The Minority Student Achievement Network is a group dedicated to helping young minority male students achieve high academic success. MSAN meets once a month with a different talk or workshop to help spur positive discussion and progress in helping minority youth. Every African American and Hispanic male enrolled in the school is automatically a part of MSAN and is able to participate if they wish. The program led by Minority Achievement Coordinator Sheri Benites.
Earlier this school year, MSAN sent several students to Madison, Wisconsin to the MSAN conference to help develop an action plan to close the achievement gap with our school. The achievement gap is the separation in academic success between white and minority students. The trip lasted three days and consisted of various panels, activities and talks to help motivate the young minority leaders to make a difference in their communities.
The conference kicked off with a keynote speech by Reverend Everett Mitchell the Director Of Community Relations at UW-Madison, who spoke on taking action in your own life to better your future and change your situation. The first official day of the conference consisted of two main keynote speeches and a tour of the University of Wisconsin Madison. The first keynote of the day was given by Dr. Decoteau Irby, professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Irby explored the deep complexities of root racial discrimination, not only with schools, bus society as well. Irby delved into how racial discrimination is trained and ingrained into people’s minds through our society and how that impacts young minority males through police racial profiling and low academic performance expectations. After this speech, the different schools and districts split off into groups to start creating their action plans. This activity was followed by a tour of the University of Wisconsin Madison. The keynote that closed out the day was called From Objects To Be Changed To Agents Of Change delivered by Roberto Rivera a revered local artist and political activist. Rivera incorporates hip-hop and urban culture to connect with youth in inner cities and make a positive change through various community projects and after school activities.
The second day of the conference kicked off with a panel focusing on embracing your roots and culture given by Reverend Dr.Alex Gee, the lead preacher and founder of the Fountain Of Life Family Worship Center. Gee spoke of how it can take a long time for minority youth to feel comfortable with their own culture and mainstream society and be comfortable shaking off racial stereotypes and expectations of social and working world. The speech also went over over the cultural impact of minority single parenthood and how it specifically affects black youth. The final presentation that occurred at the conference was a minority female panel consisting Mariana Castro the Director Of Academic and Literacy Initiatives at WIDA, Lilada Gee, a survivor of sexual abuse, inspirational speaker and author and Ananda Mirilli, the coordinator of Family and Community Engagement for the Madison Metropolitan School District. The three women spoke on their own personal struggles as well as take questions from the audience trying to help people with their problems.
During the rest of the conference, schools focused on their actions plans to help close the achievement gap at their respective schools. This culminated in a showcase of all the different action plans and festivities to celebrate the conclusion of the conference. MSAN plans on presenting the action plan to the school board within the upcoming months to see if the ideas developed can actually make a difference within the school.
