March on Washington: 60 Years Later
2 years ago
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Kilgore College creates special path for nontraditional students
By Latasha Goodwyn
Special Populations, a grant funded student support program at Kilgore College, helps as many as 2,500 students per year in their effort to achieve success. The program is geared toward nontraditional students.
“They are classified as Special Populations which means that they are a single parent, displaced homemaker, economically disadvantaged or ADHD student,” says Sandy Teel Learning Counselor at Kilgore College.
Students that qualify for this program are able to receive support in areas such as tutoring, childcare assistance, gas vouchers and textbooks.
“At the beginning of the semester we supply textbooks for the students and they return them at the end of the semester, this way we can add them to our library and other students will be able to borrow,” says Teel.
That the amount of help that a student receives depends on their personal circumstances however childcare is one of the main expenditures of the program.
“We pay full tuition for childcare. The only thing that we require parents to pay is the registration fee. We feel that it is important for parents to have something invested as well,” says Frank Mosley, director of instructional student support. “If they have something invested they will be more committed to the program,” he says.
Special Populations extends their boundaries beyond the walls of Kilgore College and out into the community. They have developed a referral system for their homeless students in order to connect them with services in the community.
“For people that are homeless we give them information about community resources and really try to encourage them that they can do it even when they have no support system at all,” Teel says.
Whether or not the student is homeless, a displaced homemaker or economically disadvantaged in order to qualify for the program they must pursue a Career Technical program. Kilgore College currently has thirty-three programs that qualify including accounting, cosmetology, nursing, surgical technology.
“We want them to enroll in a program that they can finish in one to two years. This isn’t something that they would be able to transfer to a four year school,” says Teel.
Kilgore has hosted this program for the past twenty years and boasts a ninety percent success rate. Both Teel and Mosely recall many success stories throughout the years.
“We’re talking about going from being economically disadvantaged to being a nurse. It’s pretty rewarding to watch that happen,” says Teel.
For more information contact:
Special Populations Coordinator
Mr. Frank MosleyEmail:
fmosley@kilgore.edu
Phone: 903.983.8683
OR
Sandy Teel
Learning Specialist
steel@kilgore.edu
Phone: 903.983.8205
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Charge dropped against Harvard scholar
(photo credit of yahoo.com)Prosecutors dropped a disorderly conduct charge Tuesday against prominent black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., who was arrested by a white officer at his home near Harvard University after a report of a break-in.
The city of Cambridge issued a statement saying the arrest "was regrettable and unfortunate," and police and Gates agreed that dropping the charge was a just resolution.
"There are 1 million black men in the prison system, and on Thursday I became one of them," he said. "I would sooner have believed the sky was going to fall from the heavens than I would have believed this could happen to me. It shouldn't have happened to me, and it shouldn't happen to anyone," said Gates on his website theroot.com.
Gates has said he returned home from a weekslong trip to China, found his door jammed and asked his driver to help him get it open.
Police said the 58-year-old Gates was arrested after he yelled at an officer, accused him of racial bias and refused to calm down after the officer demanded that Gates show him identification to prove he lived in the home.
Tyler Perry sends 65 children to Walt Disney World
Tyler Perry treats 65 children from a Philadelphia day camp to Walt Disney World after reading about allegations that a suburban swim club had shunned them because of racism.
Creative Steps director Alethea Wright says she's thrilled about the offer, especially because Perry "comes from humble beginnings" like the children in her camp.
The Valley Club in Huntingdon Valley has maintained that refunding the camp's swimming fee was not about race but rather a safety issue, in part because many children couldn't swim.
The black and Hispanic children who attend the day camp run by Creative Steps Inc. cheered Monday when they learned about the actor's gift.
Creative Steps director Alethea Wright says she's thrilled about the offer, especially because Perry "comes from humble beginnings" like the children in her camp.
The Valley Club in Huntingdon Valley has maintained that refunding the camp's swimming fee was not about race but rather a safety issue, in part because many children couldn't swim.
The black and Hispanic children who attend the day camp run by Creative Steps Inc. cheered Monday when they learned about the actor's gift.
Boston black newspaper stays afloat with new investors
The financially struggling black-owned newspaper will accept a $200,000 loan from the city to avoid shutdown.
The loan will come from the Boston Local Development Corp., a private nonprofit administered by the city that provides cash to small businesses.
The 44-year-old Bay State Banner suspended publication this month, blaming a steep drop in advertising. Its last edition was distributed July 9, and the paper was expected to close by the end of the month, but could return to newsstands this week.
The Bay State Banner has been around for 44 years and is Boston’s only black newspaper.
The loan will come from the Boston Local Development Corp., a private nonprofit administered by the city that provides cash to small businesses.
The 44-year-old Bay State Banner suspended publication this month, blaming a steep drop in advertising. Its last edition was distributed July 9, and the paper was expected to close by the end of the month, but could return to newsstands this week.
The Bay State Banner has been around for 44 years and is Boston’s only black newspaper.
Henry Louis Gate’s arrest raises profiling questions
(photo credit of Yahoo.com)
Harvard University scholar, Henry Louis Gates, was arrested when police responded to a call about two black males breaking into a home near Harvard University.
Gates had forced his way through the front door because it was jammed, his lawyer said.
Cambridge police say they responded to the well-maintained two-story home after a woman reported seeing "two black males with backpacks on the porch," with one "wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry."
Gates had forced his way through the front door because it was jammed, his lawyer said.
Cambridge police say they responded to the well-maintained two-story home after a woman reported seeing "two black males with backpacks on the porch," with one "wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry."
By the time police arrived, Gates was already inside. Police say he refused to come outside to speak with an officer, who told him he was investigating a report of a break-in.
Gates said he turned over his driver's license and Harvard ID — both with his photos — and repeatedly asked for the name and badge number of the officer, who refused.
Colleagues call the arrest last Thursday afternoon a clear case of racial profiling.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Blacks most obese in the nation
Black Americans are leading the pack with an obesity rate of 36%, much more than other major racial or ethnic groups.
About 29 percent of Hispanics and 24 percent of whites are obese and overall, about 25 percent of adults in the U.S. are obese according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts believe there are several reasons for the differences. People with lower incomes often have less access to medical care, exercise facilities and more expensive, healthier food. In many places, minorities are disproportionately poor."Poverty is a very strong driver of obesity," said Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
Researchers cited a 2008 study that found black and Hispanic women had significantly lower odds of being dissatisfied with their body size than white women. Black and Hispanics are more accepting of high weight and heavy people who are satisfied with their size are not likely to diet or exercise.
About 29 percent of Hispanics and 24 percent of whites are obese and overall, about 25 percent of adults in the U.S. are obese according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Experts believe there are several reasons for the differences. People with lower incomes often have less access to medical care, exercise facilities and more expensive, healthier food. In many places, minorities are disproportionately poor."Poverty is a very strong driver of obesity," said Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
Researchers cited a 2008 study that found black and Hispanic women had significantly lower odds of being dissatisfied with their body size than white women. Black and Hispanics are more accepting of high weight and heavy people who are satisfied with their size are not likely to diet or exercise.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
No rest for lynching victim Emmett Till
(Photos credit of emmetttillmurder.com )
Four years after Emmett Till's body was exhumed as part of an investigation, his original glass-topped casket has been found in a rusty shed at a suburban cemetery where workers are accused of digging up and dumping hundreds of bodies in a scheme to resell the burial plots.
The casket, which was seen by mourners around the world in 1955, was surrounded by garbage and old headstones. When authorities opened it, a family of possums scampered out.
"There is no rest for Emmett," Ollie Gordon, a cousin, said Monday.
"Emmett Till is being treated with the same disrespect in death as he was treated in life," said Jonathan Fine, executive director of the group Preservation Chicago.
In August 1955, Till traveled from Chicago to Mississippi to visit relatives. After he whistled at a white woman outside a market, the woman's husband and another man snatched him from his bed. His body was found in a river three days later, a cotton gin fan tied around his neck with barbed wire. His nose was crushed, and his left eye was missing, as were most of his teeth.
The two men were acquitted, but the next year they confessed to the killing in a Look magazine article.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Rural Alabama family physician to be next surgeon general
(photo credit of webMD.com)Dr. Regina Benjamin is known along Alabama's Gulf Coast as a country doctor who makes house calls and doesn't turn away patients who can't pay. She also made headlines with her fierce determination to rebuild her nonprofit medical clinic in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
"For all the tremendous obstacles that she has overcome, Regina Benjamin also represents what's best about health care in America, doctors and nurses who give and care and sacrifice for the sake of their patients," Obama said Monday in introducing his choice for a job known as America's doctor.
He said Benjamin will bring insight as his administration struggles to revamp the health care system.
Working as a doctor in a diverse population that includes immigrants from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, as well as many residents lacking health insurance, makes her well qualified for the post of surgeon general, says Georges Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association (no relation to Regina Benjamin).
Benjamin called the job "a physician's dream," and pledged to be a voice for patients in need — and to fight the preventable diseases that claim too many lives each year.
Authorities capture Kilgore man
Authorities captured a Kilgore man who escaped a Gregg County deputy's custody after finding him hiding Friday morning in a bed at a girlfriend's Longview residence.
Michael Dantae Fagan, 31, has been charged with escape and possession of a controlled substance. Gregg County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Claxton said Fagan also might be charged with evading arrest.
Investigators searching the residence found Fagan hiding between a mattress and box springs in a bedroom.
A team of U.S. marshals, Gregg County deputies and Longview police, responding to a lead from their investigation, converged on a residence in the 600 block of Electra Street at about 11 a.m.
The search for Fegan has cost local taxpayers and the state thousands of dollars. At least 35 law enforcement officers and more than 20 vehicles from state and local agencies participated in two search efforts in Liberty City on Wednesday, said Lt. Mike Claxton. Tracking dogs aided in the searches, and a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter flew above the search area for several hours during the day
Fagan's bond was set at a total of $105,000
Michael Dantae Fagan, 31, has been charged with escape and possession of a controlled substance. Gregg County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Claxton said Fagan also might be charged with evading arrest.
Investigators searching the residence found Fagan hiding between a mattress and box springs in a bedroom.
A team of U.S. marshals, Gregg County deputies and Longview police, responding to a lead from their investigation, converged on a residence in the 600 block of Electra Street at about 11 a.m.
The search for Fegan has cost local taxpayers and the state thousands of dollars. At least 35 law enforcement officers and more than 20 vehicles from state and local agencies participated in two search efforts in Liberty City on Wednesday, said Lt. Mike Claxton. Tracking dogs aided in the searches, and a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter flew above the search area for several hours during the day
Fagan's bond was set at a total of $105,000
Thursday, July 9, 2009
GED prep program restores hope
They show up in throngs, pencils in hand, unopened notebook paper tucked underneath the arms of freshly ironed collard shirts.
“Where is the GED class?” bounces in faint echoes, as students scramble throughout the hallways of Kilgore College’s Hendrix building in Longview, TX.
It’s the first day of the Kilgore College adult education GED preparation program.
Director of Adult education at Kilgore College Bobbie McGee –Benson stands in the doorway greeting students as they make their way into room 223, the GED classroom, as she has done for the past 14 years.
“As long as I have been here this is the first time that I have seen so many African American students,” she says. “I am glad to see that more Africans are taking advantage of this program.”
According to a report released by the GED testing service, despite the fact that African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to have not graduated from high school, 53.5 % of GED candidates are white. However, even this number is only a very small percentage of the 39 million Americans without a high school diploma. Out of the 39 million, African Americans are 21 percent more likely to not have earned a high school diploma.
Part of the good new is that Kilgore College has a very high number of Adult education students who choose to further their education and enroll in college after obtaining their GED.
“I think that it’s the tone I set. I tell the students from the very beginning that they are a part of Kilgore College… they are on a level of Kilgore College now,” McGee-Benson says. “Earning your GED is not a red light…it’s a green light.”
There are also many programs that community colleges are now using to bridge the gap between Adult education programs and students entering college. Kilgore College is a part of this movement. McGee-Benson will represent Kilgore College at an Adult Education conference next week to discuss their success in enrolling students into Kilgore College after obtaining their GED.
Although Benson-McGee has many accomplishments within the Adult education program but one that she is most of is the official GED graduation which takes place every June.
“It’s just another way to celebrate their success and make a statement,” she says.
Dr. Julie Fowler, Executive Dean and Chief Administrator of Kilgore College-Longview, reflects on McGee-Benson’s first GED graduation.
“The first graduation had six people and now we’ve moved the graduation into Dodson auditorium,” says Fowler.
The Kilgore College GED program has grown as have the number of participants. One of the reasons for its success is more than it being a state-mandated program but the schools passion for GED starts at the very top of the administrative ladder with Dr. Julie Fowler. Fowler says that she, too, has a passion for GED students and in fact did her dissertation on the topic.
“Many of these students have fallen through the cracks…for whatever reason. Some of them just need a second chance,” she says.
It is the people that have fallen through the cracks that often times make-up the staggering statistics in this country on poverty and lack of access to healthcare. According to the U.S Census Bureau thirty-four percent of adults without a high school diploma live in households at or below the poverty level of $18,400 for a family of four. The number of uninsured children in 2006 was 8.1 million. For African Americans, the number of uninsured in 2006 was 7.4 million. Fowler believes that education can lead a path away from all of this.
“I believe that everyone should have access to education and healthcare and I believe that we should all go out of our way to help others, but education is key. Education can change lifestyles. If you have an education you can get your own healthcare,” says Fowler.
There are many students that have done just that. When asked about fond memories of student in the program McGee-Benson reflects on one particular student.
“He was originally an ESL (English as a Second Language) student. He took ESL classes for about three years and after three years he transferred to the GED program. After about three more years in the GED classes I urged him to go ahead and take the test. I told him that I believed that he could pass the test. He responded that he wanted to do more than pass it…he wanted to go to college and be prepared. He went on to get his GED and enrolled into Kilgore College's RN program. He is now an RN at Longview Regional and has since brought many students into the GED program,” she says.
Lakeisha Davis is a student in Kilgore College’s GED prep program. She is one of the increasing numbers of African Americans enrolled in classes this summer.
“I was in the classes a while back and I had to quit because I never could get the babysitting lined up for my daughter. Now that I’ve got her situated and I talked to the peole in the program and they said that I could come back,” Davis says.
Many times family circumstances are a reason that people drop out of high school to begin with and with this in mind, Kilgore College has GED classes that begin every month and offer both day and night classes.
The next GED classes begin Monday August 3rd. Morning classes begin 8:00am and evening classes begin at 5:00pm in room 223. Registration is on the first day of class and classes are free of charge.
For more information contact:
Kilgore College—Longview 300 S. High Street Phone: (903) 988-3738 or (903) 753-2642 www.kilgore.edu/abe.asp
Listen now
“Where is the GED class?” bounces in faint echoes, as students scramble throughout the hallways of Kilgore College’s Hendrix building in Longview, TX.
It’s the first day of the Kilgore College adult education GED preparation program.
Director of Adult education at Kilgore College Bobbie McGee –Benson stands in the doorway greeting students as they make their way into room 223, the GED classroom, as she has done for the past 14 years.
“As long as I have been here this is the first time that I have seen so many African American students,” she says. “I am glad to see that more Africans are taking advantage of this program.”
According to a report released by the GED testing service, despite the fact that African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to have not graduated from high school, 53.5 % of GED candidates are white. However, even this number is only a very small percentage of the 39 million Americans without a high school diploma. Out of the 39 million, African Americans are 21 percent more likely to not have earned a high school diploma.
Part of the good new is that Kilgore College has a very high number of Adult education students who choose to further their education and enroll in college after obtaining their GED.
“I think that it’s the tone I set. I tell the students from the very beginning that they are a part of Kilgore College… they are on a level of Kilgore College now,” McGee-Benson says. “Earning your GED is not a red light…it’s a green light.”
There are also many programs that community colleges are now using to bridge the gap between Adult education programs and students entering college. Kilgore College is a part of this movement. McGee-Benson will represent Kilgore College at an Adult Education conference next week to discuss their success in enrolling students into Kilgore College after obtaining their GED.
Although Benson-McGee has many accomplishments within the Adult education program but one that she is most of is the official GED graduation which takes place every June.
“It’s just another way to celebrate their success and make a statement,” she says.
Dr. Julie Fowler, Executive Dean and Chief Administrator of Kilgore College-Longview, reflects on McGee-Benson’s first GED graduation.
“The first graduation had six people and now we’ve moved the graduation into Dodson auditorium,” says Fowler.
The Kilgore College GED program has grown as have the number of participants. One of the reasons for its success is more than it being a state-mandated program but the schools passion for GED starts at the very top of the administrative ladder with Dr. Julie Fowler. Fowler says that she, too, has a passion for GED students and in fact did her dissertation on the topic.
“Many of these students have fallen through the cracks…for whatever reason. Some of them just need a second chance,” she says.
It is the people that have fallen through the cracks that often times make-up the staggering statistics in this country on poverty and lack of access to healthcare. According to the U.S Census Bureau thirty-four percent of adults without a high school diploma live in households at or below the poverty level of $18,400 for a family of four. The number of uninsured children in 2006 was 8.1 million. For African Americans, the number of uninsured in 2006 was 7.4 million. Fowler believes that education can lead a path away from all of this.
“I believe that everyone should have access to education and healthcare and I believe that we should all go out of our way to help others, but education is key. Education can change lifestyles. If you have an education you can get your own healthcare,” says Fowler.
There are many students that have done just that. When asked about fond memories of student in the program McGee-Benson reflects on one particular student.
“He was originally an ESL (English as a Second Language) student. He took ESL classes for about three years and after three years he transferred to the GED program. After about three more years in the GED classes I urged him to go ahead and take the test. I told him that I believed that he could pass the test. He responded that he wanted to do more than pass it…he wanted to go to college and be prepared. He went on to get his GED and enrolled into Kilgore College's RN program. He is now an RN at Longview Regional and has since brought many students into the GED program,” she says.
Lakeisha Davis is a student in Kilgore College’s GED prep program. She is one of the increasing numbers of African Americans enrolled in classes this summer.
“I was in the classes a while back and I had to quit because I never could get the babysitting lined up for my daughter. Now that I’ve got her situated and I talked to the peole in the program and they said that I could come back,” Davis says.
Many times family circumstances are a reason that people drop out of high school to begin with and with this in mind, Kilgore College has GED classes that begin every month and offer both day and night classes.
The next GED classes begin Monday August 3rd. Morning classes begin 8:00am and evening classes begin at 5:00pm in room 223. Registration is on the first day of class and classes are free of charge.
For more information contact:
Kilgore College—Longview 300 S. High Street Phone: (903) 988-3738 or (903) 753-2642 www.kilgore.edu/abe.asp
Listen now
East Texas man at large
(photo credit of KLTV.com)An East Texas man is still at large, after he escaped from the custody of Gregg County authorities Tuesday afternoon.
31-year-old Michael Fagan was picked up Tuesday afternoon on drug charges but took off, still in handcuffs, as sheriff officials were walking him into the jail.
Fagan had just been picked up on drug charges on Highway 42, near Interstate 20 when he was arrested Tuesday. His jail wrap sheet shows he has "evaded" and "resisted" arrest several times in the past.
31-year-old Michael Fagan was picked up Tuesday afternoon on drug charges but took off, still in handcuffs, as sheriff officials were walking him into the jail.
Fagan had just been picked up on drug charges on Highway 42, near Interstate 20 when he was arrested Tuesday. His jail wrap sheet shows he has "evaded" and "resisted" arrest several times in the past.
Authorities with the Gregg County sheriff's office, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Kilgore PD are scouring an area near Liberty City, off FM 2207 and Wilkins' Road. The Shallow Creek Country Club's golf course has been evacuated for the search.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Steve McNair killed in apparent murder-suicide
(Photos credit of ballhype.com & tennessean.com)Retired NFL QB Steve McNair, killed in murder-suicide by 20-year-old woman, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in a Nashville condominium Saturday. Cops discovered McNair's body slumped on a sofa inside his rented condo's blood-spattered living room, authorities said.
A woman McNair was reportedly dating, identified as Sahel Kazemi 20, was found dead only a few feet away with a single bullet wound to the head.
It remained unclear what might have triggered the slayingMcNair, 36, who was married and had four children, had reportedly been dating Kazemi for a few months.
His shocking death prompted a flood of tributes from former coaches, players, NFL execs and even the governor of Tennessee.
Steve McNair found dead in his Nashville home
Former Titans quarterback Steve McNair has been killed. Police said McNair suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head in downtown Nashville.
When police officers arrived on the scene to they found two individuals who had been shot to death inside the residence: one female, one male. The deceased male is Steve McNair. The
female deceased has been tentatively identified.
According to police, there were no signs of forced entry at the crime scene. While the female victim's identity has not been released, police are confirming she is not Mechelle McNair.
When police officers arrived on the scene to they found two individuals who had been shot to death inside the residence: one female, one male. The deceased male is Steve McNair. The
female deceased has been tentatively identified.
According to police, there were no signs of forced entry at the crime scene. While the female victim's identity has not been released, police are confirming she is not Mechelle McNair.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Serena beats Venus in 14th Grand Slam final
Serena Williams beat Venus Williams for her third Wimbledon championship and her 11th major title overall.
"I didn't think about Venus at all today. I just saw her as an opponent," said Serena.
When Serena wrapped up a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory for a third Wimbledon championship and 11th major title overall, she jogged to the net with her arm extended for a handshake, but Venus hugged her instead.
It was the 14th Grand Slam final for each Williams; no other active woman participated in more than four.
During the singles final, the mom sat in the stands with arms crossed, while Dad had already left town, because he refuses to watch his daughters play each other.
As they walked to the sideline at the first changeover, the sisters avoided any eye contact. Serena looked down at her racket, fiddling with the strings, the way she does against anyone else.
They went to a tiebreaker, and Serena closed it with a lob that curled over her sister and landed in.
Serena has won three of the past four Grand Slam titles.
Serena went to check out the board that lists Wimbledon's champions. She ran her fingers over all of those references to "S. Williams" and "V. Williams" in gold type on a green background — eight of the past 10 years, one or the other appears.
"I didn't think about Venus at all today. I just saw her as an opponent," said Serena.
When Serena wrapped up a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory for a third Wimbledon championship and 11th major title overall, she jogged to the net with her arm extended for a handshake, but Venus hugged her instead.
It was the 14th Grand Slam final for each Williams; no other active woman participated in more than four.
During the singles final, the mom sat in the stands with arms crossed, while Dad had already left town, because he refuses to watch his daughters play each other.
As they walked to the sideline at the first changeover, the sisters avoided any eye contact. Serena looked down at her racket, fiddling with the strings, the way she does against anyone else.
They went to a tiebreaker, and Serena closed it with a lob that curled over her sister and landed in.
Serena has won three of the past four Grand Slam titles.
Serena went to check out the board that lists Wimbledon's champions. She ran her fingers over all of those references to "S. Williams" and "V. Williams" in gold type on a green background — eight of the past 10 years, one or the other appears.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Butler defies odds, strives for excellence
By Latasha Goodwyn
Many people believe that poor, and mainly African-American, single mothers live lifestyles that are cradled by government assistance programs and brimming with excessiveness. However, the population of college-educated single mothers within the African American community is slowly on the rise.
Monique Butler, single working mom of four and full-time student at Kilgore College, is a woman determined and focused on her vision of being a college graduate.
“I’m majoring in business management right now. I just finished my Associates of Science in order to be a legal assistant…but now I’m leaning more toward business management,” she said.
She hopes to one day run her own business and would like her children to eventually join her.
Butler is the youngest of seven siblings and will be the first to earn her college degree.
“When I got my associates my family gave me a barbeque. It was so exciting! Everyone was really proud of me, especially my children.”
Butler says that her children, along with her church pastor and faith in God, give her the motivation to continue to strive.
“Jesus Christ and his written words are my biggest motivation. When I am going though difficult times I read Romans 8:37 and Psalms 23.”
Butler says that the key to her success is being organized in every facet of her life and she adamant in passing these attributes on to her children by encouraging them to begin planning for their future.
Although Butler has got it together right now there was a time when she was very unhappy with her current state. There was one pivotal moment in her life that made her decide that it was time for her to go back to school and continue her education.
“I was literally tired and frustrated with my current job,” she said.
Butler worked long hours as a telemarketer at a local Longview agency which left her little time to spend with her children.
Butler still has little time to spend with her children but she feel that at least this time there will be a positive outcome.
“It feels like I am always going. My days are long and I always say that my brain is tired.”
Butler believes that all of her hard work will pay off in the end and the one thing she would like to leave her children with a sense of pride and determination. Download
Many people believe that poor, and mainly African-American, single mothers live lifestyles that are cradled by government assistance programs and brimming with excessiveness. However, the population of college-educated single mothers within the African American community is slowly on the rise.
Monique Butler, single working mom of four and full-time student at Kilgore College, is a woman determined and focused on her vision of being a college graduate.
“I’m majoring in business management right now. I just finished my Associates of Science in order to be a legal assistant…but now I’m leaning more toward business management,” she said.
She hopes to one day run her own business and would like her children to eventually join her.
Butler is the youngest of seven siblings and will be the first to earn her college degree.
“When I got my associates my family gave me a barbeque. It was so exciting! Everyone was really proud of me, especially my children.”
Butler says that her children, along with her church pastor and faith in God, give her the motivation to continue to strive.
“Jesus Christ and his written words are my biggest motivation. When I am going though difficult times I read Romans 8:37 and Psalms 23.”
Butler says that the key to her success is being organized in every facet of her life and she adamant in passing these attributes on to her children by encouraging them to begin planning for their future.
Although Butler has got it together right now there was a time when she was very unhappy with her current state. There was one pivotal moment in her life that made her decide that it was time for her to go back to school and continue her education.
“I was literally tired and frustrated with my current job,” she said.
Butler worked long hours as a telemarketer at a local Longview agency which left her little time to spend with her children.
Butler still has little time to spend with her children but she feel that at least this time there will be a positive outcome.
“It feels like I am always going. My days are long and I always say that my brain is tired.”
Butler believes that all of her hard work will pay off in the end and the one thing she would like to leave her children with a sense of pride and determination. Download
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