Final Blog (service projects)

For my last and final blog I would like to start out talking about the presentations we viewed in class on Thursday. The Tim wise screening, the ACC Men of Distinction, and the East Austin project were all amazing. All three presentations were exciting to watch and were very inspiring. I was extremely proud of my classmates and it was nice to see everyones projects come together in such a great way.

The tim wise screening turned out a success and I think it was awesome that the targeted audience was the majority, I know many people were reached out to and these conversations were sparked up which have them thinking about issues of White privilege and hopefully continue you to address this issue.

The ACC Men of distinction program was new to me and I think it is an Awesome program. I admire Edden for working with such a positive cause and devoting her time to this. I love how this group applied their project to everything that we learned about Black men over the semester only to find that the information is still true and relevant. Black men do want to be responsible and make something of themselves, they just need the resources to support them!

The East Austin presentation did not finish but I enjoyed watching their documentary. I love hearing from the older generations because they have so much knowledge and experience. Im looking forward to seeing the outcome of their project.

I am looking forward to seeing the remainder of groups and also presenting. The second group I am involved in (Theatre for dialogue) will be presenting on Tuesday and I hope our class will enjoy what we have planned for them also for the Patriensa School supply drive Lydia and I will not be presenting but only discussing the outcome of what we collected!
School Supply Drive presentation

Service Project Blog

I participated in two service projects over the semester. The first was the Patriensa School supply drive and the project I am currently working with is the theatre for dialogue focusing on African American Experiences. First I would like to thank all of my classmates who helped at the bake sale as well as those who contributed donations and supplies!!

Lydia and I completed the Patriensa school supply drive and I feel it went really well. I was happy to be a part of this project giving back to Africa where it all started. Before being in this course I never knew much about the roots of being African American. I didn't have much knowledge about Africentric ideas or way of living. From this class I learned that taking things back to where it all started is a perfect way of passing knowledge on to so many who know nothing about their history or identity. I feel that now I have a better understanding and more of a connection with being African American and all the principles that stand behind our culture such as Unity, and collectivism. We learned about the Nguzo Saba principles and about the African centered behavior change model and this project enabled me to live out these principles.I was honored to participate in a service that enabled us to give back to Africa and I am excited to continue to contribute to this effort every year!

Here are a few pictures from our bake sale! (more to come in our presentation)

I am continuing to work on the Theatre for dialogue with my second group which I am also excited about. So far we have decided to base our first demonstration On the Trayvon Martin case because it is a very touching topic that also bridges throughout time in the fact that the African American community has seen and dealt with these types of issues for decades now. It also stems along with discussions and readings we had this past week with the overwhelming number of African American men incarcerated and/or harassed by law enforcement. The burdens of fear and rehearsal when it comes to dealing with Law enforcement while being African American reveals itself in the Trayvon Martin case as well. I feel that we will open a lot of conversation with our classmates and hopefully discuss some solutions that will help end or semester on a positive note and with a positive hope for the future as we all continue on our college and life journey!

Hip Hop/ Media & the black community

Overall I feel that the film Hip Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes did just what it's title represents. The film took us beyond the music and entertainment to a very personal and sensitive aspect behind the scenes of hip hop. The film portrayed the hip hop industry as an outlet feeding black communities with negative images and ideas of what the black community is or should "look like". The film shed light on the injustices of society and how media is used against African Americans . I feel the film brought an awareness of just how many people of the black community have been negatively influenced by what the media portrays about African Americans. The film also brought the artists to the forefront and how they react to taking on responsibilities within this issue or how they reinforce these negative ideas on the black community and other communities. I feel the film raised several questions such as who truly is behind the hip hop industry or orchestrating this negative depiction of blacks? Who is effected overall? How do these images compare to the realities of the black community? and what came first the reality or the depictions?

After viewing the film I feel that both articles highlight very important topics. The Black community has to set up early interventions with children to help them break down and understand images depicted of African Americans within the media. The black community has to steer away from internalizing the idea that in order to be a respected black man you have to be "hard," or a "gangster," or being a woman of the black community equates exploiting yourself or being over sexualized. Simply viewing this film and reading about the research results in the Peterson article convince me enough that there is a serious need for interventions such as the warrior program. Awareness and intervention are crucial to several aspects of the black community and one being the health of the younger generations of African Americans. The Petersen article reveals the impact of hip hop lyrics/videos on the sexual health of the women within the black community. I feel that it is great to know that interventions on these kinds of topics do exist and I feel that we have to uphold the need for these interventions so that we can see them continue and grow. Media has proven time and time again its ability to influence across races. The depiction of blacks within the media call for concern in the idea that blacks are portrayed through a very biased approach negatively influencing those of the black community and how the world views African Americans.

Achievement Gap (Boys of Baraka)

I feel that it is systematic factors that effect the "achievement gap". Several of these children grow up in areas that do not present them with the same resources of other students. Such as we saw in the film Boys of Baraka they are limited to resources because they live at a lower socioeconomic level and thus they are not afforded the same opportunities. It is unfortunate but of no surprise to me after being in this course and learning what I have learned to this point. The system is extremely harsh and it was difficult to watch the film Boys of Baraka, at many points in the film I began to tear up. I have a son who will soon be two years old and I thought about him and what kind of world he is living in. I am thankful that we are blessed but my heart hurts for those who are not as fortunate. Institutional oppression within our school systems reflects the importance of those who are in power and how they can effect minorities. Unfortunately most in power do not have the best interest of society as a whole.
I also feel that as a result of the environment the children live in individual factors come into play. Each of the young boys in the film presented adult like qualities which is a result of them having to grow up faster than they should and be men without enjoying their childhood. Their parents lifestyles and many of their living situations played a role in this.


I feel the achievement gap is yet another systematic idea set in place to keep those already down further down. You cannot measure achievement across a group of people or races without giving them the same resources to succeed to begin with! Thus there is not a true "achievement gap," just another justification for an unjust society. I agree with Steptoe's article in that teachers have to show more interest in minority students. In high school I was involved in many AP courses where I was one of the few African American students. I often felt like at times I did not receive the same guidance. I can also agree with the idea that some white parents may be more involved, however I feel that Black parents value success in education just as much but sometimes they do not have strong relationships within the community with other parents or school staff.


Coming from a biracial background I did not get the term acting white I was often told well "you aren't really black," however growing up I heard the term "acting white" directed towards my best friend. My best friend growing up was full black.She talked proper and succeeded in school. Many people would say "she talks white" or "acts white", it was always said to her in a joking way and we would all laugh. Now that I look back I never knew if it may have hurt her feelings or gave her a reason to hold back. I always saw it in a joking way but looking back now I see how stereotypes set forth in society effected our thinking at such a young age and that some people may have internalized this which in turn could have effected their behavior and achievement in school.

Racial/Ethnic Identity

Having a Biracial background I knew that I came from two different cultural backgrounds and they each had an equal share of importance. Growing up in my household I ate traditional Korean food from my mothers cultural background and she also cooked everyday American foods as well. I was also spoken to in her native language and she also knew english which was the primary language spoken in our home. With my fathers background in the military and growing up near a military base we never really had to talk much about race. I wouldn't put my family completely in the race neutral category because me and my father sometimes had talks about our "blackness," or conversed about race. However I do feel that the environment that I grew up in did not require us to talk about race as much as living in another type of environment may have. Growing up near a military base seeing several culturally different backgrounds was normal which I feel made it easier for me being a black/biracial child growing up in Texas. The closest case study I feel that I can relate to is Karen because she states that she was truly bicultural easily moving back and forth between black and white communities and that her parents were helpful in talking to her in situations that involved race.

I feel stage of racial identity effects concepts of privilege on how it is perceived be the individual. At low stages of racial identities across the board white privilege is kind of invisible to the individual. In white identity they are not confirming or recognizing their privilege, in black identity I feel they are still trying to adjust to who they really are just like biracial identity. The higher you get in every identity model the more visible white privilege becomes and is some what accepted as an unjust factor within our society. The higher racial identity is realized the more an individual is able to view themselves in a positive way and deal with the truths of our society such as "white privilege" in positive ways as well.

I feel white privilege effects me everyday in the sense that I do not have it. I my day to day interactions will never be the same day to day interactions in the life of a white male or white female. I am aware of the difference however I don't let them disable me. I feel that my awareness allows me to better serve in my service learning project in hopes of reaching out to others who may allow the unjust truths about being African American in our society hinder them. I hope to help open the eyes of other people to realize yes there are issues pertaining to race in our society but there are ways to mobilize effectively despite the existence of these issues.

Affirmative Action

Justice for Trayvon Martin
(^ Link to blog/poem )
I found this blog/poem as I was searching on the net for more news on the killing of Trayvon Martin. The poem is written by a white male and he talks on white privilege and why more white people have to speak up about it! Fun blog you guys should check it out! Also relates to our blog this week on discrimination!

Affirmative Action Case:
After reading about Fisher V. University of Texas i thought several things. One thought was that this is really huge for the school that I attend to presently be involved with such a case that is sensitive in many aspects. To start I thought i would post a clear definition of what discrimination is.

Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership - or perceived membership - in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. It involves excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to other groups.


As we have learned in class there in no such thing as reverse discrimination. Minorities and African Americans specifically will never hold enough institutional power to advantage us over other groups in our country. 


Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin"^[1] into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually justified as countering the effects of a history of discrimination.



Now from reading this Affirmative Action does take into consideration race and color  however, not to exclude gender and sexual orientation. People of all colors represent all genders and sexual orientations. I feel people need to stem away from only seeing Affirmative Action as a policy that uplifts minority races. I feel Affirmative Action was a policy that was set forth to yes uplift those of minority races but this policy also crosses over socioeconomic status and most importantly addresses uneven opportunities within this country. Unfortunately these unequal opportunities weigh heavily on minorities and specifically the black community. Affirmative action in relation to University acceptance gives those who have been brought up in communities with very little resources, the resources they need to succeed at a higher level. Once again most people in disadvantaged communities and areas with low resources and education systems are minorities.


Going back to this case as we discussed in class the Tim Wise video touches on the topic of poor whites. In the example of the Katrina devastation in New Orleans poor whites who lived nothing more than a few feet away from poor blacks felt they had more in common with their classification of whiteness than their actual socioeconomic status or standards of living. People see the color white and do not associate this with being poor. Although the white people who were devastated by Katrina lost just as much as the black people they felt higher and that they had more in common with the well off "white folks." In this case we see Fisher a white student emphasizing the fact that they too are poor and deserve the same as a poor black student who needs assistance.


Overall i feel this article touched a lot of sensitive topics but I disagree with doing away with affirmative action because the truth is within out society we need it. There will never be equality for people who do not fit into the "norm." People may view Affirmative Action as unfair but it is needed to keep diversity within our schools and diversity within the opportunities handed out within society.


Just as the blog I posted on Trayvon Martin stated. "White people, you will never look suspicious." I think this goes back to the idea that white people will always be associated with their whiteness first. Meaning that they will always have privilege over any minority wether poor, rich, educated, employed, or unemployed so the need for affirmative action will always be crucial to keep diversity and equal opportunity in our educational institutions.

Midterm blog: Reaching out to men of the Black community.

“In 1925 six out of seven black households had either a husband or a father” (Franklin, J. H. 1987.). Today the marriageability index of African Americans is at a low of 41% and the visibility of African American men fulfilling roles as husbands and fathers has declined. As a woman who is a part of the African American community I find it difficult to dismiss the decline of black men at these particular roles considering the importance of family within the black community. Chapman refers to black males as endangered species and states, “the psychological status of black men has serious implications for the survival of black family life” (Chapman, A. B. 1986). On one hand society perpetuates the idea that African American men can thrive based on the extent of their hard work and success. The emergence of Obama set forth the notion that black men no longer had an “excuse”, and this notion continues to linger over men of the black community. However on the other hand deep-rooted within our society are barriers set between African American men and the ability to successfully fill their roles in the black family. Over the decades institutional violence, government policies, and stereotypes have been utilized in the degradation of black male visibility and their ability to fill their roles within the black family, if we focus in on support from the black community for African American men we might see a rise in their ability to fill their roles within the black family.

Post slavery, the visibility of black men and their ability to fulfill roles as fathers and husbands exceeded far beyond what we see today. The importance of family and unity led many African Americans to the pulpit to legalize their unions. “Until the 1960s, a remarkable 75% of black families included both husband and wife” (Franklin, J. H. 1987.). However simultaneously as African Americans were declared free to reestablish their family structures institutional violence and racism removed several men from their families. As discussed in professor Gilberts class several assaults were put on the black family. A new form of slavery or slavery by another name emerged disabling the progress of Black families. For many years African American men were removed through beatings and Lynching. They were arbitrarily arrested and then sold to labor. With the re-enslavement of Blacks many men were forced out of their roles as husbands and fathers because of death or removal.

To continue the manifestation of this degradation governmental policies have also aided in removing and or disabling black men from their roles as husbands and fathers. The reform of the welfare policy impacted the role of black men as fathers. The reformation of the welfare policy required recipients to assign their child support rights to the state. Only 45% of black mothers had already established child support orders in comparison to 72% of white mothers (Hill, R. B. 1998). In addition to this most child support laws required lower-income fathers to pay higher child support. As discussed in professor gilbert’s class black men earn only 64% of their white counterpart in annual income making them the lowest earning group of men. So with that being said this policy reform weighted heavily upon the black male community.  Several men became discouraged knowing that majority of their earnings were already spent. Also many men grew overwhelming anxieties due to the inability to find work, which ultimately landed them in jail for non-payment. I believe the welfare reform only worked to remove more men from the role as fathers for their inability to meet child support requirements. This painted a picture that many Black men were “dead-beats dads.” However as stated in Robert hills Impact of welfare Reform, in Black families 80% of black fathers ages 14 to 24 had positive contact with their children. As discussed in Dr. Gilberts class and seen in the film Another kind of Black man, African American men across all individual intersections age and sexuality define masculinity as being accountable and responsible which coincides with the statistics in Hills article.

    Lastly the stereotypes about black men that are perpetuated in the media leave many in a bind. There is the idea that black men have to be absent, shiftless, aggressive, abusive, unfaithful, and irresponsible. The early images of black men ranging to the current images of black men have always set a negative portrayal of them within society. Edden Agonafer presented in her blog the “Barrack versus 50 cent” video, which is a prime example of how media continuously perpetuates an “Authentically black,” stereotype about black men. With the lack of knowledge about who they are and where they come from many internalize these stereotypes and live up to what society has said about them. This in itself calls for a change. As a part of the African American community I feel it is my responsibility to help the men of my community remember who they are and where they come from. African Americans come from a long line of brilliance and accomplishment and it is important that we all know that. This fact leads to the importance of the African centered behavior change model in relation to this issue. This model infuses an individuals sense of self worth or authenticity and the environment in which they live to establish which quadrant they identify with. The ultimate goal is to progress each individual to quadrant one being high in authenticity and self worth. If applied to African American men we can help them progress to levels of high authenticity and knowing who they are and where they come from driving those who internalize these stereotypes away from living them out.

    I believe as a part of the African American community we have to get back to our roots. I am speaking out to anyone who is a part of the African American community that also realizes that in order for the black community to progress we have to uplift our familial system. A positive start would be establishing therapy for the men using the four strategies of the strengths perspective, which are communicating, raising consciousness, giving the men a voice, and exploiting their resources. Applying the core ideas of the Strengths perspective and giving black men the capacity and confidence to deal with issues that they face can also ignite confidence within them to better fill their roles as husbands and fathers.  By reinforcing ideas from the Nguzo Principles such as Unity and purpose we will remember that we all are here for a purpose and that purpose is lifting the black community up. I believe family is the heart and core of the black community and that is why we should start by uplifting our men who are the protectors of that core.