Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 9-23-22

Education Expert Will Give TEDxEustis Talk
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
Educator Liz York Cohen has been asked to speak at TEDxEustis on Jan- uary 28, 2023. The educa- tional expert will speak on first generation students, a long-time passion for Cohen.
Cohen has distinguished herself by excelling at all lev- els of educational leadership.
“My subject will be about first-generation students. I was a teacher, assistant prin- cipal, principal and school district coordinator. My life’s work and passion has been working with first generation students. I have guided thou- sands of students in my ca- reer,” Cohen stated.
Cohen received her B. S. in English Education at Florida State University and her M. A. Degree in School Administration from Chap- man University. Cohen has
LIZ YORK COHEN
studied Educational Leader- ship and Ethics at Oxford University in England.
On January 28, 2023, fourteen speakers will appear on the TEDxEUSTIS stage, each person brings a unique perspective to a particular subject. Each speaker is deeply vetted to ensure the in- tegrity of the event.
TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED Talk experience.
At a TEDx event, speakers work to spark deep discussion and connection.
TEDxEustis is an annual TEDx event in Lake County, Florida. TEDxEustis began in 2017 in downtown Eustis.
Presently, Cohen is an educational consultant and serves as Vice President of Al- liance for Equity and Diver- sity in Education, Inc. Reston, VA. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Florida State University Foundation.
Cohen says, “The work of educators never ends. The need is great because there will always be that one child that needs you. I am fortunate that I could continue to make contributions to the educa- tional field, even after I left school administration.”
“The TED talk isn’t just for educators. I hope to that peo- ple will be inspired to make a difference in a child’s life.”
A Modern Day ‘Trail Of Tears’
T he political ploy of Republican governors, like Ron De- Santis, sending predominantly brown-skinned immi- grants to states and cities led by Democrats is a use of migrants as chess pawns for their own political advan- tage. These actions are the same tactics used between 1830 and 1850 to move Native Americans from eastern America to the western territories. Today, we use buses
and planes.
The forced displacement of the Cherokee, Seminole,
Muscogee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Ponca and Hochunk/ Winnebago tribes by the U. S. military was called The Trail of Tears. Indeed, it was a fitting description because the Native Americans walked 1,200 miles, suffered hunger, disease, exhaustion, and death (at least 4,000 lives were lost during the trek to western territories).
Also referred to as ethnic cleansing, the removal of the tribes was done by the government to clear land for white settlers. Here we are 172 years later, placing a “Border Closed” sign on the Statue of Liberty that has welcomed with open arms white immigrants from Germany, Russia, Serbia, Ireland, Italy, Czechoslovakia and other predom- inantly white countries.
We are reminded also of the quote, “If you are Black, get back!” “If you are white, you are alright,” “If you are brown, stick around,” when it comes to Black or brown immigrants. Most of the immigrants entering the United States today are Mexican, Columbian, Cuban, Guyana, Panamanian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan. Cities that have been selected to receive the immigrants have been Chicago (300), Washington, D. C. (8,800), New York City (2,200) and the home of Vice President Kamala Harris. To date, immigrants have been sent away by the gover- nors of Arizona, Florida, and Texas. To send thousands of immigrants to cities without notifying the destination cities created trauma for the immigrants and the cities who were unprepared to accept them. (Florida’s Gov. De- Santis just sent immigrants by private planes to Martha’s Vineyard at a cost of $12M).
Consequently, the Statue of Liberty should be reposi- tioned with her back to the sea with a sign that says, “Wel- come, white immigrants ONLY”. One advocate has asked the Department of Justice to investigate charges of viola- tion of civil rights because the migrants were targeted be- cause of their national origin.
Editorial Feature
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2022