Listen to the Heartbeat of Africa in Hartford

GhanaBeats Radio's Georges Annan-Kingsley
hosting this Good Times show which airs Saturdays from 12:00-2:00 p.m.

"Welcome to your greater Hartford African community radio, GhanaBeats Radio, broadcasting the heartbeat of Africa direct from our Bloomfield, Connecticut, USA studio."

Yes, you read it right: "from our Bloomfield, Connecticut, USA studio."

Georges Annan-Kingsley, an artist, author and teacher, and John Ackeifi, a computer engineer and entrepreneur, from Hartford and Bloomfield respectively, have teamed up to establish the first station specifically to serve the greater Hartford African community, with a mission of ensuring continuity of African culture and heritage to Africans who now call the USA home. Similarly, it serves to introduce the richness of African culture and history to the greater Hartford area, and what it can contribute to building bridges of understanding and acceptance in our diverse American society.

I visited the studio this past Saturday at Annan-Kingsley's invitation. He and I met through our work on the Asylum Hill Welcoming Committee, whose mission includes helping assimilate immigrants and refugees into the neighborhood.

Originally, broadcast from Accra, Ghana's capital, GhanaBeats Radio operation was moved by station owners Ackeifi and Pat Ackeifi, his wife, to their Bloomfield studio this year now that they live in Connecticut. What made the transition easy was that GhanaBeats Radio is an internet station, not available through an actual radio, but accessible globally via a computer. From Bloomfield the station still can be heard in Ghana, in fact it has listeners from around the world. I know this because while I was being interviewed by Annan-Kingsley on air, a listener texted Ackeifi from Germany.

Georges Annan Kingsley and John Ackeifi
founders of GhanaBeats Radio set up for Georges' radio program.

Annan-Kingsley's and Ackeifi's shared entrepreneurial spirit, complementary talents, and common Ghanaian roots made for a natural team. Before relocating to the United States, Annan-Kingsley was Assistant to the Cultural Attaché for the French Embassy in Ghana, and was teaching at the National Institute of Art, University of Cocody-Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Ackeifi, a computer engineer and entrepreneur, earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in the USA.

Broadcasts of joyous western and southern African music are GhanaBeats Radio's specialty. Shows are broadcast twenty-four hours a day, mostly prerecorded, but eight shows are hosted live by nine DJs, who can be heard at regularly scheduled times Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The hosts, whose roots are  from Ghana, Togo, and Côte d'Ivoire, broadcast in English, French, or Ghanian languages, with plans to introduce Swahili very soon. The music is interspersed with local public service announcements and information about Hartford area cultural events. Near term plans are to increase public service content, and then longer term begin limited news programming.

Listening to GhanaBeats' engaging music is comforting and uplifting, although, as I mentioned to Ackeifi and Annan-Kingsley, my lack of relevant language skills prevents me from enjoying the lyrics -- we all laughed -- "the words are all good" they said.

Listen for yourself. It's all good.

Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Photos by Don Shaw, Jr.

It All Started with a Gingerbread House

It all started with a gingerbread house when "Chef Paul," Bloomfield Public Schools culinary arts instructor, and his students competed in Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity's Gingerbread Build fundraiser a few years ago. It was then that he heard Habitat would be building several affordable homes in Bloomfield. An idea began to percolate.  

Building a holiday gingerbread house is fun, even tasty. But what if the students could actually fund and build a real house, an affordable Habitat home. If so, the students truly would be living up to the school system's motto "Raising the Bar is Taking us Far" -- its mission for maximizing student achievement.

Combining enthusiastic school district support, Habitat's know-how, and student-led creative fundraising, Chef Paul's idea has been formulated into a winning recipe for building a safe, decent and affordable house in Bloomfield rightly named "The House that Students Built." This Energy Star-rated single-family home will be built with 85% volunteer labor.

Bloomfield Public Schools' first-of-a-kind partnership with Hartford Habitat to build an affordable home is a district-wide initiative combining education, social awareness, goal setting and student-engagement focused on achieving the school system's mission to be a high-performing district.  By creating "a positive climate, an expectation of competitive academic achievement and a culture of meaningful parent and community engagement" Bloomfield school programs are specifically geared toward enabling student success. 

A critical piece in making this partnership a true community endeavor is that the Town of Bloomfield, in support of the school plan, donated the property at 89 East Morningside Street where the house will be built. The town's moderate homeownership rate and modest family income levels make the East Morningside Street neighborhood an ideal site for this project. Habitat already has built nine homes in Bloomfield—two in 2002, one in 2006 and six in 2014 with the town's full support.

This initiative is an excellent example of how student service learning projects should work. Well-designed projects result in students realizing increased academic achievement. Engaging students in meaningful service to their schools and communities allows them to apply academic skills to solving real-world issues, linking established learning objectives with genuine needs. Students lead the process, supported by adult partners, and apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to community concerns such as poverty housing, homelessness, and neighborhood revitalization.

To get a flavor of the excitement building in Bloomfield, take a few minutes to listen to this brief clip of legendary Bloomfield-based radio talk show host and huge Habitat fan Brad Davis's interview with Chef Paul Waszkelewicz, Stacey McCann (Community Relations, Bloomfield Public Schools), and Marie McNamara (Individual Engagement Manager, Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity).

How will students, parents and staff volunteer?

• Students ages 16 and above, along with parents/staff, are invited to volunteer at the Habitat ReStore located at 500 Cottage Grove Road, Bloomfield, CT. 
• Volunteers 16 and above (must be 18 and over to use power tools) are welcome to form teams of up to 10 people to come out to assist in building homes on site. 
• Students will be actively engaged in raising funds through creating social media funding pages,  requesting corporate and individual sponsorships, as well as creating other fundraiser events. 

While the advocacy, volunteering and fundraising portions of this initiative begin this month, the construction began in the spring of 2016, with completion in 2017. 

Join the Celebration!

The Bloomfield community is invited to join Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity and Bloomfield Public Schools to celebrate the kick-off of construction on "The House that Students Built" with an on-site Beam Signing at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, June 21, at 89 East Morningside Street, Bloomfield. 

See you there!

For details about the Bloomfield School System's partnership with Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity and other community engagement programs, as well as how to contribute or get involved, please contact Stacey McCann, Community Relations, at Bloomfield Public Schools, or Marie McNamara, at Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity.


Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Memorial Day

Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France

Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France

  Sainte-Mère-Église: stained glass window in village chapel depicting the landing of the paratroopers.

Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France

On Memorial Day one year ago, with sunset approaching, my wife Peggy and I quietly walked among the thousands of brilliant white headstones in the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. Emotions swelled. 

We arrived at the cemetery following a day-long tour of the Normandy coast where American soldiers and sailors, among whom were family elders, stormed Utah and Omaha beaches, and clawed up Pointe-du-Hoc, on D-Day, June 6, 1944, while allies Great Britain and Canada assaulted Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches. Craters carved by naval bombardment on the bluffs above the beach cliffs, along with the ruins of bunkers and cannon emplacements, remain as silent memorials that tell of a history we must never forget.

As the lowering sun cast somber shadows across the cemetery, we paused in reverence as a bugle gracefully sounded taps, and the Stars and Stripes slowly descended to rest for the night. Emotions swelled.

In solemn gratitude on Memorial Day we remember and honor the men and women who dutifully served our nation throughout its history in hopes of keeping our country and the world safe and free from tyrants and tyranny.

Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Photographs by Don Shaw, Jr.

"Love That Boy"

"I hope I don't let you down, Dad," whispered Tyler Fournier to his father as they inched forward in the line to meet President Obama.

Tyler was 13 then. Tyler has Asperger Syndrome.

Ron Fournier's book, Love That Boy, is a passionate, honest and enlightened account of his struggle to accept and embrace Tyler's differences -- from the boy he hoped for to the gift of the one he has.

As Fournier and Tyler embarked on their series of road trips to bond and afford Tyler "real-world experience to learn how to socialize," Fournier's personal mission was "to learn to love my boy for who he was, rather than what I wanted him to be." As he admits, "The original sin of parenting is the baggage we drag into it."

The origin the road trips unwittingly began in 2003 when Tyler accompanied Fournier, a departing White House correspondent, to a courtesy visit with President George W. Bush. Fournier was anxious and unsettled that Tyler, then just five years old, would  embarrass him in front of Bush. Yet as Fournier poignantly recounts the meeting, "[Tyler] was, in a word, quirky. But the president was enchanted."

As Fournier and Tyler "were walking out of the Oval Office... Bush grabbed me by the elbow. 'Love that boy' he said, holding my eyes. I thought I understood what he meant. I didn't. It took me years to understand."

This must-read book shares a story to which all parents and child caregivers should give heed in raising not just an atypical child, but every child.

I first heard about Love That Boy, during NPR's Scott Simon's emotional interview with Fournier. Give it a listen. It's well worth the 9 minutes, 15 seconds. Then read the book.


Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

"Stigmatized"

Dr. Reza Mansoor is my friend. He is a friend to many. He opens paths. He clears paths. He is a stonecatcher. 

I first met Reza several years ago while building Habitat for Humanity homes in Hartford. He was on the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut (MCCT) crew. The assembled construction crews were part of Hartford Habitat's interfaith collaborations designed to bring diverse faith communities together in side-by-side unity to build homes for families in need of simple, decent places to live.

In the intervening years since we met, our paths have intersected several times: on more Habitat builds, at a Hartford shelter's kitchen when my church volunteered with the MCCT team, and at numerous interfaith gatherings, where many people of diverse religious backgrounds have come together to learn from each other, and to share their common calling to love and serve their neighbors.

Dr. Mansoor has just published a book worthy of our attention. "Stigmatized: From 9/11 to Trump and Beyond, An American Muslim Journey".  Check out the book's website.

The following excerpts from testimonials found on the website are persuasive:

"In his recent work, Dr. Reza Mansoor describes the role of his Muslim brethren in the building of our nation... Those who revere Islam have as much to do with America's success as do Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Hindus, or any other religious sect...Sameness did not build America. Difference did...What makes us brothers is our love of America. This is what Dr. Mansoor's book celebrates."

Governor Lowell P. Weicker
Former Governor, 

State of Connecticut

*********************************************************************************
"This is a compelling and down to earth description of the experience of being a normal American citizen who is Muslim, seeking to practice his faith in post 9/11 USA, in which overt acts of hatred and the willful mis-understanding of Islam on the part of some, have been mixed with acts of friendship and solidarity on the part of others. Dr Mansoor's response to his experience within the Muslim community has been one that seeks in multiple ways to strengthen its identity and its institutions within the USA."

Dr. Heidi Hadsell
President,
Hartford Seminary

****************************************************************************************************
"What I really like about this book is Dr. Reza doesnʼt just identify the problems that exist, he gives examples of successful strategies that can be used to eliminate those problems. He gives the reader countless stories about the great work that continues to be done in Connecticut by those Muslims who have made it their business to be pro-active! Muslims, who have been called to action to improve the image of the Muslims, not by talking or being seen in nicely placed photo ops, but by getting involved with issues that effect and concern the communities."

Imam Dr. Salahuddin M. Muhammad
Imam Emeritus – Newburgh masjid
Newburgh, New York.

****************************************************************************************************

"This book is an important book for all those who yearn to see the true face of Islam, but also, it's a book that will inspire us to open the doors of our own faith communities to work together with others to make this world a better and more peaceful place for our children."

Rev. David W. Good
Minister Emeritus
The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme

*********************************************************************************

"Into this climate of fear and bigotry stepped many heroes: ordinary Muslims who reclaimed the voice of Islam and their interfaith partners who stood beside them for the common good. In his memoir, Reza Mansoor tells the compelling story of his community and how they faced these challenges together."

Dr. Ingrid Mattson,
Past President,
Islamic Society of North America

*********************************************************************************

"You feel like you are sitting very close to Reza as he is sharing his experiences of what it means to be a Muslim in the US today...It is something worth reflecting on and to take to heart, when Reza writes about those who once left dictatorial regimes and oppression for the dream of the freedom of the USA and now increasingly see how the US...is becoming more and more like the states the immigrants and refugees once fled from.

But this book...is also a call to Muslims in the US to refuse being defined by the other...a call to Muslims to contribute creatively to open houses for new exchanges, new alliances and networks with people of different faiths, prepared to work together for a plural society, where respect for the other is a common value."

Rev. Dr. Hans Ucko,
Former Program Secretary for Interreligious Relations and Dialogue
World Council of Churches,
Geneva.

****************************************************************************************************

"While the lens through which we understand the Middle East and its tragic modern politics are not always the same, we must always be open to each other's narrative. It will only be the mutual hope and confidence that arises out of the commonalities of our faith traditions---the idea that justice and peace are not ours to impose, but are Divine gifts and imperatives---that will help us overcome human antipathy toward the "other," someone different."

Rabbi Herbert Brockman, PhD
Congregation Mishkan Israel
Lecturer, Yale Divinity School
New Haven, CT



Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Friendship is at the Center

Friendship Center's Dining Room

Saint Elizabeth House

Just over ten years ago I met "Sister Pat." At the time, Patricia M. McKeon, RSM, was executive director of Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation in Hartford. She was my team lead on one of several Hartford Commission to End Homelessness in the Capitol Region committees organized to create the Commission's implementation plan. Our team, comprised of many organizations doing the good work of supporting and serving the homeless, created "strategies to increase supportive housing and affordable housing." I was representing Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity.

Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation is one of those organizations. St. Elizabeth House is one of those good works. St. Elizabeth is a transitional home providing the homeless a path to a better life -- a return to self-sufficiency and independence. 

Two weeks ago, Mercy Housing's Associate Executive Director Judith Gough invited me to tour the just completed renovation of St. Elizabeth House. The work is an impressive testimony to what can be done to create a welcoming place that provides the homeless respect, dignity, and support, along with what I believe is the basic human right to decent, safe shelter. Although Sister Pat retired last year, her presence could be felt throughout the new construction. Her team should be proud to know that a good strategy, implemented by a good organization, can lead to a good result.

Hartford Courant reporter Vinny Vella's article, "A New St. Elizabeth," and Cloe Poisson's photos tell the essential story about what Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation is doing to make the world a better place.  


Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Hidden Treasures Revealed

Reena Shresthra

Georges Annan-Kingsley

Eman Solman

Reena Shrestha, Georges Annan-Kingsley, and Eman Solman pictured above were among seven Asylum Hill exhibiting artists featured, along with inspiring youth performances by The Choir School of Hartford and the Hartford City Ballet, at the 2016 Town & County Club Spring Forum Hidden Treasures: Arts & Culture on Asylum Hill. These treasures should not be hidden, and for those who know the many treasures Asylum Hill has to offer, they definitely are not.

Reena, Georges, and Eman are friends whom I have the honor working with through the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association - Hartford Public Library Welcoming Committee. Reena, born and raised in Nepal, holds a BFA and MBA, and works for Hartford Public Schools and Hartford Public Library; Georges, born in Ghana, and raised in Cote d'Ivoire, is a painter, sculptor, art teacher and author; Eman is from Iraq. She creates jewelry, a craft she mastered while in exile in Syria.

Other friends exhibiting were Lar Pwe Paw, Louisa Barton-Duguay, and Bernie Michel. Lar, born in Burma, creates sculptures from recycled material, a skill she developed while in a Thai refugee camp; Louisa, a native of the prairies of Canada, is artist in residence and outreach worker at Grace Lutheran Church; and Bernie, born and raised in Ohio, originally worked in the music industry, and now is an accomplished photographer.

Rounding out the exhibiting artists were Marthe Annan-Kingsley and Magrette Balogou. Marthe, originally from Cote d'Ivoire, is a case manager/interpreter at Catholic Charities managing placement of refugees. She creates fine jewelry. Magrette, from Togo, West Africa, owns an Asylum Hill store that features handicraft from Africa, Jamaica, and Haiti.

The Forum also hosted a panel discussion moderated by Rabbi Donna Berman, executive director of the Charter Oak Cultural Center. Panelist were Dartanion Reed, Artistic Director of the Hartford City Ballet (HBC) and the School of HBC; Bert Landman Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal  Church and The Choir School of Hartford; and Georges Annan-Kingsley.

Annan-Kingsley, Reed and Landman shared their journeys on becoming accomplished artists and educators. Their impassioned presentations stressed the absolute importance of artistic expression in youth development and education. Then Reed and Landman directed youth from their organizations in outstanding ballet and choral performances -- most definitely the highlight of the afternoon.

To learn more about Dartanion Reed and Bert Landman please visit their respective organizations' websites featured above.


Don Shaw, Jr.
Write and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Photos by Don Shaw, Jr.

Meet Your Muslim Neighbors Building Bridges in Community

"Building Bridges in Community." It's the motto of the Muslim Coalition of Connecticut (MCCT). Nabeel, Sameer, Shaq, Nour and Faseeha, five young Muslim leaders and professionals on the rise, were living that motto last Saturday volunteering at a Habitat for Humanity home being built in Hartford. As a Hartford Habitat board member, I met with them briefly simply to say thanks for coming out to work on the house.

MCCT year after year is one of Hartford Area Habitat for Humanity's most consistent and dedicated faith-based volunteer groups, especially on our interfaith builds. Their service, as well as that of all of the many diverse faith communities that collaborate with Hartford Habitat, is invaluable.

As I wrote in my February 26, 2016 blog, Walking the Interfaith Path, "think of the impact collaborating faith communities could have sharing their common principles of welcoming and serving people in need -- the neighbor, the stranger, the marginalized, the vulnerable...Think of the impact collaborations could have in advancing the peace, understanding, and acceptance among different faiths when they come together to work in partnership for the greater good of the world."

The faith communities collaborating with Hartford Habitat have that impact, and MCCT definitely is one of them.


Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

Earth Day 2016: Follow the Heron Home

Today is Earth Day. It's a day to take action. It's a day to celebrate. It's a day to honor the movement that began in 1970 giving "voice to an emerging consciousness, channeling human energy toward environmental issues. " It's a matter of survival. Let's give thanks to all people around the world who do their part, big or small, in protecting our planet, and making it a better place to live for generations to come.

To celebrate I'm sharing a few of my recent photos of a Great Blue Heron I observed by chance last week in a nearby swamp. These photos are of a heron (whose mate is nearby keeping a watchful eye) that made a nest atop the remains of a tall dead tree in the middle of the swamp. I photographed the herons from afar and I won't be going back to visit for several weeks because human disturbance, particularly during the beginning of nesting, often results in nest failure with abandonment of eggs or chicks.

The heron photographed is returning to the nest and settling in to incubate a clutch of eggs that I hope yield a healthy brood, and become a new generation. It would be a minor miracle if I actually got to photograph them as they fledge, however I'll be happy just to see the new arrivals soon after they leave the nest.

Photos by Don Shaw, Jr.


Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

"This is paving the way for different athletes coming after me."

HELEN NEWMAN, left, a freshman at Granby High, and Stephanie Marquez, a junior at Sport and Medical Sciences Academy in Hartford, head into the first turn of the 400-meter race at Canton High School Tuesday afternoon. Visit courant.com/track0412 for more photos. (John Woike | jwoike@courant.com)

“We made history in our state,” said Stephanie Marquez.

“Definitely, I think we did,” said Helen Newman.

“It is something that had to be done,” said Marquez, born with spina bifida. “It is a very important day. This is paving the way for different athletes coming after me."

"Yes, this day was about state history. This day was about inclusion," wrote Hartford Courant reporter Jeff Jacobs in his article, "Team Inclusion."

Jacobs' article tells the inspiring story of two student athletes, their teammates, parents and educators  leading the way by paving a path of inclusion. A path being cleared of the stones blocking long overdue progress. If you haven't read it, please do.

The photo and quotations are from the Hartford Courant article.


Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com

"Honest Conversations With Muslim Neighbors" April 28, 2016

Don Shaw, Jr.
Write and Editor
RedTruckstonectcher.com

Bipartisanship: A Bridge Too Far?

"You do affirm that all the testimony you are about to give in the case now before the court will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; this you do affirm under the pains and penalties of perjury?" So reads a common oath of affirmation used in many United States courts. Not telling the truth when sworn to do so can lead to contempt of court and, as the oath threatens, "the pains and penalties of perjury."

Can we as a nation come together to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth in today's destructive U.S. court of public politics, where the truth can be elusive, and where spinning truth and facts to fit a point of view or a promised outcome seems all that we hear from competing politicians, regardless of political party?

"'Spin' is a polite word for deception," writes Kathleen Hall Jamieson, as quoted in Mark Gurzon's new book "The Reunited States of America." Our acceptance of this spin, whether voiced from the left, center, or right, should be grounds for holding us, not just the spinning politicians, in contempt of the court of public opinion because we lack the courage to listen, learn, and lead as one nation. E pluribus unum (Out of many, one), Gurzon reminds us.

Two influential leaders and writers, Mark Gurzon and Arthur C. Brooks, offer persuasive points of view that offer direction on ways to bring America together to reject the polarization that is preventing our ability to govern the United States effectively.

Last week at Leadership Greater Hartford's 40th Anniversary Breakfast, Mark Gurzon, author of "The Reunited States of America: How We Can Bridge the Partisan Divide", presented his ideas to mitigate the growing polarization in American communities. Specifically, he calls for building a transpartisan movement in the United States with citizens having the courage to take action. Action to "bridge the partisan divide" by:

Reinventing Citizenship: Moving from dogmatically confirming our own beliefs to having the courage to listen and learn from others.

Leading Beyond Borders: Moving from wanting absolute control of policies and programs to building healthy and diverse community relationships.

Championing the Whole Truth: Moving from digging-in-our-heels position-taking to collaborative problem solving seeking to understand all sides.

Serving the People: Moving from endless campaigning to actually serving the public.

Building on these basic actions, Gerzon's book offers several bridge-building steps we can take to reunite America.

With similar sentiment to find common ground, Arthur C. Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, writes in his article Bipartisanship Isn't for Wimps, After All (New York Times, April 10, 2016) that today's polarized commentary "is more contemptuous than angry, overflowing with sneering, mockery and disgust." A condition leading to "permanent enmity" where "Bigotry and contempt make it impossible for America to do many great things."

Brooks emphasizes that one does not have to "surrender to the those with whom we disagree...but our duty is to be respectful, fair and friendly to all, even those with whom we have great differences." He further writes "Rejecting polarization is more than self-improvement; it is an exercise in self-respect...Next time someone on your side insults people on the other side, think of someone on that side whom you love and respect. You have just been insulted."

Both Gurzon's and Brooks's writings open a knowingly difficult path that, if we have the courage to follow it, can lead us to restoring our faith in each other and our faith in our country. It's not a bridge too far.

Graphics are from Gurzon's book and Brooks's article.



Don Shaw, Jr.
Writer and Editor
RedTruckStonecatcher.com