The End is Near

Well the END isn't exactly in sight, but the semester is winding down and essentially nearing the end!  This class has been very interesting from the aspect that it was definitely not what i had initially envisioned.  Before coming to class i had assumed most of our curriculum would be from the book, with plenty of reading and tests.  But to my surprise the curriculum was derived from a multitude of different mediums.  Though at times the work seemed meticulous, I can now look back and say I would have preferred to stick with these different media-based outlets.  The blogging allowed room for a lot of self-expression and venting, when/if needed.  Although i would have really enjoyed more free blogs, but it could be argued that free blogs would have taken away from the relevance of the class and this form of work.  The other aspect that took me by surprise were the discussions, I will admit at times it seemed intimidating to pipe-in on the heated debates, but from a spectators aspect it was pretty entertaining haha.  The way the work was structured also made me very familiar with D2L.  Last semester I hadn't used D2L in any of my classes, so t he fact that our class relied on it so much for assignments and grades forced me to become very familiar with the program.

This class' relevance was clear from the get go, though sometimes i didn't agree with the direction it went or the thoughts implied, I was still able to appreciate other aspects and views on some controversial topics we touched on.  I enjoyed all of the speakers that came to class and spoke to us, though sometimes i was skeptical of their relevance to the curriculum at the time.  The speaker we had on the black panthers was by far my favorite, he was so informative and enlightening!  I was impressed by his thorough knowledge and perspective on all information pertaining to the black panthers and their movement.

The group work took me out of my comfort zone a little because I tend to do work on my own, I prefer not relying on others when my grades or overall well being is at hand.  But it allowed me to view various aspects of group work and build a new found appreciation.  The first group I worked with placed me in a position of leadership which I felt most comfortable with, but as our group fell apart I was placed in a great group that was already headed in a direction with their work so i was placed in place of assistance.  I was allowed to have work dealt to me and accomplish my individual tasks, far different from being in a position of dealing out the workload.  I must say, it was a less stressful situation but my overall influence was far less, which I guess is why you need a solid group of reliable people... not always your friends.

This class didn't enlighten me as much from a historical sense but more of a sociological aspect.  Some of the discussions we had about the various aspects of culture in society broadened my horizons a little.  Though some of the activities we did I felt kind of worked to divide the class, notably the "privilege" activity we did outside mid-semester.  I felt it tried to turn privilege into a race-derived issue only when its far more than that, its a socioeconomic issue more-so in my opinion.  But still i can't say this took away from my overall experience in Intro AFAM, if given the opportunity I would definitely consider taking another class in the department.

Class Presentations To-Date

So far I have thoroughly enjoyed all the presentations to date, though it seems the purpose of relating our topics to the african american experience in 2009 is a lot harder than expected... I can personally attest to this as my group presented earlier this week. My personal favorite so far would be Group 7's video presentation, I feel they clearly defined and dissected their topic as well as can be done. Some of their interviews seemed to get off track a little at times, but usually for the better of the project... such as adding comic relief when needed. The only group that i feel related their topic to present day insufficiently was the first group to present, though the sciences is a hard topic in itself, i feel there are plenty of successful african american scientists in 2009 that they could have touched on, including those at the university. I feel today's presentation of on religion in 2009 was presented very well, they didnt have as much media as group 7 but they had no less than any of the rest and just as much, if not more, pertinent information in regards to their topic. I was impressed by the fact that they weren't completely reliant on their slides, while a few of them didn't even employ the use of note cards or prompts to talk about their subject. The other part that stood out to me was how well they dissected their topic. The only part that I feel could've been changed was the order, I think it would have made more sense to speak on Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X earlier in the presentation and use the later parts as an opportunity to relate their topic to present day. I am really excited for the rest of the presentations and to see what they have been able to do with their extra time. I really hope there are more media-based projects, though with many of the subjects it may be very tough to incorporate media into their topic. I also hope they were all able to relate their topic to 2009.

Wake Up America!

As pointed out, the Urban League put out some sobering statistics just recently... in all honesty I'm not so surprised by these figures.  The nation we reside in tends to live in a fantasy world, thinking as time moves forward, so are we.  Essentially, everyone thinks as we progress, our practices in everyday life progress with us.  The fact of the matter is, they don't.  People are still suffering, people are still starving, people are still dying and will continue to until we, as a nation, systematically change our ways.  So much of our nation thrives upon contradictions, in the schools we teach equality, at home we teach equality, in the government we establish laws to uphold equality.  Now excuse my language, but none of that means a damn thing when at the end of the day these same people fighting for equality still withhold prejudice and hate in their hearts.  Where is the rationale in preaching equality but when you encounter a sketchy situation, you refer to stereotypes you have familiarized and associated with certain people day in and day out?  I often come across the argument that in order to rid our nation of racism, we must first remove the established forms, such as affirmative action, and other jobs where a certain class receives preferential treatment.  Truth is, if we remove this ...racism will not unroot itself.  Racism is a part of the nations fabric, we must put more thought into the matter... it cannot be left to mere awareness campaigns, or laws that are half-heartedly enforced.  Some people may be utterly astounded by these statistics, but the question is, did they really think it was any better?  Its easy for someone not living in the belly of the beast to assume "its not all that bad" but until they make that trip across the bridge, per se, they will continue to live in fairytale land.

The problem at hand is not limited to only a lack of reality, but also a lack of seriousness.  So many people recognize there is a problem but very few recognize its true severity.  As noted earlier, the media loves to portray black families in a comedic light… I mean who really wants to take black families serious, right?  Wrong.  African Americans have been asking for equality for far too long, day in and day out we see images of a multitude of different races, yet the media is very selective on the images we see and the lights in which these races are portrayed.  But as I’ve stated before, the media is not completely at fault.  Their main focus is to play what sells, and according to the vast majorities …this is what we want to see.

Last but definitely not least, there is a division amongst blacks as a race as well.  Much like the differences of DuBois and Washington, many feel we should reform in an effort to better fit in with the vast majorities of the nation.  While the other half completely disagrees, why should we change our ways to find acceptance.  America is the home of the brave and the land of the free, how is assimilation in hopes of fitting in, brave?  How can you argue we live in a free nation if we are bound by our own differences, doesn’t America strive on the differences we face?  I will be the first to say we need to broaden our horizons, but so is the case with anyone else… knowledge is power.  But changing just to fit in, most definitely not.  America must change its ways.