From time to time, researchers, policy makers, philanthropy and practitioners all join together in a coordinated response to address the most pressing issues facing America’s youth. I’ve been involved with this process for long enough to have participated in each of these roles. I recall during the early 1990s experts promoted the term “resiliency,” which is the capacity to adapt, navigate and bounce back from adverse and challenging life experiences. Researchers and practitioners alike clamored over strategies to build more resilient youth.

When Jesse Hagopian first encountered Malcolm X, it wasn’t in a textbook or classroom lecture. It was through Spike Lee’s iconic 1992 film. “I realized I needed to learn more,” Hagopian, educator and director of the Teaching for Black Lives campaign at the Zinn Education Project, tells Word In Black. “Reading his autobiography in college was transformative — like it has been for so many. But it also left me feeling betrayed. Why hadn’t I learned about Malcolm in school?”

Celebrate Thurby night at the The Bluegrass Ball, a homegrown event featuring the very best performers from the Bluegrass region and beyond. Featuring Amythyst Kiah, Jecorey Arthur, Ben Sollee, and surprise guests. Patrons are encouraged to wear their finest Appalachian-chic to walk the bluegrass carpet, enjoy special, cocktails, cigar bar featuring local cigar maker Gary Smith, and dance under the spare parts chandelier. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit Fund for the Arts.