 June 2009
Our Mission:
Cultural Leadership exists to create a more just and equitable
community by educating high school students to recognize and resolve
issues of privilege and injustice through the lens of the African
American and Jewish experience. Our students develop leadership skills, build relationships, facilitate dialogues and create change in their circles of influence.
Our Mantra: When
our students see a problem, they grab an ally, or two, roll up their
sleeves, and get to work to make our world a better place. |
|
|
|
Summer Transformational Journey
On June 10th, Class 5 is embarking on their 23-day Transformational Journey. They will go to New York City, Washington DC, Atlanta, Whitwell, TN (Site of the Paperclips Project); Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery and Tuskegee, AL; Jackson and the Mississippi Delta; Little Rock and Memphis.
You can access our full itinerary on our website here.
You can also follow us during our trip through our daily blog and through Twitter! |
|
The Empty Nest
Members of Class 3 and Class 4 are off to college. Here's where they are heading in the fall...
Mimi Brown - Michigan State University
Arnold Bullock - Xavier University
Allister Byrd - Knox College
Lauren Caskey - Grinnell College
Ola Coker - University of Missouri-Columbia
Kala Coleman - Johnson and Wales University of Rhode Island
Jasmine Collins - Lane College
Maurice Cooksey - Brandeis University
Brittany Campbell - University of Missouri-Columbia
Anna Dardick - Oberlin College
Melissa Garcia - Fisk University
Emalie Jacobs - Knox College
Brionna Jimerson - Tufts University
Ethan Joseph - University of Michigan
Sean Joyce - George Washington University
Elliot Kleiman - University of Southern California
Jillian Lynum - Bennett College
Brittney Hale - Dillard University
Emily Menendez - University of Denver
Erik Mills - Washington University
Hannah Novack - Barnard College
Porsche Poole - Swarthmore College
Adam Rosen - University of Denver
Baron Ross - Embrey-Riddle Aeronautical University or Central Missouri State
Kyriah Shannon - Bennett College
Meredith Stoner - Wellesley College
DeAnna Tipton - Agnes Scott College
|
International Visitors from Iraq and Jordan meet Cultural LeadershipThe International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is a
national citizen diplomacy initiative funded by the State Department. The objective of the IVLP and citizen diplomacy is to build
mutual understanding of the ethnic, cultural, political and socio-economic
diversity of the US.
From left to right: Salwa Abdel Rhman (from Jordan), Meredith Stoner, Hannah Novack, Khalid Atta Khalid (from Iraq), Porsche Poole, Isam Kadhim Abdulkareem (from Iraq), and Haider Muhsin Ridha (from Iraq).
The World Affairs Council of St. Louis was requested by
the US Department of State to arrange a program for four student leaders from Iraq
and Jordan. The theme of their program was "Student Leaders and Civic
Responsibility." Cultural Leadership was chosen for its work in building leaders out of our youth and for promoting understanding and cooperation.
The
visitors were selected by the U.S. Embassy in their own country based on their
potential for future national leadership and prominence in their respective
professions. Alumni of this program
include Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher, Indira Ghandi, Anwar Sadat, and Hamid Karzi among many others.
Our visitors included three university students from Iraq and one from Jordan. Over lunch, the visitors and Cultural Leadership students, parents, and board members discussed important social issues with the help of interpreters. |
Ripples...
Maayan Simckes (Class 1)
landed an internship doing analysis on Green Carts, a creative attempt
to give residents in New York City easy access to fresh produce. This
follows her interest to understand how nutrition plays into
public health.
Jeremy Cropf (Class 2)
received funding from local film production companies to begin
producing his second feature film. Additionally, Jeremy was accepted
into a prestigious internship at the BBC next fall with their London
Study Abroad program.
Nick Desloge (Class 2) will be
interning this summer at the St. Louis Blues and spending next fall in Washington, D.C.
Sara Roger (Class 2) will be spending her fall semester studying abroad in India.
Sean Scott (Class 2) will be
interning this summer at Worldwide Technology.
Melissa Garcia (Class 3) donated money to Cultural Leadership that she raised as a part of her leadership class at Incarnate Word Academy. She presented her gift to Karen during a ceremony at Incarnate Word.
Elliot Kleiman (Class 3) was chosen as the Jewish Leadership Scholar at the University of Southern California where he will be attending in the fall.
Michael Naclerio (Class 3) was selected to be the Photography Editor for
Volume 105 of the Duke Chronicle, the independent daily newspaper at Duke
University. He will also be
staying in Durham, NC through June to produce a weekly paper for the summer Duke
community.
Allister Byrd (Class 4) was awarded the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Senior Fellows Scholarship in the amount of $5,000.
Brittany Campbell (Class 4) received the Dr. Martin Luther King Model for Justice award from the St. Louis
Archdiocese for her service to the community. Brittany also received a college scholarship from the Urban League.
Emily Menendez (Class 4) and Adam Rosen (Class 3) were both chosen for the Pioneer Leadership Program at the University of Denver where they will be attending in the fall.
Nate Seeskin (Class 4) was appointed the STAND High School Outreach Coordinator (Student Anti-Genocide Coalition) for the Southwest and Midwest regions for
the 2009-2010 school year. STAND works on genocide prevention.
Kyriah Shannon (Class 4) received both the Patricia Saunders Scholarship and the Ladue African American Student
Alliance Scholarship.
DeAnna Tipton (Class 4) planned and carried out a "Jim Crow Week" at St. Elizabeth Academy. The Post Dispatch picked up the story which you can view here. DeAnna also recently received a college scholarship from the Urban League and was awarded the Princeton Prize in Race Relations for her efforts to improve racial harmony.
Terrell Gilkey (Class 5) won second place in the American Legacy Challenge for which he was awarded a $1000 college scholarship.
|
Scott Friedman (Class 1) Reflects on his Visit to Poland
This past spring, I
participated, with nine other Jews, in the Forum for Dialogue Among Nations' (Forum) study-visit for
college leaders. The Forum was seeking
to show us Polish culture, politics and society - present and past - so I had
an opportunity to tour Poland beyond its concentration camps. Poles and the
Polish government showed a sincere concern for historical memory, which I
consider vital in light of the minimal Jewish presence in Poland.
Like so many Jews, I have roots in Poland. At one time, Jews comprised 10 percent of Poland's
population, including 38 percent of Warsaw.
Today, Poland has a small Lutheran minority, but is essentially a white,
Catholic country. During my visit, I saw
one black person, no mosques and a number of deserted synagogues. This lack of diversity initially frightened
me; however, I soon recognized Poland's non-Jewish community has begun to carry
the mantle of leadership regarding remembrance of both the Holocaust and the once-thriving
Jewish community of Poland which preceded it.
The Forum connected me with Polish students interested in Polish-Jewish
relations, history and cultural exchange; their commitment to serve as
ambassadors for the Jewish people in schools, where they share their knowledge
of Polish history - including the Holocaust - comforts me. Since the Jewish voice in Poland speaks
softly, I have an even greater appreciation for the genuine support of these
"allies."
Because so many concentration camps were located in Poland, it's easy to forget that Poland was also victim of Hitler's Germany. Poles were placed in camps, often as
political prisoners. Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin
Wall, Poland's scars remain. Unlike
Germany, heavily supported following the War by the Marshall Plan, Poland was
left in the hands of Stalin. My resident
director Jakub recounted the atmosphere of Communist Poland as he grew up in
the late 1970s - early 1980s. He spoke of his father's one-and-a-half-year
jailing due to his political views. Our
guide in Lodz told us of his grandparents' fate as political prisoners.
Reconciling its
problematic past, Poland seems ready to extend a hand to Jews, as is
evidenced by the very existence of the Dialogue Among Nations program
of which I was a part. Through that program I learned that just as there is more to the U.S. than New York, Poland, too,
is more than a graveyard. This trip
replaced stereotypes with facts. Sure, anti-Semitism still exists, yet private
citizens and the Polish government have assumed responsibility for educational
outreach efforts and the continuation of historical memory. While bearing witness to the remnants of the
Holocaust was important, I gained an insight into the challenges of present-day
Jewish life in Poland, new Polish friends and a greater appreciation for the
freedom and opportunity I have to practice my religion in America.
|
Sean Scott (Class 2) Reflects on his Return to New Orleans
Sean's first visit to New Orleans was in 2006 during the Transformational Journey with Class 2 of Cultural Leadership. That was just one year after Hurricane Katrina obliterated the city. His recent return prompted new reflections which he shares below.
I just got back from New Orleans. It was amazing. It was a lot different than
when we went down on our summer trip back in 2006. The Lower Ninth Ward is a lot cleaner. In 2006, there were still numerous homes that needed to be
gutted or demolished. A lot now have been demolished and some have even been
rebuilt. We spent some time in the area of the Lower Ninth Ward that Brad Pitt
is helping to rebuild. He is building environmentally friendly homes, including cool features like solar panels, and selling them at a low price to people
who lived there before Katrina. Though the city
has changed dramatically, it is still really powerful to see all the empty lots where there used to be a home and a family.
During our time there, we helped remodel a house
that had 8 feet of water in it after Katrina. The man who lived there saw the
water rising after the levees broke and climbed on top of his roof to get away from the water. He
stayed on his roof for awhile but then he decided to swim to a nearby high
school. While he was swimming to the high school he cut his leg on debris which subsequently became
infected because of the dirty water. The infection was a flesh eating bacteria that forced him to have his leg amputated. Hearing his personal story gave us a connection with him and his home--the perfect motivation for us. On our last day when we were painting the house, we really didn't want to leave. They actually had to take the paint away from us so we would stop. The group I went
down with really wants to go back and we agreed to go back next summer.
|
Our Thanks Go To...
Rachel Armoza for an energetic and incredibly fun Israeli dancing lesson.
Stefan Bradley for giving a second incredible lecture this time on the Modern Civil Rights Movement.
Eddie Caumient & Amy Smoucha for teaching our students about community organizing and power through wonderful hands-on activities.
Barbara Goldmuntz for generously providing everyone in Class 5 with copies of the book, A School in Every County: The Partnership of Jewish Philanthropist Julius Rosenwald & American Black Communities.
Valerie Hampton & Derrick Green for chaperoning our students during their April retreat.
Marty Satz for helping us identity funders and providing free tickets to sporting events for our students.
Bettye Babb for organizing our visit to the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center and SariJane Freeman for giving our parents a wonderful tour of the museum.
Ilse Altman for sharing her personal and moving story of her survival and eventual escape from Nazi Germany.
Cantor Eichaker for an excellent lecture on Jewish history.
|
|
Internship Opportunities for Our Students
We have wonderful, curious, hardworking students who are looking for internships. Please keep our students in mind if you come across interesting opportunities. Contact us at programdirector@culturalleadership.com and we will forward any information on to the students. Thank you!
|
|
Please be in touch with any questions, comments or updates at 314-725-3222, programdirector@culturalleadership.com or by visiting www.culturalleadership.org.
Take Care,
Karen Kalish & Jenny Harris
Founder and Executive Director Program Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
