Race Still Matters

This article, Race Still Matters: Moral Amnesia in America, by Christian Century, speaks on the ongoing racial injustices and prejudices blacks face on a daily basis, whether it be in our court rooms, business, and housing. Blacks are still related as second rate citizens, and though we are in the 20th century it doesn't look like anything will be changing anytime soon. The article talks about all that went on during the civil rights movement and how we have gained much from what our ancestors did, but we continue to fight for a movement that has not yet reached a solution. This article relates to The Big Sea by Langston Hughes in regards to the race issue found in the book. Langston mentions many times, the racial injustices he face in his lifetime. Prime examples of this would be when he was denied service at a soda shop in the train station, or when he went off to school at Lincoln, and during his jobs working on the ships. Langston had many experiences being denied from so many things based on his race, but he never let it get him down, nor hold him back. He kept on fighting and learned to love himself even more. Today we must not let ignorance of others hold us back from achieving our goals, nor make us feel less of a person. We are all people no matter what race we are, and everyone needs to realize that.

P.S. Here is the link to the article:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_4_123/ai_n16439652

English 002

As English 002 comes to an end, I have reflected back on my experience in the class. At the beginning of the year I was skeptical about the class, assignments, and the way Mrs. Diaz graded. I soon began to improve in my writing, learned about different authors, and enjoyed the writing assignments we were given. I enjoyed my English class as well as the many activities we partake in. I will miss those in the class and the many discussions we had. I hope everyone has a great break, as well as a wonderful year at Howard University.

The Big Sea

The Big Sea is the autobiography of Langston Hughes, poet and author. His book so far has shown many views of his life. He comes from a home where not much love is shown nor received. He has no relationship with his father, and his mother is in and out of work. Langston is a very intellectual man, who enjoys learning and exploring. He is a proud black man who has a passion for reading as well as poetry. Langston has traveled many places, and enjoys learning different cultures. The Big Sea captures the essence of Langston as a person, and as a writer. I have enjoyed reading this book, and I recommend this book to everyone.

AIDS In D.C.: Tunring Anger into Action

This article is about the epidemic happening right here in our nation's capital. Washington DC is home to the worst HIV/AIDS rate in the country. One in 20 DC residents are infected with the disease, in some neighborhoods, the number is even higher. Nicole Styles, a woman trying to help spread AIDS awareness by passing out free condom kits and encouraging everyone to use them. She feels the government should have called a state of emergency in light of these staggering cases of HIV/AIDS. Most of these cases are black or gay. It is unfortunate that our government has done little if any to help those who are infected, and help those from getting infected by spreading awareness, and having programs to educate people on this horrific disease. Here is the website for this article: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3905808&page=1

The Big Sea

The Big Sea, the autobiography by Langston Hughes is one that we are reading in English class. So far, I like the book. Langston Hughes is a very deep and analytical thinker. Throughout the the sections I have read, the topics have been on racism, education, and family. I feel that the relationship that Langston has with his father is one that is very tarnished and broken. They do not have a bond that a father and son should have, which is very unfortunate. Langston and his mother have a somewhat love hate relationship for one another. Langston's mother tries to make Langston feel bad for going off to school and visiting his father. Langston really loves to read as well as learn. Education seems to be very important to him, and he knows that he needs education to succeed in the time period his is in. When it comes to racism, Langston is very observant of his fellow citizens, and how they act towards him. Whites are sometimes confused as to whether Langston is black or Mexican. Langston is very proud to be black and is not afraid to tell whites, " I am black". This to me shows a sense of pride and dignity, which was so hard for blacks to have back in the '20s and '30s. So far, The Big Sea is a good read!

Indie Film

The movie that we watched in our English class about the Arab-American boy was a very good movie. It is about a young Arab-American boy who wants to be the cowboy in the game cowboys and Indians, with the neighborhood kids. The leader of the cowboys tells the boy he can't be a cowboy unless he has jeans and a belt, otherwise he has to be an Indian. This Arab-American boy finally gets his jeans and his belt, and tells the cowboy that he now has what he needs to be the cowboy. The boy says that he can be the leader of the Indians but can't be a cowboy, because "mixing things up" would confuse people. The boy finally let the Arab boy be apart of the cowboys, but when he gets to be a cowboy the Arab boy sees that it's not a fulfilling as he thought it would, because he says that he is still not being fully accepted by the others. It goes to show that many races feel not wanted by whites, and that they go through many hardships when it comes to their race, culture, and religion.

The Boondocks

I did a presentation on Identity within the comic strip The Boondocks. I focused on some of the main characters, and how they deal with identity. Huey, the older brother sees himself as a black revolutionary. He sees himself as a real black man, who doesn't want to be controlled by the white man. Then there is Riley, the youngest boy. He sees himself as a real thug. He goes around "acting tough" and reinforcing stereotypes others have of blacks. I feel that Riley is pretending to be something he is not. It seems to me that he is trying to portray a character he thinks everyone wants to see. The next character I focused on was Jasmine. She is a biracial girl, who is confused as to who she is. She says that she isn't black, but she doesn't say she is white. She is very confused as to what her race is and the type of person she is in general. I feel her parents are creating this confusion, because they don't want to let her know that she is of mixed races and explain to her what she is, and how to deal with her image and the image others have of her. The Boondocks is a tale of identity and race plays a major role in the way the characters behave as well as view themselves. To understand The Boondocks, you must read between the lines.

Straightening Our Hair

Bell Hooks, the author of this essay, spoke on the many reasons why black women choose to wear their hair straight. Whether it be to conform to society, gain self-esteem, or for the attention of males. The author seems to have a negative relationship with straight hair. She mentioned that when she was younger she too wore her hair straight, and that it was because she felt she became somewhat more of a woman when doing so. She feels that black women who straighten their hair do so to become desirable to men, to be accepted my whites/society, and to have a more "manageable" hair style. I feel some of this to be true. I straighten my hair; not to conform to society or to be desirable to men. I do it for myself and myself only. I do like my hair straightened, and I feel that it looks good on my face structure. I don't feel like I have been "brain-washed" by whites to straighten my hair to look more "beautiful". Nor did I have a mother who promoted straight "beautiful" hair. My mom has always had a natural hair style, whether it have been a short cut, a mini Afro, or what she has currently, dreadlocks. I did have natural hair up until middle school, and I felt I needed a change, and decided to begin straightening my hair. I straighten my hair because I want to look nice. I feel that straighting my hair gives me a look of sophistication and maturity. I do not object to women wearing their hair natural, I feel natural hair is beautiful as well, it's just not for me. Black women have the right to choose their hairstyle, just as white women. Black women should not be judged nor labeled for the hairstyle they choose to wear. Relaxed, natural, or straightened hair, does not determine who the woman is on the inside.

Slave Resistance - Revelations

Reading Slave Resistance gave me a very deep look into slavery and the hardships slaves went through. Slave Resistance, describes the revolts slaves took part in during slavery. The essay speaks on the self-mutilation and suicide slaves performed on themselves, as a resistance to slavery. Slaves had few rights, which opened up the door for their masters to brutally abuse and mistreat them. White masters always feared that their slaves were poisoning them, so most masters had an official taster. Many revolts took place during the slavery time period; many were successful, and many were not. Many slaves were severely punished for the revolts the were involved in. Many were hung while others were severely beaten.
This essay really gave me an inside look at the treatment my ancestors endured. It saddens me to read the brutality they faced. All the hard work they did; it made no sense for the treatment they received. To me, slaves went through so much for the development of America. Blacks literally shed blood, sweat, and tears to make this country what it is today. Blacks built this country, and yet we are treated as though we just arrived to this country.

Barack Obama Convocation

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the convocation, due to tickets being sold out. My friend was able to go, and told me all about it. Presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke on many different issues. He spoke on the Jena 6 and Katrina aftermath; saying that both of these unfortunate events shows that their is still racism, and that we have much to do in order to eliminate it. Mr. Obama also spoke on the criminal justice system, and how if he is elected, everyone will be given equal treatment with no regard to race,social standing, or economic background. He also spoke on the need for civil rights lawyers in the Supreme Court. Obama spoke on education, and creating a better America. I feel Obama knows what direction this country needs to go in. If he were to become president, he would make life better for many Americans, and turn this country around, and lead it in a better direction than our current president. Unfortunately, I feel the majority of America is not ready for a black president, and we are years away from being ready. I personally think it is time for a black man to take office. Barack Obama has my vote!

Festival of Women's Film & Media Arts

The films shown at the film festival were very good. The two films I was most intrigued by were, What Beauty Beholds and Chocolate City. What Beauty Beholds, was about a college student who struggled with a value system based on skin color. She also struggled on finding what beauty meant. Her mother was African, struggling with her beauty. The mother used bleaching cream every day, in order to become lighter. The college student was very confused, when it came to beauty, and as to why her mother felt that, the lighter your skin, the better.
Chocolate City, was about the ongoing gentrification of Washington DC. The focus was on local women who continue to struggle to make their voices heard and keep their communities intact. It opened my eyes to what was happening in the black communities. They we're being forced out of their homes, so developers could build new, luxury condos for those who want the urban experience, yet beautiful homes. Basically, they were building these homes for whites. Watching this upset me. I felt, why should blacks be forced to move from the home they knew so well? What gives these developers the right to tear down their homes, and build homes for "outsiders"? These movies were great, and I am glad that I was able to experience this great film festival.

09/21/07 Speaker

The speaker from the Center For Applied Linguistics brought about different discussions for the class. One of the heated topics that came up was whether we should call ourselves African-American or Black. Personally I consider myself an African-American. I consider myself this, because I truly am African-American. My father is Nigerian, and my mother is Black American. I feel though, that Blacks should refer to themselves as Blacks. They can't truly call themselves African-American, because they don't know the African side of their heritage. So I totally understand why Blacks would rather be called that, rather than African-American. The other topic that brought discussion was, whether Black vernacular, or "Ebonics" should be considered a language. Many did not think Ebonics should be considered a language. I agree. This is because if it were to be viewed as a language, other race's would assume every Black person must speak Ebonics. This would not be true, considering I do not speak Ebonics. I don't even know what words or phrases would be considered Ebonics. So I feel Ebonics is a vernacular, not a language. This speaker brought out discussions, that I feel brings out every one's personal opinions, which is a good thing. It's nice to hear what your classmates think and feel.

Dr. Earls Speech

Dr. Earls speech was one of the best speeches I have heard. He spoke so eloquently and truthfully. The humor he used was refreshing, as well as priceless. The Bouchet Graduate Honor Society is a wonderful opportunity for students wanting to pursue a graduate education. We need more minorities in higher education and those with degrees, such as a Ph.D in the work force. I know he inspired me, and hopefully others to pursue a Ph.D.

Jena 6

I personally did not attend the 'Jena 6' rally on Howard's campus, but am familiar with the story surrounding the case. Six black teens have been charged with attempted second-degree murder, with one of them getting a lesser charge of aggravated second-degree battery. They assaulted a white student, who had, along with other white students, been harassing these black teens through racial incidences. The white students had only been given in-school suspension for them hanging nooses on a tree, while the black students who assaulted the white boy, are awaiting trial.
This case goes to show that America is still filled with racism and is still unfair to minorities, especially blacks when it comes to our legal system. It really upsets me. Americans say that racism is nonexistent and that it is a thing of the past. How can anyone say this and truly believe it when blacks are given unfair legal treatment, and when whites are put on a higher pedestal than any other race? This case really disturbs me, because I have an older brother, and in high school he had been harassed by white students. They used racial slurs, disturbing racist pictures and more. My brother had reacted to this harassment that the white students were directing towards him. My brother could have easily been in the same situation as these boys, and charged with attempted murder. So for me I am very disturbed by the way this case is going.

Robin's Blog: Katrina by Glenda Dicker/sun

Robin's Blog: Katrina by Glenda Dicker/sun

Katrina by Glenda Dicker/sun

Glenda's Katrina: acting black/playing blackness, is an article that makes you think. She is right about the fact that the media represented the displaced people as "dirty,poor,inarticulate,faceless population too stupid to heed the dictates of the powerful." The media showed numerous pictures and video footage of blacks suffering, dying, and with no hope. I don't understand how anyone, including blacks, can "act black". To me there is no such thing. However, to the media that's just what they constructed when playing the footage of blacks looting stores and trying to feed their family with food that had taken out of stores. I personally feel that the reason the aftermath of Katrina played out the way it did, was because the majority of "refugees" were black. Plain and simple, there is no way of getting around the fact that the reason they were not rescued sooner, and cared for in a expedient manner was because the color of their skin. It is unfortunate that it is the 21st century and we in America still have issues with race. All the years that have gone by since Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech, we still as people learned nothing from it. We still have hatred, racism,prejudice,and ignorance in us. I don't know how many more years it will take to eliminate those horrible things from us. There may not be enough years left on this earth, to eliminate such things.

Borderlands/La Frontera

In Borderlands/La Frontera, Gloria Anzaldua speaks of the U.S. Mexican Border. She uses vivid comparisons and analogies when describing the U.S. Mexican Border. In the second sentence she describes worlds merging by comparing it to a scab that gets worse, before it gets better. The way she describes the people that live on the "other side" of the border, was in a way harsh. It seems to me that she feels resentment and bitterness towards the border situation. Her closing sentence was a strong way to end the paragraph. It made you think.