President Obama

Ujima Magazine

My work with African American males was recently featured in Ujima Magazine. Ujima is a local African American based periodical in Austin, Texas. You can read the story here.

Pepperdine News...

Here is a news article from Pepperdine University's website regarding my work with The African American Men and Boys Conference in Austin, Texas. The conference had a good response and my speech was well received.

Second Life Presentation

Imagine Cup 2009

Imagine Cup is back. Read all about this wonderful opportunity here.

The Obama Effect

On Tuesday, I attended the festivities in Washington. I witnessed live the inauguration of the First Black President of The United States of America. My eyes teared as President Obama took the oath. I could not help myself. They teared once again when The President gave his speech and reminded me of how far this country and Black people have come since the days of slavery, Jim Crow and segregation. I do not know how you can be Black and not find this a very proud and emotional time for the Black community.

At the same time, this moment served to motivate me even more. It gave me more resolve and more desire to continue my quest to do my part to work to solve some of the ills that are plaguing the black community. The President cannot do it alone. The government does not have all of the answers. They never have and never will. It is time for those of us in the black community who have skills and resources that are valuable to become service providers in our community. It is time to reconnect the community. It is time to reconnect the village and restore the spirit of community and family.

Since Barack Obama won the nomination, I have been buying two of every newspaper and magazine and placing them in a time capsule for my children Kisa and John Kai. I call it the "I Can’t" box. Any time one of my children comes to me and laments about something they can’t do, my response will be to tell them to go and get the box. My message is if Barack Hussein Obama can become the first Black President of The United States of America, which in my mind was an unbelievable achievement, then you can do anything you put your mind to in this country, in the world, and on this planet. I will use it to condition my children to not think at all about what they can’t do and to always consider that they can do anything.

This election has taught me many things about myself and about the country I call home. Things do change. All things are possible and any situation can be rectified or at the very least improved significantly. The Black community is suffering despite this momentous achievement. Black males in particular are having a rough go of it.

My resolve is strengthened. My hope is renewed.

I am ready to go to work.

Time for Technology in our schools

I have been saying this for years. It is a shame that schools are impending the use of technology in the schools. This is not the case in most schools in suburban areas, but it is usually the case in the poorer urban districts. Why? I have been asking this question for years. The answer that I usually receive has to do with protecting the children. This is nonsense. Today, as I was reading the Austin American Statesman I came across an article that makes this case. You can read the article here. Take a quick read and let me know what you think. If you are an educator in an urban district, please challenge your leadership. You can cite this article as evidence that the threat is not as real as once feared. If you are parent, attend PTA meetings and school board meetings and challenge this stance on technology. Technology is part of the world. It is part of our lives. School are supposed to help our children navigate the world. How can this be done if the learning environment is so vastly different from exists in the world.


I would love to hear your thoughts!
Kai Ajala Dupé