THE FINAL WORD.

The final blog post for this class! While it is the end of this semester it is so bittersweet.. we are all ready for summer but it means the end of classes and that is kind of sad.. I have really enjoyed this class a lot. It has been one of my favorites and I feel like it has taught me so much.

We learned the relevance of Black Studies and how the curriculum and programs are both important and relevant. Studies of all types of people and ethnicities are important and people should think about taking these so they can learn about diversity and other types of people. African and African American Studies are not only part of our nations history but are also an inspiration to our country. We can look at how far we have come and how far we are able to go.. especially now that we have our first African American President and family in the white house. Barack Obama is just one of the many African Americans who bring inspiration to our nation as a whole. 

Now that our group projects are starting to wrap up it is a big relief. When we first got this assignment I was not excited for it at all. I don't usually like working in groups because I usually get stuck with a bad group with people who don't want to participate and who don't contribute to the discussion. For this group project I got lucky. I really liked working with my group, group #9 Individual Sense! My group showed a lot of effort and I think we all really cared about our topic. We were lucky to get a topic like politics because that is something that is extremely important in the world of African Americans right now. With out first black president we have a lot to look forward to in 2009. Although our final project didn't go exactly as planned (our audio didn't work) I still thought we did a fairly good job. I can honestly say I enjoyed this group project and I'm happy we did it!!

I also have enjoyed the blogs. I think they were a good way to express more in depth how you felt about certain topics. It was interesting to read other classmates blog posts cause you got to see different perspectives on issues. I thought the most interesting blog we did was the free blog and the privilege blog. I liked the free blog because it was a way to kind of describe yourself and it was easy to just write about something that really interested me. The privilege blog was another one I liked because it really made me think. After we did the activity in class and took the time to really think about the privileges we have over others, it was crazy to realize all the things I have that I don't even realize and I take for granted. It definitely made me think. It was also cool to read other peoples blogs on privilege because everyone had something different. We had our own perceptions on what privilege was and how privilege differed from person to person.

Overall I thought this class was really interesting and I'm happy I took it. We talked about stuff that happened in the past and how it led up to today and we also talked about current issues. We talked about different important leaders, the history of our nation and the horror that African Americans had to face and we even talked about hip hop in our nation today. This class definitely made me more interested and I would suggest it to others and hopefully get a chance to continue on and take another AFAM class!!!!

African American Families seen in the Media

7 occurrences of African American families in the media:

1. Television: Tuesday 3/24/09 @ 10:30 pm

The Cosby Show. Channel 54- TV Land

African American family: mother, father, and 5 children

> Positive Image

2. Newpaper: Wednesday 3/25/09

Tulsa World Newspaper: "Sweet Homecoming"

African American sisters and basketball stars, Courtney and Ashley Paris.

> Positive Image

3. Film: Wednesday 3/25/09 

This Christmas

very wealthy African American family: mother, stepfather, sons and daughters and their spouses and children.

> Had negative images during parts, but for the majority it had a positive image.

4. Newspaper: Thursday 3/26/09

Tulsa World Newspaper: "Sapulpa teen is on the ball; his design wins the national competition"

African American family: supportive and artistic; mother, father, and son.

> Positive image

5. Magazine: 3/23/09

People Magazine: article called "On Their Own" ; "Staying Strong for her Daughter." Pg.102

African American mother and daughter: Anne Marie does everything she can for her daughter, Arianna.

> Positive image when looking at what she has overcome

6. Internet: 3/26/09

commercial on www.youtube.com for new movie "Obsessed"

African American husband and wife

> The movie seemed to have a negative image, but the African American family had a neutral image.

7. Television: Thursday 3/26/09 @ 1:00 am

Good Times Channel 54- TV Land

African American Family: Women, 2 sons and daughter

> Situation is a negative image

After looking at the families I saw in the media, most of my images I found were positive. But when I thought about it I also watched TV shows I knew were on tv (the cosby show) because I knew the times it would be on since I grew up watching this. The articles I read in the magazine and newspaper were for the most part positive. However, the magazine article in People magazine had a positive image when looking at how far Anne Marie has come to get herself in the place and position she was in. If you focus on the type of life Anne Marie lived before, then it really is a negative image as well. In the article she says that "my mom gave me up at birth. My dad was ill. I had a relative who beat me with a shoe and I was sleeping in the subway when I came to the covenant house. I have a beautiful daughter, Arianna. I graduated college as a dental assistant. I'm pursuing my goals." Everything in the first half of that quote is negativity that she turned around into positivity in her life. I also really feel as though it depends on what type of media you are looking at to decide whether it is a positive or negative image. For example, I think that newspapers primarily have positive stories dealing with families, no matter what race, compared to television news which primarily focuses on negativity whether it is with a white family, a black family or whatever type of family. While this is not always the case, I typically think of TV news as more negative and newspaper articles as positive, uplifting stories of people who have success.

When you look at different movies that showcase African American families there is typically a stereotype for the families; the way they live, where they live, and their family members. I think it depends, but there is often times a negative image of African Americans compared to whites. Also, there is often images of inter racial relationships which usually leads to conflict. I find it strange that most of the movies with interracial relationships have conflict because it really shouldn't be that big of a deal. In my opinion it doesn't matter what color skin someone has so it's weird when so many movies focus primarily on this as a basis in the plot of the movie or tv show. 

While what we see in the media plays a large role in the way we think and feel about certain things, I think it is for the most part our real life experiences and thoughts which give us ideas of how we see others. After watching some television shows and movies and comparing them to my family or my best friend's family, who are African American, I realize that a lot of the time media images can be very over the top and can tend to exaggerate. I think that it is better to depend on your physical interactions and communications with others as a way to allow your perceptions to be influenced!

The Tulsa Race Riots.

Being a Tulsa native, I have learned about the Tulsa race riots in school growing up. This event is a terrible part of our nations history and it is hard to believe that it happened in my hometown, especially in the neighborhood where I went to school. I thought the documentary "Before They Die" was a very interesting and informative film. It discussed not only the history of the Tulsa Race Riots but it also discussed both what was, and was not, being done in order to compensate those survivors of the 1921 riots.

After watching this film, it was hard to not be infuriated for these survivors. They lived through this terrible event and aren't even given any compensation. Oh I'm sorry,  these survivors were given brass medals saying they were survivors as there compensation. That is ridiculous! They deserve so much more then a medal, they deserve respect, honor and for our nation to know what really occurred during those June nights. The Tulsa Race Riot is known as the worst in US history, yet so few of our nations citizens know about what even occurred during these 72 life changing hours. Not only were the days which the riots occurred life changing, but so were the weeks and months to follow. The people who lived in the greenwood neighborhood were put into tents since their houses were destroyed by the whites. If they wanted to leave or go anywhere/do anything they were given a tag with a number. The part I found to be most shocking was that they were having the African American men clean up the mess with no pay. This mess was brought on all because a white women was assumed to have been assaulted in an elevator by a black man. We don't even know if this true or not, and this is the event that brought upon this gruesome riot. After watching this documentary, I was angry that the survivors were denied compensation by congress and by my hometown of Tulsa! Listening to the defense counsel speak made me even more angry, his excuses were pathetic and I didn't understand how he could truly believe that these survivors didn't deserve anything for what they went through.

This is a part of our past that we can't forget happened. It is something that needs to be talked about so that we can realize how far we have come. Not only do we need to remember what has happened but it would be nice if something was done for the few survivors there are left. These individuals deserve justice and just want the world to know their story and what they went through. I'm happy I went to see the film, I learned more then I knew before and will always remember this important event that happened Tulsa.

Civil Rights brings Equality

The Civil Rights Movement took place between the years of 1955-1968. It essentially was there to "break down the barriers of legal segregation in public accommodations, achieve equality and justice for Blacks, and organize Blacks into a self-conscious social force capable of defining, defending and advancing their interests." (9). Doing away with negative feelings toward the Black race was one of the main goals which was accomplished thanks to groups like the NAACP, SNCC, CORE and SCLC. Another focus of the civil rights movement was to restore suffrage in southern states. However this was not just about Blacks civil rights under law, it was also about freedom, respect, dignity and equality that they deserved.

People say it was the gruesome death of Emmett Till, which occurred in Mississippi during 1955, that brought the collective spirit of our nation together and sparked the civil rights movement. Till's brutal murder occurred after he supposedly either whistled or said "bye baby" to a white women (there are different accounts of what actually happened). The murder was done by Bryant (owner of the store) and his half brother a few nights later. The men beat Till, shot him and tied a cotton gin fan to his neck and barbed wire to weigh down his body. They then preceded to throw Till into a nearby river, his body was found swollen and disfigured three days later. Emmett's mother insisted that the world see what kind of cruel things come from the violent acts of racism, she allowed for a public funeral service and an open casket. The trial which the two white men received was extremely unfair, the two men were proven innocent after only about an hour of deliberation. This terrible and tragic event is a dark part of our nations past but it sparked the Civil Rights Movement mainly because of the unfair justice that Till received. Right when I heard the name spoken in class I knew the story of the young boy but I could not remember specific details. However, when we started talking about him all of the details came rushing back into my mind and I vividly remembered the story, how could you not? It's definitely not a story you forget. It is sad to think that events like this are what had to play a part in changing our nations history and our citizens rights. However, events like this do not go unnoticed and will forever be remembered as a stepping stone in our history.

SNCC stands for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. This committee played an essential role to the Civil Rights Movement. This group started in North Carolina in 1960 from student meetings which were led by Ella Baker. It participated in the "major strategies of the Civil Rights Movement- including boycotts, sit-ins, voter registration campaigns, cooperative projects and even political party building." (188). Not only did this group play a part in integration but it also played an integral role in Black power. After the democratic convention in 1964 the group sort of split in two, both groups having differences in their ideas. Stokely Carmicheal believed that Blacks should be free to use violence in self-defense. After these discussions occurred, the mainstream Civil Rights Movement began to distance itself from the SNCC. The SNCC began to expel white staff and volunteers and those whites who had supported them in the past. The SNCC went through changes in leaders but ultimately the overall idea of the group was seen as violence for violence.. by the 1970's the SNCC was no longer seen as an effective organization.

Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were both great men who played a huge role in the Civil Rights Movement and helped get us to where we are today. Malcolm X believed that it was okay to use our rights for self-defense while King believed that the nonviolent acts and way of life should be stressed. Perhaps Malcolm X's life experience helped to shape his philosophy because he had been thrown into the criminal world at a young age which led to his time spent in jail. After going through these struggles I'm sure he thought that being able to defend oneself is necessary for survival in such a tough world.

I believe that the Civil Rights Movement succeeded in what it set out to accomplish. If we look around today there is evidence everywhere. We all have equal rights as citizens and there is no longer segregation. The racism of our nation may still exist in some areas but for the most part it is gone. While this movement took many years, many unfortunate events, many leaders and many situations, it definitely was worth it. There are also many new laws that are necessary to aid in our nations equality. While our nation has a gruesome past and we have gone through a lot, it helped get us where we are today which is for the most part an equal and thriving nation.

I agree with this statement that without others ideas and thoughts, we seem to have one-sided opinions. Not only that, but if we only see one type of lifestyle or only know one way of thinking then we are forcing ourself to be less diverse. I was taught to always look at other ideas and I was thrown into a world where it is hard not to notice diversity. I am thankful for that. I think it is best for people to be put in a place where they are told others thoughts and lifestyles but I think it would be hard to make someone do that if they don't want to. I believe that who I am today is because of what I have experienced and been exposed to thus far in my life.

Privilege.

When I initially thought about what privilege meant to me I thought about all of the things in my life I am lucky to have. For example, life in general. We are so lucky to be alive on this earth and living in this great country, the United States of America. We have endless opportunities and are a very fortunate country. Most of the time we don't even realize the privileges and blessings we have and we tend to take stuff for granted.. after doing this blog and thinking about twenty privileges in not only my life, but the lives of others, it really made me realize how truly lucky I am.....

1. I have an amazing roommate that I love. I'm lucky we get along as well as we do. I have heard some crazy stories and I'm thankful everything worked out between us.

2. My friends!! I am privileged to have all different kinds of best friends, from all different races and backgrounds. I am lucky my friends are there for me whenever I need them.

3. My car broke down and I am privileged to have triple A so that they can come and help me when I need it. I drive an old car and it breaks down fairly often so I'm very lucky to have a service like triple A.

4. I have the privilege to buy clothes. Not just necessity items but items that I find fashionable and I want to have.

5. I have the privilege to own a cellphone. Imagine life without a cell phone.. it would be so hard to survive. This is an item we definitely take for granted but if you think it about it they are so important and helpful in our lives.

6. When I was stressed out about school I was able to call my mom and vent to her. I'm lucky she is always there for me to talk to.

7. I am privileged to get to go to college. Not everyone gets to go to a great university like OU, and I am lucky I got accepted into this University.

8. I am privileged I have lived a healthy life thus far and have had no medical problems.

9. Today while walking outside there was a really pretty sunset, I am fortunate to have the use of my eyes for vision. Not only my eyes but all of my senses. This is something we take for granted fairly often, and you don't realize how lucky you are until you see, hear, taste, smell, touch something that catches your attention.

10. While doing homework earlier I got stuck on a problem. I knew there was a girl on my hall who was in the same class so I went to ask for help, luckily she knew how to do it and explained the problem to me. As much as I dislike living in the dorms there are some benefits of dorm life; helpful floor mates is one of those benefits.

11. I went to the huff to workout today and realized how lucky I am that I have the use of my legs and arms. 

12. Being able to read and write is an extreme privilege. Just imagine life without literacy.. it would be so much more difficult!

13. Being an adoptive child, I realize everyday how lucky I am that I got adopted into such a great and loving family. Every time I talk to a member of my family I am extremely thankful that I have them in my life.

14. Knowing how to drive and having a car is another privilege I have in my life. A lot of people learn how to drive but don't get the luxury of having their own car. I was lucky to get both of these.

15. I am lucky to have a place to live, even if it is the dorms, it's still a bed to sleep in and a roof over my head.

16. I am lucky to have gotten into a great sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. I have met a lot of my good friends through this group and it's a great way to get involved on campus.

17. In my personal opinion, as a nation we are extremely privileged to have President Barack Obama in office. 

18. I am fortunate that both my parents and scholarships can pay for me to come to this university. If it wasn't for those two things I wouldn't be in college right now.

19. I am lucky my parents raised me with the values and beliefs I have. I have grown up always taught to be open minded and I think that has helped me out a lot in life. 

20. I am also lucky to have a computer because without one I wouldn't be able to do a lot of my school work.. for example write this blog! I am lucky I can use my computer whenever I want.

After reading the McIntosh article which deals with privilege I realized there was a totally different way of looking at the the words meaning. After reading the list of 46 things, I realized how there really was a white privilege. This is something I had thought about before but never realized all of the reasons listed. After reading this hopefully it will help us to realize it is indeed there and it can be and needs to be stopped from continuing on in the future.

University of Oklahoma campus.. I am privileged to get to go to this school.

NAACP and the African American experience

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has been very instrumental and detrimental to the African American experience. This, among other organizations, was formed to fight discrimination and oppression (Karenga, 169). This civil rights organization just had it’s 100th anniversary and with that we see just how far our nation has come. It’s mission states “to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.” This statement helps us to understand just what exactly this association does. The NAACP was such a powerful force behind African American’s and their lives because these are the people who were really looking for a change and equality in their lives. The NAACP was a key factor in campaigns against lynching and Jim Crowism, two things that effected the African American community (Karenga, 169). The Oklahoma NAACP contributed to the history of civil rights movement by adding to the fight against desegregation in Oklahoma. Keep in mind Oklahoma experienced some horrible racism having the terrible Tulsa race riots occurring in it’s own state. Oklahoma’s NAACP also had a part in Clara Luper’s sit-in movement which occurred during the 1950’s. These sit-ins soon were successful and Clara and the NAACP were victorious in fighting for black rights. We can thank Clara Luper and the NAACP for the end of segregation in public places throughout Oklahoma.

The legal movement aided in the civil rights movement because the legal movement looked at the fact that women were now able to vote and black men were demanding their rights to vote as well. When looking at women’s suffrage they soon after allowed white women to vote in elections. With white women in a higher position then black males, the African American males challenged the whites to become equal. With their victory came the right for all qualified poll tax payers to vote in the local primary and eventually others were inspired by this and followed suit with other cases.

Some similarities between the NAACP’s relevance to the African American experience and the legal movement would include that now that the NAACP is there to create equality among it’s citizens and that’s exactly what the legal movement did as well. The legal movement made it equal and fair for all poll tax paying citizens to vote. The NAACP also looked into making things fair and equal for African Americans and all citizens and while that is not the exact same as the legal movement it definitely shares some relevance with it.

Reconstruction was a time in America that represented great possibility to realize the ideals of freedom, equality and justice for all but it also was a time of disappointment  and betrayed it’s own ideas (Karenga, 163). Basically reconstruction looked at the transformation of the South, the abolishment of slavery, and establishing the rights of all freed slaves. Most say it was not a success and when looking at the history one has to agree. The blacks were forced into semi-enslaved status because the federal government failed to give Blacks land and equipment, the white terrorist societies like the KKK rose to power, the supreme court’s eroding constitutional and legislative gains for Blacks through rulings favorable to the South all were reasons that reconstruction in the South did not succeed.

Currently, the NAACP is still advocating civil rights for citizens and their communities. They are also conducting voter mobilization. They still continue their role as legal advocate for civil rights issues along with focusing on some other issues such as educational development for our youth. With more then 500,000 members the association is still going strong and advocating citizens and their rights. 

After listening to our two guest speakers I have realized just how much more important African and African American history and it’s studies are. I learned new things and about new people I had never heard of, and just how big of a difference those people had made in other’s lives. Learning about people like Clara Luper and what a big difference she made just being from Oklahoma, and Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher was amazing and really makes you think how much just one person can do to change our lives. The speakers we had in class were very informative and I found them to be really interesting. 

India Arie

Music is one of my all time favorite things so I figure I could use one of my free blogs to talk about one of my favorite musical artists. While I love almost every kind of music, there are certain artists I favor more then others. One of my favorite singers is India.Arie. As I began to write this blog I googled her because while I know most lyrics to her songs, I didn't know much about her as a person. It is interesting to learn that her mother was a former singer who was signed to Motown as a teenager and opened for Stevie Wonder and Al Green, and her father was an ABA and NBA basketball player, Ralph Simpson. She comes from a pretty talented family, huh?? I guess it makes sense considering she's won two grammys along with many other awards.

India.Arie has had 3 studio albums, including Acoustic Soul, Voyage to India, and Testimony Volume 1: life and relationship. Her fourth album just came out on Tuesday and is called Testimony Volume 2: love and politics. I have only heard one song from this album but I really liked it. I find her lyrics to be inspiring and uplifting. They are the kind of lyrics that really make you think. You feel good when you listen to her music and it makes you want to listen to more. India.Arie is an example of a female artist who proves that you don't have to lose your integrity to have a successful career.

My favorite songs by India.Arie are Brown Skin and Beautiful Flower. Both of these songs have really good lyrics and the beat to brown skin is SO good! The message beautiful flower gives is that of power, especially to all women....

"Cause you're beautiful like a flower, more valuable than a diamond, you are powerful like a fire, you can heal the world with your mind and there is nothing in the world that you cannot do, when you believe in you (who are beautiful), yeah you (who are brilliant), yeah you (who are powerful), yeah you (who are resilient)"

...If you haven't heard a song by India.Arie I suggest you go youtube her and give her a chance.. you wont be disappointed! Also, the grammys are coming up on Sunday and she is nominated for "Best R&B Duo/Group" for the song Words ft. Anthony David. I have my fingers crossed that they will be taking home that award

Booker T. Washington high school, the pride of the great southwest!!

"You're a symbol of light for many a youth, by pointing the way to life's best. You stand as a beacon in Tulsa by teaching the ideals of truth. You inspire us with all that is worthy and gird us for life's greatest test. Oh God help us ever grow stalwart in body in soul and in mind, that the light of dear Booker T. high school may grow brighter and always shine!"

Booker T. Washington high school brought me four of the best years of my life! I am so thankful I got to go to such a good school with such fun and interesting people. I am so proud to say I'm a hornet and from the lyrics of one of our band chants, "I'm so glad I WENT to Booker T!!" 

One reason I loved Booker T. so much was because of the diversity we had. To ensure greater ethnic, economic, and intellectual diversity, students who live in historically minority and economically depressed neighborhoods were offered admission consideration. I met so many different kinds of people at school; we had people with blue hair, people who wore fairy wings every day, people who didn't wear shoes, and the list goes on. I met so many different kinds of people and I think if I had gone to any other high school I probably wouldn't have gotten that same opportunity.

The dub, as we liked to call it, was ranked 65th in Newsweek magazine's list of the top 100 public high schools in America in 2008. Booker T. is a historically African American school and was the first school in Tulsa to be desegregated. It has both AP (advanced placement) and IB (international baccalaureate) programs and has the most amazing band and drumline known as the High Steppin T-Connection marching band. The funky d's (the drumline) is something everyone can enjoy and look forward to. We have championship football, basketball, swim, soccer and cross country teams. Not to mention we also have quite a few notable alumni, including supermodel Amber Valletta, and football players R.W. McQuarters and Felix Jones. It's also cool to think about all of the other future notable alumni we will be able to add to the list. I know just from my class of 2008, I can think of so many people that will go far and do great things. Even after reading all of this information and understanding how great of a school Booker T. was, you still don't get a feel for the spirit and pride of the school unless you were a hornet. Especially after writing this blog, it made me realize how much I truly loved my school. 

A Community of Importance and Inspirtation

I think that African/African American/Black Studies curriculums and programs are both extremely important and relevant. I believe that not only African and African American Studies are important, but also the studies of other groups of people and other ethnicities. Not that we should be required to know everything about every group of people, but to at least be educated and informed seems beneficial to us as individuals. While we do learn some of this information in regular history classes, I wonder if that information is sufficient? We are taught basically the bare minimum and to some of us that is not enough. I enrolled in this class because I do not feel that I know enough about this subject and it is something that I find to be interesting and I wish I knew more about. 

There are so many African and African American leaders we should all know about, and while some of us have at least heard of most of them, we do not realize the extent and importance of these fine individuals and the integral roles they have played in our lives. 

African and African American Studies are not only part of our nations history but are also an inspiration to our country now and for the future generations to come. Right now with our first African American President in office, it helps us to see how far we have come and how much further we are able to go. 

President Barack Obama not only will bring change to the White House and to our country but he also brought change in our nations voting. With this past election we saw a huge increase in the amount of young voters, and the voter turnout for the 2008 election was the highest in at least forty years. I think that it is a huge step in the right direction and another imperative chapter in AFAM programs.