The bi-monthly series titled “Young, Gifted and Black” will begin this February. Profiles of academically excelled, talented, gifted, and extraordinary skilled African American youth will be featured the second and the fourth week per month starting this February.
The age and categorical range will be elementary, secondary and college. Although local talent will be highlighted, regional, national and even global Black youth will be included.
“We need to do more to support, cultivate, and advance the talents, skills, and achievements of our young people,” says Taki S. Raton, series originator and writer.
“My experience over the years has revealed that our children are doing great things here in Milwaukee, around the country and throughout the world, but we never hear about their efforts or their success,” he says.
Raton adds for example that we have a Black youth who has invented a surgical technique at the age of 14, a 15-year-old New Jersey high school student who has been admitted to 13 colleges and selects Harvard, a 13-year-old triple major student at Morehouse College, and a 5-yearold Haitian girl who speaks 7 languages and plays 6 instruments.
He is asking area parents, relatives, teachers, school principals and counselors if they are aware of African American students in the above noted categories who are academically achieved, college bound or accepted, has received notification of a scholarship, or has an above average or competitive talent or skill to call the Milwaukee Courier at (414) 449-4860 and leave a message for Raton or contact him directly at: blydendelany@ yahoo.com.
“It is our responsibility and duty to celebrate our children, youth and young people who hold promise of great achievement and present them as reflective shinning models of what can be accomplished,” says Raton.
