Latest news with #BenjaminE.MaysHighSchool
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Atlanta Mom's Nonprofit Helps Teens With Incarcerated Parents Stay on Track
When Tiffany Gibson left home in 2008 to serve a nearly four-year prison sentence, her oldest son, Telly McGuire, was well on his way to pursuing a college education. Then 14 years old, McGuire had stellar grades and was active in extracurricular activities, according to Gibson. But through his tenure at Benjamin E. Mays High School in southwest Atlanta, he had limited guidance or motivation to continue his studies or plan for a profession. 'No one stressed to him about college,' Gibson told Capital B earlier this month. 'No one told him how to fill out an application. No one taught him about [financial aid].' Gibson attempted to encourage McGuire when she came home around the time of his high school graduation. 'I tried to make up, like, 'Hey, me and you [can] enroll in college together,'' said Gibson, who has since earned her master's degree. 'He told me to my face that I was basically too late.' That experience was the inspiration for Surviving Freedom, the nonprofit Gibson founded in 2020 to empower justice-impacted individuals, a term often used to describe a person who has been incarcerated or has an incarcerated relative. Studies have shown that kids whose parents are incarcerated are at greater risk for mental health issues and antisocial behavior. Fulton County sends more people to Georgia prisons than any other in the state. The majority of those incarcerated are Black, which can perpetuate a cycle of involvement in the criminal justice system for their dependents. Gibson feels teenagers are particularly vulnerable. The mother of three recalls her two youngest children — who were 9 and 2 years old, respectively, when she was last incarcerated — received intentional care and support from family members, while McGuire felt left out. She remembers toy giveaway programs for young children during the holidays, but nothing for teens. As a result, Surviving Freedom launched the first of a series of vision-boarding events geared toward justice-impacted high school students on April 19 at the C.T. Martin Natatorium and Recreation Center in Adamsville. The event featured college and career counselors, voter registration facilitators, and organizations that support local entrepreneurs. 'Not everyone is college-ready, so you have to have different avenues for them,' Gibson said. 'If we can show the teenagers that there are resources for them and provide those resources, a lot of them will stay in school, go on to college, or build a career.' Michael Marshall, creator of PCONN, a ride-sharing service that helps people visit incarcerated loved ones, was the event's main speaker. He said his app was inspired by his experience growing up as the child of incarcerated parents — and then being behind bars for a decade himself after becoming a parent. 'My mom left me at 15, so I had to navigate through life to get to the point where I am now,' Marshall said. 'Back then, it didn't look like I was going to be the founder of a company, especially with me being homeless, eating out the trash can as a teenager, and then a 10½-year prison sentence.' Marshall said observing infrequent visitation to fellow detainees sparked the idea for PCONN, which allows users to carpool with someone already driving to the prison for a fee. He added that he seeks to be an example to justice-impacted high schoolers — including his own daughter — showing that they can overcome their circumstances. 'I was the incarcerated parent, and I had parents that were incarcerated, so I felt both sides,' Marshall said. 'I hope my success just encourages people.' Gibson said the event was an extension of the work the organization is already doing to connect reentering citizens with counseling services and work placement programs, and to inform them about programs like the work opportunity tax credit, which incentivizes employers to hire formerly incarcerated people within a year of their release. She hopes to throw similar events around the Atlanta metro area to reach as many teens as possible. Helping her will be her son Telly, who works with Surviving Freedom and is now in school to become an electrician. 'There are so many kids that don't have that structure or guidance that they need,' Gibson said. 'Surviving Freedom is here to support you.' The post Atlanta Mom's Nonprofit Helps Teens With Incarcerated Parents Stay on Track appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Miami Herald
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
The 44 Percent: Black teachers, Liberty City housing, Mia Love and more
When's the last time you thanked a teacher? I thought about that when I saw Academy- and Grammy-award winning performer Will Smith at his street-naming ceremony in Philadelphia this week, where he thanked his 10th grade teacher Ms. Brown, who played a part in giving him his 'Fresh Prince' moniker. Teachers have a way of seeing things in us we hadn't recognized, or reaffirming what we already knew was there. In some cases, like my late physics teacher Mr. Sanders, they instill discipline (or occasionally fear). Mr. Sanders' reputation at Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta preceded him. As a child, I knew of him when my best friend's siblings took his classes but didn't grasp his firmness until I was in his ninth grade physics class. He was tough and stood on business when he failed a student (and many failed), but he was honest and found the wittiest ways to tell you that you were going to summer school. But that strictness built character and resilience for a post-graduate career. Black teachers like Mr. Sanders or a Ms. Brown help mold young Black minds into the people they're meant to become, even if they can't visualize their future yet. They prepare you for a world that isn't quite ready for your greatness and success. School may be out for spring break this week for Miami-Dade and Broward counties, but I hope a young Black mind reading this remembers to thank a Black teacher who saw them when it felt like no one else did. INSIDE THE 305: Affordable homes hang in the balance as Miami-Dade commissioner, nonprofits squabble Liberty City residents who are waiting on affordable homes to be built are caught in the crosshairs of a feud between nonprofit Neighbors and Neighbors Association Executive Director Leroy Jones and Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon Hardemon. South Florida congressional reps react to Trump ending humanitarian parole program South Florida's congressional members are concerned about the threat of deportation for their residents now that the Trump administration is ending a program that gave more than 500,000 immigrants a temporary legal pathway into the United States, Miami Herald state government and politics reporter Ana Ceballos reported. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, who represents residents in Little River, North Miami Beach, North Miami and Miami Gardens, expressed her concern. As she told Ceballos: 'For many, being sent back isn't just about crossing a border — it's a death sentence. It means living under brutal dictatorships like in Cuba or facing life-threatening violence like in Haiti. Ending parole overnight isn't just heartless — it's dangerous. It will rip families apart, shatter livelihoods and change the very fabric of South Florida.' OUTSIDE THE 305: Mia Love, child of immigrants and first Haitian American in Congress, has died Mia Love died after a long battle with cancer earlier this week. She was 49. Love was a rising star in politics, becoming the first Haitian American in Congress. The daughter of immigrants, Love represented Utah as a two-term Republican lawmaker. Federal workers fired in anti-DEI purge say it was because they're not white men Federal employees at several government agencies who were fired amid anti-DEI efforts have filed a complaint alleging they were fired because they were not white men, NBC BLK reported. According to the complaint, the Trump administration 'fired employees it perceived as being associated with DEI, including those who were not involved in any DEI-related activities or whose only DEI-related activity was involvement in a training or employee resource group,' the outlet reported. HIGH CULTURE: Youth Film Program offered in Fort Lauderdale The 1st Take Youth Film Program is offering a chance for young filmmakers to get mentorship from seasoned filmmakers and actors Allen Maldonado (of 'The Last O.G.' and 'Wonder Years') and Kamal Ani-Bello (of 'Moonlight'). Aspiring filmmakers ages 13 to 18 can get hands-on learning experience in writing, producing, editing and marketing. The program takes place from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center at 2650 Sistrunk Blvd.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
Memorial service for woman found in Lake Oconee scheduled for Thursday
The funeral for Joycelyn Nicole Wilson, the woman who died during a boat trip with her fiancé, Gary Jones, on Lake Oconee, is planned for Thursday. Wilson, 49, and Jones vanished in a small boat on Feb. 8. Game wardens found the boat empty and circling in the water with its engine running later that evening. Wilson's body was recovered from the lake the next day. Wilson graduated from Benjamin E. Mays High School in 1993. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at Clark-Atlanta University and earned a second master's degree at the University of Maryland. She served as a professor at Howard University and the University of Maryland. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Most recently, she served as a senior professor at Spelman College. Her celebration of life ceremony happens on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 11 a.m. at Zion Hill Baptist Church (6175 Campbellton Road SW in Atlanta.) Crews continue to search for Wilson on Lake Oconee with the help of forensic dogs. A man who specializes in searching for bodies in the water said it could take weeks to recover Jones. TRENDING STORIES: Postal worker accused of stealing credit cards from mail on her route Search crews say it could be weeks before locating coach missing in Lake Oconee Man who was head of DEA in Atlanta is now running day-to-day operations for agency [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Atlanta school opens wellness center 1 year after shooting on campus
The Brief Atlanta's Benjamin E. Mays High School is opening a new wellness center on the anniversary of a shooting on campus that injured four students. One 14-year-old student was arrested for the shooting and faces multiple charges. The new center converts an unused classroom into a safe space for students to decompress. ATLANTA - A southeast Atlanta high school is cutting the ribbon on a new wellness center focused on student mental health. The event is happening exactly one year after a shooting outside of Benjamin E. Mays High School injured four students. The backstory The shooting happened in the parking lot after school had been dismissed on Feb. 14, 2024. According to investigators, a fight broke out around 4 p.m. that escalated into a shooting. Four students, only identified as three 17-year-olds and one 18-year-old, all male, were rushed to an area hospital. All of them survived their injuries. Two weeks later, a 14-year-old Benjamin E. Mays High School student turned himself in to the Atlanta Police Department. He was charged with four counts of aggravated assault, one count of possession of a firearm by a minor, and one count of possession of a firearm on school grounds. The name of the arrested student has not been released. What we know Following the shooting, Principal Dr. Ramon Garner says the school listened to students and that the new wellness center is a product of those conversations. An unused classroom has been converted to "The Well," a safe space for students to decompress, talk about their feelings, and work on emotional wellness. The center features relaxing furniture and reading nooks as well as listening stations that have soothing music. The Well was created with a $10,000 grant from the Home Depot and gifts and donations from other community organizations and individual supports. No school funds were used to creat The Well. What they're saying "We are hosting the grand opening of the Mays Wellness Center in commemoration of the school shooting that occurred last Valentine's Day," Garner said. "We listened to our students and what they told us they needed. The wellness center offers dedicated spaces designed to support students and staff, helping them thrive." What's next The grand opening of The Well will be at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. The center will then be open for students for years to come. The Source Information for this story came from a release by Atlanta Public Schools and previous FOX 5 reporting.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Yahoo
Lockdown lifted at Mays High School after search for suspect in stolen car
The Brief Two Atlanta schools, Benjamin E. Mays High School and Jean Childs Young Middle School, were placed on lockdown for about a half-hour due to a police search for a suspect. A stolen Chevrolet Malibu was found abandoned near Benjamin E. Mays Drive, leading to the search for a man believed to have stolen it. The suspect was spotted and fled from law enforcement, prompting a chase towards the ball fields at Benjamin E. Mays High School and into a wooded area. ATLANTA - Two Atlanta schools located near the west side of the Perimeter were placed on lockdown on Thursday. Benjamin E. Mays High School and Jean Childs Young Middle School were both impacted for about a half-hour as law enforcement searched for a man in the area. What we know According to the Georgia State Patrol, troopers found a stolen Chevrolet Malibu abandoned in the roadway along Fairburn Road near Benjamin E. Mays Drive. A man matching the description of the person who is believed to have stolen it was spotted nearby. When troopers ordered the man to stop, he ran from the area. Troopers chased him towards the ball fields at Benjamin E. Mays High School before the man fled into a wooded area. A A K-9 unit was brought in to try to track the man. The Atlanta Police Department Aviation Unit was also brought into the search. This prompted the two schools to be placed on lockdown. What we don't know Despite their efforts, the man was not taken into custody. His name and description were not released. The Source Atlanta Public Schools confirmed the two schools were placed on lockdown on Thursday. The Georgia State Patrol provided the details into the search for a man believed to be linked to a stolen car which prompted the lockdowns.
