Supporters

Profile of a Free Minds Supporter

An interview with Angelique Kwabenah (Ms. K)
DC Public Schools Incarcerated Youth Program

Angelique Kwabenah, fondly known as Ms. K by her students, is an avid reader and a wonderful teacher who works with students at the jail who have been identified as having a low reading level. As the Reading Specialist, she provides support and training for those students, and as the Testing Coordinator she administers the quarterly benchmark assessment. She has been a Reading Specialist with DCPS for the last six years. Before coming to work with the Incarcerated Youth Program, she worked as a teacher in Prince George’s county and later as a Reading Specialist. She was working at the Hamilton Center, a DCPS program for emotionally disturbed students, when she heard about the opening for a Reading Specialist at the IYP. She applied for the job and was offered the position that very day. Ms. K made time in her busy schedule to answer a few questions for Free Minds.

What are some of the obstacles you have faced?

Some of the obstacles that I have faced while working with the program are combating low self-esteem that my students exhibit when they come into the program. Many of my students are reading on a 3rd to 4th grade level and are embarrassed by this fact. A large part of my job is to help motivate my students to want to improve their reading skills. The first step is to help them feel confident enough to put forth the effort.

What is your proudest accomplishment?

My proudest accomplishment is working with two students who entered the program reading at the Below Basic level and when they left, they were both reading on the Proficient level.

What is your favorite thing about working with these youths?

My favorite part of working with my students is getting them excited about reading and learning. It is also very gratifying to help them to see the importance and relevance of reading proficiently and how it relates to their current and future lives.

How has this project impacted you?

I think this project has made me more committed to helping my students achieve success by improving their reading skills and exposing them to different genres.

Are you a reader yourself? What are some of your favorite books?

I am an avid reader. My favorite books are The Wedding by Dorothy West and Manchild in the Promised Land by Claude Brown. I am also a big fan of the Young Adult author Walter Dean Myers, and I probably have at least half of the books he has written in my personal collection of books.

What do you think of Free Minds?

I think that the Free Minds Book Club is a great program that provides books to students and encourages them to expand their minds through reading.

Supporters

We are so grateful for the generosity of both the individuals and institutions who make our work possible. Free Minds receives and has received financial support from the following foundations:

Capitol Hill Community Foundation
Collins Riley Fund
Commonweal Foundation Fund of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region
Compassion Capital Fund's Communities Empowering Youth Program
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
Dealey Foundation
Global Fund for Children
Harman Cain Family Foundation
Herb Block Foundation
Jovid Foundation
Lainoff Family Foundation
Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
National Book Foundation
New York Avenue Foundation
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
Snave Foundation
Social Solutions
Spring Creek Foundation
Su Pau Foundation
Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
World Bank Community Outreach Program
Xcel Energy

Free Minds thanks Mr. Devon Brown, Director of the DC Department of Corrections, Warden Simon Wainwright, Deputy Warden Brenda Ward, Reverend Betty Green and all of the dedicated staff at the DC Jail who continually support our program.

© Copyright 2006 Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop