The educational system is currently failing urban African American children and educators must commit themselves to implementing the most effective ways to teach and prepare them for success in a global environment  — that was the message speakers told at "Educating African Americans for the 21st Century - A call to action," a half-day conference held April 24 at Mills College. 

The symposium was organized by Drs. Chris and Nneka Harrison of Inward Journeys Consulting, the Oakland-based organization that the pair founded to improve K-12 education through offering resources and partnering with educators.

"This is a movement. We cannot continue to stand by and complain and talk about [how] we don't like what's happening to African American children. It's time to do something," Chris Harrison said. "We decided to take our own resources to put this on."

African American students are disproportionately affected by suspension, expulsion and drop out rates, according to one speaker, Margaret Norris.

"There is something gravely wrong with that picture," she said.

Norris, who currently works as Assistant Director of Student Services for the Mount Diablo Unified School District, said educators must keep in mind that students come in with different learning needs and their behavior can be influenced by environmental factors, including broken home lives.

Andre Aikens agreed that many youth don't have positive role models to teach them right from wrong.

Aikens is a former math teacher at Oakland's Frick and Madison middle schools who currently serves as Operations Manager at Omega Boys Club in San Francisco, a violence prevention organization aimed at developing leadership skills in young men.

"Our kids are suffering from a social disease picked up from those around them," he said. "Schools are not equipped to deal with the issues our children bring into the academic setting."

He likened the situation to urban youth walking into the classroom with emotional balloons full of anger, fear and pain that are ready to burst — and teachers who don't know the tools for defusing such situations.

"We're not taught how to filter that stuff out so we can teach," he said. But teachers have the responsibility to help youth realize their potentional and show them the power of an education to inform decision making in one's life.

Aside from poor teaching leadership, part of the issue is lack of funding and resources in urban schools, said presenter Romeo Garcia. The Oakland Unified School District announced last week it must cut $85 million from next year's budget and decisions on what to cut no doubt will affect students.

Garcia, who grew up with Chris Harrison in East Oakland, is currently head of ARISE, a charter high school he created in 2007 to have the autonomy to explore effective ways of educating (he believes in program an project based education — "We're not just teaching kids to pass a test," he said). Garcia said he has dedicated his life to educating youth, and that kind of commitment is needed. "We're often talking about what kids need to do, but we don't often talk about what we need to do," he said.

Norris said educators must not complain about the budget cuts, layoffs and general turmoil affecting California schools. "Why complain when we've come this far?" she asked.

"As African American educators we owe it to our young to lead a life exemplary," she added. "The greatest lesson [for youth] is the life that you live before them."

Patricia Nunley, a professor at San Francisco and Merritt Community Colleges, said African American boys have an image of being dangerous, disruptive troublemakers. When behavior problems do present themselves in school, the children are often suspended, expelled or put on ADHD medication instead of addressing the underlying problems.

Nunley, who has worked in Head Start classrooms in San Francisco, focuses her current research on early childhood education and the importance of a child's first formal instructors. "Intervention is most effective at an early age," she said.

About 40 people attended the symposium, including teachers, school administrators and others who care about the state of local education. Like Vincent Owens, who for 30 years has volunteered his free time at Oakland high schools, including ARISE, Skyline, Fremont and Oakland High. "I love giving back to my community," he said. "I tell people, it's very fulfilling."

In planning the event, the Harrisons met with Delaine Eastin, former California Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1995 to 2002. She wrote a letter in support of the symposium and told them to reach out to state and local officials and school districts. 

Chris Harrison said they did and many who showed interest did not come, because school administrators said the $99 registration fee was too expensive.

"We need to note that," he said.

Many attendees have ties to Mills. Both Chris and Nneka Harrison hold masters degrees and doctorates in Educational Leadership from its School of Education. Nunley is working on her doctorate in the same program, as is Garcia. He worked at Mills for 25 years, both as an assistant to the president as as director of TRIO Programs. When ARISE graduates its first class this year (22 out of 23 seniors are getting a diploma, 19 are headed to a four-year college), the ceremony will take place on campus.

Owens also volunteers with the Mills Community Tennis Program.