Summer Lull: A Time For Capacity-Building

By Clarence Thompson

The North Portland teaching group been in a bit of a lull for the last few weeks, due to the end of the school year for many public schools in the area.  Even Rosa Parks School, which is a year-round school, is taking a break for five weeks.  However, the end of the school year and the beginning of summer break need not result in a loss of momentum in what we are trying to do.  

So I've been spending my time in four things.  First, we are still making ourselves available on Tuesday nights from 6 to 7 for teaching during those weeks when our regular students are available.  Second, we are actively recruiting new members to join us.  Toward that end, I made an updated flyer last week, in which I tried to explain in a short, punchy format the purpose of our project.  Some highlights:

• The Flying University Project is a group of parents and professionals of color who teach math and basic science to children of color.
• Why are we doing this?  Because our schools are doing a bad job of teaching math and basic science to children of color.  In fact, our schools are doing a bad job of treating our children with respect and dignity.
• The Flying University Project is part of a larger movement among people of color who have been oppressed.  The purpose of that movement is to free us from historical and ongoing oppression by means of our own self-organization, self-attainment, and self-improvement.

Third, I have been enjoying reading a few small books on community organizing.  They have informed my understanding of how to organize a campaign of self-liberation for an oppressed community, and especially how to use the slow times that inevitably arise in the rhythm of such a campaign.  Our present slow time is dedicated to capacity-building - that is, learning how to use the means at our disposal to meet our needs apart from a hostile dominant system.  So I've been going out into the community, talking to Black parents and Black business owners, working on relationship-building, and trying out the flyer I made. 

Lastly, I and my companions in this Project are working on our next math textbook.  Hopefully Book 4 will be available on our website by this coming September.  Stay tuned.  And if you live in North Portland and you got a flyer from me, feel free to stop by this coming Tuesday.