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Scroll Down for Entire list of Upcoming and Past Articles
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3rd Annual S.E.S.H.A.T Math and Science Conference for Middle School Girls--Click Here to Register
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5th Annual Sacred Sistahs, Inc. Awards Recognition and Scholarship Fundraiser Breakfast Program
Sacred Sistahs, Inc.
5th Annual Awards Recognition and Scholarship Fundraiser Breakfast
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Honoring:
Dr. Margaret Hill ˜Chandra Kelly ˜ Patricia Weston ˜ Dr. Judy White
The HourGlass Art & Wine Gallery
8200 Haven Avenue Suite 103, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
2:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m.
$50 per person
Keynote Address by Associate Pastor Myesha Taylor-Dunn
of Immanuel Praise Fellowship
Please RSVP to Dr. Tonia Causey-Bush no later than January 19, 2013
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5th Annual Sacred Sistahs Fall Fitness Event
November 24, 2012
Pre-register by: November 1, 2012
Entry fees:
$25 pre-registration includes a t-shirt
$35 on site registration
Walk-a-thon kicks off at 8:30 am
· $5 discount if you bring a pair of shoes to be donated to a homeless shelterProceeds go towards care packages for women and children in shelters
We will meet at 8:00 am at the Jessie Turner Center located at 15556 Summit Ave., Fontana, CA 92336 to fellowship and walk/run off our Thanksgiving meals
For more information or to register call:
Dr. Tonia Causey-Bush at 909.910.7564
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA)
STEM conference empowers young women to find careers
in science and mathematics
Imani Tate, Staff Writer"You are already born with what you need to be successful. It rests within your souls and spirits. What we seek to do today is help these seeds of skills sprout." Thus Dr. Tonia Causey-Bush of Fontana, the Ganesha High School graduate who founded Sacred SISTAHS Inc., explained the purpose of Sacred SISTAHS' second annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Conference for middle and high school girls.
Education, empowerment and exploration were the triple goals of the conference held April 14 at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont. It drew nearly 100 girls from Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties. Several elementary-age girls joined older siblings and friends considering STEM career options. Sacred Sisters In Solidarity Teaching And Healing our Spirits, a nonprofit educational mentoring program for African-American girls; Harvey Mudd College and Transcendence Children Services in Pomona cooperatively presented the conference because of a common concern about the low number of black girls and women in STEM college majors and careers. "Planting Seeds of Innovation" was the conference theme and the keynote address by Dr. Talithia Williams of Pomona, a Harvey Mudd associate math professor. "Excellence is your business. Be nothing less and nothing short of that," Causey-Bush warned. Women who'd already achieved success in the four male-dominated study fields, businesses and careers conducted conversations and workshops for the day designed to inspire confidence and disciplined focus among the young girls. Sacred SISTAHS member and technical consultant Akua Maat of Riverside; Kim Gadlin, acting assistant director of the Claremont University Consortium's Intercollegiate Office of Black Student Affairs, and Cal-Earth Institute senior instructor Bridget Butler of Victorville were among adults igniting the fire in girls' hearts. Gadlin let the girls know challenges - including the glass ceiling - can be overcome. Parents, teachers, youth advocates, mentors and positive peer supporters can help them stay on task, move forward and achieve success in their chosen fields, she advised. "Behavior is caught, not taught," Butler claimed, quoting the phrase she'd heard her father say since she was a little girl. Butler teaches ecological-minded individuals and residential contractors how to build sustainable homes that are healthy for the planet and humanity. Green, obviously, is her favorite color because it refers to the increasing trend to consider environmental balance and conservation measures in building construction. "I was never reluctant to consider and pursue math, science and technology because my parents, retired Los Angeles Unified School District teachers Vera and Sidney Butler, showed me with their actions and convictions I was an African-American child whose African ancestors created and mastered math and science," Butler said. "Just as my parents did for me, I encourage young people by personal example." Maat invited Butler to the STEM conference after taking a week-long Cal-Earth training session about building environmentally friendly residences. "It was very empowering. When Bridget finished with me, I knew I could build a house from the ground up. And that's what I'm going to do," Maat said, announcing her and husband Ahmses' decision to build a new home and artistic retreat based on green principles. Katarina Hoeger, a Claremont Colleges student and workshop facilitator; Sidney Butler and Williams emphasized education as the best route to significant success. Williams used the floral and vegetable gardens she and her husband Donald designed and installed at their Pomona home as an analogy. They were "paralyzed" for nearly three years, afraid to do something they knew nothing about, Williams admitted. They finally remembered the scripture about there being a season for everything under heaven, discarded their fears, identified short- and long-term gardening goals, found a landscape consultant and applied planting, thinning and harvesting instructions they'd researched. "Imagine the outcome. Envision the harvest. Plant seeds of innovation. And take the steps necessary to harvest positive possibilities," Williams said, likening the bright blossoms and wonderful produce she and her husband enjoyed to the girls' desire for college acceptance, graduation and interesting STEM careers. Alberto Ruiz, a Harvey Mudd physics major who migrated from Venezuela to Miami at age 10, served as a student guide and resource agent. He felt his experiences could help and inspire the girls. "A lot of minorities and women sometimes feel alienated and intimidated by science, math and technology," conceded Ruiz, an honor student. "But success in these fields is possible if you want it. You must first believe in yourself. We also believe in you and know nothing is impossible with personal faith and hard work." Identify what is available and personally interesting, then use that knowledge to stay focused and disciplined, Sidney Butler advised. Seek out teachers who care and accept the good character exemplified by family elders to realize your destiny, he added. Sacred SISTAHS Chaplain La Quetta Bush-Simmons of Fontana and Transcendence board president and software accounts executive Michael Lacy of Ontario addressed the roles spiritual connectors and community activists play in girls' success. "It's the responsibility of those blessed with opportunity to show others the path to success," Lacy stressed. "And to make sure no young woman fails to see her greatness reflected in adults tangibly manifesting greatness," Bush-Simmons interjected. Lehigh Elementary School sixth-grader Daria Jackson of Montclair, 12-year-old Thandiwe Bush of Fontana and Nia Rasshan, an eighth-grader at Ontario's Vina Danks Middle School, claimed conference leaders inspired them to do more. Nia comes from a family filled with educators, including mother Danielle Rasshan and grandparents Victoria and Khalif Rasshan, who've made sure she's not afraid to tackle technical projects others may be reluctant to pursue. "I really like math and science, so I thought this would be a good chance to learn more," Nia said. "I was right." Daria agreed with Nia, her cousin. She carefully selected workshops so she could discover more details about technology and add that knowledge to her interests in science and math. Thandiwe voiced particular pleasure about the conference's empowering elements which increased girls' self-confidence. Elysse Lawson, 14, of Fontana said conference adults showed her "women can do whatever they put their minds to do if they have the courage to overcome challenges." Autumn Dubra, 14, her 11-year-old sister Courtney and their friend Briana Arrington, 11, said their strengths in math and science enhance their artistic pursuits as student musicians, dancers and designers and that the lessons stressed by their respective mothers, Angela Dubra and Brandi Arrington, were reinforced by conference speakers.
(c) 2012 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA)
Conference helps parents assist their
daughters in preparing for an effective, successful future
Imani Tate, Inland Valley Daily BulletinParental principles about the value of education and the worth of daughters' pursuits of non-traditional college majors and careers were reinforced at the Sacred SISTAHS Inc.'s second annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Conference. The April 14 event held at Claremont's Harvey Mudd College and presented by the Sacred Sisters In Solidarity Teaching And Healing our Spirits helped parents learn how to help their daughters discover, discourse and deliver positive, productive possibilities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Claremont High School guidance counselor Nikki Mitchell and Harvey Mudd math professor Rachel Levy taught and learned from parents during the day-long conference cooperatively staged by the nonprofit educational mentoring organization, Harvey Mudd College and Transcendence Children's Services in Pomona. Levy and Mitchell identified 10 ways for parents to encourage and empower their daughters, but they also let parents help them and other parents. The exchange was based on the mutual goal of motivating girls to realize their full potential. The facilitators also stressed inclusion of sons in the parental pep talks and actions. The two top priorities were "teach your daughters and sons to become self-advocates" and "pull on their prior goal attainments and relate those experiences to academic goal-setting and achievement." One is never too young to start thinking about having good grades, particularly because grade-point averages are among deciding factors for college admission, Levy said about No. 3. "We don't want them to obsess about grade-point average, but they should cultivate it," Mitchell advised. "I've met too many juniors in high school who don't know what a GPA is," she said about the need to both define and achieve good ones. Organizational skills were the focus of No. 4 on the hints sheet. Mitchell and Levy suggested students carry an agenda or planner for school and daily life in order to visually view short- and long-term goals and accomplish the 10th goal of having a goal-set vision of college and career. "They should see things that are happening or will happen at a glance. That way they'll know they have to study Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, rather than socialize, because exams are coming up on Monday morning," Mitchell said. Agenda planning should start in middle school, so it's a habit by high school and collegiate years, Levy interjected. Hilda Kennedy of Upland, mother of 13-year-old Evelyn Kennedy, said students can use their SmartPhone for something other than a social tool. "They can use that technology to plan their study time and give themselves an academic alert," Kennedy contended. Mitchell said the SmartPhone idea was a point well-taken, but students should check with school officials about its use in classrooms. "I personally like writing things down because then I can check things off the list. But there's not one way to do it," she conceded. "Do what works for you." Mentoring was emphasized in Harvey Mudd math professor Talithia Williams' keynote address, event coordinator Tonia Causey-Bush's opening remarks, mentoring advice from Sacred SISTAHS board members Jerilyn Boykin's and Sadikisha Majadi's mentoring advice, comments by Rashan Walker of Environmental Systems Research Institute, Dr. Eleanor Williams, Society of Women Engineers president Scarlett Carrillo of the Society of Women Engineers and workshop facilitators Tracy Drain and Cora Carmody and conversations of all adults talking with or to nearly 100 girls. Levy and Mitchell put the responsibility of finding an effective mentor in the girls' hands. Go beyond your schools, families and neighborhoods if necessary to find a mentor with a steady hand, willing heart and dedicated spirit who's worth emulating, Mitchell said. "Tell your children it's OK to work for free," Levy said about the sixth suggestion about volunteering. Volunteering can help determine future careers. For instance, a girl who wants to become a physician should volunteer at a hospital. "If you're struggling in your science classes and you don't like needles and blood, you might not make a good doctor," Mitchell seriously said. Levy cited a personal experience. "Teens sometimes are more absorbed with social and hormonal things and repeatedly say to their parents 'I don't care.' Well, I gave my daughter a month to figure out what she cared about and to find passion in something positive and productive," Levy recalled. Her daughter decided to volunteer with an animal rescue program. It helped her overcome shyness, increased her self-confidence, taught her responsibility and communication skills and made her care about others, Levy said. Young people should know high school graduation and college admission requirements and parents must invest in their children's educational now and future, according to the seventh and eighth hints. Eliminate the word "can't" from a child's vocabulary and mindset, noted No. 9. James Hale of Los Angeles said he used Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliars" to improve daughter Jessica's perspective on possibilities. "Too many kids today don't want to work hard," Hale said, stirring "true, true" murmurs among parents. "They think there's a money tree in the backyard. I'm about working hard. I don't think everybody playing soccer, for instance, should get a trophy if they didn't all play hard to earn it. The trophy when you work hard academically is an 'A'. "This book is a great book about getting rid of the 'can't' mentality," Hale said. Donald Searcy of Riverside proudly recalled his Southern upbringing and families working together to assure the success of everyone in the family. "Help one another. It's about enlightenment," Searcy said about studying and seeking solutions with his daughter, Tyler Crawford. "You're not born smart. You have to work at it." Janis Schneider of Upland said she didn't rely on what she knew to help 12-year-old daughter Sydney succeed. She told parents to use the giveachildachance.org website to find resources, scholarships and programs. Pam Williams of Fontana, a history teacher at Lexington School in Pomona, brought her 14- and 11-year-old granddaughters Ceora and Naomi Williams of Rancho Cucamonga to the conference because she felt it was "a wonderful opportunity for girls to nurture their interests in math and science. Ceora, speaking for both girls, said her grandmother's ulterior motive worked. "I was very inspired and got good advice on how to thrive academically and keep going. I've also learned what to do to keep my academic dreams alive and how to get into the math and science fields I feel are interesting and rewarding," asserted the Summit Intermediate School eighth-grader.
(c) 2012 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA)
Sacred SISTAHS event seek to encourage
advancements in education for young black girls
Imani Tate, Staff WriterSacred SISTAHS Inc. members and guest panelists are human brick builders, laying foundations, overcoming anxieties and inspiring skills' development for girls scheduled to attend the group's second annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Conference Saturday at Harvey Mudd College on Saturday. SISTAHS is the nonprofit educational and mentoring organization's acronym for Sisters in Solidarity Teaching And Healing our Spirits, said Dr. Tonia Causey-Bush of Fontana, the Ganesha High School graduate and former Pomona resident who founded the group in 2004.
Causey-Bush created Sacred SISTAHS because she was alarmed about the negative behavior and attitudes of too many young black girls. She joined forces with her female relatives, friends and professional/community associates to link college-educated, career-minded and business-oriented women with girls. The organization soon stretched from merely mentoring to providing scholarships, hosting special events which give them more than a passing glimpse of academic and community life and, finally, staging the STEM conference. The conference targets middle- and senior-high school girls in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange and Riverside counties, but elementary-age girls may also attend when accompanied by parents. The first conference in 2011 was so successful, Sacred SISTAHS decided it should become an annual event. Sacred SISTAHS, Harvey Mudd College and Transcendence Children's Services in Pomona co-sponsor the event that is free to all girls. The conference again dedicates itself to seeking excellence in science, health-care, arithmetic and technology. Additional registration is being accepted from 8 to 9 a.m. Saturday in Harvey Mudd College's Galileo Hall near the school's open quad area. "We want to inspire each girl to fulfill her dreams and not accept a glass-ceiling mentality about women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics," Causey-Bush asserted. The theme "Planting Seeds of Innovation" reflects the inspirational nature of the participating careerists, college officials, health-care professionals, engineers, mathematicians, scientists and technology experts. "These women are all excellent role models, professionally and personally, and worthy of emulation," Causey-Bush contended. "The objective is to inspire each girl to fulfill her academic and career dreams. If they see someone practicing in a field they have an interest in, we're hoping these adult practitioners will plant the seeds and role model behavior." Establishing relationships with potential mentors hopefully creates "long-term pipelines that will continue through college completion and professions," continued Causey-Bush, principal of Mango Elementary School in Fontana. "These pipelines additionally involve the girls returning to the community as college-educated women with careers and unique professions. "They then are charged with the responsibility of inspiring, mentoring and motivating more girls," she said. The conference opens with a drum-dance performance featuring Chioma Bush, 14, on African drums and her sister, Thandiwe Bush, 11, doing a praise dance. Dr. Talithia Williams, a Harvey Mudd assistant math professor, returns by popular demand as the keynote speaker. "This conference is relevant because there are skills people need to have in order to create and maintain a functioning society," Williams charged. "People need to be financially literate and literate in math and science. You don't have to necessarily major in math and science, but you should be aware of math and science and know how to apply this in your own life." Starting the focus on math and science at an early age makes it easier to learn and adapt to standards markedly different than the humane and social arts, she said. "You don't have to be a genius to do well in math and science, but you do need to be able to do both relatively well," Williams continued. "Otherwise, we have to continue to import talent from other countries to fill certain jobs here. Being illiterate in math and science also means we cannot export our people to jobs in other countries where people do do math and science and do both well." As older experts retire or die, this creates an even greater need for a new generation of young Americans to fill the voids created by retirement or death, the professor claimed. "When you get people from diverse backgrounds, you get diverse solutions and increased solutions that address the total picture, not fragments of the picture," Williams opined. The conference will have two guest panels, one comprised of professional and business women in male-dominated careers and the other featuring female college students from Cal State Los Angeles' College of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science, the National Society of Women Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers. Workshops will include discussions of NASA science, space and technological programs; women in traditionally male-dominated careers and professional development. Participating professional panelists and workshop facilitators include Cora Carmody of Carlsbad, Jacobs Engineering senior vice president of information technology; graphic designer and visual artist Lakesha Johnson of Rancho Cucamonga; Dr. Rachel Levy of Claremont, Harvey Mudd assistant math professor; Dr. Ronda Hampton of Diamond Bar, psychologist; and Dr. Eleanor Williams, San Francisco Bay area physician, specializing in rheumatology and internal medicine. Additional panelists and facilitators include Tracy Drain of Santa Clara, NASA flight systems engineer; Rashan Walker, support analyst for the Environmental Systems Research Institute; Bridget Butler of Hesperia, workshop coordinator for CalEarth.org., and Dr. Elizabeth Glater who earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience before joining the Harvey Mudd faculty as an assistant biology professor.
(c) 2012 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.-
Local Student Gets Connected to Jacobs Engineering
http://www.inlandvalleynews.com/2012/09/05/local-student-gets-connected-to-jacobs-engineering/
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1st Annual Sacred Sistahs, Inc. S.E.S.H.A.T. Conference on Math and Science, "Envisioning a World of New Possibilities, March 26, 2011
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'Shero' awards honor four women for contributions to their communities
February 4, 2012
The San Bernardino Sun -
February 4, 2012
Fourth Annual Sacred Sistahs, Inc. Awards Recognition and Scholarship Fundraiser Breakfast Program
Saturday, February 4, 2012
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.Radisson Hotel Ontario Airport
2200 East Holt Blvd.
Ontario, CA 91761
$50 Registration Fee
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4th Annual Sacred Sistahs Fit-For-Fall Walk-A-Thon
November 26, 2011
The Third Annual Sacred Sistahs Fit-For-Fall 5-Kilometer Walk-A-Thon fundraiser will take place on Saturday, November 26, 2011 from 8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. at Red Hill Community Park, 7484 Vineyard Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA. $25 registration includes t-shirt. All proceeds will benefit our outreach program for women and children.
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Sacred Sistahs, Inc. Summer 2010 Rites of Passage Retreat
August 5-7, 2010
Lessons during the 2-day retreat will focus on self concept, perceptions of beauty, relationships, culturally relevant history, healthy eating habits and exercise including yoga, leadership development, college preparation, and financial literacy. Each participant will be provided with a notebook for assignments and should wear comfortable clothing for yoga postures. Call (909) 910-7564 for more information.
Sacred Sistahs, Inc. Summer 2010 Rites of Passage Retreat
4790 Dovehurst Way
Fontana, CA 91711
Thursday, August 5, 2010 , 5:00 p.m.
to Saturday, August 7, 2010 Concluding at 3:00 p.m.
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Sacred Sistahs To Hold Annual Walk-A-Thon Nov. 21, 2009
November 18, 2009
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Sacred SISTAHS Helps Mentor Area's Girls
November 20, 2009
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Sacred Sistahs, Inc. 2009 Rites of Passage
August 8-9, 2009
Sacred Sistahs, Inc. will hold its annual Rites of Passage for young women this summer in August at the Claremont Colleges. We will meet on Saturday, August 8, 2009 from
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and on Sunday, August 9, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Office of Black Student Affairs located at 139 East Seventh Street, Claremont, CA 91711. Upon completion of the program, some participants may be eligible to receive a stipend or a scholarship. Parents and family are invited to attend on Sunday as we close with a worship service and recognition ceremony.
Our program will target young African American women ages 11 through 18 and will consist of lessons focused on perceptions of beauty, relationships with young men including sexual health, HIV prevention, the benefits of abstinence, culturally relevant history, healthy eating habits and exercise including yoga, the importance of education and college preparation, and financial literacy. Each young woman will be provided with a notebook for assignments and should wear comfortable clothing for yoga postures.
The mission of Sacred Sistahs, Inc. is to empower, serve, and improve the overall health, well-being, spirit, and vitality of African American and African women and children. Since 2004, Sacred Sistahs, Inc. has conducted rites-of-passage programs and provided mentorship to young women to inspire and promote self esteem and positive self concept through an ongoing process of nourishing and elevating the spirit, mind, and body. Our motto is sisters in solidarity teaching and healing our spirit through prayer, empowerment, affirmation, and knowledge. For those seeking information for African American male rites-of-passage programs, please call Pastor La Quetta Simmons at (909) 229-1956 or Yolanda Gladney at (951) 532-7414, or email our partner organization, the Tehuti Educational Consortium, at tehuti@charter.net .
We look forward to seeing you and please feel free to contact us by phone at (909) 910-7564 or by email at info@sacredsistahsinc.org .
Respectfully,
Tonia Causey-Bush, Ph.D.
President/CEO, Sacred Sistahs, Inc. -
Sacred Sistahs Unity Circle
December 26, 2008
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Day of African Child and Elder Honors
September 6, 2008
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Rites of Passage Instills African History and Spirituality for Area Youth
July 11, 2007
