Author: tourist_yp6g7u

Two high school students had their dreams come true Monday night when they hit the Hollywood blue carpet with actress Halle Bailey for the world premiere of the live-action remake of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”

RELATED: Halle Bailey invites teen filmmakers to ‘The Little Mermaid’ premiere
 
Bailey, who plays the lead role of Ariel in the movie, invited the two teens – Dylan Jones of Atlanta, GA, and Madison Henderson of Los Angeles, CA – to join her in Hollywood after Bailey met them while serving as the celebrity ambassador for Disney Dreamers Academy at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida earlier this spring.

Bailey spent time on the blue carpet with Jones and Henderson, who are both aspiring filmmakers, before they attended the film screening. Later, they attended the afterparty with the cast and crew where they rubbed elbows with the Hollywood types they hope to become in the future.  
 
Each year, 100 students are selected from thousands of nationwide applicants for Disney Dreamers Academy, a once-in-a-lifetime mentoring program at Walt Disney World Resort. The program, which has touched the lives of more than 1,600 students during the past 16 years, is designed to assist young people in identifying and pursuing their dreams.   
 
“The Little Mermaid’’ hits theaters nationwide on May 26.

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Saturday, May 6, 2023, saw the janazah of Soke Ali Abdul Karim, martial artist and community treasure, who passed on Friday, May 5, 2023.

Nayaba Arinde, Amsterdam News Editor photos

Hundreds upon hundreds of Muslims came to the Masjid Al Taqwa in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, and poured out onto the corner of Fulton Street and Bedford Avenue.

Family, friends, students, and colleagues came from across the city, state, and country to attend events held in his honor.

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The Medgar Evers College (MEC) Educational Foundation received a $25,000 grant from the broadband cable company Spectrum last week. 

The Spectrum Digital Education Grant will be used to purchase laptops for incoming MEC freshmen students at the school and toward tutoring in its Academic Support Center.

SEEK is a New York State-funded program designed to meet the needs of students from low-income households and disadvantaged neighborhoods or schools that have underprepared them for college. The program is offered at senior (four-year) City University of New York colleges to New York State residents who do not meet traditional admissions criteria but demonstrate potential for academic success.

The check presentation event took place on May 4 during the college’s Percy Ellis Sutton Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) annual awards ceremony. 

“With the $25,000, Spectrum will be donating to our SEEK program. Laptops will be purchased for 65 students, enabling them to fulfill their potential while pursuing their degrees,” said MEC President Dr. Patricia Ramsey. “Up to this point, these young people have had to resort to doing schoolwork and homework on their phones, due to their inability to afford their own computers. This grant goes a long way in bridging the digital divide.”

For the SEEK program alone, about 20% to 30% of freshmen have their own devices, a MEC spokesperson said. “Some students rely on their phones, others have borrowed laptops or iPads from the college’s laptop loaner program, and the others complete their work on computers in the library or computer labs on campus,” the spokesperson added.

The grant is part of the company’s six-year, $8 million commitment to promote digital education and broadband technology in communities across the country. The Medgar Evers College Educational Foundation is one of two New York City recipients of the Spectrum Digital Education Grant program. The Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation also received a grant.“Digital skills are critical to navigating everything from finding a job to going to school, to buying groceries––yet too many families still have not adopted internet at home,” said Rahman Khan, group vice president of community impact for Charter Communications, Inc., which operates the Spectrum brand of internet, mobile, TV, and voice services. “Through the Spectrum Digital Education Grant program, we’re committed to supporting local initiatives like [the] Medgar Evers College Educational Foundation to promote digital literacy and inclusion, and help educate community members in New York City about the value of adopting broadband in their lives so they can succeed in today’s connected society.”

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* This article was originally published here

Harlem hosted the Rites of Drum last weekend during the third Annual Spring Celebration at the Marcus Garvey Amphitheater. People of all cultural traditions came with their children, their drums, and their dance to celebrate community drumming.

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* This article was originally published here