Celebrating the 10th Anniversary PEN OR PENCIL

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PEN OR PENCIL™

National Alliance of Faith and Justice

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of

PEN OR PENCIL™ MENTEES READ LAW ENFORCEMENT THEIR RIGHTS On Monday, July 20, 2015, the National Alliance of Faith and Justice iNAFJ), in cooperation with the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ), convened the Sixth PEN OR PENCIL™ Take A Stand To Keep A Seat National Mentoring Training Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. Each year, the summit and year-round related activities bring sustained mentors, mentees, together with criminal justice professionals from around the country to improve interactions between youth and law enforcement and present workshops and strategies to effectively contribute to juvenile justice reform. PEN OR PENCIL™(POP) engages a variety of mentees in structured, evidenced and curriculum based activities. Among diverse youth are those who are who are justice involved, status offending, or formerly incarcerated aged 8-17. The summit provides an environment for mentees and criminal justice professionals to engage in positive communication through such service learning activities as LET ME READ YOU YOUR RIGHTS in which youth read the Bill of Rights and select human rights from booklets provided by Youth for Human Rights to criminal justice professionals. The activity enhances an understanding of the inherent strengths of the democratic system. Youth are also provided flexibility to discuss systemic bias, procedural injustices, and consequences of rights which go wrong. The activity in this and other settings seeks to avoid erosion of democratic protections which occur through indifference of citizens or leaders to their rights and responsibilities under the Constitution.

POP mentees read Constitutional rights to law enforcement officials to include Mr. Rich Gray, Director of Public Safety for the City of St. Louis, MO (ABOVE) and Mr. Jerry Blackwell, Chief of Police for the City of Cincinnati, OH (BELOW).

Taking A Stand To Keep A Seat

Each summer during the Take A Stand To Keep A Seat Annual Mentoring Training Summit, mentees of PEN OR PENCIL™ are provided the opportunity to participate with mentors, partner agencies and organizations in sessions which position them as leaders in exploring the complexities of social, economic, and political problems. Throughout the year using other curriculum activities of POP, mentees are encouraged to carefully evaluate and navigate life choices. They participate in exercises with mentor support to reinforce responsibility and to explore the meaning of the Constitution as a social contract that defines and guarantees individual rights. They are encouraged to respect the right of others who differ with them and to take an active role as citizens to learn how to work for change in a democratic society.

(ABOVE) As an extension of LET ME READ YOU YOUR RIGHTS collaborative subcomponent of POP, on June 17, 2015, NAFJ and the National Park Service (NPS) partnered in hosting mentees of Ferguson Florissant, Missouri School District at the Jefferson National Memorial Expansion/Old Courthouse, one of over 400 NPS sites nationwide. learn more about Constitutional law and the courts. (TOP) Julie Northrip, NPS Director of Education for the Jefferson National Memorial Expansion, join mentees of POP and other dignitaries at the head table during the opening session of the 42nd Annual Conference and Training Institute of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice.

Visit www.penorpencilmovement.org

A PEN OR PENCIL™ SPOTLIGHT Congratulations to Ms. DeAnna Harper, 2015 Graduate of McCluer North High School of Ferguson Florissant School District, for receiving a 2015 McDonald’s Academic Excellence Scholarship Award. The McDonald’s Academic Excellence Award Scholarship is a one-time, $3,000 scholarship that, in partnership with the UNCF, is awarded to college-bound St. Louis and Metro East high school seniors.

Deanna was one of five mentees (three from Ferguson) who was selected by her school, NAFJ , and the National Park Service to participate in the 54-mile Selma to Montgomery 50th Anniversary March.