Show Up and Be Counted

Happy 2013! Let us hope that the New Year brings fundamental change to the neighborhoods in Chicago, especially those plagued by violence, gangs and gunfire. That change must begin with us as we cannot rely upon law enforcement, politicians, studies or reports to be the change we need.

 Recently, Crain’s posted a map “Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks” created by Chris Persaud (http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130108/BLOGS08/130109821/how-rich-is-your-neighborhood#ixzz2HbWl8dWe). Persaud noticed a correlation between the poorer census tracts, many situated in Chicago, and the areas that suffer from high crime rates. The map is not particularly user friendly unless you know your census tract number but the article points out that the median income for the heart of South Austin (census tract 2519) is $18.8 K while the statewide median income is between $48-58K.

I doubt anyone is surprised when reading this. We all know that income, derived from gainful and engaging employment, combined with educational resources, will go a long way to solving the rise in crime rates. But the problem appears to offer the chicken and egg scenario; we can’t get jobs for undereducated people and we can’t get educational resources without having more money, derived from property taxes, allocated to failing schools.  

I propose you allocate what you do have, the will and intention to be the change you wish to see (with thanks to Gandhi), and support the projects the P³ is working on this year. You can support them with money or by volunteering but most of all, you can show-up! When the season starts, show up for an Urban Hardball game and cheer the team on. Attend a Move Me Soul dance recital and get caught up in the energy. Help us empower the young people in the neighborhood through sports, dance and theater while promoting the pride, power and unity of the neighborhood.

In the next few weeks we will be updating the Facebook page with our new logo as well as news about some of the activities we will be promoting this year. Don’t let this be another year of bad news for Austin; instead let’s raise a little hope and a lot of commotion for the jewels of the neighborhood.

Move Me Soul Raises the Bar

Departing CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard quoted these dire statistics in his op-ed piece for the Chicago Tribune, “In 2011, fewer than 24 percent of Chicago Public Schools graduates were prepared to attend a four-year college, and only 1 in 7 African-American students tested college-ready.” But don’t despair, because there are people working hard, against those odds, to see that CPS students do succeed. One such hidden jewel is Ayesha Jaco, dance instructor with the Move Me Soul dance troupe, which operates an After School Matters (ASM) program in Austin High School.

As a 14 year old teen, Jaco became involved with Gallery 37, now a part of After School Matters, where she learned to dance. Her passion led her to receive a bachelor degree as well as a master’s of arts management in youth and community development from Columbia College Chicago and later, to found Move Me Soul. Eldrick Hereford recently had an opportunity to interview her during a brief break from her very busy schedule. 

She first became involved with ASM and P3 while working in the Austin High School teaching dance as one of the options for gym class. Her class caught the attention of the school principal and Sharif Walker when they observed her students’ success, not only the program, but in college readiness as well as personal growth. She remembered the positive role models in her own life and worked to be one of those same individuals for her students.

In another role, she serves as the Director of The Lupe Fiasco Foundation, an organization that helps to provide inner city youth with positive youth development programming. She is honing in on best practices, as well as piloting programs and determining how to grow and sustain these efforts. The organization just completed its annual Community Feeding Initiative in partnership with several churches. During the event, the foundation offered vegan and vegetarian meals as well as discount coupons for fresh fruit and vegetables in a number of neighborhoods including Englewood and Austin. They are starting their Annual Coat Drive which will provide coats to families in several shelters.

When asked what she would say if she had Mayor Rahm Emmanuel’s ear for 3 minutes, Jaco said she would tell him that Austin has the largest population of young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in the City. Rather than cutting funds for programs such as Cease Fire, there should be an assessment of the area with key stakeholders coming together at the table to talk about what needs to happen in the community to celebrate its talented young people while building and supporting resources for them.

Eldrick asked Ayesha what she does to stay balanced and focused with her many roles as mother, educator, and community organizer. Jaco admitted that while dance and music play a significant part in helping her clear her head and regroup, working with young people rejuvenates and energizes her.

She believes that the arts play a significant role in not only stemming violence by providing youth with opportunities to channel their emotions and express themselves through everything from journal writing to theater and dance, but also that the arts provide youth with a sense of hope. She was once in the same position as many of her students and she remembers how much being a part of a dance program inspired her to go to college and grad school as well as start Move Me Soul. She is taking that organization to the next level as well by working with her students on technical aspects including the necessary vocabulary and performance skills to allow them to perform on professional stages throughout the world.

Jaco serves as a model for what one person can do if they put something out there and pay it forward. As such, she is one of the jewels of the Austin community.

Reggie Jones & Murielle Dickens; Rising Stars of Chicago’s Austin Community

Move Me Soul is more than just a dance troupe; it is a movement dedicated to saving lives through hard work, dedication, education and dance. Move Me Soul is an After School Matters program dance troupe based in the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side. Reggie Jones and Murielle Dickens are two of the standout dancers in the Move Me Soul dance troupe. They share a love for all things dance and that’s not the only thing they have in common.  

Move Me Soul, in conjunction with P3, sponsored Reggie on his first college trip to Cornish College in Seattle, Washington. He is currently a senior Austin High School. Murielle Dickens is entering her senior year at George Washington Prepatory High School. Thanks to Move Me Soul Director Ayesha, Murielle visited and studied dance and culture in Ghana.

I recently had an opportunity to see Reggie and Murielle perform and interview them as well. It was Reggie’s first time on a plane when he visited Cornish College. He described his first visit to Seattle as “Beautiful, the weather was perfect!” even though he ran into some difficulties checking into to his hotel room. P3 had pre-paid for Reggie’s room, but when he arrived he was unable to check-in; P3 eventually arranged housing for Reggie at another hotel about 30 minutes away.

While visiting Cornish College, Reggie participated in the Modern, Ballet, and Pilates dance classes. Reggie thoroughly enjoyed his visit with Cornish College, saying “Their hospitality was great!” In our interview he expressed his passion for all forms of dance; when asked to describe his style of dance he said, “It’s smooth, and I can make it however the choreographer wants to see; I will take in their techniques and add my own to it.” Preparing to go on stage his energy was upbeat and confident. When asked what makes him different he stated “I bring dance to life with my own style.”

 Murielle Dickens describe her style of dance as “Versatile and like a sponge. Any type of style of dance I can learn I will. I want to master every type of style of dance.”  Murielle said that “dancing allows me to get away from the world. Dancing keeps me out of trouble. There are so many places you can go with dance!” After being nominated by Move Me Soul Director Ayesha for the Sankofa Youth Enrichment program, Murielle won a trip to Ghana to study dance for two weeks. She seemed very humbled from her experience and said “We take so much for granted here in the US.” She intends to go back and initiate a Christmas toy/clothing drive for the youth in Ghana. Her advice to anyone interested in dance is to “Stay true to yourself.”

Reggie Jones and Murielle Dickens are the Rising Stars of the Austin community. They both claim Michael Jackson as their favorite dancer but they also share their ambition and drive as well. Their plight is to escape from the violence of Chicago’s Austin community through dance. These are the names that you should know as these Rising Stars will become the Game Changers of tomorrow.

 

Eldrick Hereford

P3: The Game Changers/ Rising Stars of the Austin Community

One of the many problems about the news is that it can be so negative. Negativity sells papers and gets plenty of views on a website, but does it make a positive impact on our community? I don’t think so. Here at P3, our goal is to focus on the Game Changers and Rising Stars that are having a positive impact on the Austin community, our youth, and our culture. These are the hidden jewels of the Austin community.

I recently had the opportunity to see Move Me Soul, a dance troupe, perform at Austin High School. I can’t give enough praise to Diana Muhammad and Ayesha Jaco for the mentorship and choreography that they provide to over 40 students in the Austin community. Move Me Soul is a movement that is saving lives on the West Side of Chicago through discipline in the form of dance.

Move Me Soul gave an excellent performance of African, Modern and Jazz dance styles. Diana and Ayesha are shining examples of Game Changers in the Austin community and Chicago. They are helping our youth to find another way out of the ‘hood through dance and hard work toward their goals. Please stay tuned; I will be posting my interviews with two of Move Me Soul’s dancers, two Rising Stars from the Austin community, Reggie Jones and Marielle Dickens, later this week.

Eldrick Hereford