The Last Word

It's hard to believe that this semester is almost over. It's gone by so fast. This class has definitely been my favorite of the semester. It was a breath of fresh air from the classes I've grown used to taking in college. My thoughts on the relevance of black studies haven't changed much since we wrote our first blogs. African American studies is definitely relevant. In college, we tend to focus on courses directly related to what we want to do in life. I think it's good that students in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to take western and non-western culture classes to graduate. If this were not a requirement, I'm sure many people would never consider taking cultural classes. This class, and others like it, helps us to understand other kinds of people, and an understanding of people who are different from us and an appreciation for diversity is beneficial for all of us, no matter what profession we wish to have in the future.

My favorite part of our class was the visitors we had early in the semester. I especially enjoyed the visitors from the NAACP and going to the law school to see Dean Evans. They were all very inspiring and really made me want to do something great with my life. I knew I would learn from our speakers, but I had no idea that I would be so inspired and encouraged by them.

Something else I really loved about this class was the opportunity to see the other side of things. There are two sides to every story and that became very evident to me throughout the semester. First, I couldn't believe that through all the years I had been in school, I had never heard of Emmett Till. Every year the history books mentioned the Civil Rights Movement, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and things like that, yet the tragic story of Emmett Till was never included, to my recollection. Second, I think many people misunderstand the NAACP. In high school, I used to always hear the joke that it stands for "Niggers Against All Caucasian People". While I knew this was an exaggeration, I think it did actually affect my views of the NAACP. That was really all I knew of the organization before Mr. Douglas and Mrs. Williams came to our class. After hearing them speak, it was clear that the NAACP is a multicultural organization, one for anyone who wants to fight injustice, regardless of skin color. Our visitors completely changed my view of the NAACP and even led to me joining the OU Chapter of the NAACP. When we learned about the Black Panthers, I was surprised again. Everything I had ever heard about their organization until this class showed them in such a bad light. Nobody ever pointed out that they actually started many programs that helped the community, or that they had to do something to respond to the police brutality that was out of control in Oakland. This class gave me a new perspective on several different issues.

I also really liked writing the blogs. I love writing, but I had never written a blog until this class. I liked it because it made me feel like I could write in my true voice instead of the dry, academic writing that I tend to use when writing papers. It was also interesting to read and comment on my classmates posts to see how their opinions and perspectives differed from my own.

I didn't like the first group assignment we had very much. The readings were interesting, but every group presented their article in the exact same way. I liked our group yearbook project much better because it gave us an opportunity to be creative. I usually don't love group work, but I got a really good group for this class. Everyone in my group was cooperative and we worked together well. I also liked the group work because it gave us an opportunity to meet and get to know people in our class that we probably wouldn't have otherwise.

All in all, I really enjoyed the class. I think African American studies is a very interesting topic. I decided to enroll in another African American studies class next semester and I'm excited to learn more about the subject.

African American Families in the Media

Today, we are very dependent on various forms of media. Many people read newspapers, listen to the radio, and watch TV every day. We use it to learn about current events or for entertainment, but how do the images we see affect us subconsciously? When we have no experience with certain kinds of people, we look to the media to understand what they are like. When we see groups repeatedly presented in the same way in the media, it's easy to believe that they are true representations. What sort of images is the media showing us of African American families?


I asked some friends what they thought some stereotypes of African American families were. Some of their responses were that stereotypically, black families are often lower to middle class, “ghetto”, have lots of children, or differ from the traditional family (usually in the absence of the father). Where do these stereotypes come from? Since these things do not describe many of the black families I know, I am led to believe that what we see in the media really does influence us. We see examples of these types of families all the time in the media. The media also produces some positive images of black families, however.


One of the first things that come to mind when thinking of black families on TV is the Cosby's. When the show started, programs focusing on African Americans were rare. They feared that it would not be well received, but it turned out to be very popular. Some suggest that it was so successful because it focused on universal family issues, things that everyone could identify with, instead of really delving into their African American culture. The Cosby Show presents a typical family: a mom, a dad, 3 daughters, and 1 son. This was a very positive image of the African American family and defied many of the stereotypes of African Americans. This is an older show of course, but I think it is still applicable because it is a program that my generation is very familiar with, and reruns still come on TV all the time.


Another obvious positive representation of the African American family is the Obama’s. The Obama’s are going to be in the public eye constantly over the next few years. As a result, they will be very helpful in debunking stereotypes and showing America that perhaps the African American family doesn’t always differ from the traditional family image. They are a very polished, intelligent family, and definitely a great representation.


One of my favorite representations of the African American family is in the MTV show Run’s House. Since it is reality TV, viewers get the sense that we are seeing them as they really are, or more so than in sitcoms at least. This is also a positive image. The Simmons' are a close-knit family, they work hard to achieve their goals, they are religious, and they have a lot of money.


I decided to focus on these positive images because it was harder than I anticipated to find 7 different images of African American families from different forms of media. Earlier today I scanned through all 76 channels on my TV and the only black family I came across was on BET. They were showing reruns of Smart Guy (which is also a positive image). This really made me think about why we see so many more white people on TV than other races. I’m not sure what the answer is, but it did make me wonder.


The 3 images I mentioned are all well-known positive representations. Nothing in particular came to mind when I thought of negative images. I think this is because while negative images are shown in the media, they are not focal points in TV shows like the positive images are, so we aren’t as familiar with them. I would guess that the news contributes a lot to the negative stereotypes, while we are more likely to see a positive image in entertainment television (excluding the Obama’s).

I think it’s interesting to think about how the media stereotypes we are inundated with affect us subconsciously. I would like to believe that I am not very affected by the stereotypes I see. I try to be aware that much of what we see in the media is not a true representation and to keep an open mind when I meet different kinds of people. Often when I meet different kinds of people that I have never been around before, I find myself thinking about each of the stereotypes they defy. That’s why I love meeting and getting to know new people, that’s the only way to really understand them.

The Civil Rights Movement

The Harlem Renaissance began after World War I. This movement really changed the way African Americans were viewed during the 1920’s and 30’s. It was a period marked by literary, artistic, and political achievements. African Americans indirectly made political statements, promoting their goals through art, music, and literature. It was important that the country was seeing the intellectual side of African Americans. Black artists, writers, and musicians, including Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, really showed their intelligence and artistic abilities and made it evident that African Americans had the same intellectual capabilities as white people.

Though it started a few decades later, the Civil Rights Movement was greatly influenced by the Harlem Renaissance. In the 1920’s and 30’s blacks and whites began collaborating for the first time. This idea of both races working together to achieve common goals shaped continued during the 60’s when the Civil Rights Movement was at its peak. In the 50’s and 60’s public facilities in the United States were still very segregated. White and black people were separated almost everywhere, from where they sat in movie theaters to the water fountains they drank out of. During the movement, civil rights activists fought to end this segregation. Racial tensions were high, and when I think of how things were then it saddens me, but it opened the door for countless remarkable achievements, and eventual desegregation. In 1954, in the case of Brown vs. Board of Education, the court ruled that segregated schools were unequal and school desegregation began. The next year, the Montgomery Bus Boycott led to the desegregation of busses. Finally, in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, racial segregation and discrimination was outlawed. This of course did not solve everything, but it was a step in the right direction.

In 1955, Emmett Till, a fourteen year old boy, was badly beaten and murdered for his interaction with a white female. The two men who murdered him were acquitted by an all-white jury. The horror of this event really sparked the Civil Rights Movement. Till’s murder shocked the country, regardless of race, and many people were moved to action. Before this class, I had never heard the story of Emmett Till. When we were discussing what happened to him, I was shocked that something so terrible happened and I didn’t even know about it. I kept thinking, “How could I have never learned about this in school?” The Civil Rights Movement is something I have always been interested in, and I always thought that I knew a lot about it. But this somehow never came up.

One of the many organizations founded during the Civil Rights Movement was the SNCC, or Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Founded in 1960, the original purpose of the SNCC was to nonviolently combat the racial issues of the time. A few years later, however, their focus shifted to black power and in 1969, they changed the N in their name from nonviolent to national.

In the reading about the similarities and differences between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, it is clear that they actually had a lot in common. Though they had different stances, they both understood each other. They had different philosophies, but both had the same goals.

I think our life experiences absolutely shape our personal philosophies. Perspective is everything. It’s very important to expand your horizons and understand other people’s perspectives. It’s interesting to see how perspectives differ in the people that I know and to try to understand what caused their perspectives to be different from mine. In the case of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, even though they had different philosophies, they both had success during the Civil Rights Movement. Neither philosophy was wrong, they were just different. Sometimes it is most effective to find a middle ground, and that is what we can achieve by exposing ourselves to and incorporating the philosophies and perspectives of others.

PBS. Harlem Renaissance. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/february98/harlem_2-20.html
Voices of Civil Rights. http://www.voicesofcivilrights.org/history.html
Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_Nonviolent_Coordinating_Committee
SNCC. http://www.ibiblio.org/sncc/issues.html

Privilege

We use the word privilege to describe special opportunities we are given that other people do not have. In many cases, we are given privileges as a reward for good behavior. When I was growing up, for example, my parents gave me more and more privileges as a result of my increasing maturity and responsibility. But sometimes, people experience privilege that is unearned. These privileges can be easily overlooked by the people that have them, but are probably much more apparent to the people who lack them. Based on the McIntosh article about privilege, I would say that I benefit from white privilege, but am adversely affected by male privilege. When I think about the many things I am blessed with, I could say almost everything is something that some people do not have. I could list any material object and say that some people aren’t privileged with it, but I’m going to try to think of as many privileges as I can that are similar to the type that McIntosh lists, things that are less concrete. Her list really made me think about the things I take for granted. Being able to walk into a store fairly certain she wouldn’t be harassed by security was one of the privileges that stuck out to me. Not once have I walked into a store feeling like the people working there would label me as a potential thief. But I have also never walked into a store thinking I was relieved not to be labeled as such. I have this privilege, but it is something that I have never really thought about before. I think that is one of the difficult things about white privilege and other unearned privilege. The people with the privileges often don’t even notice them until they really think about it. I agreed with most of the privileges that McIntosh listed, but I feel that some depend a lot on her environment. One of the privileges she lists says, “I can be reasonably sure that if I ask to talk to ‘the person in charge,’ I will be facing a person of my race.” In the small town where I grew up this would certainly be the case. But in the few weeks we have been in this class, I have already met several people in prominent positions who are not the same race as me. I wouldn’t assume this to be a “privilege” of mine in the environment I am in today. But on the other hand, maybe this is the case, generally speaking. So what are my privileges?

· I can go about my everyday life fairly sure I won’t at any point feel like I’m in the minority, whether it be because of my race, gender, or anything else.
· “I can worry about racism without being seen as self-interested or self-seeking” (This is one of McIntosh’s privileges, but I thought it was very interesting and applicable.
· I never feel unwelcome or disliked because of my race.
· I don’t have to worry about being treated badly by police because of my race (although I think age and gender might play a part in the way I am treated by police).
· When I do get pulled over by police, I don’t worry that they might search my whole car for drugs when stopped for a minor violation like speeding.
· My parents and other people around me encouraged and expected me to excel academically and go to college.
· I’ve never worried that my race would cause me not to get into the college I wanted or get jobs that I want.
· My civil rights have never been jeopardized because of my race.
· I’ve never lived in an area or had to regularly go to places where I felt scared and unsafe.

These are the some of the privileges I came up with. I’m sure there are many more that I have never even considered. I thought the McIntosh article was very interesting because it really made me think. I think privilege is an important thing to consider because, as McIntosh indicates, being aware of the problem is the first step to correcting it.


Sources: McIntosh, Peggy. White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women’s Studies.

Blog Assignment #2

Our speakers from the NAACP went above and beyond my expectations. Hearing them speak made me think a lot, not only about what they have done in the past, but also what they continue to do today. Yesterday marked the 100th anniversary of the NAACP. The mission of this organization is to stand up against injustice. Having been around since 1909, they have undoubtedly had plenty of opportunities to do so. The NAACP has definitely shaped the African American experience. From the beginning, the organization has fought to stop racial violence and segregation. I believe that it was critical that there was finally an organized front of both black and white people who refused to accept the injustices happening around them every day. This united front allowed them to be very instrumental in much of the progress that has been made towards equality. For example, they helped to advance the desegregation of the military and the passage of the Civil Rights Act (Africana Online).

The Oklahoma chapter of the NAACP has also contributed to the Civil Rights movement. One of the most notable contributions is their involvement with the sit-ins at eating establishments in Oklahoma City. With members that we have learned about in class such as Clara Luper and Ada Lois Sipuel-Fisher, the efforts of the Oklahoma NAACP eventually paid off when segregation and Jim Crow ended in Oklahoma (Oklahoma State Senate).

Although racial relations have improved immensely since the early 1900’s, the NAACP still has work to do. They have many programs still in place today to combat injustice. One of the most important goals is to make sure that all children are able to obtain a quality education, regardless of race, ethnicity, or social class. The NAACP also has a Civic Engagement goal, with programs such as the Voter Empowerment Program. Through education and an increase in awareness, the program strives to increase voter turnout. There are too many programs still active in the NAACP to list them all, but overall, I think the major task of the NAACP is education. If people are educated about civil rights and learn to be tolerant of all types of people, not only those who are just like them, racial injustice can be done away with (NAACP).

I have really enjoyed the speakers we have had so far. After hearing Mr. Douglas and Mrs. Williams speak, it was all I could think about for the rest of the day. I expected to learn about the NAACP, but I wasn’t at all expecting to feel so inspired. It is obvious that they have made a difference, and they made me want to go to something good, something that would really help people. Dean Evans inspired me as well. I think it was great that he reminded us that we really can achieve our dreams. And he told us exactly how to do it. Listening to each of these speakers, I was touched by what they had to overcome to get where they are. They have all become successful people, and more importantly, people who make a difference in other people’s lives. Mrs. Williams told us that for most of her life, she couldn’t read or write. But seeing her now and listening to her speak, you would never guess that. I can’t imagine having to overcome such an obstacle. Dean Evans was 57 before he fulfilled his dream of becoming a lawyer. I thought it was great to see African Americans in such prominent positions. They all had roadblocks along the way, but ultimately were able to achieve their goals and become highly successful people.

Sources:
Africana Online. http://www.africanaonline.com/orga_naacp.htm
Oklahoma State Senate. http://www.oksenate.gov/news/press_releases/press_releases_2008/pr20080205c.html
NAACP. http://naacp.org/

Free Blog #2: The NAACP

Today, a member of the Oklahoma Chapter of the NAACP is coming to speak to our class. I am very excited and interested to hear what he/she has to say. I do not know much about the NAACP. I have learned more since I have been in this class, such as how the organization originated and when, but I am excited to learn more about what they do. While I was browsing through their website, I found the mission statement of the organization. “The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination”. Growing up where I did, many of the things that I did hear about the NAACP were negative. It was usually in the form of a joke. The jist of the jokes were usually that the organization is against Caucasian people. Though I do not know much about the works of the organization yet, their mission statement certainly doesn’t reflect this idea. Their vision is the same vision that I have. It is the ideal for what we should be striving towards. Can you imagine if we lived in a place like they describe? Racial relations have improved immensely over the years, but there is still room for improvement. I think that education is the key. If people open their minds and look past the stereotypes they have been inundated with, they would probably see that we’re all more alike than they think we are. There are certainly cultural differences, but we are all humans. Anyway, I am eager to see our speaker today. I would be interested to know not just about the history of the NAACP, but also what they are still doing today to further their cause.

Free Blog: Diversity

I think one of the reasons I am so interested in African American Studies and other cultural studies is because I grew up in a place with almost no diversity. Having lived in the small town of Tuttle, Oklahoma my whole life until I moved to Norman, I grew up surrounded by people who were just like me. It wasn’t just racial diversity that was lacking. The homogeneity of the people I was surrounded by also extended to lifestyle. Before I came to college, I never had a friend of a different race. I never had a friend who believed in a religion other than Christianity. I never had a friend of a different sexual orientation. Everyone I came in contact with was just like me, and that was all I knew. Growing up in such a place causes different attitudes in different people. For some, it leads to close-mindedness. I would even go so far as to say that some people are just scared of people who are different than they are. Although it’s a small place, Tuttle is known for many things. First, Braum’s Ice Cream. The Braum’s farm and headquarters is located in Tuttle. Second, Jason White, Heisman Trophy Winner. Unfortunately, another thing Tuttle is known for is racism. When I meet new people and tell them where I am from, sometimes they say, “Oh, that’s where Jason White is from” (Which makes me really happy because I absolutely love him). But occasionally when I say I am from Tuttle, people say, “Isn’t that a pretty racist place”? Unfortunately, I can’t disagree with them. I hate to say that, because Tuttle is full of good people. The smallness causes it to be a very close-knit town and the people there would do anything for each other. Sadly, the lack of diversity has lead to ignorance and intolerance for some people. In my case, however, growing up in Tuttle didn’t make me fear diversity; it made me eager to experience it. Now, being on a much more diverse college campus, I am very thankful for the opportunity to meet different kinds of people.

Is African American Studies Relevant?

The relevance of African and African American Studies is widely debated. Many people question the importance of teaching the discipline in schools and universities. Why? From a very young age, we are taught about various cultures. From elementary school on, we learn about different kinds of people, their languages, their customs, what kind of food they eat. I am minoring in Spanish, and in my classes, we study more than just the language. We also learn about the holidays, traditions, and everyday life of people living in Spanish-speaking countries. To graduate with a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences at OU, students are required to have taken a non-western culture course. This shows the importance of learning about different cultures. The African and African American culture is just as relevant as any of the other cultures we learn growing up. Like other cultures, it is important to learn because it helps people further their understanding of other people. Halford Fairchild's article in the Los Angeles Times, "Why Black History Is Not Just for Blacks", explains why it is important to be educated in African American History. "Black history is critically important to the entirety of our society because it debunks the myths of the West and enlightens us to the worth and humanity inherent in all people-including people of African and African American ancestry."