Dear ACLP Community,
Happy 2021! We are back! We started African Community Learning Program (ACLP)’s Spring 2021 semester on Monday, January 25, 2021. Our team and I are already hard at work continuing ACLP’s mission of empowering the African diaspora in West Philadelphia through education.
Black History Month
Teaching and learning about the African diaspora has been central to ACLP’s work and curriculum since its founding in 2017. This 2021 Black History Month is no exception. We created an ACLP Black History Month list, celebrating the contributions and achievements of 20 Black historical figures. These individuals’ contributions span across Philadelphia, the United States, the African continent, and the world. They are men and women whose social impact has been experienced in business, civil and human rights, academia, journalism, diplomacy, politics, literature, healthcare, entertainment, and education. Their contributions to society reflect ACLP’s 2020-2021 school year theme of “Preparing the Future through Education, Excellence, and Justice.” We are celebrating Black historical figures on our social media platforms and website by sharing their stories and achievements with the public.
Policy Work
ACLP completed its first policy documents in the fall of 2020 and started sharing them with Philadelphia public officials this spring to consider its recommendations. We sent the ACLP policy documents on culturally responsive teaching for Philadelphia students to the School District of Philadelphia Equity Coalition and Superintendent Hite. We will continue to share these documents with Philadelphia public officials throughout the spring semester. Our children deserve a quality education that celebrates their humanity.
ACLP is working on a policy document for K-12 immigrants and English learners in Philadelphia public schools. We want immigrant and English learner students to get the support they need to succeed in school and become productive members of society.
We wish you all well, as we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and its hardships. Thank you for your continued support of ACLP!
Aminata Sy
Founder & President
African Community Learning Program
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Happy Black History month everyone! This February might present a unique challenge to you as you’re trying to plan COVID-safe and indoor activities. So, as you’re deciding how to celebrate this month, we would like to offer some suggestions. Start by supporting your local community’s Black-owned businesses. Add five to ten minutes of studying the African Diaspora with your kids to your schedule each day. Watching a YouTube video or two could lead to a wonderful discussion with your kids about what they learned and how that made them feel. While it might be hard to plan anything outside the house, you could plan to attend a virtual event like the virtual Black History Festival that the Association for the study of African American Life and History (ASALH) is hosting. Another wonderful resource to use is ACLP’s very own #500EmpoweringAfricanStories. Sharing some of these empowering and amazing stories with your children is the perfect addition to your Black History Month celebrations!
Speaking of amazing, empowering people's stories be sure you read this article about our founder & president Aminata Sy!
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Dear Freshman,
Happy February! While I know this month is characterized by pink and red, hearts and chocolate we all are not seeing February 2021 with rose colored glasses. Especially, since I know that our snow days are no longer fun but full of virtual classes. However, on the bright side these freezing days full of hail and hard winds are the perfect time to focus on your class work. FOMO (fear of missing out) is extremely common when different families and people are going in and out of quarantine, but remember working hard now will pay off later. Staying home and focusing on school work right now is the smart and responsible move as we all continue to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Whether you attend a large university, a small liberal arts college, or a community college, being a student in higher education is challenging. Commitments ranging from courses, work, extracurricular activities, recruiting, and personal matters, among others, can be exhausting. Therefore, it is important that you prioritize your health and sanity by making time to engage in activities that make you feel happy, relaxed, and energized. Some would call this self care, self love, self help, or even mental hygiene. You can call it whichever you prefer, but just remember that it is all about making space to preserve your well-being and spending quality time with yourself.
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Lauren Davidson
ACLP Editor
Lauren is currently a sophomore on the pre-med track, studying biochemistry, neuroscience, and fine arts. She is also involved in a wide range of extracurriculars at Penn: club gymnastics; a film club called Cubics Entertainment; African American Arts Alliance, where she does sound design; and After School Arts at Penn Program, where she serves as a dance mentor.
Her past experience and passion for editorial work, combined with her background as a second-generation American, made ACLP Editor the perfect role for Lauren.
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