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.