Discussing race makes some people uncomfortable. Not Ron Clark. "I'm really quick to talk about race," the teacher, author and co-founder of the Ron Clark Academy told us during an interview this week. "In a lot of my speeches I talk a lot about the fact that I'm a white man teaching African-American children. If you don't see color, you don't see culture."
Clark will be honored with the President's Award on Sept. 17 at the NAACP Atlanta Branch's 2011 Jondelle Johnson Freedom Fund Dinner. "This is one of the greatest honors I can imagine receiving," Clark said. "This award is really a testament to the success of the school." Also during the event, activist Elisabeth Omilami and NBA player Dwight Howard will receive the Jondelle Johnson Legacy Award; the late Jondelle Johnson was a longtime executive director of the NAACP's Atlanta branch. Poet Hank Stewart and Kiss 104.1 FM radio personality Cynthia Young will co-host, and Kandi Burruss will perform. The event will be at 7 p.m. at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Tickets are $125 or $1,250 for a table. (For information call 404-756-5447, email freedomfund@naacpatlanta.org or see naacpatlanta.org/events.html).
In Clark's latest book, "The End of Molasses Classes," he details his journey from a small town in North Carolina to nationally recognized educator with friends in seriously high places. (Oprah Winfrey has stroked some hefty checks to assist the Ron Clark Academy, and made a surprise visit to the school's 2010 graduation ceremony). The 106 students at the Ron Clark Academy are superstars themselves; a video of them performing an election-themed song in 2008 on CNN received nearly 3 million hits.
Clark, who said he has not taken a single day off this summer, said the school is in the midst of a capital campaign to expand. The goal isn't necessarily to add more kids, but to be able to accommodate more visiting teachers. "Currently we’re training 3,000 teachers a year," Clark said. "If we could add on to our school we would be able to accommodate 6,000 educators a year." The school is $1.6 million into a $4 million goal. Clark, as always, is confident of success. "We’re like a fisherman with 20 lines in the water," he said.
Celebrity birthdays
Comedian-actress Lily Tomlin is 72. Actor Don Stroud is 68. Conductor Leonard Slatkin is 67. Singer Archie Bell is 67. Singer Barry Gibb is 65. Rock musician Greg Errico is 63. Talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw is 61. Singer Gloria Estefan is 54. Jazz musician Boney James is 50. Singer-musician Grant Lee Phillips (Grant Lee Buffalo) is 48. Country singer-songwriter Charlie Robison is 47. Retired NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway is 45. Actor Ricardo Antonio Chavira ("Desperate Housewives") is 40. Rock singer JD Fortune is 38. Actor Scott Speedman is 36. Rock musician Joe Trohman is 27.
Contributing: news services
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