GAABSE College Readiness Seminar Blog

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• 1. McKinney  |  July 9th, 2009 at 7:26 pm

  I Hope Everyone has an AWESOME time on this trip! It’s a great opportunity.

  HAVE FUN and Take lots of PICTURES!!!

• 2. Edwin Hood  |  July 12th, 2009 at 6:12 am

  June 12, 2009

  The time is now 1:48 AM EST. We are currently outside of Johnson City, Tennessee at a rest area as the bus fills up on gas. It has been a very long day, but yet a great start. We officially left the GISD Special Events Center on time at 6AM on June 11. Of course everyone was exhausted, so immediately, a majority of the participants fell asleep. Mary decided before everyone passed out to take the pictures for the I.D. cards; which went without a hitch. Although we made a pit stop before we actually made it to Memphis, we arrived in Memphis at 1:10; great time on the drivers’ part.

  Our first stop in Memphis was LeMoyne-Owens College. Unfortunately, the campus was closed and we were unable to do an actual walking tour of the campus; we were able to drive around the campus. We also took a GAABSE photo next to the historic landmark while at this campus. Our second stop was the Lorraine Motel and Civil Rights Museum. We decided to make this stop as it was only 3 miles away from the college and the location of the death of MLK. Needless to say, the feeling at this place was overwhelming. It was almost as if he were still there, if that makes any sense. Our last stop in Memphis was Beale Street. We arrived on Beale Street at 2:30 and ate at BB Kings. Although we let students walk around to experience the area, what was amazing happened at BB Kings Restaurant. Four of the students performed with the blues singers. The song they performed was Proud Mary. The students were Karrissma, Crystal, Ariel, and Carren. We have the pictures to tell the story!! So for a short time, we are off to a great start. The time is now 2:00 AM and it is time to board the bus. I can not wait to let you know what happens when we arrive in DC!!!!

• 3. John W Washington  |  July 12th, 2009 at 5:57 pm

  I am excited as well as being proud of the GAABSE Organization for their hard work to make this tour a reality. We hope and pray that the tour is enlightening to the students and the will realize the value of a higher education and the sacrifices of those before them who had paved thw way.

• 4. Edwin Hood  |  July 12th, 2009 at 10:41 pm

  The time is now 1:48 AM EST. We are currently outside of Johnson City, Tennessee at a rest area as the bus fills up on gas. It has been a very long day, but yet a great start. We officially left the GISD Special Events Center on time at 6AM on June 11. Of course everyone was exhausted, so immediately, a majority of the participants fell asleep. Mary decided before everyone passed out to take the pictures for the I.D. cards; which went without a hitch. Although we made a pit stop before we actually made it to Memphis, we arrived in Memphis at 1:10; great time on the drivers’ part.

  Our first stop in Memphis was LeMoyne-Owens College. Unfortunately, the campus was closed and we were unable to do an actual walking tour of the campus; we were able to drive around the campus. We also took a GAABSE photo next to the historic landmark while at this campus. Our second stop was the Lorraine Motel and Civil Rights Museum. We decided to make this stop as it was only 3 miles away from the college and the location of the death of MLK. Needless to say, the feeling at this place was overwhelming. It was almost as if he were still there, if that makes any sense. Our last stop in Memphis was Beale Street. We arrived on Beale Street at 2:30 and ate at BB Kings. Although we let students walk around to experience the area, what was amazing happened at BB Kings Restaurant. Four of the students performed with the blues singers. The song they performed was Proud Mary. The students were Karrissma, Crystal, Ariel, and Carren. We have the pictures to tell the story!! So for a short time, we are off to a great start. The time is now 2:00 AM and it is time to board the bus. I can not wait to let you know what happens when we arrive in DC!!!!

• 5. Aireyola Johnson  |  July 12th, 2009 at 10:53 pm

  I pray that everyone traveling on this Black College Tour takes away something positive to carry with them for the rest of their lives. For my daughter, I pray that she experiences first hand, the richness of our culture.

• 6. Deborah Penn  |  July 13th, 2009 at 12:33 am

  I am so glad I had a chance to witness first hand this historical event. I am grateful that God put this vision on someone’s heart and he didn’t stop utiil it happened. It was a blessing to see the kids excited as well as the parents excited that they allowed them to participate. I pray that this will not be the last triip that they offer and each year, they will travel to other parts of the U.S. so that a child that has started this trip in the 9th grade, will have the chance to explore many HBCs.

  May you continue to have the fun you are having now and I will continue to pray for a successful trip.

  I look forward to seeing the pics at BB King and hopefully a video clip.

  God Bless and enjoy this time!!!!!

• 7. Mae Brown  |  July 13th, 2009 at 3:34 am

  Thank you for posting the update. This way we can keep track of what our children are doing without having to bother them. May God continue to bless this trip and it’s participants. A special thanks goes out to the sponsers, thank you sooo much for taking care of our children.

• 8. Edwin  |  July 13th, 2009 at 4:53 am

  June 13, 2009
  Hello to all of my fellow bloggers! The current time is now 12:35AM ad I am so excited that you are following along as it is now time to update you about the day’s events. After the last post, we boarded the bus and instantly fell asleep. We made a couple of stops along the way, but ended up arriving in DC at approximately 10AM! Can you believe that we have made it!!!!
  Our first historical stop was at Arlington National Cemetery. This location holds a host of graves and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Also, the JFK flame is located at ANC. Once arriving at the Cemetery, we quickly hiked through the park in order to see the changing of the guard. The guards are military personnel that guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (s). There were two added, but one has since been identified through detailed DNA analysis. We watched the changing of the guard at 10:30AM. Once this was complete, we headed to JFK’s eternal flame. Located at this site are the tombs of Patrick, daughter, Jackie Onassis, as well as JFK; this was the first stop and was unreal!!!!
  After leaving the cemetery around 12:00, we headed for lunch at Denny’s, Mclean, VA. This was only five minutes away from the hotel. Check-in was not until 2:00. Although there was a small problem with rooming, on the part of the hotel, all students were assigned their room and given their room keys. Immediately after getting to their rooms, many of the students went to the pool and went swimming. The students played Marco Polo for about 2-3 hours and just had a great time. We let the students get dinner on their own. There are many restaurants in the area and just thought that after such a long bus ride, the students may enjoy this. Some of the students went to TGIF’s, some to Cheesecake Factory, while others just ordered pizza at the hotel.
  At 9PM, we had student report to their rooms for the first “check”. After doing this, all participants were given their shirts as we are to wear these on our tour of the Capital Building at 9AM. The shirt we are wearing is the red t-shirt while the polo is being reserved for the White House tour. Besides the Capital, the students will have the day to visit all of the museums on the National Mall. The Mall consists of museums such as the Smithsonian, Air and Space, Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial to name a few. Union Station, the train station for Amtrak in DC has a shopping area as well as food court. We are very excited as it has proved to be a great trip so far. I can not wait to post again tomorrow. I feel that many of you are speaking with your children about what is going on so far, but trust me, they are all having a great time!!! Thank you so much for trusting us with your children!!! The current time is not 12:51AM and it is time to finally lay down on a bed since I have been sitting in a bus seat for over 20 hours!!! Until tomorrow….

• 9. Kesha & Terry Barnes  |  July 13th, 2009 at 11:14 pm

  Wow…the updates are really extraordinary. We are so glad we sent our son Robert from NW ISD on this trip. I can only imagine all that he is experiencing and learning. Thank you GAABSE for making this historical & truly inspiring trip possible. He says he is having the time of his life.

• 10. Edwin  |  July 14th, 2009 at 2:18 am

  July 14, 2009
  Hello once again. The current time is now 9:50PM EST. It is time for the daily update. Talk about being exhausted!!! Today has been a very looooooooong day; no pun intended!! Today was our day to explore and experience the monuments and the historical aspect of Washington DC.

  The day began very early, 6:30AM to be exact. At this time, there were phone calls made to each room to make the students were awake and ready to head to the bus by 7:00AM. To our surprise, everyone was awake and guess what else; they all made it to the bus on time!
  The first stop was the US Capitol building. We had scheduled tours in this building. All participants were broken into groups of 10. The tour began with a 13 minute video, explaining the importance of the building and how it represents the cornerstone of our country. After the video, it was time for the tour. Our tour guide took us to the main rotunda to begin. This room was amazing. When you first walk in, you are overwhelmed with its sheer size. The ceiling of this building was amazing. The artwork, statues, and history was just so much to grasp, that we wish we had more time there. After leaving the main rotunda, we then went to another room. While heading to this room, we past the office of the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Although we did not see her, it was just amazing to see her office entrance! The tour of the Capitol went kind of fast, as they have created and Emancipation Museum that has taken the place of much of what the tour included. After the tour was over, we headed outside and was able to take a picture on the steps of the Capitol. This was very cool.

  Next, it was time to head on out to the National Mall. The Mall includes all of the museums and sites. I ended up taking the students on a hike…well an adventure because we ended up walking over 3 miles. I think this was a first for some of the students. Anyhow, the next stop was the Lincoln Memorial. We walked and walked and finally arrived. The first thing the students noticed was the stone located on the exact spot that Martin Luther King delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech. To just stand in that spot and look out on the mall is just amazing. We also took pictures with Mr. Lincoln and decided that because of the heat and distance walked, it was time for a break. After having a 15 minute shaded break, we headed to the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. This was a tough moment for some people as they had members of their families killed during this war and was able to locate the name of their relatives. On the other hand, it was also amazing seeing some of the students connect with the wall. For example, one student mentioned that she had remembered seeing and learning about the wall in class right before school ended. It is great when the kiddos can actually see what they have learned about while in school.

  After the wall, we were headed to the National Archives, but because of all of the walking, we opted to go to the Museum of Natural History. This was another spot where student sat down and just rested. One cool thing in this museum is the Hope Diamond. We stayed in this museum for a little over an hour and then decided it was time to take the students to the Smithsonian’s African-American Art Museum. This museum had artifacts from all over the world that were created by blacks. When I asked the students if they wanted to go, they said, that is the only one we want to see! So they saw it!

  Because of all of the walking, I thought it was necessary to give them a break, so for $1.65 they were able to ride the city Metro (subway) to Union Station. This was a cool experience because the students tried to relate it to the Dart but said that the trains “come flying in.” Talk about clean for a city subway system. Union station is a place where all of the Amtrak trains as well as subways come. It is like a Grand Central or Penn Station so to speak. The station has several restaurants, a food court, movie theatre, and of course…SHOPPING! Some of the students took advantage of this as this was their time. The students were released when we got off of the subway and headed for FOOOOOOD!! They were hungry by this point because all they had were water, hot dogs, and chips from street vendors. At 6:45PM we headed to the bus and came back to the hotel.

  Now do you understand what I mean by a long day? Not only did I realize that I walk very fast to their standards, the heat here in DC is pretty similar to Texas, except at night.

  Well, tomorrow we get to visit Howard University and Georgetown. We also get some time in downtown Georgetown, which is a mecca for college students and shopping. It is going to be fun, but for now, it is time to head out. The time is now 10:15PM EST and I am exhausted. So until tomorrow…

  Oh yeah, I am working on getting some pictures up for everyone. For some reason the website is not responding to the methods and I have to try something else. I hope to have some posted for you tomorrow evening!!

• 11. Edwin  |  July 15th, 2009 at 4:05 am

  July 14, 2009

  Hello all!! The current time is now 11:48PM EST. Another day has passed and it was just a truly historical and amazing day. We visited the campuses of Howard University and Georgetown University. Of course, the students felt that the tour to Georgetown was nice, but they LOVED Howard!!! When we arrived at Howard University, we arrived a little early. When we arrived at my Alma Mater, I wanted to kill some time by showing the students some of the plots on the yard from some of the fraternities and sororities as well as what a classroom looks like. When we entered the College of Arts and Sciences, we entered a classroom and met a professor of African-American studies. His name is Von Kendrick Ginyard (yes parents, I want you to google him). He took time out before his class to speak to the students about the importance of education. One key point he made was about the N word as well as the baggy pants. He mentioned to the students that every time you use the N word, you are hanging someone who fought for our rights. When you wear your pants below your waist and sag, you are hurting someone who fought for the cause. He showed the students pictures of slaves and lynchings that he shows with his students. I mean, he was powerful. He mentioned that all of the men in his classes have to stand and respect women when they walk in the room. Guess what??? After that point, the young men on the trip started holding the doors and running to the front of the group to make sure that the young ladies and women on the trip were takin care of! I think it has sunk in! Needless to say, many of the students immediately fell in love with Howard and wants to attend. One student just graduated HS and was accepted to HU and is going in the fall!! Is this not what we wanted? I am so happy!!!!

  On another note, we found out that the White House does not even do tours. We discovered that during the last Presidential occupancy, tours were stopped. They are in the process of trying to start the tours again, but do not know when they are going to start. They metioned that all of the information gained from the website is from 2006. Although this is very sad, the office of Sheila Jackson Lee provided us with 40 tickets to observe a congressional hearing! The students will be allowed to go to the Capitol and sit in on a meeting with congressmen and women. I am very happy that we were able to replace the White House with this excursion, but felt compelled to let everyone know why we are not going to the White House. Unfortunately, based on what you read earlier, you know who you have to thank for that! Just read between the lines.

  Well, it s now 12:03AM and I have to go to bed. We are leaving the hotel at 6:30 in the morning to go to Delaward and Baltimore! Of course I never knew that this trip was going to be so tiring, but I did know that it was going to be expensive in regards to food!

  In regards to the pictures, I am trying to upload, but the site is still not accepting and I do not know why. I am in contact with the webmaster, who I hope can rectify the issue. Well, until tomorrow…

• 12. Kesha & Terry Barnes  |  July 15th, 2009 at 11:56 pm

  7/15/09 6:52 pm After reading your blog about Howard… I wished I had gone myself. Our son has been a virtual chatterbox about all the things he’s learning about our culture and heritage. HOWARD has changed him….it’s been like having all the things we’ve tried to “tell” him about…leap off the pages at him in living color. HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY ROBERT…I know it was another amazing day. Be blessed, we love you!

• 13. McKinney  |  July 16th, 2009 at 2:37 am

  Hello Beautiful People! I just wanted to let you know that I posted pics taken during the trip on GAABSE’s website; http://www.gaabse.net/join_the_journey.

  Thank you Mary, Phyllis & Edwin for taking these awesome pictures and documenting this fantastic experience!

  

• 14. Titus Brown, Jr.  |  July 16th, 2009 at 3:03 am

  Thanks to everyone for all of the blogs, photos, calls and texts to keep us informed of everything that is being seen, witnessed and experienced during this inaugural College Readiness trip.

  Thank you GAABSE for bringing this dream to fruition. You are to be commneded for this monumental effort.

  And thanks to my daughter, Carren Brown, and all of the young men and women who are actively participating in this trip; forging memories never to be forgotten, dreaming educational and civic goals for their precious futures and being the exceptional examples of what our children are capable of not only in our communities, but throughout this country and around the world.

  May God continue to richly bless each and every student, faculty, parent and everyone who has been involved in this endeavor in any way.

  We love you Carren! See ya in a few days.

• 15. Lawrence Jones  |  July 16th, 2009 at 3:37 am

  Hello Parents just got out the shower ,i’m tired worn out,and my head is about to burst from all the knowledge i have received.I feel like i willl never be the same.My boy and i have been laughing the whole trip , we started off as strangers and have grown to be friends for life. Sorry so short I’,M SOOOOOOOOOO TIRED……..

• 16. Edwin  |  July 16th, 2009 at 4:25 am

  June 15, 2009

  Hello all. I hope this finds you in good health. The current time is 12:09AM EST. I am sorry I am just getting to this, but I am so tired it is not even funny. Today was not as hectic as some of the other days. We had three activities today. When we left this morning at 6:30, we headed to the great state of Delaware. The college, Delaware State University. The students met with counselors and recruiters and found out a plethora of information regarding the admission process. For example, DSU has a GPA admission requirement of 2.0 as well as SAT score of 800. Writing is not an area that most colleges look at. The belief of this University is that you will not be deprived of an education. The counselor talked about the Alphabet and specifically told students that the more A’s that you have, the less it costs to go to college. We also went on a tour of the University and guess what else? We ate lunch in the Café! Talk about flashbacks of my days in college, lol. Anyhow, after DSU we drove an hour and a half south to Coppin State University. This is a small school as we only spent approximately one hour at this campus. The reason for this was because we had an appointment to see the Famous Blacks in Wax Museum.

  Although there was an entry fee of nine dollars per person, GAABSE received some donations and was able to pay for all of the participants entry fee. We spent a great deal of time in this museum and I think it best that you ask your child exactly what they learned and how they felt about this wax museum. It is a great museum that I wish there were more around the country so that more could experience.
  Next, we headed to the Baltimore Inner City Harbor. We were here for approximately one hour. This allowed for the students to walk around and get something to eat. There were a lot of street performers, calypso music players, steel drum band, and the list goes on. This was great because it allowed the students to see diversity of culture. Of course to some of them, it was all about the shopping. Hey, who can be mad?
  We left the inner harbor at 8:30PM and arrived at the hotel at 9PM. We then had a debriefing meeting and headed to the rooms.

  Guess what????? I have some great news. There are some pictures posted on the website. If you go to gaabse.net (home page) and look on the left, you will see a link that says JOIN THE JOURNEY. This is where you can find the pics. Just click the link and scroll down. Right now there are only 12 pics on the site. I have to add some more.

  Well, the current time is now 12:23AM EST and we have to leave once again at 7AM. I know when we get back home, I am going to need a day to just sleep!!! Until next time….

• 17. Lawrence Jones  |  July 17th, 2009 at 1:26 am

  Hello Everybody,
  Today was the greatest day of the trip,It was a day to reflect on what would be now just a few years before i planed on running for a political office.Today we went to the capitol this wasn’t a regular tour ,we actually went into the House floor where bill are introduced and are debated on the floor,many of you saw this place first ,when President Obama gave his first State Of the Union Address,Now when you see this place on T.V. ,you would think that it would be Huge However i can finally say that i saw this place andd it isn’t big at all. But the greatest part of this experience was when ,Congresswomen Shealia Jackson-Lee came off the floor and came and greeted us in the balcony,it was breath taking , Many of you know her for Michael Jackson Memorial ,she have an awsome speech,but anyway during this time she also told us about this new health care bill that she has introduced to the house,i would tell you more ,but i’m not at liberty to discuse those issures ,lol no just kidding thats another blog.

• 18. Edwin  |  July 17th, 2009 at 2:02 am

  July 16, 2009

  Hello bloggers and I hope you are doing well. The current time is now 9:43PM EST and I am sitting here just reflecting on the day. Today began with our Congressional Hearing in the House of Reps. We were given some histroy of the room by one of the secret service agents before the hearings began. Just before they began, we had the opportunity to see Sheila Jackson Lee, the congresswoman from Texas and the one who gave us the tickets for the hearings. Of course we did not think she would even see us sitting in the general public area, but with our red shirts! Eventually she walked over and looked up and waved. She asked if we were from Texas and we said yes. She told us not to leave because when she was finished with her 1 minute speech, she was going to come and talk to us. Can you believe that she came up and shook our hands and just talked to use about what we were seeing. I mean, this is probably one of the most famous congresswomen of all time and our students, your children, had the opportunity to meet her face to face! Just an amazing moment.

  Before we went to the Capitol, we went to the White House and took some pictures. We took a group photo and then had each student take a photo by themselves. Yes, they are in front of the White House. Just simply amazing.

  We again headed to Baltimore to tour Morgan State University. This tour lasted about 2 hours before we boarded the bus to come back to the hotel. Once we arrived at the hotel, we had a debriefing session in the conference room. We talked about Morgan and what they saw as well as what they learned. Many of the students really touched me by what they said they learned. Some of the students said that they learned a lot about themselves. They said that they now know the importance of focusing on school and being able to get out of what they normally know and experience the world. One of the students said that she learned a lot about herself because before this trip, she never was able to just open up and become friends with people she did not know, but loved everyone on the trip and she was happy about that. Another student said that before this trip, they never knew exactly what an HBCU was nor did they understand the importance, but now, it all makes sense.

  The parents and chaperons then got up and told the students how proud of them they were. The young men stepping up and actually opening doors and showing women respect. The young ladies beginning to understand that they are not what the radio and TV says they are…You know the b and the h word. Ultimately, the goal of the trip was met and we still have three more schools to go, Hampton, Fisk, and Tennessee State.

  Well good people, this is the last blog because we check out at like 5:30AM EST and head to Hampton, VA at 6. We will then be going to Virginia Beach to let them experience a major famous beach. It has been a long road, but we will be seeing you soon at the Special Events Center. I am going to be putting up some more pics on the site when I get back so do not worry. Also, I have one request from you as parents; I want to keep in touch with the students and monitor their grades and make sure they are doing what they need. What do you think? I also offered them the a recommendation letter for college with the time comes. This has been a great group and I wish them all the best of luck, but they will be truly missed. The time is now 9:02PM EST and I have to finish packing and loading the bus, so until next time…

• 19. Eboni Joseph  |  July 17th, 2009 at 8:48 pm

  I am glad to see that the trip has been successful. This was a great experience, I wish I was there to see HOWARD UNIVERSITY myself and GEORGETOWN. I am excited to hear all about the trip.

• 20. Edwin Hood  |  July 18th, 2009 at 1:46 am

  July 17, 2009

  The time is currently 9:47PM EST and we are in North Carolina. we are about 300 miles away from Atlanta. So that is about 16 to 17 hours left. Whew, talk about being tired. I can not wait to see everyone!

• 21. Robert Jones  |  July 21st, 2009 at 4:38 pm

  Whew!!!! Now that I have had a few days to recover, I wanted to share my feelings. The first HBCU College tour was FANTASTIC!!! It was truly an amazing experience for everyone involved. Many thanks to the parents and the students for your participation. The students were well-behaved and I know each of them have stories to share with their family and peers.

  Thank you to the GAABSE members who made special sacrifices to make this journey a success. Thank you to Edwin Hood and Phyllis Williams for their hard work and dedication in planning this trip. Special thanks, the incredible Mary Whitt for her diligence in making this trip a success. Mary was instrumental in securing educational tours in the area.

  I look forward to the next trip.

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