It was a pleasure getting to discuss with all of my colleagues and learning from a variety of perspectives. It was a great semester and I wish you all continued success. I hope this course has reminded all of us that we are the keys to change.
Saturday, December 23, 2017
Thank You
It was a pleasure getting to discuss with all of my colleagues and learning from a variety of perspectives. It was a great semester and I wish you all continued success. I hope this course has reminded all of us that we are the keys to change.
Friday, December 15, 2017
New Family
I wanted to challenge myself with this week's blog post when use the scenario given as a way to stimulate and challenge me personally and professionally.
My emmergrating child's country of orgin would be Iran. I chose thos country intentionally to be able to learn about the country in depth and breaknstigma and stereotypes that surround the muslim culture.
I would integrate lessons that discuss how we are all different and come from unique places that have unique customs and traditions. I would then structure lessons and activities around different countries, including Iran, for students to be able to learn more about that particular part of the world and the people in it. I would, finally, have an activity that would bring in the families of my students to take part in an afternoon activity that facilitates conversations about diversity within the child's home and with the parents amongst other parents in the clasroom; bringing in the whole child aspect by also narrowing in on tbe famiky dynamics.
These strategies wouod hopefully give that child and their family peace of mind in knowing that although they are in unfamiliar territory, they are surrounded my a support system and network that embraces racial, religious, and cultural diversity. This would then encourage the child to inergrate more naturally into the classroom and not feel hesitant to join in with other students
My emmergrating child's country of orgin would be Iran. I chose thos country intentionally to be able to learn about the country in depth and breaknstigma and stereotypes that surround the muslim culture.
I would integrate lessons that discuss how we are all different and come from unique places that have unique customs and traditions. I would then structure lessons and activities around different countries, including Iran, for students to be able to learn more about that particular part of the world and the people in it. I would, finally, have an activity that would bring in the families of my students to take part in an afternoon activity that facilitates conversations about diversity within the child's home and with the parents amongst other parents in the clasroom; bringing in the whole child aspect by also narrowing in on tbe famiky dynamics.
These strategies wouod hopefully give that child and their family peace of mind in knowing that although they are in unfamiliar territory, they are surrounded my a support system and network that embraces racial, religious, and cultural diversity. This would then encourage the child to inergrate more naturally into the classroom and not feel hesitant to join in with other students
Saturday, December 9, 2017
Experience
This week is all about reflecting on an experience where there was an example if bias or prejudice. My experience for Black Friday was definitely something that made me feel less than an equal because of classism and racism.
However, another experience was where I was a bystander in McDonalds and an irate white gentleman was yelling profanities and racial slurs to a Mexican immigrant woman because her limited English. This was about 3 years ago on Chicago ave and State in the heart of downtown Chicago and it was startling how hardly anyone spoke up. At first I didn't either because it wasnt my fight but it made me uncomfortable. I knew it felt horrible to be on the other end for the young woman and as a Black woman I coukd definitely relate.
I finally spoke up and told him he shouldn't be so mean to her because she is trying and he yelled for me to go back to my country. Now I was pissed and cursed him to hell. Point is, it made me feel like despite my American lineage and ancestral blood herr in America, I am always seen as an outsider and never fully "American" because I am black. It also is uncomfortable that white people feel the need to claim stolen land as theirs and feel entitled to claim ownership over literally everything.
What was even more baffling was that hardly anyone spoke up. Not one other person outside of another Black guy defended me or the young lady. There were mean stares towards him and side conversations about how nasty he was but no one spoke up. And almost everyone waiting in line with me (quite a bit of people) were white. What needs to change is complacency with racism and bigotry. What needs to change are white people's attitudes towards confronting racists in their community and being a goddamn ally. Most importantly, what needs to change are our hearts towards those not like us.
Until then, we are destined to be at war with one another.
However, another experience was where I was a bystander in McDonalds and an irate white gentleman was yelling profanities and racial slurs to a Mexican immigrant woman because her limited English. This was about 3 years ago on Chicago ave and State in the heart of downtown Chicago and it was startling how hardly anyone spoke up. At first I didn't either because it wasnt my fight but it made me uncomfortable. I knew it felt horrible to be on the other end for the young woman and as a Black woman I coukd definitely relate.
I finally spoke up and told him he shouldn't be so mean to her because she is trying and he yelled for me to go back to my country. Now I was pissed and cursed him to hell. Point is, it made me feel like despite my American lineage and ancestral blood herr in America, I am always seen as an outsider and never fully "American" because I am black. It also is uncomfortable that white people feel the need to claim stolen land as theirs and feel entitled to claim ownership over literally everything.
What was even more baffling was that hardly anyone spoke up. Not one other person outside of another Black guy defended me or the young lady. There were mean stares towards him and side conversations about how nasty he was but no one spoke up. And almost everyone waiting in line with me (quite a bit of people) were white. What needs to change is complacency with racism and bigotry. What needs to change are white people's attitudes towards confronting racists in their community and being a goddamn ally. Most importantly, what needs to change are our hearts towards those not like us.
Until then, we are destined to be at war with one another.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Microaggressions
As the holiday time approaches, increased spending and gift giving takes over pretty much from Black Friday (yesterday) to Christmas Eve.
Yesterday was Black Friday and like many other American shoppers, I wanted the best deals. My mother is an avid fan and cultural follower of the luxury Coach handbags. I decided to postpone her trip to Paisley Park for her birthday in January (less than a month after Xmas) and gift her with a new leather handbag instead :)
However, I live in Chicago and call me high-class but I want a Coach purse from the Coach store. Luckily, I live in one of the greatest cities in the world so there are literally three Coach stores in our iconic Mag Mile to choose from. Long story short, I went in and of course it is SUPER crowded but to be expected. Im dressed in an oversized down coat, sweats, sneakers, and a wool hat (I look like a fat marshmallow)
Every single person (minus a few foreign tourists) were white in the store. Associates greeted and spoke to every single customer BUT me. I am literally browsing around the store for a good 15 minutes- during that time several associates and security personnel either see me or don't acknowledge me or avoid me. I got freaking frustrated.
I finally find a sale associate and she is very curt with me with a snippy attitude. Chanel from South side Chicago would snap back but I'm on Michigan Ave as the only Black woman in this store. I need to act appropriately. So I smile and ask for the manager. The GM was present and I voiced my experience and concern and how I felt singles out as the only person of color.
Needless to say I received a $600 handbag for $200 :)
The point is, I didn't LOOK like I had money and while I don't like playing "the race card", as the only African-American consumer there (the security were tall, burly Black men. Go figure ) I couldn't help but feel dismissed. The sales associate even dismissed me and have me a snippy attitude when I politely just asked if I could see a handbag from the top shelf. I own like eight Coach bags and shop frequently with the brand. However the actual storefronts of these high end designer labels are very judgemental and I sometimes hate going in because they immediately categorize me as either a theif, window shopper, or a low baller.
This experience is nothing new to me but it reinforces me to not allow my subconscious attitudes towards others dictate how I treat them; especially my students who are of a different background than me. There are many signals and messages about people of different communities that are both negative and positive. It is solely up to us to decipher what we internalize and how that ammends out behavior.
Yesterday was Black Friday and like many other American shoppers, I wanted the best deals. My mother is an avid fan and cultural follower of the luxury Coach handbags. I decided to postpone her trip to Paisley Park for her birthday in January (less than a month after Xmas) and gift her with a new leather handbag instead :)
However, I live in Chicago and call me high-class but I want a Coach purse from the Coach store. Luckily, I live in one of the greatest cities in the world so there are literally three Coach stores in our iconic Mag Mile to choose from. Long story short, I went in and of course it is SUPER crowded but to be expected. Im dressed in an oversized down coat, sweats, sneakers, and a wool hat (I look like a fat marshmallow)
Every single person (minus a few foreign tourists) were white in the store. Associates greeted and spoke to every single customer BUT me. I am literally browsing around the store for a good 15 minutes- during that time several associates and security personnel either see me or don't acknowledge me or avoid me. I got freaking frustrated.
I finally find a sale associate and she is very curt with me with a snippy attitude. Chanel from South side Chicago would snap back but I'm on Michigan Ave as the only Black woman in this store. I need to act appropriately. So I smile and ask for the manager. The GM was present and I voiced my experience and concern and how I felt singles out as the only person of color.
Needless to say I received a $600 handbag for $200 :)
The point is, I didn't LOOK like I had money and while I don't like playing "the race card", as the only African-American consumer there (the security were tall, burly Black men. Go figure ) I couldn't help but feel dismissed. The sales associate even dismissed me and have me a snippy attitude when I politely just asked if I could see a handbag from the top shelf. I own like eight Coach bags and shop frequently with the brand. However the actual storefronts of these high end designer labels are very judgemental and I sometimes hate going in because they immediately categorize me as either a theif, window shopper, or a low baller.
This experience is nothing new to me but it reinforces me to not allow my subconscious attitudes towards others dictate how I treat them; especially my students who are of a different background than me. There are many signals and messages about people of different communities that are both negative and positive. It is solely up to us to decipher what we internalize and how that ammends out behavior.
Saturday, November 18, 2017
Culture and Perspective
Happy Saturday!
This week is all about diversity, culture, and perspective while relating that to how we as individuals navigate through our environment.
It's interesting for this week's blog because this conversation came up naturally between me and the gentleman who is courting me. As a Black woman, I realize there are inherent stereotypes and misconceptiona about me that have been the general framework for how the world nviews me. I'm either the Black woman from the syrup bottle, a Nicki Minaj, or the "loud" "ghetto" baby mother with the fake long nails and nasty attitude. Unfortunately, none of those sound too appealing and don't fit me exactly individually.
If I am being candid, I am a mixture of all three in my own self-fufilling prophetic way. I'm a sassy, sultry, motherly Black woman if we look into that stereotypical context; but I am also much more than that and the very idea of me not fitting into one of more of those three categories baffles people of other backgrounds.
The gentleman courting me is a white guy, an older gentleman in his 30's and seems pretty well-rounded. We have previously spoken on culture and cultural differences but when we divulged deeper into discussing privledge, "deep culture", and dominant cultural oppression, he got offended and defensive. Of course I expected this but seriously :/
It baffles me how white people are conditioned to feel that eliminating racial bias and racist undertones in our social culture perpetuated by an oppressive dominant culture is to carry this bullshit " We are all one race:human race " concept.
When asked about how he feels diversity and culture affects him compared to people if color, he immediately refers tonhim growing up in a "diverse" neighborhood with no racisim. That made me laugh. He also felt that exaggerating our differences through cultural practices instead of just adopting "American" cultural practices is part of why there is so much of a toxic climate between race. When told that that is false and only further proves that be is privledge as a white male to force-feed cultural practices that make him comfortable, he was immediately offended and felt he was attacked for being white.
Needless to say, he and I have alternating viewpoints on culture, diversity, and perspective. If anything, this further proves that the discussion of individual differences and how they make America beautiful and iconic is useful and needed to alleviate ignorance. Burying our cultural variances under a defacto dominant culture creates internal and external strife that further deepens the divide of an individual, their identity, and their respective communities.
Having these tough conversations with our young ones about identiy, culture, and diversity early allows those attidues to be normalized and create an environment of total acceptance and understanding.
This week is all about diversity, culture, and perspective while relating that to how we as individuals navigate through our environment.
It's interesting for this week's blog because this conversation came up naturally between me and the gentleman who is courting me. As a Black woman, I realize there are inherent stereotypes and misconceptiona about me that have been the general framework for how the world nviews me. I'm either the Black woman from the syrup bottle, a Nicki Minaj, or the "loud" "ghetto" baby mother with the fake long nails and nasty attitude. Unfortunately, none of those sound too appealing and don't fit me exactly individually.
If I am being candid, I am a mixture of all three in my own self-fufilling prophetic way. I'm a sassy, sultry, motherly Black woman if we look into that stereotypical context; but I am also much more than that and the very idea of me not fitting into one of more of those three categories baffles people of other backgrounds.
The gentleman courting me is a white guy, an older gentleman in his 30's and seems pretty well-rounded. We have previously spoken on culture and cultural differences but when we divulged deeper into discussing privledge, "deep culture", and dominant cultural oppression, he got offended and defensive. Of course I expected this but seriously :/
It baffles me how white people are conditioned to feel that eliminating racial bias and racist undertones in our social culture perpetuated by an oppressive dominant culture is to carry this bullshit " We are all one race:human race " concept.
When asked about how he feels diversity and culture affects him compared to people if color, he immediately refers tonhim growing up in a "diverse" neighborhood with no racisim. That made me laugh. He also felt that exaggerating our differences through cultural practices instead of just adopting "American" cultural practices is part of why there is so much of a toxic climate between race. When told that that is false and only further proves that be is privledge as a white male to force-feed cultural practices that make him comfortable, he was immediately offended and felt he was attacked for being white.
Needless to say, he and I have alternating viewpoints on culture, diversity, and perspective. If anything, this further proves that the discussion of individual differences and how they make America beautiful and iconic is useful and needed to alleviate ignorance. Burying our cultural variances under a defacto dominant culture creates internal and external strife that further deepens the divide of an individual, their identity, and their respective communities.
Having these tough conversations with our young ones about identiy, culture, and diversity early allows those attidues to be normalized and create an environment of total acceptance and understanding.
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Retaining my Culture
Happy Friday everyone!
This blog post is quite the interesting one because it is relevant to real life culture and events for myself. As an African-American, I have considered (seriously) leaving The United States because of the more overt forms of racisim, systematic oppression, and our our federal government is being represented and ran by our current administrators. I'm not the most liberal of liberals but I have a moral compass and everything from normalizing acts of sexual harassment to defending budgets that assisitng brown people of color to live decent lives is something I do not feel safe in.
What is interesting is that African-American culture is a concoction of internalised, normalized American culture and standards mixed with the history, traditions, and cultural practices of our enslaved ancestors that were able to pass down survival and traditional African practices down generations. I really don't have anything concrete that accurately represents the African-American culture unless it refers back to slavery tonthe discussion mentions slavery as a catalyst tonwhy the memento is important and valuable.
If I had to pick three items that represented me and my culture to show the world in my new country, I would choose the urn of my son, a copy of the Willie Lynch letter, and a photo of Barack Obama. These items are not.only significant to me but to my identity as an African-American woman. The most feared person in America is the Black male, let's just be honest. Stereotype and prejudice continue to perpetuate the stigma of danger, aggression, and hypermasculinity onto our Black males.
As the mother of a black son, regardless of him being here in flesh or spirit, I felt the fear of knowing how the workd would view him moments after he was born. His very existence was and remains a threat in this country. I was nervous not to name him anything too "ethnic", I had already mapped out what programs to put him in after school when he barely was a day old. I even had lectures ready for when he came home and asked why he couldn't hang around certain people- even though they looked like us. I was mentally preparing myself to not only raise my son but keep him alive when every target points at his back.
My son was and remains a strong embodiment of a Black male, a true king. Having him, a photo of another Black male with commanding presence (and the first Black president of The United States) alongside a nasty piece of American history that helped draft the some of the worst laws in our history would be powerful as a chain of progression.
Even as an African-American woman, I find myself wanting to uplift the imagery and perception of our men. Our men are the driving forces and then protectors. With those few items, I am able to show the dark history of American racisim and yet how we have overcome and will continue to prosper.
This blog post is quite the interesting one because it is relevant to real life culture and events for myself. As an African-American, I have considered (seriously) leaving The United States because of the more overt forms of racisim, systematic oppression, and our our federal government is being represented and ran by our current administrators. I'm not the most liberal of liberals but I have a moral compass and everything from normalizing acts of sexual harassment to defending budgets that assisitng brown people of color to live decent lives is something I do not feel safe in.
What is interesting is that African-American culture is a concoction of internalised, normalized American culture and standards mixed with the history, traditions, and cultural practices of our enslaved ancestors that were able to pass down survival and traditional African practices down generations. I really don't have anything concrete that accurately represents the African-American culture unless it refers back to slavery tonthe discussion mentions slavery as a catalyst tonwhy the memento is important and valuable.
If I had to pick three items that represented me and my culture to show the world in my new country, I would choose the urn of my son, a copy of the Willie Lynch letter, and a photo of Barack Obama. These items are not.only significant to me but to my identity as an African-American woman. The most feared person in America is the Black male, let's just be honest. Stereotype and prejudice continue to perpetuate the stigma of danger, aggression, and hypermasculinity onto our Black males.
As the mother of a black son, regardless of him being here in flesh or spirit, I felt the fear of knowing how the workd would view him moments after he was born. His very existence was and remains a threat in this country. I was nervous not to name him anything too "ethnic", I had already mapped out what programs to put him in after school when he barely was a day old. I even had lectures ready for when he came home and asked why he couldn't hang around certain people- even though they looked like us. I was mentally preparing myself to not only raise my son but keep him alive when every target points at his back.
My son was and remains a strong embodiment of a Black male, a true king. Having him, a photo of another Black male with commanding presence (and the first Black president of The United States) alongside a nasty piece of American history that helped draft the some of the worst laws in our history would be powerful as a chain of progression.
Even as an African-American woman, I find myself wanting to uplift the imagery and perception of our men. Our men are the driving forces and then protectors. With those few items, I am able to show the dark history of American racisim and yet how we have overcome and will continue to prosper.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Wrapping Up
It has been a great course and I have learned so much from my esteemed colleagues and Dr. Parrish as a result about research and how they benefit the early childhood field. All of the input and discussions that centered around our research topics have given me a broader understanding to how deeply invested research is in relation to the classroom.
If my simulation was to be carried out, I believe it would have an impact on how legislation is created and enacted towards communities of color-specifically African-American communities. Unfortunately, socioeconomic status and race are almost synonymous when they should not be. Truth is. There is an overwhelming wealthbgap that corresponds with race and class. Low-income African-American families and their children would be the primary benefactors but so would the general public in the realization of their attitudes to microaggressive racist tactics and ideology.
This directly impacts the early childhood community because our most vulnerable minds come from a community and society that is already set up to disparage them. Bynfully understanding how socially constructed and politically instituted systems of power disenfranchise these children from birth, it would make a huge impact on how we approach and teach these children.
I am currently exploring attending Northwestern University Fall of 2018 to obtain my PhD. in Education Policy and Child Development. If accepted, I plan to enact my simulation in real life in hopes of using this information to bring change to Chicago politics.
It's been a great 8 weeks! Let's finish the semester strong! #AlmostThere
If my simulation was to be carried out, I believe it would have an impact on how legislation is created and enacted towards communities of color-specifically African-American communities. Unfortunately, socioeconomic status and race are almost synonymous when they should not be. Truth is. There is an overwhelming wealthbgap that corresponds with race and class. Low-income African-American families and their children would be the primary benefactors but so would the general public in the realization of their attitudes to microaggressive racist tactics and ideology.
This directly impacts the early childhood community because our most vulnerable minds come from a community and society that is already set up to disparage them. Bynfully understanding how socially constructed and politically instituted systems of power disenfranchise these children from birth, it would make a huge impact on how we approach and teach these children.
I am currently exploring attending Northwestern University Fall of 2018 to obtain my PhD. in Education Policy and Child Development. If accepted, I plan to enact my simulation in real life in hopes of using this information to bring change to Chicago politics.
It's been a great 8 weeks! Let's finish the semester strong! #AlmostThere
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