Dr.Monique Akassi's Paradigm Shift Show

Today on the Dr. Monique Akassi's Paradigm Shift Show by popular demand we will be discussing a very controversial topic that is problematc in many schools today among African American Students: "Rupturing the Notion of Acting Intelligent= Acting White.  Many of our students today feel as though the have to mask their intelligence for fear of being bullied, criticized, ostracized, and/or labeled as "acting white." As a result, a large number of African Americans, especially Black males, are beginning to hide how brilliant the truly are, which ultimately leads to poor grades, a higher drop out rate, and alienation in academia and corporate America.  1.What is contributing to this epidemic of equating intelligence with whiteness and abandoning one's culture? 2. Why are many African American students falling for false notions of what it means to be col and socially accepted while abandoning their opportunities of liberation through academia? 3. What can we do as educators, parents, families, and society in general to stop this vicious cycle and redefine what it means to be successful, cool, socially accepted, and brilliant in school?  Find out today on The Paradigm Shift Show!

On Wednesday, January 25, 2012 the Dr.Monique Akassi's Paradigm Shift Show will launch its first show for the Winter Season, "From the School House to the Jail House: An American Crisis." Dr. Akassi will be resurrecting some poignant issues regarding the downward spiral in our current educational system for marginalized students, the poignant bridge from the school house to the jail house,  and solutions. Dr. monique Akassi is a full time Assistant Professor of English Composition & Rhetoric at Virginia Union University and the author of two books, Neo Hybrid Pedagogy and Post Colonial Composition Pedagogy. Dr.Akassi is ready for an exciting upcoming new  season of Unveiling, Healing, and Proceeding in our American School System. This is definitely a show you do not want to miss!

Today at 1:00 p.m. The Paradigm Shift Show is proud to present a Thanksgiving Eve Exclusive Interview & Poetry Performance by award winning poet, writer, and author, Dr.  Randall Horton. Dr. Horton  is the author of The Definition of Place and the Lingua Franca of Ninth Street, both from Main Street Rag. Randall is the recipient of the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award, the Bea Gonzalez Poetry Award and most recently a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Literature.His creative and critical work has most recently appeared in Callaloo, Crab Orchard Review, and The Packingtown Review.Randall is a Cave Canem Fellow, a member of the Affrilachian Poets and a member of The Symphony: The House that Etheridge Built. He has a MFA in Poetry from Chicago State University and a PhD in Creative Writing from SUNY Albany. Randall is Assistant Professor of English at the University of New Haven. Join us live as Dr. Horton discusses how to connect with African Americans and its universal connection towards a movement of diversity and unity. For the first time live  on The Paradigm Shift Show, Dr. Horton unveils an intimate side to him through the power of poetry through his brilliant writings.

On Wednesday, November 9, 2011  The Paradigm Shift Show is proud to announce an exclusive interview with Dr. Gregory Howard, author of the highly acclaimed book, Black Sacred Rhetoric. Dr. Howard will be discussing his coined theory, Black Sacred Rhetoric; the cultural disconnection between many African Americans today regarding rich, traditional styles of oral delivery versus modernized versions influenced by Popular Culture; and how more African Americans in the field of teaching, preaching, and delivering can merge the gap between current divides within the discourse. The Reverend Doctor Gregory M. Howard is a native of Lancaster, Virginia and currently resides in Richmond, Virginia.  He is married to the former Margaret Edmond and is the proud father of two daughters, Destiny and Holli. Dr. Howard is Pastor of Union Branch Baptist Church in Chesterfield, Virginia where he promotes kingdom-like living by unconditionally loving God and all of God’s people. Prior to pastoring Union Branch Baptist Church, Rev. Howard served as Pastor at Jerusalem Baptist Church in Sparta, Virginia. Pastor Howard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management and Development from Bluefield College and a Master of Divinity degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.  Rev. Howard earned a Doctor of Ministry degree in Homiletics from the Aquinas Institute of Theology at St. Louis University. He was honored as a 2009 Joe R. Engle Fellow at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey.  He is the author of Black Sacred Rhetoric: A Commentary for African American Preaching.  Dr. Howard is also an instructor of Black Religion, World Religions, and Theological Communication at Virginia Union University. Civically, he is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., and actively supports several local, state and national conventions.

Today on The Paradigm Shift Show, the host, Dr. Monique Leslie Akassi, Assistant Professor at Virginia Union University, will be discussing how to (de)alienate the Black student in schools today from her chapter, "Unveiling Rhetorical Strategies in Postcolonial Era: Tropes of (De)Alienation in The Autobiography of W.E.B.Du Bois," which was published in the highly acclaimed book, Postcolonial Discourses and Renegotiations of the Black Identities, Dr. Clement Animan Akassi of Howard University. There is no coincident why so many minority students are feeling more alienated than ever since Plessy versus Ferguson and Brown versus The Board of Education. Join us today as we resurrect issues from the past and effective techniques to unveil, enlighten and uplift the Black student today on The Paradigm Shift Show.

On Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. The Paradigm Shift Show is pleased to announce an exclusive interview with Professor Cheryl Williams, Department Chair of Fine Arts and Theatre at Virginia Union University and the power of Theatre for students more than ever in the 21st century.  Today so many students in higher education are lacking the value of the arts and its connections to Science, Technology, Mathematics, etc., Professor Williams will be discussing the need for more Theatre majors in college today, and the benefits of declaring such an enriching major.In addition, she will be discussing the  revamping of Virginia Union University's Fine Arts/Theatre department this year.  Professor Williams is a member of Members of the Actors Equity Association, the major Theatre Union; She has also  worked at Onley Theatre as a Production Manager Faculty and Administrator at Morgan State University in 2003, and currently Department Chair at Virginia Union University. She will also be discussing the upcoming play that she is directing, “Big Momma N’ ‘Em” by Phyllis Stickney, which will  open October 14-16 and then October 21-23. This is an episode you do not want to miss!

Are you seeking publication consideration by a highly qualified, peer reviewed publishing company for academic books? Do you know the protocol for submitting works for publication? Find out this week! On Wednesday, 9/28/11 The Paradigm Shift Show is pleased to announce an exclusive interview by popular demand from our audience with Dr. Fairy Hayes-Scott, founder of one of the most sought after academic publishing companies, Robbie Dean Press, L.L.C., the traditional publishing parent company , which  is celebrating its 20 years in the industry. One way that Robbie Dean Press  is celebrating on its site is by announcing it’s seeking of faculty authors. This seeking of authors is for RDP. The focus of RDP is college faculty authors who wish to have their texts considered by its peer reviewed committee for publication so these works can be used in college classes. RDP  is interested in garnering new publishing and marketing clients. One special offer is $250 to the person who recommends either of our companies to an individual. If that person’s work is recommended for publication by the review board by either company and that person signs a contract with RDP , the person who recommended the individual will receive a gratis fee of $250.

On Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. The Dr. Monique Akassi's Paradigm Shift Show is pleased to announce that we will be having an exclusive interview with one of the most powerful writers of our time--Dr. Daniel Black--award winning Author & Professor at Clark University in Atlanta, regarding his ground ground breaking novel, They Tell Me of A Home.  He is also the author of two additional powerful novels,Perfect Peace and The Sacred Place. "The brilliantly told lesson we learn in reading Daniel Black's thrilling literary debut is that the power of unspoken love can carry us through life and that resentment, hate, and anger do not ultimately triumph over the will to embrace family, no matter how flawed. They Tell Me of a Home is laced with folkloric humor, mystery, and jaw-dropping surprises that prove that home may not be where the heart is, but it is surely where we must journey to know our true selves. Daniel Black wields a powerful pen, a sharp eye, and muscular prose in giving us a memorable, even haunting, story of the ties that bind."--Michael Eric Dyson, bestselling author of Is Bill Cosby Right? and Why I Love Black Women This is a show you don't want to miss! The show will be recorded and available to tune in at any time after the live interview. Callers are welcome to call in during the last ten minuted of the show for Q&A with Dr. Black.

On Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. the Paradigm Shift Show will be interviewing Professor Dabian Witherspoon regarding Marginalized Students' Writing Deficiencies & Attitudes Toward Learning in Freshman College Composition Courses. Professor Witherspoon is a full time Lecturer in the Department of English & Language Arts at Morgan State Universit. His  areas of concentration are film studies (digital story telling) & African American literature. He writes screenplays, novels, short stories, poetry, & nonfiction. He is the author of the book, STAND, and his chapter, "Process Pedagogy v. Current Traditional Rhetoric Pedagogy" is featured in the anthology, Post-Colonial Composition Pedagogy.

Are minorities and at risk students being targeted to enroll into for profit colleges? Are they fully accredited?Are they beneficial or setting students up for failure? For Profit Colleges, according to Professor Niner, focuses recruitment efforts on at-risk and local minority students and draw around 90% of profit from government funding to the students. Join us this Wednesday @ 1:00 p.m. as The Paradigm Shift Show investigates For Profit Colleges and an interview  with Patrick Niner is a professor of writing and literature at Florida Gulf Coast University. For eight years of his career he worked full-time at local for-profit colleges in Cincinnati, Ohio as a faculty member and, later, department chair of General Education.

This week on the Paradigm Shift Show we will be resurrecting some very controversial issues regarding one of the most disturbing questions asked today:Why are Marginalized Students Failing At Alarming Rates in Schools Today? Why are We Spending Approximately $30,000 on every Prison Inmate And Approximately $6,000 on every Public School Student  Annually in America Today? Why Is Our Students Taking A Downward Spiral In Academic Performance Today? Should We Continue To Focus on Class And Race As Major Reasons For Marginalized Students Continuing To Perform At The Bottom In Academic Performances Today? Find out this Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. on The Paradigm Shift Show as I talk exclusively about one of the most controversial topics today in America and forthcoming book, which launches at the end of this month, Post-Colonial Composition Pedagogy:Using The Culture of Marginalized Students To Teach Writing, Editor, Dr. Monique Akassi. Dr. Monique Akassi is also the author of Neo Hybrid Pedagogy in Post-Colonialism Composition, a Professor of English Composition and Rhetoric; she is the author of two books and the host of the Paradigm Shift Show. This is another episode you don't want to miss!

This Thursday at 1:00 p.m. The Dr. Monique Akassi's Paradigm Shift Show will be unveiling one of its most powerful episodes! We are proud to have award winning artist, writer, and educator with us, Phenomena a.ka.  Safiyyah Abdullah for an in depth interview and performance on the oppression of females today & its impact on them in schools and beyond.  She was with the Dallas Chapter of the Black Panther Party, worked with various other civil rights groups, has given various speeches on Islam, political struggles, i.e. Racism in America, Native American Historical event, African-American Historical events, the Intafada and the historical context of Palestine, taught classes in various Islamic disciplines, participated and organized numerous classes and conferences focusing on political and women’s rights, worked with Elishaba Shabazz and Pam Africa for Mumia Abu Jamal’s freedom, does Rape, Grief, and Domestic Abuse counseling, especially with those segments of the community that have a distrust of those in authority, taught junior high and high school children English & Communication with a socio-political base for 14 years, mentoring, coaching  and judging in the MIST (Muslim Inter-Scholastic Tournament) on both Regional and National levels, is working with Jay Winter Nightwolf on the yearly clothing drives for 7 of the poorest Native American Tribes in the Nation.  She released  her first CD entitled "Somethin' like a Phenomena" in October of 2010, which is sold out and is currently in its third production, and her first book, Tattoos & Taboos is currently in production. This is a highly anticipated show!

On Thursday, August 11, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. The Paradigm Shift Show will be interviewing Dr. Paul Mukundi, author of the ground breaking book, Preventing Things From Falling Further Apart: The Preservation of Cultural Identities in Postcolonial African, Indian, & Caribbean Literatures. Should educators talk about racial issues and identities in schools anymore? Can literary works serve as a compass for marginalized students who remain oblivious to self identity and its connection to past history? Are some minorities "culturally confused" about their languages, education, class, &statuses in the world today? Find out Thursday as Dr. Mukundi begins to discuss such controversial questions today and investigate a "post Chinua Achebe universe in which formerly colonized peoples make efforts to reconstruct their cultures by deconstructing some of the deleterious effects of colonization" (Mukundi). Are students suffering from  post traumatic colonial syndrome today? Find out Thursday at 1:00 p.m.!

Unveiling the power of the spoken word as a podium for marginalized students who are stripped of their voice through oppression. In today's generation where oppression is being practiced at alarming rates against students, Ron Kipling will discuss through his  work &  mission how the implementation of spoken word in classes can  enlighten and help many students, educators, and the communities at large. He will also be performing some of his award winning works from his cd, Aware and Outraged. Ron Kipling Williams is a political spoken word artist, human rights activist, and independent journalist. Ron has featured at venues including ArtScape, Center Stage, and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum., as well as with theater troupes such as the Arena Players, The Baltimore Theater Project, and the DC Coalition against Domestic Violence.Ron has written for major Baltimore publications, including the Baltimore Indypendent Reader, a social justice print and on-line media project. He runs his own artist/activist blog site, www.awareandoutraged.com. Ron has won several awards including the 1995 African American Unsung Hero Award; the 1998 Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Grant for Solo Performance for his one man show, If the World Were Like Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids; the 2007 Alice Cash Book Award for his poetry collection, Aware and Outraged: The Performance Collection Vol. 1; and the 2011 United Workers Human Rights Champion of the Year Award.

On Thursday, July 28, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. we have another wonderful show; an interview with Professor Allissa Richardson; she will be sharing with us her recent experience teaching mobile journalism this summer in Johannesburg, South Africa, and how she empowered the youth to tell their stories, using new media & technology. Prof. Richardson is Coordinator of the Journalism Program at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. She is also assistant professor of journalism at Morgan State University, former editor for Jet Magazine, and freelance writer for O, The Oprah Winfrey Magazine.

On Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. Dr. Monique Akassi's "Paradigm Shift Show" is pleased to announce that Professor Myron Strong will be joining us for an interview regarding a disturbing topic that has not received much attention, Are Educators Unconsciously Oppressing Minority Students through their lectures,  textbooks, and  behavior towards students? Professor Strong will be discussing this topic in depth from his forthcoming published chapter, "Moving Beyond The Canon As A Tool For Colonization" in the forthcoming anthology, .Post-Colonial Composition Pedagogy: Using The Culture of Marginalized Students To Teach Writing. This is another show that you definitely don't want to miss!

On Thursday, 7/14/11 at 1:00 p.m. The Dr. Monique Akassi's Paradigm Shift Show is pleased to announce that Professor Kami Fletcher, author of "When Did the n-word Become About Freedom of Speech?  Understanding the Effects of When the n-word is Spoken in the Classroom" from the forthcoming anthology, Postcolonial Composition Pedagogy: Using The Culture of Marginalized Students To Teach Writing, will be our guest to discuss the delicate debate regarding the usage of the "N Word" in schools.  Should it be accepted?  Should educators be allowed to use it around students in the name of authenticity in readings?

On Thursday, 7/7/11 at 1:00 p.m. The Dr. Monique Akassi's Paradigm Shift Show is pleased to announce that Professor Paula Ashe, author and educator, will be our guest for the first show to launch next week regarding the controversial debate--should the African American Vernacular English (Ebonics) Be Accepted In Schools Today? Professor Ashe is also the author of  "Power. Language, and Identity: Signification in The Works of Geneve Smitherman," a chapter in the forthcoming anthology, Postcolonial Composition Pedagogy: Using The Culture of Marginalized Students To Teach Writing.Dr. Monique Akassi's Paradigm Shift  will air every Thursday, beginning 7/7/11  at 1:00 p.m. The show will serve as a forum for educators, writers, & artist.Topics will focus on controversial issues on a local, national,& a global level regarding education for students, the teachers, parents, and society at large.