Lakeesha Alert: Kiarra Robinson (Columbus OH)

Villagers, we need your help. We know that the Amber Alert system only works for the Ambers of the world. For people of African descent we need to let the drums ring out with our own Lakeesha Alert! This blog is putting the call out for a Lakeesha Alert on a young woman who has been missing for a week in Columbus OH.

Reggie Hillery is a colleague of mine in Columbus OH. He shared the following message on Facebook tonight:

Hey Columbus- Help me find my niece Kiarra Robinson. She has been missing since Sat. Oct 30th. She is 17 yrs old and was last seen possibly on the North side or Hilliard area. She was wearing sweat pants, tank top and a blue hoodie.

My family would appreciate all your help in locating her. Thanks for your help and prayers. Her picture is my profile picture.

That is picture of Kiarra shown above.  Any support you can provide in helping Reggie and his family locate Kiarra would be very much appreciated!  Reggie can be reached via his email address or his Facebook page.

Good News Tuesday: Yusuph Mkangara -- Future Face of Technology

BDPA Columbus chapter made a major push with their Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) program this year. The leadership team worked with corporate sponsors, volunteers, educators and students to train dozens of students throughout the year. The effort culminated in the selection of a team of young people to participate in the 2010 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Championships held in Philadelphia PA.

One of the members of the Columbus national team was Yusuph Mkangara. Yusuph shares his thoughts on the experience:

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This was my first year doing the competition at a National level. It was actually my first year doing any competition at a National level. I wouldn’t say I was nervous, but I was certainly anxious to experience it for the first time. From the first day of the competition, it was hectic; trying to make sure I didn’t forget anything that I learned from Columbus.

Columbus did exceptionally well this year at Philadelphia compared to previous years. I hope to be able to help Columbus make it to the top 5, if not the number 1 team, as I have 3 more years to experience the computer competition.

There were multiple speakers there who changed how I thought about a career in IT. One of the things I am always contemplating is what should I endeavor in, once I am attending college. Medicine is definitely the number 1 option. Some of the speakers though did show that I can incorporate IT into medicine.

All in all, I have definitely been exposed to the world of IT. Whereas before, I simply knew it existed, after the competition, I have taken it into more of a consideration as I make a career and life plans; thanks to BDPA and the HSCC.

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The chapter needs support as it prepares to improve its performance next year. I hope that villagers will consider making a secure online donation to support Yusuph and his teammates!

Good News Tuesday: Diamond Abdus-Shakoor

Soulclap to Jennifer Smith Richards for her recent article about a remarkable 9-year old girl that is setting a positive example for our community with her willingness to excel in the world of chess. Here is article published recently in the Columbus Dispatch:

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There are plenty of things to learn from chess, but Diamond Abdus-Shakoor's dad says this is the most important: Win with grace, lose with dignity.

Abdul Abdus-Shakoor says Diamond soaks up everything that chess teaches her. Patience. Humility. Perseverance.

Diamond is very, very good.

She hasn't been beaten yet on her East Columbus Elementary chess team. The 9-year-old plays grown men in coffee houses and often wins. She has won five national titles in her age group since she learned to play about two years ago, including one in Arizona this month. Her dad says she was the only African American girl competing.

"I play her. She beats me," he said. "It's hard to keep her motivated and keep pushing her."

But Abdus-Shakoor is always standing behind her. He trumpets her successes and makes pitches for her on Twitter (Diamond would love to meet Oprah soon! She would like to play Will Smith in a chess match! Check out YouTube!) and e-mails news releases when she rocks at a tournament.





To the single father, there is nothing more important than helping pave the way for Diamond's bright future. He said that is why he does whatever it takes, even when that means asking for donations at gas stations to help fund her trips.

It's one reason he coaches her chess club at East Columbus.

"I get to be wherever my daughter is and help other kids. It's a win-win," he said.

During practice, Diamond gives up her queen before play to handicap herself. At a recent practice, Abdus-Shakoor set up a simultaneous exhibition in which she played 11 students at once.

"If somebody wins, I'll give you $1," he told the students. Diamond took a few seconds at each board and before long had started collecting pieces.

"She can be beat," Abdus-Shakoor told the students. But not that day.

You figure a third-grader with as many trophies as Diamond has would be a hot-dogger. But she has no post-game shuffle and casts no smirks at her fallen opponents. That's part of winning with grace. And maybe that's why the other kids in the club don't resent her for being good. They respect her for it.

"I learn from my mistakes and her mistakes," said fifth-grader Noah Jones-Smith, who has lost only to Diamond during club play.

That's what it's all about, Abdus-Shakoor said.

"Chess is bigger than me and my daughter. It's a window into their world. I'm trying to prepare them for life," he said.

The woman who grew Columbus City Schools' chess program agrees. Students who play learn how to interact with one another, think critically, compete with grace. Even after the district cut funding for chess coaches a few years ago, clubs like the one at Diamond's school lived on.

There are clubs in 77 schools with more than 2,700 students playing. And there have been several children like Diamond.

"Once you get a kid who has won a trophy for the first time, it's exciting. It's fulfilling for everybody on every level that cares about kids in the schools," said Francie Nolan, who started the program in the mid-'80s.

She's gotten to know Diamond and her dad, and thinks Diamond's name is fitting.

"She sparkles," Nolan said.

Other girls and boys in Diamond's club are waiting to shine, too. Abdus-Shakoor wants to take them to a national tournament; there are two big ones in central Ohio this spring, but registration and transportation cost money. He and Nolan say that's the biggest obstacle.

The talent is there. The kids have been waiting patiently and soaking up everything they can from their chess coaches and standout players like Diamond.
"My dad tells me to have fun. He tells me it's just a game," Diamond said. "But it's not just a fun game. It's an excellent game."

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I am very proud of this father and his work with his child. It is no easy thing to teach a young 'un how to play chess when there are so many other faster-paced options available for them. I taught my two youngest the basic moves ... but, we never were able to follow-up with enough time playing the game for them to pick up a love or appreciation for it. This article inspires me to try again!

Are you a chess player?

NOTE: This post is part of an ongoing effort by this blog (and others) to ensure that positive and uplifting news by and for people of African descent is regularly shared with our blog readers. Please let me know if you come across an article or other information about someone or something that you think worthy of our weekly Good News Tuesday blog meme!

Columbus Mayor Endorses Obama

I usually don't have many kind words for Columbus, OH ... the 15th largest city in the nation. After all, Columbus is the home of Ohio State Buckeyes ... and my favorite college team since I was a kid is the University of Michigan (UM). My parents met in Ann Arbor as UM undergraduates and both my maternal grandparents have post-graduate degrees from UM. Wolverine fans ordinarily don't have nice things to say about Columbus, OH.

Today is different. I learned today that Mike Coleman, mayor of Columbus, publically endorsed Barack Obama in his run for the presidency. Coleman joins other big-city mayors like Richard Daley of Chicago and Adrian Fenty of Washington, who also endorsed Obama.

Today I've learned that not everything about Columbus OH is bad!

Call for Presenters * Ohio Minority Health Institute

The Ohio Minority Health Institute (OMHI) is seeking proposals for presenters at their "Spring Institute," scheduled for March 22-23, 2007. The institute will be held at the Louis Stokes Center on Aging on the campus of Central State University in Wilberforce, OH.

OMHI primarily focuses on training minority community-based organizations across the state on strengthening organizational capacity. The 2-day training and assistance program represents a structure that seeks to help administrators, managers, and health professionals in these organizations become organizationally and financially sound as self-sustaining business and health care providers.

Fresh and innovative proposals on effective capacity building strategies will receive special attention.

To allow presenters time to lecture, have open discussion, engage in "hands-on" training, and engage in topical conversation to a reasonable depth, scheduled presentations will be approximately three hours in length, with additional time for questions, interaction and breaks. Your presentation should be practical, rather than philosophical, and teach skills that the audience can apply immediately in their work.

Your proposal should include:

• Your speaking qualifications, experience, and three references
• A one-page abstract of your presentation
• An outline of your presentation showing the amount of time you would
  devote to each topic
• A copy of handouts and audience participation tools
• Your complete contact information (address, phone, fax, email)

Proposals are due by February 2, 2007 to:
Ty Stone, Project Director
Ohio Minority Health
Central State University
College of Business
P.O. Box 1400
Wilberforce, OH 45384

Or via email: tstone@centralstate.edu

Speakers whose proposals are accepted will be notified by February 16. Potential topics include:

• Applying for 501 (c) (3) status
• Locating and applying for grants
• Business plan development
• Building an effective board of directors
• Fundraising
• Building internal capacity
• Financial record-keeping
• Marketing strategy & planning

OMHI is sponsored by the Ohio Commission on Minority Health and Central State University