Boys II Men

We finally had our screening of Boys of Baraka at the Utopia center yesterday! I wasn’t really sure what to expect but from all the promoting we have been doing I thought people would be genuinely excited to view the film and have an open discussion. However, what I realized is as soon as people found out about the topic, they didn’t seem as interested. I can understand that classes are coming to a close and people had test and other group work but I was a little disappointed with the turn out. However, I was so thankful for those that did take the time to come out and also discusses the topic.

From class we all had seen Boys of Baraka but watching it again I was just as interested the second time as I was the first time. What I was surprised by was the film Kate Martin put together from her Boys II Men group. The film was well thought out and the message was similar to the Boys of Baraka film. I guess when I watched the Boys of Baraka, it was more of a movie just because they were from Baltimore and it didn’t affect me directly. Not to say that it wasn’t sad or touching but watching the film about kids from right here Austin and their desire to learn, same desire the Boys from Baltimore had was really inspiring. Overall, if one person that came out learned something or was inspired by Katie’s film then we have done our job. Personally, it has definitely inspired me to be more involved with the community.

Boys of Baraka

We are having our film screening and discussion on Wednesday from 5-7 pm. We hope everyone can make it!We are planning on showing the film and having an open discussion regarding 'achievement gap' and also topics the film touches on like why there is a lack programs like Baraka school here in the United States and systematic racism. we also hope to come up with solutions that can be enforced moving forward.

Police Don't like Black People

 This article focuses on a study of 40 black men in St. Louis, Missouri to understand black men's experiences with police.  The study age ranged from 13 to 19. Interviewing took place between spring 1999 and spring 2000. Participation in the study was voluntary, and assured confidentiality. Brunson targeted young black men because research has identified them as the group frequent involuntary police contacts in the United States. In the study, most of the young men interviewed had had an overall negative view toward police.

The in depth interview was divided in parts:

AGGRESSIVE POLICING

POLICE MISCONDUCT
POLICE VIOLENCE
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
WITNESSING POLICE VIOLENCE

 Experiences range from getting picked up and being dropped off in remote location instead of taking them to the police station, causing physically harm and taking money if the teens can’t explain where they got it from.

 Finding: Black adults and adolescents report more dissatisfaction and distrust than their counterparts from other racial groups. They never report misconduct because they don’t feel like it would be taken seriously and some are not comfortable going to the police station.

 Brunson explains at the end that citizen complaints against officers could be initiated in the prosecutor's office rather than in police stations.

 Flaw in study: African American’s perception of police before encounter came mostly from family and friend’s experiences which might be exaggerated.

Hip Hop

The film, Hip Hop and Beyond Beats was really insightful and a deeper take on what many have tried to understand: Hip Hop. I walked away kind of disturbed at some of the footage especially at the part where he asks men why they call women “bitches and hoes”. Just because the women were in outfits that were reveling doesn’t give a man a reason to call someone a hoe. If attention is what the women want in the way they dress than they are getting it.However, when many of them where asked about this subject they all said in defense that it doesn’t apply to them. I don’t have a problem with the way the women were dressed but the fact that these men thought it was okay to speak and physical touch them in such manner was just wrong.  In regards to Nelly and the Tip drill video, he was asked in an interview why he thought it was okay to objectify women and his response was that most of the action in that video was ideas from women, which is even more disturbing.

As far as examining explicit lyrics and young boys, I thought it was insightful when one of the men said that they get a clear message form top executives and from what is popular right now and that message is explicit disrespectful lyrics sell. It’s hard to argue and teach young men the opposite when they see their favorite rapper making a lot of money because of the stuff he/she raps about. However, educating men at a young age to see wrong from right is a step in the right direction.

As far as African American girls watching music videos and the message it sends out, I think that parents need to have discussion with their children. I had friends whose parents censored their TV from shows  and music videos they considered inappropriate but with the use of technology  children will get exposed to it one way or another so an honest open discussion is very much needed.  Girls also have to understand that the glamorized images are unrealistic and over exaggerated. I believe the results from the study are results of lack of education and open conversation.

Boys of Baraka

Boys of Baraka

I enjoyed watching the film, Boys of Baraka. It was funny, educational and at times really sad. The main thing that stuck out to me was how smart the boys were, not only about their surrounding but the bigger picture. They all knew that the place they call home was not the safest or nicest but I felt like they knew something better was out there for them. Many times we are forced to think that African American students don’t want to be in school so watching the boys with excitement when they found out they were going to Africa and the disappointment when the school shut down was eye-opening.

 In regards to systemic effect I feel that society simply doesn’t care. These boys have the ability to learn and succeed but the lack of resources available has kept them down. One of the saddest part of the movie was when they went to Africa and they were evaluated, finding out some of these boys who are supposed to be looking forward to high school were at second grade level was disheartening. How is it possible for a teacher that spends so much time with these kids not to notice that they are not getting the attention they deserve? We mentioned in class that if teachers were better prepared than we could begin to solve this problem. When it comes down to it resource is one the main missing.

 From individual level, the main thing I noticed was the physiological effect their surround has on them and the way they view their future. All of the boys grew up seeing people get arrested, in constant fear and drug dealers so when they were taken out of that surrounding you can see their views change. They recognized that people that look just like them live in “unity” unlike the atmosphere they are used too. Also, they saw people who didn’t have money making the best out of the situation. I think the trip was a confidence boost as far as individual factors are concerned only if they were given the opportunity to continue with the tremendous growth they experienced while in Kenya for that one year.

Closing the Gap

I wasn’t surprised to see such a gap exist between African Americans and Whites a letter grade difference (B for whites and C for Blacks). The attention African Americans get in school is incomparable. I can easily relate it back to high school where I felt like the success of white kids somehow measured the success of the teachers. Teachers had to give extra attention to white kids because they had parents coming to the school to check on their kid’s progress. Most of the teachers also happen to be coaches so school wasn’t a main priority, as long a passing grade was passed out no matter how low; some kids were okay with that. I don’t believe in a “real” achievement gap but rather structural oppression which forces this gap to occur. To assume an achievement gap exists would require an even playing field and we know that’s not the case so there is no way of figuring out this “gap”.

Racial/Ethnic Identity

I believe that stage of race identity intercepts with the concept of privilege through the encounters whites and African Americans have and how they differ. It’s a good assumption that in today’s society that race is still a big issue and something that affects many. The Trayvon Martin case is an example of race and its prevalence. White Racial Identity Model explains privilege regarding contact status, whites deny race as important in society and prefer to themselves as “color blind.” If you have never had a problem in school or at your job because of the color of your skin it’s no surprise to regard race as non factor.  

In regards to my daily encounter, white privilege is something I notice often. Having several classes were I am the only minority, it’s something I notice but a white person never has to think about. I also thing African Americans are caution when approaching other minorities and the way we think about them because of African Americans History. One point that came up in regards to the Trayvon martin case was that it would be hard to imagine an African American man/woman taking the same actions as Zimmerman. Regardless of where you might fall in the People of Color Identity Model, there is an understanding of African American oppression that it would be hard to relay the same hatred on to others.

In regards to the learning group project, we have to be open to encountering people in different stages and like we talked about in class we can’t change a set way of thinking, but we can let facts and actions speak for themselves. From the Beverly Tatum’s article Family life and school experiences: Factors in the racial identity development of black youth in white communities Tatum states that the student that had some kind of encounter with someone who was proud and educated in Black history, it had a positive impact in the way the students thought about their own culture. We can hope for our learning project that we can in some way be a positive role model to those we encounter.

Affirmative action: Racist by nature

The article discusses affirmative action and goes as far as calling it reverse-discrimination. There are so many things wrong with this article that I hard time believing someone through it was okay publish such a skewed opinion. To start, he mentions the reason for the affirmative action was in response to segregation and the “many wrong done to black” but had he understood the details of slavery and oppression he would come to realize that some of his assumptions are wrong-like assuming we are on the same playing field. Fact of the matter is racism still prevalent in today society demonstrated by the teen shooting in Florida so quoting Martin Luther King Jr. said to make his argument is inappropriate Also, McGravey talks about these injustices by mixing race and social class together.  He talks about the divide between whites and Asian American with African American and Hispanics and uses Affirmative action as a response to simply race but then goes further to talk about whites living in slums who don’t have the same advantages.

He does make some good points in that whites who are disadvantage should have a policy to help them but that’s a separate issue. Affirmative action doesn’t have to be all or nothing deal. We can still have affirmative action but also have another policy that looks out for the disadvantage in general.  The article is in support of Abigail in the Abigail Fisher v. University of Texas lawsuit. Abigail was denied acceptance at the University and her reasoning for the lawsuit was that it was because she was white and that other undeserving minorities took her place. The admission process takes in to account GPA and ethnicity but there are also other attributes that might separate one candidate from another like the required essay and extra activities so to assume it was solely based on race is crazy. Abigail decided to go after affirmative action but what about legacy admission??

In regards to African American children, there needs to be resources and programs so that we don’t rely on affirmative action but use it when there is injustice. Resource is the biggest thing that is hindering the Africa American community not ability as we saw from the SXSW video and Urban Prep and so there needs to be program supported by the state to make sure every student regardless of neighborhood gets the same education especially in Texas where TASK testing determines high school graduation.

Mid-Term Essay

For the children growing up in high distress areas with low self-authenticity and self-worth, who feel  like they don’t have much, this is devoted to you. I hope you find inspiration and one day define perseverance.

African Centered Behavioral Change model demonstrates ‘behavior is largely determined by culture, belief in what is real and perception of self within ones environment’. This transformation process is based on the environment and the person. Quadrant four also Aberrant is the concern of this essay.

Growing up witnessing crimes and misfortune can lead any child to believe that this was their destiny and there is no way to escape such a cycle. When the system has given up on you and you are forced to redefine yourself let alone a race that becomes a big burden. But somehow many have managed to make it out of such circumstances and define strength and hard work. We hear about rags to riches stories all over the media and although they can be inspiring many seem far from reach. Oprah is a great example of someone who had nothing and worked for everything but what about dreams of becoming doctors or lawyers? The Black Middle Class: Progress, Prospects, and Puzzles” defines the Talented Tenth as most educated and affluent part of the Black Community. But what has happened in the talented tenth in the African American community? Also, why is there such a high disproportion in Immigrants occupying high percentage of the middle class?

I have first-hand witness the struggles many immigrants face to live the “American Dream”.  This dream consists of higher education, high pay and high self-worth. There are a high percentage of immigrants obtaining bachelors and masters because it is the only way to reach that dream. Growing up my father always emphasized the importance of education and how it was the only guaranty in life to truly live to my full potential. Many Immigrants come to the United Stated and end up living in high distress areas while working low paying jobs to reach that ultimate goal but what separates them from quadrant four is that they believe in their future and they believe they can be the one to break the cycle of living in poverty. This type of tenacity is what quadrant four needs. We can’t let our neighborhood define us as people. By starting within and defining ourselves we can transform our environment. Just as these Immigrants had a goal of living the American Dream, quadrant one can be the ultimate goal one that consists of high self-worth.

CNN in American had a great peace in regards to quadrant four and Malaak Compton-Rock attempt to transform the lives of teenagers form Bushwick, Brooklyn -- a community of thriving drug trade, severely under-achieving schools, and extreme poverty. Rocks attempt took the children all the way to South Africa. Although, she took them out of the distressed environment, her goal was to work on their self-esteem and the way they viewed their goals. The problem I found with her method is that by removing the children form their environment, South Africa became another reality. They can transform and become all she hopes in South African but when they return home and they still face the same obstacles as before, and then it becomes inevitable to transition right back to their on reality. Instead we need to work on changing our mindset in our own environment.

Nguzo Saba’s Self- determination and Faith can be grate reference for our ultimate goal of reaching quadrant one. Self-determination refers to “defining ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves” and Faith refers to “believing with all our hearts in our parents, our teachers, our leaders, our people and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.” If we have faith and self-determination then we know that anything is possible. From the Article Dynamic Duo “create for ourselves” stands out to me in self-determination because nothing is handed to the African American community, so to have the ability to create opportunities for our self and then extend that same opportunity to our brother and sisters would is an amazing accomplishment.  

To change our mind set completely would be asking for the impossible and not mentioning all the obstacles quadrant four face would be unfair. The system is set up discourage upward mobility in the African American community from the poor educational system to welfare system. Robert Hill’s article The Impact of Welfare Reform on Black Families discusses how hard children suffer from welfare. The article states that 4.7 million children who are eligible for health care don’t have one because new laws “decoupled health benefit and food stamps.” Health and safety are ranked low on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs so enable for these children to reach the top which is self-actualization; the system has to provide the basics.

We can’t change the welfare system or education system at this given moment but we can make the best decisions for ourselves in hopes of one day altering society. We can use our given circumstances as a challenge. Take every opportunity to talk to a mentor, ask for help in class, and reach for opportunities outside the norm. A Plea to the Talented Tenth states that the ‘talented tenth tends to use success to departure from the hood but leave their brother and sister behind. My hope for the quadrant four is to use every resource possible to find low distress and high self-worth but in the process to look back and help one another.

My Philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life,but doing the best at this momnet puts you in the best place for the next moment.
                                                                          -Oprah Winfrey