Turning Point of Lansing Rites of Passage Transition Celebration 2015“RITES OF PASSAGE” CEREMONY HELD MAY 13, 2015 AT LANSING COMMUNITY COLLEGE DART AUDITORIUM IN LANSING, MICHIGAN TO RECOGNIZE AND CONGRATULATE THE TURNING POINT GRADUATING SENIORS AS THEY TRANSITION INTO MANHOOD!

Thanks to the “Elders” of the Turning Point of Lansing for the Time and Love They Contribute to the Minority Youth of Lansing, Michigan

The Turning Point of Lansing is a non-Profit Organization operating in the Greater Lansing, Michigan area consisting of a cadre of Men who are Leaders in the Black Community who are focused on providing guidance, encouragement, mentoring and other assistance to a group of high school and middle school students from throughout the Greater Lansing area.

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Turning Point of Lansing

Visit the www.theturningpointoflansing.org to Learn More or to make a Donation

THE TURNING POINT OF LANSING, MICHIGAN – MEN AND BOYS WORKING TOGETHER TO TURN BOYS INTO MEN WHO CAN

CONTRIBUTE TO OUR COMMUNITY!( P I C T U R E C R E D I T T O T U R N I N G P O I N T F A C E B O O K W E B S I T E P R O F I L E P I C T U R E )

CREDITS AND INTRODUCTION

I WAS PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE 2015 “RITES OF PASSAGE” GRADUATION CEREMONY OF THE TURNING POINT OF GREATER LANSING, MICHIGAN ON MAY 13, 2015 AT THE LANSING COMMUNITY COLLEGE DART AUDITORIUM. THIS IS MY SECOND YEAR ATTENDING A RITES OF PASSAGE CEREMONY HERE IN LANSING AT WHICH YOUNG MEN ARE RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR SPECIAL EFFORTS TO GROW INTO CONTRIBUTING AND VALUABLE MEMBERS OF THEIR COMMUNITIES AS THEY TRANSITION FROM BEING BOYS INTO YOUNG MEN WHO WILL BECOME THE LEADERS OF COMMUNITIES OF COLOR IN OUR CITY, STATE AND NATION.

THIS IS SUCH A VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO THE CHARACTER OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT I WANTED TO DOCUMENT IT AND MAKE THE ENTIRE GREATER LANSING COMMUNITY AWARE OF THIS POSITIVE FORCE FOR CHANGE AND IMPROVEMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY BY FOCUSING ON ONE OF OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCES – OUR CHILDREN WHO ARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF OUR HOPE…

THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION IS BASED ON INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE TURNING POINT IN THE PROGRAM SOUVENIR BOOKLET THAT WAS DISTRIBUTED TO THE PUBLIC IN ATTENDANCE AT THE CEREMONY. THE PICTURES ARE SNAPSHOTS WHICH I PERSONALLY TOOK AT THE PROGRAM AND RECEPTION AFTERWARDS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THE PICTURES AND INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

What Is the Turning Point?

The Turning Point of Lansing is a Group Male Mentoring effort that provides African American males with an opportunity to explore the daily challenges that they encounter, as they work to achieve success in school, their communities, and in life. The program serves young men, grades 7 – 12, who attend a Tri-County (Ingham, Eaton, Clinton) area school. The program has been in operation since 2006 and is a 501©(3) not for profit organization.

This organization survives on Donations from the community of money and resources, and on the significant amounts of time donated by leaders and interested persons in the Tri-County community.

The Turning Point has as its primary goals the following:

- Establishing pride in our young men- Providing motivation for academic and personal achievement- Providing direction on tough issues (both relationship and scholastic)- Providing a forum for discussion- Establishing meaningful relationships through group mentoring

The Turning Point of Lansing strives to provide its program participants with cultural awareness, positive attitudes and the professional skills through an afro centric programmatic theme, which is based on the “7 Principles of Kwanzaa.”

“Kwanzaa is a celebration that has its roots in the black nationalist movement of the 1960s, and was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study of African traditions and Nguzo Saba, the "seven principles of African Heritage" which Karenga said "is a communitarian African philosophy".

Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba—the seven principles of African Heritage), which Karenga said "is a communitarian African philosophy," consisting of what Karenga called "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." These seven principles comprise *Kawaida, a Swahili term for tradition and reason. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:

The 7 Principles of Kwanzaa Which Guide and Focus the Mentoring Program of the Turning Point of Lansing are:

Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems, and to solve them together.Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Taken from Wikipedia Internet Encyclopedia, Article on Kwanzaa

Want Detailed Information About Turning Point of Lansing or to Make a Charitable

Deductible Donation?Visit the Turning Point website at www.TheTurningPointOfLansing.Org or Like The Turning Point of Lansing on Facebook!

The May 13, 2015 Graduation and Rite of Passage Celebration

Ceremony

Dr. Carl S. Taylor, Featured Speaker and Recipient of Kevin D. Bibbs Memorial Award

Dr. Carl S. Taylor, Professor of Sociology and a Senior Fellow in University Outreach and Engagement at Michigan State University, was selected to receive the Kevin D. Bibbs Memorial Award. Dr. Taylor is nationally recognized for his work in understanding gangs, youth culture, and violence in our country today.

He served on the Michigan Juvenile Justice Committee for more than ten years, and advises various projects concerning youth throughout the nation. He is a recognized criminologist and also ecologist, and is widely praised for his work as an ethnographer. He takes pride in having worked in some of the most isolated and distressed communities in the nation.

Martha and Coach James Bibbs Were Present to Witness the Kevin Bibbs Award

to Dr. Taylor

The Highlight of the Evening Was the Graduation or Rite of Passage Kwanzaa CeremonyThe Young Men and Boys who Participated in this Ceremony Are a living Testimony of the Love and Time that their “Elders” Have Expended on Them as Members of the Group and As Individuals Over the Past Nine Months of the School Year and Turning Point Program!

The Ceremony was Beautiful, and the Effort and Preparation of the Young Men for this Special Occasion was Evident.

WE WERE ALL SO PROUD OF THESE YOUNG MEN, AND ESPECIALLY THE GRADUATING SENIORS OF THE GROUP!

The Graduating Seniors of the 2014 – 2015 Turning Point of Lansing Organization

The Focus of the entire program at the Rite of Passage Ceremony was on the Achievement, Maturation, and Moving Forward of the Seven Graduating Seniors from the Group who passed from the realms of Boys to the world and challenges of Young Men!

The seven Seniors recognized for their perseverance and achievements were:

Brandon Devon Beckum, Graduating Senior from J. W. Sexton High School of Lansing, Michigan

Lawrence Davis, Graduating Senior from East Lansing High School of East Lansing, Michigan

Jarohn Gibbs, Graduating Senior from East Lansing High School of East Lansing, Michigan

DeJuan Jones, Graduating Senior from East Lansing High School of East Lansing, Michigan

Soloman K. Sanders, Graduating Senior from Grand Ledge High School of Grand Ledge, Michigan

Brandon Smith, Graduating Senior from Eastern High School of Lansing, Michigan

Isaiah Wasson, Graduating Senior at Oak Park High School of Oak Park, Michigan

Each Senior Received Special Recognition for Effort and Success!

*Pictures and Bio Statements are taken from the Rite of Passages Event Program Booklet distributed at the Ceremony to Guests

A Proud and Happy Group of Elders, Seniors, and Other Members of the Turning Point of

Lansing 2014-2015

Special Thanks and Appreciation to Each Elder Involved in the Turning PointIt takes a Special Man in Our Community to Take Time Out of His Personal Life and Away from His Family to Mentor and Guide and Love a Young Man Who Might Need Just a Little Help to Fulfill His Potential During those Difficult Adolescent Years encompassing the Transition from Boyhood to Manhood.

If you see any of these Elders in the Community, Reach Out and Thank them for their Service to Our Children and Young Men!

Acknowledgements and Thanks to Organizations, Groups and Individual Donors Which Provided Support to the Turning Point of Lansing in 2014 - 2015

Special Thanks to Lansing Community College for their Investment in Our Young Men and for Hosting this Rite of Passage Ceremony and the Buffet Reception After the Ceremony!

Howard’s Photo Album from the May 13, 2015 Rite of Passage CeremonyEveryone has a special or favorite kid in the Turning Point Program that they are rooting for to have a breakout positive experience as the result of the efforts of the Turning Point Elders. I am rooting for Tim and the Elders who are working with him!

A separate Presentation Entitled Turning Point of Lansing Transition Celebration 2015 Photos is Also Uploaded to Document the 2015 Turning Point Rite of Passage Ceremony. That photo album contains more than 90 photos of varying degrees of quality showing the Rite of Passage Ceremony, the Celebration Reception which immediately followed the ceremony, and some of the persons attending the Ceremony and/or Reception.

Feel free to use these photos in this Presentation or in the accompanying photo album as you wish; No copyright is enforced for normal personal use, sharing, or publication.

-- Howard T. Spence, Photographer