Q&A Queries and Announcements - Kimberley Edelin Freeman will become executive director at the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute; this and other announcements are discussed - Brief Article

American Visions, Dec, 1999

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Kimberley Edelin Freeman has been appointed executive director of the Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, in Fairfax, Va. Freeman has worked with the institute for three years as a research scientist, analyzing data and writing for the institute's publications. As executive director, she will continue to address the critical issues facing black Americans and educational policy. The institute, launched in 1996, plays a major role in conducting and disseminating research to policy-makers, educators, the media and the general public.

Robert Cox and Myrtle David have been named 1999 arts ambassadors for the city of Baton Rouge, La., by the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. Cox, a fine-arts instructor and curator at Southern University, will use the position and the $1,000 stipend that accompanies it to further educate his students. David, a professor of music at Southern and the founder and director of the Tourgee DeBose National Piano Competition, will continue her community outreach programs.

Malik Abdur-Rahman, Steven Pinkston and Edward Simmons, secondary-school teachers who participated in the Toyota International Teacher Program, traveled to Japan to study Japanese history and learn about global issues that face industrial nations. Abdur-Rahman teaches world history and economics at the School of Knowledge in Indianapolis; Pinkston teaches algebra and African-American history at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, Calif.; and Simmons teaches English and history at Tioga High School in Groveland, Calif. The three teachers plan to weave their experiences into their courses. The 12-day program--which is sponsored by Toyota and administered by the Institute of International Education in Washington, D.C.--offers cultural and educational tours of Japan and is open to high-school teachers in California, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia (states in which Toyota has major manufacturing facilities). To receive an application for the 2000 Toyota International Teacher Program, call (877) TEACH-JP or e-mail toyotateach@iie.org.

Ira Berlin and Philip Morgan are the first author-historians to receive the Annual Frederick Douglass Prize for Best Book on Slavery from Yale University's Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance and Abolition. Berlin, author of Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery, and Morgan, author of Slave Counterpoint: Black Culture in the 18th-Century Chesapeake and Low-country, will share the $25,000 prize. The goal of the center is to promote the study of all aspects of the Atlantic slave system. If you are interested in submitting entries for the 2000 prize, write to Gilder Lehrman Center, 34 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven, CT 06520-8206, or call (203) 432-3339.

Shirley Caesar, Lou Rawls, Patti LaBelle and Jesse Jackson Sr. are among the honorees of the 2000 Trumpet Awards for African-American achievers in fields as diverse as law, politics and entertainment. Presenters include Spike Lee, Gladys Knight, Richard Roundtree and Andrew Young. Hosted by Lynn Whitfield and Dennis Haysbert and sponsored by the Turner Broadcasting System in Atlanta, the awards ceremony will be held January 10 and televised February 26.

FELLOWSHIPS & GRANTS

The Ford Foundation has available approximately 25 postdoctoral fellowships for minorities to be awarded in a national competition administered by the National Research Council of the National Academies. Applicants must have completed a Ph.D. or Sc.D. degree between January 7, 1993, and March 1, 2000. Awards will be made in research-based areas of the social sciences, humanities, engineering, mathematics and education. The deadline for applications is January 7. For further information and an application, write to Fellowship Office, National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20418; call (202) 334-2872; e-mail infofell@nas.edu; or visit the organization's World Wide Web site, http://national-academies.osep/fo.

The Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship Program provides comprehensive support services to minority students enrolled at institutions of higher education. These services consist of four-year scholarships of up to $6,000 annually, personal and career counseling, an annual weekend of interaction with other Jackie Robinson scholars, and assistance in obtaining summer jobs and permanent employment after graduation. Scholarship applications became available September 1, and the application request period ends March 1. The deadline for applications is April 1. For an application, visit the organization's World Wide Web site, www.jackierobinson.org/ Scholars/Prog/Src/lower.html.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

The village of Brooklyn, Ill., in partnership with Global Volunteers, is seeking volunteers to revitalize the village's economy by beautifying the downtown area and encouraging new small businesses and cottage industries. Brooklyn was once a haven for runaway slaves. People with skills in the areas of community planning, landscape architecture, civil and architectural engineering, real estate and human resource management are especially sought. The initial program runs from December 26 to January 1, with future programs in the year 2000. If you are interested, call Global Volunteers, (800) 487-1074 or visit the organization's World Wide Web site, http://www.globalvolunteers.org.