Lesson

This week, something that really touched me was the guest speaker.  I felt that he reminded me of Malcolm X, someone that I admire. I think what stood out to me both about the student and Malcolm X was there complete dedication to the ideals and beliefs that they had. I think that there are many people who can talk about what they believe in but there are not as many people who live and exemplify their beliefs in their actions.

The student talked about transformational learning and the way in which is re-learning of Islam impacted his actions. He quoted a verse from the Qu’ran and shared how the lesson he learned was manifested in him giving away his clothes except for the five pants and ten shirts.  I don’t think that there has been anything in my life thus far that I have believed in so whole-heartedly that a transformational learning has occurred within me. This semester I have felt as though the articles, chapter, and ideas we have discussed in the class have each raised excellent points. Some of these ideas I have applied to me readily. Other ideas I feel  are completely on point, but it seems so intimidating to follow through with the implementation of the ideals.

Malcolm X, for example, was a firm believer in the power of Black people. He recognized that Black people were fully capable of making a change in their lives. He preached about community, independence, honor, etc. He also exemplified these beliefs in the way he carried himself. He shared these ideas with those around him, whether or not they wanted to listen to him. I feel that I would be completely intimidated trying to speak to individuals about race or culture because many people feel that these are taboo issues that they do not want to discuss.

        I admire both the student and Malcolm X for not only their dedication but their belief in themselves. I think that sometimes I allow other people to shake my belief in myself and my ideas. I can become insecure in my own identity. This is something that I am currently trying to work on. Hopefully one day I will be just as passionate and dedicated as those two men.

Community Involvement

1.    Loeb suggests parents set models of community involvement or withdrawal for their children. What models would you like to exemplify for your children?

I want to set an example for my children that involvement in the community is EXPECTED of them. Wow, this really touches a never with me this week. There is an online magazine that I read, it’s called Clutch. It is targeted towards African American women. Over the past few weeks of reading the different articles and blogs, the idea of commitment to one’s community has been discussed several times. After reading one article in particular, a comment was made by a reader. She shared that she feels no commitment to anyone or any community, least of all her Black community. She reasoned that unless an individual was directly related to her, a close friend or boyfriend, she felt that she was not obligated to them and vice versa. That really bothered me!

          I strongly feel that we have an obligation to our communities. Whether this be your neighborhood, church, school, nation, etc., I feel that if we are not involved in our community and helping others to make a difference then how can we expect to live in the comforts that we have become accustomed to? Someone out there is helping us or doing something for us so that we can continue to live our lives. Someone is making sure that the water pumps are working so we can take a shower in the morning. Someone is cleaning the streets so that our neighborhoods look nice. Someone else making the clothes that we wear each day. When one of these things is not done or is not being done well, we see the effects of this.  How can we just sit aside and not attempt to make a difference then?

        I am currently not the most active person in my own community. Moving to a new area and trying balance graduate school has been really difficult for me. The adjustment has taken its toll on me in many ways, and my lack of involvement has been one area that was affected. At my undergraduate institution on the other hand, I was very involved and active in my campus community. As I reflect, I remember one day when one of my student organizations picked up trash in a neighborhood close to the school. At first, I was not looking forward to the experience. We were volunteering and had to get up really early in the morning, which I hate to do. But the experience was overall very interesting. I saw a friend of mine who was not involved in our organization, but he decided to help us anyways. I had some really interesting conversations with the members of our organization that day and learned some things about them that I may not have learned otherwise. One person even told us thank you for cleaning up the area. I didn’t realize the benefits that would come along with using one Saturday morning to pick up trash.

        I think that I want my children to realize that their involvement in the community is important and will actually impact someone, whether or not they are aware of it at that moment. I hope that I will not only be actively involved in my community but that my children will also be involved right along with me so that they can see my actions as well as hear my words.

Spring Break Reflection

                So for spring break I came to Ft. Lauderdale, FL to visit my brother and his wife.  It’s been an interesting vacation so far. Tonight, my sister-in-law and I watched this movie called “Day After Tomorrow”. Typically, I do not like these “end-of-the-world” type movies. When we first started watching the movie, I did not realize that it would be that type of movie. But 15 minutes into, I started to realize that I was not going to be like sitting through it. My sister-in-law convinced me to keep watching the movie though, so I did. The premise of the movie is basically that this man who was a scientist of some type, geologist, meteorologist, etc. I’m not sure, was somewhere in Antarctica drilling a hole in the polar ice cap when it began to break a part. He realized that global warming had begun to take drastic effects on the environment and the ice was melting. He then tried to present this information to the VP of USA, but the man was not willing to believe that action needed to be taken immediately in order to preserve nature because it cost too much money. Then strange things began happening all over the world. There was hail the size of beach balls in Japan, horrible ice storms in Europe, etc.  The main character began to recognize that an ice age was occurring and he tried to persuade those around him to see the changes as well. A horrible tornado-like storm destroyed California and hurricane’s began hitting New York. An ice storm then completely destroyed the upper half of North America, killing people who were outside instantly.

                The movie itself was pretty good, once I was able to sit and watch the entire thing. I will probably never watch it again because I don’t really like movies like that, but it really made me begin to think. We have been learning about the environment in this class and how we can have an impact to better our society. While the movie was kind of dramatic in its interpretation of global warming, I think that it really struck me because it depicted a possibility of what can eventually happen to our world as we know it if we are not careful. I think that what I really liked about this movie was that the main character stood up for what he believed in, despite the fact that no one else thought it was real. He spoke out to others, sharing his information with them and tried to encourage the VP to take a stance immediately. Although a move was eventually made and people started to finally believe him, it was too late for the people who lived in the North by then. I also admired the main character’s son. During the movie, he was stuck in New York but was able to speak to his father once. His father told him a deadly storm was coming and the best thing for him to do was stay inside and try to stay warm. A group of people who were at the library with the son decided that it would be a better idea for them to walk out of the city. The son tried to share his father’s advice with anyone who would listen but a older police officer felt that he knew what was better.  I thought that the son was courageous to speak up against older adults and state what he felt was right. He took on a leadership position with the small group of people who stayed behind and they were eventually rescued.  That also connected back to what we have been talking about in class because he stood up for what he believed in. We also see that leadership is not age specific, but instead can be found in any individual who is willing to stand up for what he or she believes is right.

                I felt that that there some great connections in the movie to the ideas we have been discussing in class. I would recommend everyone watching this movie if they get a chance.

Week 6 Blog

This past week I attended one of the Black History Month events hosted on campus. Soledad O'Brien, a CNN commentator, was brought to campus as a speaker. My only reference of O'Brien was from seeing her host the "Black in America" documentary on CNN. After listening to her introduction, I learned that she did three segments of the "Black in America" documentary, as well as a "Latino is America", and a few other documentaries I was not familiar with.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from hearing O'Brien speak. I remember when the "Black in America" documentary came out; a discussion was hosted on my undergrad campus to talk about it. One of the things that I remember being repeated several times was, "She don't even look black..." At the time I definitely agreed, so I guess in some sense I wanted to hear her speak so I could understand what this woman could tell me about being Black in America when she didn't even look black.

I can tell you that I was not disappointed. No, she didn't choose to focus on her genealogy, explaining to the audience what made her "black". She shared that her mother was Cuban and Black and her father was White and Italian, Irish, (I can't recall). After that, her conversation moved on to much more important topics. I felt that much of what she spoke about that night was related to many of the issues we are currently discussing in class.

She talked about leadership and how we are all able to be leaders. She noted that MLK Jr. was not some amazing man that no one else can ever be. She shared that he was a just a regular man, someone who would rather talk about his kids than work, but when the time came for someone to step up, he did. This made me think about chapter two and three in Soul of a Citizen. She shared a quote from Dante's Inferno, that the hottest place in hell is reserved not for those who made the decision to do something wrong, but for those who simply stand by and do nothing (paraphrased). This made me think about our bystander discussion in class. She talked about how one day she saw her mother stay after school at the school she taught, standing in the hallway as several White administrators were having a discussion with a young Black boy. She shared that at this time desegregation was still occurring, and it was apparent that no one really wanted the Black boy in their school. O'Brien’s mother stood in the hall way with these administrators and the boy, not moving after they told her she could go, just because she recognized the power she had as a witness to whatever injustice may have occurred to that young man. This made me think about the power we each have to make a difference if we effectively use the skills we have.

I felt that overall, O'Brien's message was powerful and inspiring. Her message was essentially simplistic but it resounded with me. She really made me feel as though I can make a difference. One thing that stood out to me was another quote she used, this one from MLK. She shared the he said once we have found our skill, we must use this skill to make a difference, use it like G-d has ordained us to do so. I agree. I'm not sure what my skill is yet. But I know that I have one. I know that once I recognize this skill and begin to hone it, I will be able to make a difference. I hope that I begin to do that soon.

Week One Blog



These are all descriptions of the person I identify myself to be. These identities define me and many times affect the way I act or the way I think.  I believe that my cultural identity is shaped by the characteristics that I portray in relation to the experiences I’ve had. There have been some great and some bad experiences associated with these identities, but they make me who I am today.

Week Five Blog

Week Five Blog

                So I’ve been meaning to watch the Erin Brockovich movie ever since it came out but just never got around to doing it. I finally watched the movie tonight, and I must say it was an excellent movie to watch. There were a few ideas that we have read in the text that showed up in the movie. I think one chapter that stuck out in my mind as I watched the movie was Chapter Three. Loeb writes about  the power of conviction that occurs when citizens take a stand for their beliefs. In the movie, Erin faced several deterrents that could have stopped her from reaching her ultimate goal. Family issues, threatening phone calls, lack of respect and knowledge, etc. were all issues that she encountered as she tried to make a positive change. She found within herself the conviction necessary to make sure she kept the promises that she made to each of the clients she was working with.

                I think that in the movie you see Erin go through a growth as she learns and matures. While Erin never really changes who she is as a person, she begins to learn and understand more overtime. She commits herself to doing the necessary background research in  order for her to understand what was going. I was impressed that instead of simply ignoring the inconsistencies of having medical and real estate files together, she did more background research and looked into what was going on. She went to the university and found a professor who could explain to her the information she found. She went to the factory site and gathered evidence to prove her points. I feel that many times we don’t want to the dirty grunt work necessary in order to even begin tackling the major problems.

                I also really respected Erin’s commitment not only to making a difference but to her clients as well. She went to each of their houses and got to know them personally. She knew their stories. She met their families and developed relationships with each of them. It was not just about the money. She wanted to make a difference in these individuals’ lives because they deserved the opportunity to live a better life than the one they were currently enduring. Even when she was sick, she went in to the office to work because one of the client’s husbands called her. I think that amount of dedication not just to the theory or a cause but to the individuals being affected is astounding. Sometimes I feel that we get so overwhelmed with the bigger picture that we forgot about the individuals who are being affected by our actions.

                I thought that the movie was inspiring. I feel that Erin is a regular individual like me. Sometimes movies have a way of making these heroes seem smarter, better, more mature, more focused, etc. than regular everyday individuals. I felt that the movie did a great job in keeping Erin a regular down-to-earth person who makes mistakes. I thought it was great that we got to see how her job had an effect on her children and relationship with George. It helped me to realize that everyone faces issues such as those while trying to bring about change. I can truly say that this movie really opened my eyes.

Week Four Blog

Week Four Blog

                This week I am to lead the discussion for the chapter review in the text book, Soul of a Citizen. This chapter is entitled “Village Politics”. After reading the chapter, I thought that the book brought up several interesting points that I agreed with. One thing that really stuck out to me in the text was when the book began talking about how a sense of community is disappearing in society. For awhile now, I have been thinking that we live in a very individualistic society. It seems that everyone is really more concerned with themselves and what’s going on in their own lives more than helping others. I know for  me this was a huge issue at my undergraduate institution. I always felt as though everyone was more focused on themselves and what was going on in their small part of the world. What about the larger issues that affect all of us? One thing that always stuck out to me was how Black students always wanted to complain that the university didn’t do anything for them. They felt that they were not being represented or that their voices weren’t being heard. I have to agree with that to a certain point. Since we are a very small minority, every program is not going to be tailored with keeping Black students in mind. I can understand the frustration though where it feels like all the major artists, programs, events, plays, etc. aren’t really trying to reach out to a diverse audience. But the way I see it, if we, Black students, aren’t involved in trying to make changes to these programs then nothing is ever going to change. It seemed like Black students found their own little communities and stayed there. I feel like we only had friends or join groups that had people who looked like us, talked us, liked the same things we like, etc. What about the larger community as a whole? How about stepping outside your comfort zone and joining the student government or programming board? I know that joining these predominantly white orgs. Is somewhat intimidating, but if we don’t attempt to develop a sense of community with everyone, we will never be involved in bringing about change. I don’t know, but sometimes I feel as though technology is separating us more than bringing us together. It’s like, if I can go on facebook and find ten black people who are into the same things I’m into and hang with them, I have no reason to step outside of the environment I’ve always know and try something new even if I’m constantly surrounded by different groups of people. I can be in a class or group with people of all different ethnicities, but if I can text or tweet or facebook someone who looks exactly like me no matter how far away they are, I never really have to develop a relationship with the people I’m surrounded by. I think it’s important to attempt to begin developing the community that has deteriorated over time. Community is important to developing the individual as a whole!