white privilege

13, 21, 26, 34, 48 
48. I have no difficulty finding neighborhoods where people approve of our household. 


I live in Bethesda, Maryland, in what I can assume is a predominantly white community. Most of my neighbors currently attend or attended a private school. To be honest and somewhat cliche, i have never thought about the diversity make-up of where I live before, and maybe it's because it was never drawn to my attention until now. Like most people who live in the same type of neighborhoods that I do, I feel like we subconsciously take for granted the ability to move into "popular", or more sought after neighborhoods (close to work and school) and not be harassed, judged, or discriminated against. 

Affirmative Action

Affirmative action helps to provide 'access to opportunity' for people who have been descriminated against on account of their race, religion, sex, or national origin. The concept itself brings attention to discrimination because it focuses on the number of minorities, rather than addressing who might actually be qualified for the position. However, like West says, "The elimination of affirmative action would only justify racial discrimination." For example, let's say a store owner is in charge of hiring one new worker that will work at the cashier - there are three people applying for the job, a white woman, a black man, and a white man. Regardless of who the store owner chooses, there will be some conflict with affirmative action. If one of the men were chosen, the woman might feel that she was discriminated against because she was not the same gender as they were - or how about if the black man was picked, this might suggest that the owner only hired him because he knew he needed a more diverse staff, but mostly because he didn't want to look 'racist.' I personally believe that Cornel West's statement is incredibly accurate, but leaves us as a society made up of very different people struggling with the question of whether affirmative action is actually effective and fair.

Creative Collaboration - Visual Essay

1. By definition, “creative collaboration” is the sense of being productive, creative, thoughtful, understanding, open and strategic as a group. My group was assigned the cafeteria as our space for our visual essay. Our goal was simple. We all knew what we wanted to achieve through our thesis: to show whether or not an early intervention proves to be beneficial in the war against segregation and the human tendencies as kids grow up. From the moment we wrote down our first thoughts and ideas, to watching the finished product, we, as a group worked as a team. We all came up with ideas of where and how to take the pictures, and what potential thesis could be, which in the end, resulted in a project based purely on at least one idea from each member of the group. We split up the project to fit our strengths. I felt like all of the members of the group monitored their “flow,” or rather, submerged their ego well. Like most group projects, after many disagreements you just want it to be based on your ideas, and your work. However, we realized for this project we all had contribute and work together because we had different perspectives that would just make our final product better.  While our group was great at saying what we thought, being enthusiastic, knowing our strengths and being empathetic, we struggled with mostly with equally dividing up the tasks. However, all in all we had a very productive, focused, and determined group.

2. My main strategy for being a leader was to listen to everyone’s opinions and build off of them. One part of the project where I saw myself as a leader was in the making of the video. One of my strengths is designing and editing things, so I knew that I would be able to enjoy and stay focused on this part of the project. Bakari helped out with taking the photos, and Rachel did a great job writing the intention statement. I think that by having people assigned to do tasks based on their strengths, the whole process becomes very efficient and simply more enjoyable.

3. My greatest challenges in being part of this group were remembering to “realize that you don’t completely control the outcome.” For me, group projects tend to get stressful, because of deadlines, disagreement, miscommunication and the concept of a “shared vision.”  Although I know I struggle with group projects, I am very happy with the outcome of our video and intention statement, and thought we worked very well together as a group.

            

Manhood in a Bottle - "Hip-Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes"

For me, the statement, "Manhood in a Bottle" is an indirect way of expressing how male musicians in the hip-hop business are trapped inside of a stereotype. Rap culture was born in the South Bronx ghettos, where people could express their emotions and anger through music and dance - which further formed gangs, and exploited violence. In this 'rap culture,' male rappers feel as if they need to uphold a certain standard, act tough, and call women "bitches and hoes" in order to get this point across. It is their way of showing their power and dominance in the culture. They just want to be successful, like everybody else - they all have dreams, ideals, and aspirations. Who doesn't? 

But do rappers themselves really believe that by degrading women in their lyrics in order to create a 'masculine shield' is gaining any respect by others outside of their community? The rest of the country - or the world for that matter? 

“We live in a society where manhood is all about conquering and violence…. And what we don’t realize is that ultimately that kind of manhood ultimately kills you.” - Kevin Powell 

homework #8 - "authorship"

"Post another entry to your personal blog about one of your favorite literary works.  Briefly explain why it is one of your favorites, and then explain who the various authors are of this piece and what those authors add to it." 

When i was first read the assignment, i spent several minutes thinking of different literary works that i could potentially chose from. Having read many great novels, memoirs, and short stories, and i found it difficult to narrow my list down. After thinking about it for a while, I chose Ken Kesey's controversial, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. To be honest, this was one of the only books that we've been required to read for school that i've actually thoroughly enjoyed. It was one of those books that you pick up and can't seem to put down. I think i got a lot more out of the novel because we read it in a class setting, therefore, we could discuss the topics and explore some of the underlying meanings, character personas, and statements that i might have just skimmed over. 

Per our discussion in class today about 'authorship,' we established that when we (the students) read a writers piece, we become an 'author' because we create opinions and generate questions that the original writer, or other students might not have considered. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest, Ken Kesey is the obvious author, for his name is printed on the cover of the novel. However, we, too, are the authors. As are the critics, and the filmmakers and writers who altered the story for it to become a major motion film. 

So who has the power to be an author? Are we giving 'authorship' too big of a definition? 

Homework #5 (Two Questions about Race vs. A Family Tree in Every Gene)

“Race is merely a shorthand that enables us to speak sensibly, though with no great precision, about genetic rather than cultural or political differences.” – Aramand Leroi (2005).

In Goodman’s article, “Two Questions about Race,” he suggests a greater, more open-ended  and undefined personal view in comparison to Leroi’s article, “A Family Tree in Every Gene,” which provides a more tangible and understanding view of how, and why we define race. Leroi clearly states that race is just a short word that we use to identify each other, and that regardless of what we look like we are all made up of the same genes, and only slight genetic variations.  Leroi is an avid fighter of de-racializing biological variation.

On the other hand, Goodman states that race is primarily a social construct, and based on a “lived experience, that passes as the result of genetic difference [and] may actually be due to the interactions of some aspect of lived experience.”  For me, Goodman’s idea was difficult to understand. While he makes several good points, I found it difficult to understand the meaning of a ‘lived experience’ without any further explanation, or practical personal example. 

Race - The Power of Illusion

2. Race has no genetic basis. Not one characteristic, trait or even gene distinguishes all the members of one so-called race from all the members of another so-called race.

For me, the word, 'race' is often times hard to define. However, people have been identifying themselves through what they think their race is for hundreds of years. Knowing who you are is an important aspect to finding and then accepting your true identity. According to John H. Relethford, a biological anthropologist, race " is a group of populations that share some biological characteristics...These populations differ from other groups of populations according to these characteristics." The statement that race has no genetic basis was shocking to me because race has always been assumed to be a collection of traits, not just a difference of skin color. After researching the idea behind race not having a genetic basis, i began to understand the other side of the argument. According to The National Human Genome Research Institute, 99.9 percent of our DNA is the same. With this being said, I suppose the idea of race is simply a political and cultural concept that our society has developed. 

However, even with the evidence, we are still left wondering why did we as a society defined race the way we did? And how can there be no specific characteristic or trait that distinguishes one group of people from another if we all look so different? 

Design

In our busy lives, we rarely stop to think about the simple, yet small things that make up who we are, what we want to be, and how we identify ourselves. The overall objective of this blog is to fully come to an understanding of who i am, and learn about the meaning and the importance of race and gender.  The picture that is my background resembles our lives, as we are in constant motion. It also represents the blurred idea of race. Everyone has a different idea of how to define race, or how they see themselves. Race is often a touchy subject in which some people feel very uncomfortable discussing. I hope that through this blog I will become more comfortable addressing such topics, as will my peers. 

Prompt 1 - Summer Reading

Claireece Precious Jones is an abused, illiterate, and HIV-positive sixteen-year-old living in Harlem with her two sons, and her estranged mother, Mary. For Precious, literacy is an escape to advocate for herself. Once she begins writing in her journal, and the world of literacy begins to open up to her, she finds her voice, and begins to write about her painful secrets, and those who have abused her. Before coming to the adult literacy class, known as “Each One, Teach One,” instructed by Ms. Rain, Precious struggled with expressing her emotions and thoughts and felt no purpose in her life. 

“It’s true. Ms Rain the one who put the chalk in my hand, make me queen of the ABCs” (Sapphire 81)…“So anyway I made so much progress I won award. Literacy award. I get it September of 1988. Ms Rain wanted to give it to me even before then. She say she had wanted to give it to me after I come back from Abdul being born and homeless ‘n stuff. But director say, well, we got other students who deserve it, let’s see if Precious got staying power” (Sapphire 82). 

With the encouragement of Ms. Rain, who plays an essential role in Precious’ literacy also gives her the courage, empowerment, and confidence to be successful. 

Just as Precious struggled with her illiteracy in school; my uncle suffered from dyslexia – a learning disability that impairs a person’s ability to read. From ages seven to nine, he refused to tell anyone that he couldn’t read correctly, or that he was confusing different letters together. He figured that everyone had the same problems, and didn’t worry too much about it. As he got older and his friends passed reading levels and were excelling at writing, he was still confusing b’s with d’s. As the frustration grew, it became clear to his teachers what was wrong. One teacher in specific, with similar intentions as Ms. Rain, suggested he try a boarding school in Connecticut with programs specifically for students with dyslexia. So at age ten, he went, and stayed there until he graduated high school at age eighteen. Not only did going to a school that catered directly to his needs build his confidence, but also it helped him get back onto his grade level reading and writing track. 

This connection between Precious, and my uncle, helps me understand the importance and the value of literacy in our society, and how it is the door to all of the opportunities that we are given in life. Literacy is truly a “precious” thing to have.