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Open Spaces:: The New Civil Rights Movement

Open Spaces:: The New Civil Rights Movement
Posted By: Brandalyn Gill on February 05, 2020


NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 6, 2020
Contact: Brandalyn Gill – 346.704.4431, mlkdaysummit@gmail.com, www.mlkdaysummit.com

“Open Spaces:: The New Civil Rights Movement :: The 2020 Martin Luther King Mental Health and Literacy Summit – Presented by the People’s Family Workshop – Connects with SNAP Program Coordinator, Taylor Kaminksy”

Diving deeper into history and current at the same time Program Director of the 2020 Martin Luther King, Jr. Mental Health and Literacy Summit, Brandalyn Gill, decides to expand fundraising options starting next week. Houston resident, Houston Independent School District endorsed (2011) self-published author, producing actress, motivational speaker, ghost writer and activist for any under-privileged or un-represented populace reads her daughter, Sinai Gill, a bedtime story; it is a poem from her book, “Life” titled “Breathe”. Pondering on her journey of healing her daughter from what has been diagnosed as emotional defiant and disturbance disorder including conduct for the last six months of her life, Gill feels it is due time to speak about the “open spaces” of our society that could do worse than cause a World War III but a worldwide civil rights movement.

“I really find it comical that Texas – and many other states – still believe that they are going to hide behind the guise of being a conservative state and cover racial displacement, modern day slavery, and racism. I was recently introduced to the fact that the Houston Independent School district – just two years ago – had to pay $300,000 because of an audit on their special education database. The American Institutes of Research conducted the search and found that Texas ‘systematically denied special education services to thousands of eligible students” Gill states, “It is even more baffling that the Homeless Children and Youth Act has been rendered unsponsored for years. It is an act that was to represent homeless children and youth, regardless of their situation.



In turn, it has been very exclusive and our neither of our state representatives have signed off on the sponsorship … It has been 19 years”. Gill stresses this situation as her five year-old was discriminated against by an HISD school as a disabled and homeless child who was illegally suspended more than seven times with the school’s knowledge. “I can’t even speak on the damage it has done to me financially but the hurt it caused my heart ... I was willing to sit in her classroom for over a month to ensure she received proper treatment, initialization of testing, and the support she needed while going through the various stages of her disorder … It was heartbreaking to see how unconcerned most of the staff at the school were”.

Speaking of Blackshear Elementary, Gill sympathizes with the students at the primarily minority school because - as she noted and the research clearly entails – they are still a vastly under-represented group. “We live in modern times of society but some of our most powerful people choose classism over compassion, but we are supposed to believe that ‘this is how we make America great, again? No wonder over half of the country doesn’t even believe in the American governmental system anymore. We still have too many open spaces, that are overdue to be filled”, Gill goes on to state. Now, closely working with the Peoples Family Workshop as the Development Officer, she urges those who were trained and nurtured by the organization – such as Beyonce Knowles – to be involved with the community when it needs them most. “I am not a racist and I believe in fair opportunity for all, but let’s just be honest. One in four people have a mental disorder and one in four people are not literate. Minorities make up the smallest percentage this nation, so who does that fall on? After African American people have been this nation’s highest paying consumers; many of Asian descent built the first railroads; and Hispanic people were here before any cowboys in Texas, that strikes me as absurd” Gill challenges any to become what seems to be a new Civil Rights movement to contact the People’s Family Workshop and become a sponsor, volunteer, intern, or partner for the Summer Events of the Summit by visiting www.mlkdaysummit.com.
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