Black McDonalds Operators Association Kicks Off Write to Achieve
by Dwayne T. Ervin
The Black McDonald's OperatorsAssociation (BMOA) held a "Writeto Achieve!" (WTA!) pep rally withpoets, tumblers and music for studentsin grades 5 to 12 at UICPavilion, 525 S. Racine Ave. lastThursday.
"Hot Boys," from Power 92.3hosted the rally and stressed theimportance of writing and using itas a way to positively express emotions."Sometimes you have towork to play," one of the Hot Boyssaid. Derrick Taylor, owner andoperator member of BMOA, askedthe students to write a 200 words orless essay about living together,loving each other and stopping theviolence.
Three poets gave a spoken word toencourage students to participate.Deana Dean spoke to the youngwomen about respect. As part of agroup of artist called "ChicagoPoetry Underground," (CPU) Deanhas opened up for Brian McKnight,Syleena Johnson and Tyrese at the"Expo For Today's Black Woman."
Khari B. talked about differenttypes of music and has been performingpoetry since 1992, wherehe has used his talent of poetry toreach, teach, and entertain youngpeople. J.Ivy gave a spoken wordabout how writing has inspired himand told the children to write whenthey are happy or sad. He hasworked with Kanye West on thealbum "College Dropout," and hadthree appearances on HBO's "DefPoetry Jam." Ivy supports the communitythrough the "Dream BigProject," which encourages youngpeople to explore careers in thearts.
Each of the participants received agift bag which included a "Writingto Achieve," journal, pen and tshirt.The BMOA launched WTA!during the 2003-2004 school yearin 17 Chicago Public Schools. Inits six-year history, the organizationtargets students in 5th through12th grades and seeks to improvewriting skills, enhance creativityand provide a comfortable outlet byencouraging students through creativeexpression. With the intent ofraising standards and improvingoverall academic achievement,WTA! provides a stepping-stone toencourage and empower studentsto strive for excellence in allaspects of their lives.
The Black McDonald's OperatorsAssociation (BMOA) of Chicago isa membership organization comprisedof 17 Chicagoland andNorthwest Indiana areaMcDonald's restaurant owners. Inaddition to contributing to the successof McDonald's brand name,BMOA of Chicago is also committedto exhibiting leadership, supportingeducation and developingpartnerships within the AfricanAmerican communities they serve.
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