Silicon Valley Black Chamber Network Mixer March 21st

 

Family Resource House of Unity

 Elder Eddie Abrams is the Founder and Executive Director of the Family Resource House of Unity (FRHU). The FRHU is a non-profit, community based organization currently located in the Eastmont Town Center, 7200 Bancroft Avenue, Suite 230, Oakland, California.

Eddie, was born in 1931 in the village of Hub, Mississippi, he is one of fifteen children. Eddie was raised in an environment that instilled in him a spirit of caring for all people. It caused him to realize at an early age, being monetarily poor, did not diminish one’s God given human qualities nor one’s ability to achieve. His spirit of giving and caring for others are rooted in the Great Volumes as written by the profits of old "Love ye one another".

 Eddie relocated to Oakland, California, in 1948. He attended McClymonds High School in Oakland, California and joined the California National Guard in 1949 his outfit was activated in 1950, deactivated in 1952. Following military service, he found employment at the Alameda Naval Air Station where he worked for 28 years then transferred to the Oakland Naval Supply Center where he worked as General Forman until retiring in 1986 with 36 years of dedicated service.

 During his employment at the Naval Supply Center as general Forman, he received numerous awards for leadership and outstanding service, and on numerous occasions recognized by the Navy base’s news paper (the Oak Leaf) for the same.

 In 1978, the Grand Architect of the Universe inspired him to establish the Family Resource House of Unity, a Non-Profit Corporation. Through the years, The House of Unity has maintained the same teachings and beliefs, which the elders taught Eddie during his formative years of life.

 Mission Statement

The Mission of the Family Resource House of Unity is to develop a true partnership between community, public and private agencies, churches and schools to collectively address the economic and social needs of families and assist in developing/supporting progressive academic programs.

We will unite as one, to restore our community and cultural values, to ensure the safety of our families, to revere our seniors and that opportunities are available to ensure that our children's futures are successful and prosperous.

A Flagship University-Basketball and Football

The Largest State in the Country with a flagship university......... And there are not black men in college what a shock????????? That’s because your job is to play basketball & Football......... SMH

 THE VIDEO

 

The black students at University of California, Los Angeles, sent a strong message about diversity at their school. Namely, the fact that there isn't much when it comes to African-American males, a troubling fact for one of the state's most elite institutions.

A group of students, led by Sy Stokes, posted a video voicing their concerns about the number of black students on campus, and their message is hard to ignore. Stokes, a third-year Afro-American studies student who identifies as black, Cherokee and Chinese, recites a spoken word poem in the video, citing blaring statistics about the university's diversity issue.

According to the school's enrollment statistics, African-Americans make up 3.8 percent of the student population. In the video, Stokes points out that black males make up 3.3 percent of the male student population, and that 65 percent of those black males are undergraduate athletes. Of the incoming men in the freshmen class, only 1.9 percent of them were black.

In an interview with the Daily Bruin, Stokes said he almost dropped out of UCLA during his first year because he felt isolated and uncomfortable. Although he eventually found his niche in the minority community, he said he wanted to raise awareness about the school's lack of diversity before the university's application deadline on Nov. 30.

“We had to do something to put our issues on the map,” Stokes said.

In an email statement to the school paper, Janina Montero, vice chancellor of student affairs, said administrators acknowledge the need for more diversity and are attempting to work within the state's admission parameters.

“We certainly recognize that the low numbers of African Americans and other underrepresented students on campus does lead to a sense of isolation and invisibility,” Montero said in her email statement. “It is difficult to eliminate this painful imbalance without considering race in the admissions process.”

The state of California voted down affirmative action in 1996 and passed Proposition 209, which banned state schools from considering race, gender, ethnicity or national origins in their admissions processes. Black student enrollment has severely decreased since that provision and critics are saying that has to change.

The students' video adds to the ongoing affirmative action debate both inside and outside of the state, raising awareness about diversity at institutions around the country. Stokes said he feels responsible for spreading the word about the unknown challenges of being a minority student at UCLA and the ongoing lack of diversity on campus.

"Being the cousin of Arthur Ashe, I feel as though it is my responsibility to uphold the strong voices of the Black Bruin community," he said. This school has experienced unacceptable instances of injustice recently, and many people are not aware of what is happening at this university."