Ronnell Roberson has been shot five times and knows too well what prison life is like. But until recently, the 27-year-old former gang member and father of two had never stepped foot inside a history museum.
"As many times as I drove past it in a car or by bus, I did not know that someone like me could go inside there," Roberson said of his trip last month to the Minnesota History Center on Kellogg Boulevard in St. Paul.
Most of us don't think such a visit is a big deal. But for men like Roberson seeking a serious change in their lives, walking into such a place and learning about history and family genealogy is a milestone, an "aha!" moment.
That's one of the reasons he's sticking with Ujamaa Place, an ambitious project in St. Paul that has gained support from an array of people in the Twin Cities' civic, business and faith-based communities. Ujamaa translates to "extended family" in Swahili.
The year-old effort, in a "gang-neutral" site off University Avenue West and Fairview Avenue, may be the last hope for hard-core cases like Roberson.
"It focuses on folks in our community that are at danger of becoming a lost generation of men," said Bill Svrluga, a longtime Twin Cities civic figure and Ujamaa board member who runs a nonprofit consulting firm.
"These are young men with little or no education, from families without fathers or parents; many have gone to prison, and there's really no place for them left to go to become productive members of society," Svrluga said. "They are at the bottom of the ladder, and many end up in jail or dead by 35."
The effort, which officially opened in January, exclusively targets males, predominantly African-American, 18 to 31 years old. Most of the 30-member clientele never finished high school and are chronically unemployed. Roughly 60 percent have criminal histories.
The statistics in recent decades on such men - caught in a cycle of poverty, drug addiction, joblessness, homelessness, violence and criminality - are a national concern:
In 2004, fewer than 8 percent of young African-American men graduated from college. The unemployment rate for young African-American men is more than twice that for young white, Hispanic and Asian-American men. The percentage of young African-American men in prison is nearly three times that of Latino men and nearly seven times that of white men. The homicide death rate for young African-American men is three times the rate for Hispanics, the population group with the next-highest homicide mortality rate.
Roy Barker, the nonprofit's executive director and the driving force behind the effort, might have the toughest job in town. But the 58-year-old Bethel College graduate and others believe it can be done. How? Through a holistic approach that includes completing a high-school diploma equivalency and other training; stable housing; and parenting, life and employment skills.
2011年8月24日星期三
Fresno State Students work with NASA
In July, a team of eight Fresno State students went to NASA to conduct an experiment in its Grant Us Space Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program.
The students departed to Houston, on July 5, where they trained for their weightless experiment.
"We were the only team there doing work at zero gravity," Mujahid Umar, a mechanical engineering major at Fresno State said.
The team tested the formation of a substance called calcium oxalate in order to see how it reacts in a microgravity environment on NASA’s "Weightless Wonder” aircraft. Calcium oxalate is salt crystals found in plants and is also the major component of kidney stones.
The Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program gives undergraduate students the chance to offer ideas to NASA. The teams also build and fly in a reduced-gravity experiment.
The team was chosen from more than 20 groups nationwide after they reapplied. NASA rejected their first proposal but after hours of researching, building the experiment and then reapplying they were selected.
"Being a NASA employee for two weeks, you know, that just hits home. It's just pretty cool," said Jordan Ringel, chemistry major at Fresno State.
The craft produced weightlessness for 18 to 25 seconds at a time in a series of 30 parabolas, Umar said.
"The best part of the trip was being weightless. It is indescribable and such a natural feeling," Gonzalo Leyva, an electrical engineering major said. "It was the best decision I have ever made."
The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the students and they are still deciding if they will apply for next year’s simulation, Joy Goto said, the assistant professor for the chemistry department that went on the trip with the students.
"So I just held on a little bit to one of the straps and just let my body float up, it was an amazing experience," Jose Correa said, a civil engineering major at Fresno State.
According to NASA's website, astronauts are at risk for developing kidney stones because of the loss of bone calcium and decreased fluid intake.
The kidney stones can form during or after the flight, and can pose serious consequences if not treated immediately.
"Mentoring and going with this group of students is something that most professors don't get to do," Goto said.
The team will evaluate their findings and provide the results to NASA at a meeting in November.
The students departed to Houston, on July 5, where they trained for their weightless experiment.
"We were the only team there doing work at zero gravity," Mujahid Umar, a mechanical engineering major at Fresno State said.
The team tested the formation of a substance called calcium oxalate in order to see how it reacts in a microgravity environment on NASA’s "Weightless Wonder” aircraft. Calcium oxalate is salt crystals found in plants and is also the major component of kidney stones.
The Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program gives undergraduate students the chance to offer ideas to NASA. The teams also build and fly in a reduced-gravity experiment.
The team was chosen from more than 20 groups nationwide after they reapplied. NASA rejected their first proposal but after hours of researching, building the experiment and then reapplying they were selected.
"Being a NASA employee for two weeks, you know, that just hits home. It's just pretty cool," said Jordan Ringel, chemistry major at Fresno State.
The craft produced weightlessness for 18 to 25 seconds at a time in a series of 30 parabolas, Umar said.
"The best part of the trip was being weightless. It is indescribable and such a natural feeling," Gonzalo Leyva, an electrical engineering major said. "It was the best decision I have ever made."
The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the students and they are still deciding if they will apply for next year’s simulation, Joy Goto said, the assistant professor for the chemistry department that went on the trip with the students.
"So I just held on a little bit to one of the straps and just let my body float up, it was an amazing experience," Jose Correa said, a civil engineering major at Fresno State.
According to NASA's website, astronauts are at risk for developing kidney stones because of the loss of bone calcium and decreased fluid intake.
The kidney stones can form during or after the flight, and can pose serious consequences if not treated immediately.
"Mentoring and going with this group of students is something that most professors don't get to do," Goto said.
The team will evaluate their findings and provide the results to NASA at a meeting in November.
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