Parents please view this video from December 19, 2018 because our fellow member Dr. Emily Decarlo has yet to have a proper investigation on the facts of the case that ended the life of her only child Angel Viola Decarlo.

There is a discrepancy in the stories that were told by the police. 
​Listen carefully to the FIRST video!

Please click and share this so that JUSTICE can prevail.

Our PETAC  voted for our 2020 DUES to go towards supporting #BRINGTHEFUNK.  

There are many issues impacting the self esteem and perceived value of our children in today's society.

What are some of the recent events that are having a negative impact on raising a child of color?

LET'S DISCUSS!

#RFP
#RESPECTFORPEOPLE

Regardless of what many people think, it requires a variety of "FRESH" ingredients to build a high quality system that teachers our children global survival skills and strategies.  Just like building a delicious hamburger.  There are many variables.  Some have preferences and others do NOT.  

                                 "U GIT WHATCHU MAKE!"  

Whatever one focuses upon will reflects in the results likely seen.  
​Parents are the outline of the entire picture.  We help put shape to the entire picture.  We parents should be EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME!

Hopewell City Mayor Brenda Pelham says, "Just like anything in life that has a constantly  'moving target', a fresh perspective and creative ideas are always important to have on hand!"
 
We at PETAC promote strong coordination, communication and collaboration to positively improve outcomes for ALL OF OUR FUTURE DREAMERS, LEADERS and ACHIEVERS!

POTENTIAL 2016 PICKS?
1 Loretta Lynch
2 Eric Holder
3 Kamala Harris
4 Anita Hill
5 Leah Ward Sears
6 Paulette Brown
7John EchoHawk
8 BerniceBDonald
9 WilheminaWright
10 TinoCuellar

In a May 8, 2008, interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, (President) Obama made it clear that he likes the justices with liberal bents:
"Justice Breyer (and) Justice Ginsburg are very sensible judges. I think that Justice Souter, who was a Republican appointee, is a sensible judge.

"What you're looking for is somebody who's going to apply the law where it's clear.

Now, there's going to be those 5 percent of cases or 1 percent of cases where the law isn't clear, and the judge then has to bring in his or her own perspectives, his ethics, his or her moral bearings, and in those circumstances, what I do want is a judge who is sympathetic enough to those who are on the outside, those who are vulnerable, those who are powerless, those who can't have access to political power and, as a consequence, can't protect themselves from being dealt with sometimes unfairly.

"The court's become a refuge for justice. That's been its historic role. That was its role in Brown v. Board of Education. I think a judge who is unsympathetic to the fact that in some cases, we've got to make sure that civil rights are protected, that we've got to make sure that civil liberties are protected — because oftentimes there are pressures that are placed on politicians to want to set civil liberties aside, especially in time(s) when we've had terrorist attacks — making sure that we maintain our separation of powers so that we don't have a president who is taking over more and more power. I think those are all criteria by which I can judge whether or not this is a good appointee."

In his remarks about Souter's retirement, (President) Obama laid out his vision for the appointment:

"I will seek somebody with a sharp and independent mind and a record of excellence and integrity. I will seek someone who understands that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a casebook.

​It is also about how our laws affect the daily realities of people's lives — whether they can make a living and care for their families, whether they feel safe in their homes and welcome in their own nation.

"I view that quality of empathy, of understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles, as an essential ingredient for arriving at just decisions and outcomes.

I will seek somebody who is dedicated to the rule of law, who honors our constitutional traditions, who respects the integrity of the judicial process and the appropriate limits of the judicial role. I will seek somebody who shares my respect for constitutional values on which this nation was founded and who brings a thoughtful understanding of how to apply them in our time."

As we have less than 300 days before our next PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, it is very important to avoid CULTURAL AMNESIA.  Many doors were opened in the past 20 years but unfortunately those who fought against opening the doors are very good at bullying African Americans from taking the steps required to open the door or hold the door open for others to enter behind them!

OCTOBER 7, 2015 1:18 PM 

Hello Texas Education Agency Members:

I am writing as a concerned United States citizen and a parent to express concern for the apparent lack of appreciation of truth in your adoption of the McGraw-Hill textbooks for the state of Texas.

I read in the media that many members of the State Board of Education profess that their guiding direction is from being a Christian.  Being a Christian is not being ashamed of the truth.  God is NOT a respecter of persons.  Any elected official that uses his or her convictions to justify not preparing and equipping FUTURE DREAMERS, LEADERS AND ACHIEVERS with truth should feel a certain amount of shame.

Recently a mother published her concerns of finding a disturbing choice of terms used to describe enslaved Africans in a high school history textbook.  Based upon review of the timeline of your Board of Education activities, this seems like an unlikely "typographical error".  Many of the reviews provided on the curriculum learning objectives themselves seemed to purposely remove contributions of African descendants. 

My ancestors fought in several wars.  Due to the evils and destruction of family records throughout our history of slavery, Jim Crow and segregation, I can only trace back to my ancestor born in 1805.  His son valiantly fought in the USCT 1st Colored Calvary during the Civil War. It is mean spirited and short sighted to seek to diminish the African contribution to the establishment of this country as a world power.  

Attempting to bury the truth of a people and discredit cultural relevance is dangerous.  It is one of the key reasons Dr. Carter G. Woodson became the FATHER OF BLACK HISTORY.  It was too easy for lives to be destroyed following the D.W. Griffith media frenzy surrounding "Birth of a Nation".  When ignorance is promoted as entertainment it is the role of the elected official to promote TRUTH for a civil society.  By not providing this information, it leaves our nation open to repeating that horrific period of time in our history  

Was there at least one or more reviewers who were of African descent participating and providing insight into some of these decisions to sterilize the significance of the founding fabric of this country?

I think it is time that the truth is revealed and that a public statement be made by your current board on what is your end goal for the children of the state of Texas?

I am asking that a public response be made on why this occurred and what will be done by your board to prevent such a problem in the future.  Ten years is an unacceptable waiting period for action.

Sincerely

Joan E. Gosier
Education!  Important GEAR for LIFE.
www.BlackParentConnect.com


cc: Members of PETAC 

RESPONSE:

OCTOBER 7, 2015 6:14 PM 
Joan,

Thank you for contacting me.

One other principle of my faith is to love others as yourself.  This is applicable because if you made a mistake, you would likely give yourself the benefit of the doubt or at least understand that your mistake wasn't intentional.

Attached please find a spreadsheet listing the 16 other references to slavery in this same textbook.  This is, in my opinion, proof that the error was a mistake, not an intentional act as some would suggest.

Neither myself nor any of my colleagues are trying to "diminish the African contribution" to this country.  The publisher made a mistake and they have stepped up and owned it.  Can we find it in our hearts to forgive them for their trespasses?

Our end goal is for every student to learn factual history and geography, the good, the bad and the ugly.  What makes our country great, in my opinion, are our successes and our failures.  

Thank you for caring about children and working to make sure they get the best education possible.
____________________
{**Name withheld}
Member, SBOE District **
{**Telephone withheld)

"One of the best ways to persuade others, is with your ears - by listening to them."

"...The 15-member education board approves textbooks for school districts to use, but objections raised by reviewers can influence its decisions..."

"...Maybe it's embarrassing when citizens step forth and show some of the blatant inaccuracies in our American history, references to our founding fathers, our Christian heritage, truly errors.

But to try and silence them with intimidation, I think, is wrong and that's what this is all about," he said.Other changes require proposed books to be reviewed by at least two panel members, so that a single volunteer can't raise objections.

The new rules also require panelists to submit majority and minority reports about proposed material, and restrict board members' contact with reviewers to avoid unfair influence..." SOURCE

De La Teja Review: Remove James Farmer?  Why not include as well???

Dreisbach Review:

"...Conservatives have been accused of an assault on the history of civil rights. One curriculum amendment describes the civil rights movement as creating "unrealistic expectations of equal outcomes" among minorities.

​Another seeks to place Martin Luther King and the violent Black Panther movement as opposite sides of the same coin."We had a big discussion around that," said Knight, a former teacher. "It was an attempt to taint the civil rights movement. They did the same by almost equating George Wallace [the segregationist governor of Alabama in the mid-1960s] with the civil rights movement and the things Martin Luther King Jr was trying to accomplish, as if Wallace was standing up for white civil rights. That's how slick they are.

"They're very smooth at excluding the contributions of minorities into the curriculum. It is as if they want to render minority groups totally invisible. I think it's racist. I really do."  SOURCE

Article 1 5/23/10 
Article 2 5/25/11                              
Article 3 7/9/12

Meet the 10 folks who voted in favor of making the changes to the TEXAS TEXTBOOKS.  Contact them and ask "WHAT'S GOING ON?"

WHY THIS MATTERS TO US ALL

"The standards will guide textbook purchases and classroom instruction over the next decade — and maybe not just in Texas. National publishers usually cater to its demands because the school board is probably the most influential in the country. Texas buys 48 million textbooks every year. No other state, except California, wields that sort of market clout."  SOURCE

TEXAS SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION

"McLeroy is a dentist from Bryan, Texas, a self-described Christian fundamentalist, and an outgoing member of state school board of education (SBOE). Over the past year, McLeroy and his allies formed a powerful bloc on the 15-member elected board and pushed through controversial revisions to the statewide social studies curriculum.

“Sometimes it boggles my mind the kind of power we have,” McLeroy recently boasted.

To many Texans, however, what’s more mind-boggling are some of the revisions. Critics charge that they promote Christian fundamentalism, boost conservative political figures, and force-feed American “exceptionalism,” while downplaying the historical contributions of minorities. (See slideshow below for examples of the changes.)" SOURCE

http://www.mccl.org/tips-for-contacting-elected-officials.html
http://www.afa.net/activism/contact-elected-officials/
https://www.usa.gov/agencies
http://whoismyrepresentative.com/
 
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
https://capwiz.com/nra/dbq/officials/
http://www.mdelect.net/
​

Thanks to ALL PETAC members and associates who helped fund this awesome KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN.  Working together WORKS!

#PETAC