Discover Black Heritage: Celebrating diverse stories, voices and perspective

the triumphs and tribulations we remember and honor our ancestors our Trailblazers Our Heroes in most cases we got people who teaching kids how to use a gun we teach them to use how to use a drill some of whom you may know others are hidden figures the fight for freedom for blacks in America is a journey paved with sorrow courage and perseverance the journey to get to the table has often times been tough from the arrival of the first slave ships to the birth of the Civil Rights Movement African-Americans have battled for basic human rights and equal protections for the right to exist and Thrive it's not a um a mystery that in a lot of Industries black people are severely underrepresented we continue to make strides even in the face of adversity we're going to take you on a journey through black heritage as we explore the people who epitomize black excellence and what it means to overcome NBC 10 discover black Heritage presented by TD Bank America's most convenient bank welcome to NBC 10's discover black Heritage I'm Jacqueline London and I'm Fred shopshire thank you so much for joining us we begin with the world of technology Through The Eyes of young people eager to learn the tech industry has some of the highest paying jobs in the country but there's a huge disparity in the number of people of color working in Tech at m1's Johnny Archer shows us how one nonprofit in Philadelphia is nurturing black youth and their excitement for computer science one code at a time black in Tech brought to you by the African-American museum in Philadelphia bringing diverse communities together in Greater appreciation of the black experience inside Boys Latin Charter School in West Philadelphia these students are learning something only a half a percent of people in the world can do just to kind of refresh uh our memories of what we've been learning with Python Programming the boys are learning how to write computer code so uh here's our warmup create an elevator function that will run a specific lines of code based on the condition provided by a user they're using the software program known as python python is basically its own coding language with a lot of things that's that at first glance don't make much sense since you actually start to really read into it and understand what it means code is the language of a computer and a small group of Engineers and professionals and Technology from Philadelphia are teaching these students how to speak that language there are a lot of people who want to learn uh software development and programming um and that there is an education Gap when it comes to that type of uh curriculum Ian Kimble is the co-founder of black Tech Philly he and his team are part of the nonprofit introd producing young people of color a path toward the technology industry it's not a um a mystery that in a lot of Industries black people are severely underrepresented um you can look at different di reports from some of the biggest tech companies uh and you'll find that often times people who identify as black or African-American don't even make up 10% of that Workforce for that company according to a 2018 Pew research report people of color represent about 9% of the technology Workforce black Tech Philly is working to see that number increase there aren't black voices in those rooms um and that's important because um you as we've seen uh in many in many times uh that those Technologies can have unintended consequences towards people of color like facial recognition software law enforcement can use to identify Suspects involved in a crime but a 2019 study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology found black and Asian people were 10 to 100 times likely to be misidentified than white people it means so much right so we service black and brown boys AOS uthman oku is the school leader at boy Latin and when I think about technology and the way that is being utilized and just all of the different opportunities that they are within those careers having them being able to come in and really teach our young people people um coding right in technology and having them engage in it and being able to build skills that they're going to be able to utilize right now right or Beyond and just being able to build that interest is something that's been beautiful and something that we truly appreciate so this is my SmartWatch program that I made I was thinking about this when I saw an ad for a smartwatch the coding program it's it intrigues me a lot and I find it interesting to do it's like an Tire another world or bace if you can imagine my name is taan Bridges I'm a ninth grader here at boy laen um my project is basically a I guess you can call it a online bank this is um it gives you like a simulation my future Prospect for coding is to become a full St full stock developer I was taught that if you become a full stock developer it will allow you to add coding to many different things as people today want full stock developers and they are in high demand I heard a story about someone being a full stock developer and they said that JS fall from the sky like rain for them and and that's like okay full stock developer I'll understand that and try to see if I can conquer conquering code to write a different program for the future of technology Johnny Archer NBC 10 News having a baby can be one of the most exciting times but for black women it can also be a time plagued with anxiety that's due to a higher rate of deaths from pregnancy complications a growing number of black mothers are choosing more non-traditional birthing methods NBC 10's Aaron Coleman explains how mothers are taking control of their pregnancies on their own terms black maternal Health brought to you by Independence Blue Cross learn more at ibx.com my ABC's AB Ariel Julian has a lot to be thankful for o m three healthy boys who each came into the world a little differently hello her 5year Jer was born in a hospital her middle child at a birthing center I me say thanks bro and just 6 months ago the dream of having a home birth came true I always saw like the videos where women would be at home or having like a very natural calm experience and I really wanted that for myself you're coming with me little man little Amir took his first breath right upstairs the hands that first grabbed him were Midwife aasia muhammads all in all it's an adrenaline rush right when you first see the head coming then you see the CR CR um and then also seeing how the mom's body changes from this feeling sometimes of like Despair and like can I do this to like I'm doing this and more and more black women are doing this there's definitely been a huge increase in demand for home birth for midw free care for duelist support he's peaceful feel in fact it's that feeling of not being supported during her own pregnancies that prompted Muhammad to become a midwife 13 years ago when I was actually in labor the process of getting care felt very alienating I didn't feel seen or heard and doing that a couple times right kind of really crystalize the idea that I would like to be who to to someone else what I felt like I didn't have it's the same reason Alexia dboa became a doula Julian's Doula doulas are non-medical we are non-clinical we are M ambassadors so that's the word that we like to use too anyone who was there to focus on improving outcomes for that Mom providing that safe experience that's what we're there to do and safety is a real concern according to the CDC more women are dying of pregnancy related causes in 2021 there were more than 1,200 deaths and when broken down by race the mortality rate for black women was nearly three times higher than for white women when I hear numbers like that it makes me want to figure out how and where I can get in to serve there are some hospitals and some clinicians who are great and are really good about listening to the woman and you know allowing her to have that autonomy but um Sometimes women don't have that that experience um maybe they've had past traumatic births in the hospital where they felt like they weren't listened to they didn't feel safe um they felt like they were kind of pushed to the side in the name of protocol and this is our policy um so they decide that that's that's not for them you know their body can't be policed to the point that they can't even um really experience and have control over their birth as more women start to take back that control by exploring other birth options the reality is it can get pricey most home bursts cost anywhere from $5 to $7,000 out of pocket insurance doesn't cover it that's where the Philly birth fund steps in the Philly birth fund helps to seek to fill the gap between people who want to get a home birth and cannot afford to have a home birth so the organization began back in 2020 during the pandemic a lot of people were deciding to have home births and considering home births and especially black women in the last six months the nonprofit gave more than6 mothers grants to have babies at home midwives we're not underground providers or like witchy people like we're actually trained healthcare providers that are offering a viable and legitimate alternative to care for healthy people oh you look beautiful one that Ariel Julian is thankful for know that you can build a village that works for you Aon Coleman NBC 10 news they say the Apple doesn't fall too far from the tree and for one family of artists that proves to be true still ahead we're taking you into the world of Art heart Through The Eyes of a father and son plus providing a different path come on we'll show you how one organization is working to keep kids off the street and on the job good good TD Bank is proud to support black Le organizations and blackowned businesses it's part of our commitment to an inclusive and sustainable tomorrow NBC 10 discover black Heritage presented by TD Bank America's most convenient bank welcome back many young people in Philadelphia are no stranger unfortunately to gun violence which disproportionately impacts children of color one local organization is working to keep young men off the streets and on the job NBC 10 zern Baskerville has more on how they're providing a different path this is our third cohort of working with young men as I said it before I've seen some of our young men pass away I've seen some of our young men be successful and I see some of them that are incarcerated one of the reasons why we're here because we want to save you our lives but you have to want it for yourself as well Real Talk inside this South Philadelphia building for the next 10 months it will be transformed into a carpentry Academy but right now these young high school kids are getting an earful about street life it is not comfortable when somebody is after you or you go to jail or you're dead this Academy is the brainchild of Anton Moore it's important he runs antiviolence organization unity in the community instead of getting somebody to do it we taught how to do the electrical init how to fix your doorbell how to put up a ceiling fan these teens will learn a trade this bit right here look at the head on it make $200 a week and go on monthly trips all to keep them working off the streets and away from guns in most cases you got people who teaching kids how to use a gun we teach them to use how to use a drill that's shaped like a gun that matters you're less likely to go out there and rob somebody because you know in your mind that you can do work to make money and and take care of yourself Moore tells NBC 10 each team gets their own tool bag but hopefully and most importantly he says their own sense of selfworth good I think it's pointless kids killing kids it's not really the older people no more but I think the older people are like leaning towards it like they encouraging it now like in some in some part of the city they encouraging it and that's not cool those supposed to be people like we used to look up to us we sat down with three teens not one older than 16 who have been through the academy once already they say it gives them and other kids the chance to make money and do the right thing the biggest thing I learned was that like people like them like we got we all got like the same ideas and thoughts so like it's okay like to like talk to each other even if like you're not cool with somebody or you don't know somebody there's a strong belief in this this room Community groups in Philadelphia are helping slow down gun violence inch by inch Moore says they are the ones family see first on the ground there's a sense of accountability when you're organization in the neighborhood you get to connect to those everyday folks because they see you on a consisted basis he understands ultimately it comes down to decisions these students make outside of this environment which is why they end every session with a word of encouragement be yourself when others don't believe in you learning more about about themselves than they even realize Aaron Baskerville NBC 10 news it's been an historic year for black women in leadership in our area from Philadelphia electing its first black female mayor to Montgomery County with the election of the first black woman to become the chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners we spoke with Jamila weer about her fight for a seat at the table and what that means for those coming behind her black leadership brought to you by Parks Casino a proud and dedicated Community partner in the Delaware Valley so for me when I was growing up uh there weren't often times people that look like me um in rooms where decisions were being made um and throughout my career professionally um you know I've worked in the private sector for more than 20 years I've often times been the only one and the journey to get to the table has often times been tough Jamila Winder is now at the table as the chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners getting the seat by a unanimous vote so my parents moved us here when I was five from Philadelphia we were one of the first black families on the Block Winder served on the norst toown area school board and East Norton Township Board of Supervisors prior to this appointment a quality education and a commitment to service part of her DNA instilled from her mother and grandmother who just turned 104 I think about her um in this moment she um was not afforded these opportunities when she was growing up and despite her challenges right dealing with the issue of race growing up in the segregated South she still went on to college she still went on to be PA state teacher of the year in 1972 if she can kind of navigate the challenging Waters um so can I and from those who came before her to those coming behind her I'm now raising my 3-year-old son I have a responsibility if I have gifts that I can lend um I'm willing to take you know the bumps and bruises that come along uh with being in politics and because the service is that much more important to me I I Jam wer Jam wer and speaking of her son he played a hand literally in her swearing in having him there holding the Bible um is my why right is a reminder of why I'm doing this it's not just for my own family they say if you see it you can be it from her son to others watching the moment a Looking Glass into their potential future congratulations commissioner I know that in that moment it wasn't just about Max it was about you know all the working moms out there it was about you know all the the family struggling to to make ends meet and it's about the little children um that you know in 20 30 40 years the decisions we make today will affect Max when he's uh an adult her biggest table of all so far within the walls of the White House part of a round table with other black leaders in the country to be in that intimate room uh really getting down to Brass tax about how do we solve some of these important issues in partnership with our federal government uh felt really good now to the world of art where father and son's love for the canvas transcends through time and space with every stroke their art shows the history of African-Americans from the distant past to the present NBC 10's Leah uko has more from the men behind the brush black art brought to you by wh y celebrating extraordinary black Americans all year long I was in my first year at grad school Alonzo Adams has told and painted stories for more than three decades the last two his son has been in the pictures you know uh we have a photograph that that was taken of him and he was just staring at one of my paintings we caught up with Alonzo at his Alma moer Ruckers University he is the first black artist to have a solo exhibit at the institution's zimmerly Museum a major accomplishment but Alonzo says it's his son's work that's off the- wall and on screens that showcases part of the family's Legacy as professional artist there's enough negative uh narratives of African Americans out there um and I just want to put out more positive things Kyle anani Adams work crosses into the digital Spectrum the 23-year-old recently earned his degree in media studies from Temple University he took on projects such as documentaries that feature black men living life blissfully once people see our people you know shifting their Consciousness um being more positive I think other people will follow suit while this fatherson Duo has different artistic skills part of their missions are the same the guys hanging out with them to show black lives in ways they've rarely seen depicted I try to tell the story of a people you know our the joys the pains the strength in her in her face you know is like you know I you know I I'm a woman I am I am strong I I can do [Music] anything Alonzo's pieces feature dozens of different colors textures and emotions all painting a picture of the black American Experience a life he and Kyle describe as complex if you look back here it's almost like you could see like G shots in the in the cement you know um but still through all of it the cracks and the you know arose a rose still came up and that's that's the way I see our young brothers and sisters and whatnot regardless we going to grow we're going to grow you you you can't hold us back during the 1980s and early 9s Alonzo skills flourished it was a time he says he saw black Americans Thrive during a volatile time of social Reckoning Kyle witnessing the creative process says as he got older he was inspired to do the same to document history as it unfolds especially over these last few years I feel like we're in another Renaissance um coming out of covid people's Consciousness is Shifting um their ideas are shifting towards that higher uh Consciousness just wanting more for themselves wanting um to experience more learn more be educated more for this family the work continues I want a young artist to come and see like wow wow wow I can do [Music] this still ahead we're taking a trip down memory lane with the people who have paved the way for fashion and Philly TD Bank is proud to support black Le organizations and blackowned businesses it's part of our commitment to an inclusive and sustainable tomorrow NBC 10 discover black Heritage presented by TD Bank America's most convenient bank welcome back to nbc10 discover black Heritage our conversation now continues with fashion and the influence blacks have had on the industry as a whole from the styles of Harlem weaved together by Dapper Dan to the Nike Air Jordan shoes that sparked a movement black culture has played a major role in the fashion we see today NBC 10's an lelle taking us through the history of Philadelphia Fashion Week and how for one local Family Fashion is a family affair black fashion brought to you by TD Bank America's most convenient [Music] bank the fabric of black fashion in Philadelphia transcends time we brought something new to Philadelphia years ago it weaves together stories that span gener ations like the grah families we brought clothes for children that nobody's ever seen before they opened their long-standing South Street Boutique Rodeo kids in the early '90s fox jackets uh leather outfits they never seen nothing like it before and that family passion rubbed off on their daughter celebrity stylist Devon Milan Graham Meek Mill opened the door for me to work with Kanye West for yeey season 3 uh Rihanna for paper magazine but while one dream fostered another faded after three decades the Grahams had to shut the doors to Rodeo kids during the pandemic how did you guys get through that uh to be honest that I think it hit me the hardest I was a South Street kid I you know I grew up downtown our business was on South Stream we were probably one of the longest standing black businesses down there where do you see the Graham Legacy and fashion going what does the future look like for you I knew how hard it was for me you know to Branch off so I definitely want to create a creative agency to help uh more Philadelphia creatives and where would stylists like Devon Milan be without the work of passionate designers that's where one local organization that has a strong black influence has already made its Mark opening doors for other emerging creatives throughout the city I think the great thing about us was like we never thought this as a get-rich uh scheme you know it's always been about our community co-founders Kevin Parker and Carrie Scott founded Philly Fashion Week almost 20 years ago hoping to fill a void we quickly realized that a lot of designers were like oh well I have to move to LA or New York to like really Thrive as a designer and we were like you know why is that you know we have to really build something here that people feel like they can grow and stay here they've created an opportunity that's gotten many lesser-known designers and specifically designers of color National recognition we have so many designers that have been on Project Runway it's crazy and for many years Project Runway casting directors emailed us to send them like like send them Talent one of those designers who's benefited from that platform is Liberian native Ora yansy oo look at this this is fancy she launched her brand Zapora in 2021 so I always had a flare for fashion um um 2020 I did had the Corona virus so during that time I told myself if I you know get out of this I'm going to take a risk I have to takeen before that risk paid off she debuted her collection in New York Fashion Week and Philly Fashion Week the following year it was amazing her ready to wear designs are now available Nationwide but this isn't the mother of Three's fulltime job I currently work as a professional nurse I do a a director of nursing at trauma in Temple Aura this is giving cool this is giving Chic talk to me about this look so again my signature look this is inspired by the Goan um museums so the pants she's wearing also aora kind of a clean oh cool design yeah yeah this is like a nice Twist on the cargo pan while the rise of black creatives in the fashion scene has a storied history throughout Philadelphia it's one that's still somehow just getting started thank you for celebrating black Heritage with us we hope you feel as inspired by the people in these stories as we do for more information about the people and organizations you learned about you can visit our website at nbc10.com slcover black Heritage I'm Jacqueline London and I'm Fred shopshire we'll see you next time TD Bank is proud to support black Le organizations and blackowned businesses it's part of our commitment to an inclusive and sustainable tomorrow

2024-02-18 14:16

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