Every time he opened his mouth in the past year, he said something negative about Obama. First, Jackson criticized Obama for ‘acting white’ because he was not as forceful as Jesse wanted regarding the Jena 6 case in Louisiana. Then there was the infamous Fox News open mic incident where Jackson is heard saying, ‘See, Barack has been talking down to black people…telling niggers how to behave…I wanna cut his nuts out.’ Finally, in October Jackson was speaking at the first World Policy Forum in Evian, France. Published reports have him saying if Obama is elected as president, ‘fundamental changes in U.S. foreign policy’ will occur. He said the most important change would occur in the Middle East, where ‘decades of putting Israel’s interests first’ would end.

Jackson’s reputation has been forever tarnished.” Jackson accused Obama of “acting white” in response to Obama’s tepid response to the Jena Six, the case of six black high school students in Jena, La. arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder for the beating of a white student. The charges were later reduced to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy. Many believed the prosecutor filed the more serious charges because the accused juveniles were black. As we all know, Obama has no history of taking strong positions on anything when it involves blacks.

As much as I hate to admit it, Jackson got it right when he accused Obama of “talking down to black people.” Everyone, including myself, eviscerated him for making the comment and accused him of being jealous of Obama. How can we forget when Obama spoke at the Congressional Black Caucus dinner a couple years ago and told blacks to “stop complaining?” Obviously, Jackson saw something in Obama early that the rest of us missed. Now, we are paying the price for it, especially blacks. Jackson was also right on point with his prediction about the changing U.S. relations with the Middle East. Our relationship with Israel has never been more volatile than it is now.

The blacks in America – along with a good number of whites – wanted so badly to show the world that in 2008 our country could be held up as the model for true democracy and equality. America wanted to prove that anyone, regardless of background, who played by the rules and had a vision, could finally be president of the United States. 

To his credit, Jesse Jackson saw beyond the rhetoric and somehow had the ability to see deep inside of Obama’s soul and tried to warn us, however clumsy, of what we were getting. So, Rev. Jackson, again I was wrong and you were right. You saw a level of arrogance and detachment from the black community that most of us were blinded to – or didn’t want to see.

You knew he would not pay attention to the high unemployment rate in the black community. You knew he would not spend much political capital on the high murder rate in Chicago. You knew he would continue to talk down to black people. You were rightly ostracized for the way you expressed yourself back in 2008. But on the issue of Obama’s disdain for blacks; you must be embraced and brought back into the fold. 

We wanted Obama to win on many levels. But Jesse Jackson, you have taught us that we should never allow emotions to cloud our judgment. I’m not always right, but I am rarely wrong – and this time, I was definitely wrong.