This Ross Is The Boss Too!

By Gary A. Johnson, Black Men In America.com

Last night, I had the pleasure of having front row seats to see singer Rhonda Ross perform at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, located just across the Washington, DC line in Bethesda, MD.  I also met Ms. Ross after the show.  Rhonda Ross is the daughter of singing legend Diana Ross and Motown-Founder, Berry Gordy, Jr.  This Ms. Ross proved that she too can be the BOSS and in a very different kind of way. 

Rhonda Ross is a singer, songwriter, actress and writer.  One of the things I learned about Rhonda is that she is most proud of being a mother and co-parent with her husband of 15 years Rodney Kendrick.

Make no mistake, Rhonda Ross is NOT trying to be her mother.  She is carving out her own path and establishing her own musical identity.  Rhonda holds her mother in the highest regard–as a mother, but she is not trying to emulate Diana Ross the singer.  I’ve seen Diana Ross perform live and there are some similarities.  Rhonda Ross has stage presence like her mother.  When Rhonda stood center stage in that long flowing dress with her arms outstretched, she reminded me of Diana Ross.  That’s where the comparisons end.  Rhonda sings in a slightly lower register and has a stronger voice.

I would describe Rhonda Ross’ as a Neo-Soul and jazz song stylist.  In my view, Rhonda Ross’ music is purposeful and inspiring, largely due to the fact that she writes a lot of her music.  Last night Rhonda spoke with the audience between songs.  It was clear to me that she is a spiritual and religious woman with a lot of inner strength.  When she sang the song “Nobody’s Business,” she explained that “your joy comes from the inside and that it’s nobody else’s job to make you happy.”

Ross’ live performance moved her and some in the audience to tears when she sang a song that she wrote that pays tribute to her mother.  Other songs were motivating and inspiring.  There were probably more women in the audience than men.  The Masters of Ceremony (MC) was Dr. Jeff Gardere aka “America’s Psychologist.”  Dr. Jeff reminded the men that we should take heed and listen to the lyrics too.

If you get a chance to see Rhonda Ross perform, do it!  Treat yourself to some nourishing and fulfilling entertainment.  To learn more about Rhonda Ross click here to visit her official website.

I would personally like to thank Miriam Machado-Luces of TVA Media Productions, Ltd and Elva Mason of Mason Management for the royal treatment afforded me.  Ladies you are the best!

I have one last and deserving shout out that goes to Rick Brown, the Proprietor of the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club.  Rick you have done a great job.  Everything was great from start to finish including the Coat Check personnel, Wait Staff, Ushers, Bartenders and Chefs.  Your establishment is one of the best kept secrets in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.  I will be returning to your supper club soon.

Gary Johnson and Rhonda Ross after the show.

Gary A. Johnson is the Founder & Publisher of Black Men In America.com a popular online magazine on the Internet and the Black Men In America.com Blog.  Gary is also the author of the book “25 Things That Really Matter In Life.” To learn more about Gary click here.

DONTE DESERVES A DIPLOMA!

A Mother’s Determined Fight to Keep Kennedy Krieger Honest and Protect the Future of Her Autistic Son

— Best Friends Donte and Desi

–By FAITH NELSON

Published:  April 17, 2012

Are autistic children becoming a numbers phenomenon for counters and a financial opportunity for Autism authorities? Autistic student Donte Reeves being unceremoniously dropped from the 2012 diploma rolls at Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger is proof that the near future will demand much more than early identification of these disabilities. Donte’s unfortunate plight is evidence that there is urgent need for more quality institutions for Autism in America.

The new numbers for Autism issued by the Centers for Disease Control are alarming. The bean-counters estimate that 1 in every 88 children has been identified with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. According to the CDC, numbers represent a 23% increase since its last report in 2009.

“The largest increases over time were among Hispanic children (110%) and black children (91%). We suspect that some of this increase is due to greater awareness and better identification among these groups. However, this finding explains only part of the increase over time, as more children are being identified in all groups.”

Childhood cancer, a fearsome scourge, has more encouraging numbers. Should we be afraid? There are roughly 48 million children in the 0-14 age bracket in the US. The American Cancer Society estimates that roughly 1 child out of every 4,000 in that age group will be diagnosed with cancer in 2012. Furthermore, despite the unpredictability and the fearsome nature of the disease, treatment will improve the odds and the quality of life for more than half of those diagnosed. Autism outstrips these numbers hands down.

While this new data raises a red flag for Maryland mothers I talked to, the more alarming realization is that the country has a long way to go to transform its advocacy for this growing population. For Autism parent and advocate Miriam Machado-Luces, the increased numbers bring up a far greater problem for children with this disorder.

“Here’s where the tire hits the road. These children are growing up. We need to place laser-like focus on the quality of the systems we are putting in place to prepare our loved ones to function in society when we are gone. Do we really understand their uniqueness? Are we serving them?”

Machado-Luces seems to believe the system is failing too many students. She points to the case of Donte Reeves, a student at the respected Kennedy Krieger Institute. The Baltimore Institute is celebrated as a bastion of training for children with special needs and is one of a handful of nationally recognized schools for autistic children. According to Machado-Luces, Kennedy Krieger has decided at the 11^th hour to disallow Donte’s graduation in 2012. She, along with education advocate, Rt. Reverend Vernon Keith Jones, has joined Minnie Reeves, Donte’s grandmother and caretaker, to raise a hue and cry on his behalf with the campaign – Donte Deserves a Diploma.

Kennedy Krieger has as its mandate “unlocking the potential of individuals with developmental abilities.” But is it a level playing field for students across the board? Experts, conferring with parents, design an Individual Education Plan or IEP tuned to the students’ unique learning style for the duration of high school life. The team also decides which track (diploma or certificate) best suit their children. The diploma students sit for the High School Assessments (HSAs). Donte is on the diploma track and doing well. Minnie Reeves lists his achievements.

“They can’t say he isn’t socialized. He was unanimously elected class president in his junior year. He fulfilled all but one course for the state’s COMAR requirements for the diploma to be awarded. He passed Algebra with flying colors. He is on track to pass that final course of English. At the level he’s working from, he will be ready to sit the HSAs for the Bridge by deadline.”

Kennedy Krieger’s decision has come as a shock. Is America’s leading Autism authority railroading Donte? Does Kennedy Krieger have nefarious intentions despite the evidence that Donte is ready to graduate? Minnie Reeves thinks so. “The school’s mission to unlock potential is just words. They have already decided that Donte is not going to pass the HSAs.” A recent letter from the school’s transition specialist advised her that Donte would be switched from English 12 and Environmental Science to Financial Literacy and Keyboarding.

“Donte doesn’t need these subjects. He already does an efficient job shopping on his own and like the children born in this computer age, he is technology savvy. He mastered the keyboard in kindergarten. When I have difficulty with my computer at home, he solves it!”  Others in the community agree that Kennedy Krieger’s refusal to graduate Donte without the deserved diploma is a setback to him achieving career and college readiness.

The experts haven’t gotten it quite right yet. Research shows there are students on the Autism spectrum currently in college who have chosen to remain anonymous due to an inadequate support system at school. A strong support system at home picks up the slack in some cases. Even with this burden, autistic children have gone on to lead fulfilling lives in society.

Minnie Reeves believes Donte, like his peers, has the potential to take on the demands of college. Though there is honor in all jobs, not all autistic children have to work in the hospitality industry. If he has the ability to stay on the academic track then he should be allowed to exercise that choice. Some students with far more complex problems than Donte Reeves have been nurtured and celebrated for their skills. Jazz prodigy Matt Savage and other notables with autism prove that the frontiers are boundless.

“Donte is a bright young man, who has overcome some amazing odds, and has worked hard for an education at Kennedy Krieger the past 4 years. It is unconscionable how in the 11th hour we are given unacceptable excuses on why he will not be able to graduate.”

“You should hear Donte read Beowulf and analyze the poem. For a young man with those capabilities to be told to drop English 12 for financial planning is bewildering.” With quiet dignity she reiterates, “my son deserves better, he deserves his diploma.”

If it’s a question of Ethics, Kennedy Krieger has a bit of a dark past. At the very least, the school has certainly missed an opportunity to build on Donte’s strengths in English Language Arts. From the evidence, it is clear that not only is he academically literate, he is technologically literate as well. This is a gross injustice as the school’s negligence now forces him into a potential situation where he can be assessed as needing a remedial course. This would undermine his ability to take on the rigor of a first year college English course. Education researchers are identifying the need for remedial English as national problem. Kennedy Krieger is, knowingly or unknowingly, manufacturing a problem.

Reverend Vernon Keith Jones, himself is an advocate with extensive experience in some of the nation’s top notch schools and programs, has evaluated Donte. He sees where Kennedy Kreiger, despite its perceived stature, may be guilty of neglect and arrogance. His own informed assessment reveals Donte Reeves to be quite intelligent and compassionate despite the challenge of autism, something atypical of students at that age.

“Donte reports that he’s been called “Slow Pokey Reeves” by one of his teachers. This educator has been entrusted with the task to facilitate his academic, social and emotional maturity. Imagine what this ridicule by this advocate does to a child’s self–esteem. The problem is deeper than it appears. It is the tendency of the American collective to categorize young Black males in destructive ways. It is far worse when some young men, especially those with disabilities are unable to articulate their feelings, hopes and dreams in a way the mainstream expects. Then the tendency is for the power structure to confine those valuable persons to a pre-constructed box instead of allowing them to thrive.”

Minnie Reeves is afraid that the school doesn’t care about her son’s well-being and wants to keep Donte for the 2012-2013 school year for the sole purpose of earning more government funding. It’s double the cost of a public school to go to Kennedy Krieger. She has cause to worry. Kennedy Krieger doesn’t publish its fees. But ten years ago, it cost the state and the county roughly $54,000.00 per year to send each student to the school. Imagine the costs now.

Armed with the facts, Minnie Reeves has decided to free Donte from the confines in which he’s been placed by Kennedy Krieger’s action. The launch of the Donte Deserves a Diploma campaign is just the beginning of her battle and with a mother’s surety she is fighting to win.

Photo Credit: Miriam Machado-Luces