The video, Unpretty:
My Thank You, thank you and thoughts:
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Reflections On Being A Summer Teaching Fellow
My summer as a Summer Teaching Fellow has truly been a blessed experience. I have felt blessed to be a part of this cohort and to be surrounded by peers of color who also have a burning passion for education. We have been able to challenge each other and better develop more nuanced understandings of our own visions regarding the future of educational reform. I feel privileged to be able to go through this experience of tremendous growth and learning with other future leaders.
Becoming a part of the Excellence Boys Charter School community has also been a blessing. This is a community that is holistically dedicated to the mission of education for the purpose of transformation and legitimately invested in teacher growth and development. Everyday at Excellence Boys is fun, lively and filled with reminders as to why I am here, in that school, in this program and in this movement.
I’ve also come to realize that I am not an island, but that we are a part of a movement. It’s been a blessing to have many of the leaders doing the good work we envision ourselves becoming a part of take the time to meet with us, share what they know and ultimately become an active part of our own development.
Lastly, this blessing realizes one of the main reasons I chose to take part of this program. Education in academia has left me with lots of theories about education and teaching but without the techniques and tools actually needed to teach and provide education. Being a Summer Teaching Fellow has exposed me to multiple environments where instructional techniques, backwards planning and assessments are valued, taught and implemented. It’s a blessing because I know that I became a better teacher, not by a fluke of magic or because I was born that way, but because of the guidance, effort and feedback that I received throughout the summer.
Throughout the summer, there has been this growing and deepening swaying within me that tells me, this is where it’s at, that I’m in it for the long haul. Just as the scholars at Excellence Boys complete their Life’s Work everyday, I’ve realized that what I chose to do with each day is my Life’s Work as well. Though it can be overwhelming at times, I mostly have this great sense of focus and clarity. In knowing my Life’s Work, I feel secure and more able to make decisions that will guide me towards the aspects of educational reform where I need and want to be.
* Cross-posted at : http://summerteachingfellows.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/reflections-on-the-final-days/#comments
Becoming a part of the Excellence Boys Charter School community has also been a blessing. This is a community that is holistically dedicated to the mission of education for the purpose of transformation and legitimately invested in teacher growth and development. Everyday at Excellence Boys is fun, lively and filled with reminders as to why I am here, in that school, in this program and in this movement.
I’ve also come to realize that I am not an island, but that we are a part of a movement. It’s been a blessing to have many of the leaders doing the good work we envision ourselves becoming a part of take the time to meet with us, share what they know and ultimately become an active part of our own development.
Lastly, this blessing realizes one of the main reasons I chose to take part of this program. Education in academia has left me with lots of theories about education and teaching but without the techniques and tools actually needed to teach and provide education. Being a Summer Teaching Fellow has exposed me to multiple environments where instructional techniques, backwards planning and assessments are valued, taught and implemented. It’s a blessing because I know that I became a better teacher, not by a fluke of magic or because I was born that way, but because of the guidance, effort and feedback that I received throughout the summer.
Throughout the summer, there has been this growing and deepening swaying within me that tells me, this is where it’s at, that I’m in it for the long haul. Just as the scholars at Excellence Boys complete their Life’s Work everyday, I’ve realized that what I chose to do with each day is my Life’s Work as well. Though it can be overwhelming at times, I mostly have this great sense of focus and clarity. In knowing my Life’s Work, I feel secure and more able to make decisions that will guide me towards the aspects of educational reform where I need and want to be.
* Cross-posted at : http://summerteachingfellows.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/reflections-on-the-final-days/#comments
Monday, August 9, 2010
So So In Brasil!!!!
Oi!!!!
This is my welcome back to myself-- from Brasil!!!
So I have been in Brasil for about two months, and it has been quite the adventure. I've seen a lot of things that I had not really considered that I would come across, especially since my main goal was to get out of Swat and experience a different way of life that does not have the affect of crushing my soul. And so far, I've succeeded in that.
NOTE: Unfinished, 8/22/09 -- though I wish that I had finished this post, I probably went out to have a great time... so, no regrets!!! :D
This is my welcome back to myself-- from Brasil!!!
So I have been in Brasil for about two months, and it has been quite the adventure. I've seen a lot of things that I had not really considered that I would come across, especially since my main goal was to get out of Swat and experience a different way of life that does not have the affect of crushing my soul. And so far, I've succeeded in that.
NOTE: Unfinished, 8/22/09 -- though I wish that I had finished this post, I probably went out to have a great time... so, no regrets!!! :D
So So Natural
We are approaching our one year anniversary -- me and my natural hair. And I have to say that it has been a year of growth, increasing self-love, exploration, insights, beauty, reclaiming, claiming for the first time and coming into ownership.* Yes, my hair motivated me to do and see all these things, in myself and others too. It makes really think about the power of hair, especially for Black women.
*The product of a community and history of so many role models and elders, alike
NOTE: Unfinished, 5/15/09
*The product of a community and history of so many role models and elders, alike
NOTE: Unfinished, 5/15/09
So So Yummy
cinnamon vanilla wafer
oreo
twinkie
milano
chocolate
why are we so obsessed with talking about race via small edible and sometimes delectable carbs? why do we need to minimize our identities, histories and experiences to mere cookies? i like to think that we are all more than that -- a substance that yields temporary pleasure, but eventually becomes inconsequential, absorbed and passed through our bloodstream within hours... -- when we need to sustain ourselves for so much longer than that, for lifetimes, for movements, for generations to come.
what are your thoughts? why am i a cookie? why are we just flavors? tell me what you think about that, and please share what you can beyond the fucked up-ness of each individual one.
oreo
twinkie
milano
chocolate
why are we so obsessed with talking about race via small edible and sometimes delectable carbs? why do we need to minimize our identities, histories and experiences to mere cookies? i like to think that we are all more than that -- a substance that yields temporary pleasure, but eventually becomes inconsequential, absorbed and passed through our bloodstream within hours... -- when we need to sustain ourselves for so much longer than that, for lifetimes, for movements, for generations to come.
what are your thoughts? why am i a cookie? why are we just flavors? tell me what you think about that, and please share what you can beyond the fucked up-ness of each individual one.
Sometimes I Wish...
That Swarthmore would exist without the work.
* NOTE: Written on 2/9/10, yet it still rings true to this day and will continue to do so until 5/29/11.
* NOTE: Written on 2/9/10, yet it still rings true to this day and will continue to do so until 5/29/11.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
i stayed
i saw you on stage last night.
it was really tonight, but i had to separate with a day in my mind
so i saw you on stage last night.
i saw so many things on you last night.
i saw so many things in you last night.
i saw me in so many ways with you last night.
and for the first time, i let me be me last night.
but then i had a reality check. with this lye i'm afraid to wreck,
i stayed seated and stayed watching.
i stayed quiet and stayed longing.
i stayed.
i stayed.
i stayed.
it was really tonight, but i had to separate with a day in my mind
so i saw you on stage last night.
i saw so many things on you last night.
i saw so many things in you last night.
i saw me in so many ways with you last night.
and for the first time, i let me be me last night.
but then i had a reality check. with this lye i'm afraid to wreck,
i stayed seated and stayed watching.
i stayed quiet and stayed longing.
i stayed.
i stayed.
i stayed.
So I Like To Slam Every Once and a While
In addition to a new approach to blogging, I will be adding something else to So So Serious: poetry!!! stay tuned!!!
Monday, February 15, 2010
So So Reflecting
Reflections on Brasil
When I first headed off to Brasil, I was ready for the excitement and change that I knew was coming my way. As a dark-skinned working class Black female, I thought that Bahia, home to the largest number of Afro-descendants outside of Africa as a result of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, would be a great place to start expanding my own understanding of the Diaspora. As an activist and a Black Studies major, I thought living with the social constructions of Brasilian society would challenge everything I had believed to learn and unlearn during my time at Swarthmore College. And as an American with educational privilege and increasing social mobility as a result of it, I thought that I would start to think more critically of my own nationality privilege in the the realm of transnational political, economic and social movements. I envisioned that all of this change and transformation would happen through relationships that I would make with other Black students, activists and organizers that I would meet during my time there.
Despite everything that I considered before leaving, my arrival and first few weeks in Bahia were characterized by a series of complete and thorough shocks to my entire psyche. My first major shock would have to be the passing of the late and great Michael Jackson. I was on a connecting flight near Atlanta when I heard the news. Saying good-bye to my mom and sister, realizing the solitary nature of what lay ahead of me and the loss of an icon that I could not totally comprehend kept me in and out of bouts of sobbing on my flights to Atlanta, Recife and finally, Salvador. It was this powerful mixture of distinct emotions coupled with excitement that defined my emotional landscape as I landed in Salvador da Bahia. It was unusual to arrive in mourning without the opportunity to do so within the context that I had learned to love and respect Michael Jackson, back home in Bronx, NY. However, it was also comforting to arrive in mourning because it was the profound love of Michael Jackson that allowed me to connect with many baianos that I met in my first weeks there. Baiano love for Michael Jackson, unmoved by allegations of child abuse and bolstered by his 1994 performance in the historic center, Peloruinho, with the Afro-drumming collective, Olodum, really helped me start to construct my own love of Bahia and Brasil.
My next shock was the total and complete Portuguese language immersion alongside with the total and complete English language extraction. I valued having the opportunity to be a language minority. I thought that it was important for me, as an American native English speaker, to have a life experience where I am not fluent in the dominant language, culture or social independence that is required to survive as a way to better understand the advantages that I rely on to navigate American society. Keeping the significant privileges that I have as an American college student in mind, especially within the context of Brasil, really helped keep perspective as to one of the several reasons why learning Portuguese in Brasil was a relatively enjoyable experience. However, the most difficult aspect of my language immersion experience remained -- pushing aside my fluency in thought, comprehension and self-expression for very, very rudimentary conversational skills for survival. The basic ability to understand and be understood became something that required extreme conscious effort, energy, patience and room for lots of mistakes, even the embarrassing ones. But it was through the tiring alertness, patience and lots and lots of mistakes which I slowly learned the Portuguese language.
Then came meeting the other students in my study abroad program. As a young dark-skinned Black woman and Black Studies major, venturing off to Bahia, a predominantly Black land, I was extremely surprised and very disappointed to take a seat during the orientation, look around the room and realize that I would be the representative token Black person for the next six months of my life. Although there were a few other Black students, I was very saddened to learn that they would be leaving Bahia after only a very short four weeks. My hopes and expectations seemed to be flashing before my eyes. So much of what I thought that I would be able to do, learn and grow was dependent on the condition that there would be other Black students in my study abroad group that I could at the very least feel comfortable going out with to meet other Afro-Brasilians. I did not want to deal with uncritical whiteness nor the people that it attracted. I did not want my tokenness to speak for my politics in the eyes of other Afro-Brasilians. And I did not want to be the official spokesperson for all Black people and their various sub-cultures for six months straight.
My next step towards easing into Brasilian society was moving in with my host family. While this was a fairly smooth process, moving in with the family was not as simple as becoming a part of the family. I was very welcomed and made to feel very much at home. However, the unique thing about my host family, and most other middle-upper class families in Bahia, is that the only other dark-skinned Black woman, aside from me, that was "a part of the family" was the maid, Thea*. Aside from all of the basic issues that may come to mind when thinking of this sort of living situation, the basic thing that I had a problem with is that I did not feel comfortable having someone who looks like me, my mother, my aunt, my sister, my grandmother, cook and clean up after me. There is nothing wrong with cooking or cleaning. It is admiral work that society cannot function without. It is the fact that I could never reciprocate or work with Thea to maintain a space that we both benefited from equally that highlighted this power imbalance that I had to confront. On one level, there was this very real privilege that I had to look in the eye that for the first time in my life. Despite my feelings of solidarity and very deep connection to the African Diaspora, the combination of my American-ness, educational access and class mobility determines my life and well-being in very real ways that are dramatically different from many of my kin in the greater Diaspora. In Bahia, it gave me enough social status, security and respect from the greater Brasilian society so that I could have a care-free existence at the expense of Thea and a countless number of Afro-Brasilians.
On the other hand, I always wondered, how much of a welcome would I have received from my host family and other Brasilians alike as a dark-skinned Black woman, had I not been American or a college student or a native English speaker. With time, the answer revealed itself. As my skin got darker from the Bahian sun and as my Portuguese improved, the excitement that characterized people's eagerness to meet me faded away with my American accent. As my ability to pass for baiana increased, the American flag as my cloak of protection seemed to become more penetrable, more removable and more invisible.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Bahia and Brasil. It is an experience that I will value for the rest of my life. I learned so much and it has really transformed me in lots of unexpected ways. And even though I have already left and am already savoring the moment of return, I am still learning and still trying to understand my time there and Brasil in general. I look forward to returning under different circumstances and with more of an ability to be at the service of those doing social justice work there.
----
*pseudonym
**Interested in hearing more about my experience in Brasil? Email me at smensah1@swarthmore.edu. I especially welcome other Black people in the campus community, or elsewhere, to get in touch with me as well.
When I first headed off to Brasil, I was ready for the excitement and change that I knew was coming my way. As a dark-skinned working class Black female, I thought that Bahia, home to the largest number of Afro-descendants outside of Africa as a result of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, would be a great place to start expanding my own understanding of the Diaspora. As an activist and a Black Studies major, I thought living with the social constructions of Brasilian society would challenge everything I had believed to learn and unlearn during my time at Swarthmore College. And as an American with educational privilege and increasing social mobility as a result of it, I thought that I would start to think more critically of my own nationality privilege in the the realm of transnational political, economic and social movements. I envisioned that all of this change and transformation would happen through relationships that I would make with other Black students, activists and organizers that I would meet during my time there.
Despite everything that I considered before leaving, my arrival and first few weeks in Bahia were characterized by a series of complete and thorough shocks to my entire psyche. My first major shock would have to be the passing of the late and great Michael Jackson. I was on a connecting flight near Atlanta when I heard the news. Saying good-bye to my mom and sister, realizing the solitary nature of what lay ahead of me and the loss of an icon that I could not totally comprehend kept me in and out of bouts of sobbing on my flights to Atlanta, Recife and finally, Salvador. It was this powerful mixture of distinct emotions coupled with excitement that defined my emotional landscape as I landed in Salvador da Bahia. It was unusual to arrive in mourning without the opportunity to do so within the context that I had learned to love and respect Michael Jackson, back home in Bronx, NY. However, it was also comforting to arrive in mourning because it was the profound love of Michael Jackson that allowed me to connect with many baianos that I met in my first weeks there. Baiano love for Michael Jackson, unmoved by allegations of child abuse and bolstered by his 1994 performance in the historic center, Peloruinho, with the Afro-drumming collective, Olodum, really helped me start to construct my own love of Bahia and Brasil.
My next shock was the total and complete Portuguese language immersion alongside with the total and complete English language extraction. I valued having the opportunity to be a language minority. I thought that it was important for me, as an American native English speaker, to have a life experience where I am not fluent in the dominant language, culture or social independence that is required to survive as a way to better understand the advantages that I rely on to navigate American society. Keeping the significant privileges that I have as an American college student in mind, especially within the context of Brasil, really helped keep perspective as to one of the several reasons why learning Portuguese in Brasil was a relatively enjoyable experience. However, the most difficult aspect of my language immersion experience remained -- pushing aside my fluency in thought, comprehension and self-expression for very, very rudimentary conversational skills for survival. The basic ability to understand and be understood became something that required extreme conscious effort, energy, patience and room for lots of mistakes, even the embarrassing ones. But it was through the tiring alertness, patience and lots and lots of mistakes which I slowly learned the Portuguese language.
Then came meeting the other students in my study abroad program. As a young dark-skinned Black woman and Black Studies major, venturing off to Bahia, a predominantly Black land, I was extremely surprised and very disappointed to take a seat during the orientation, look around the room and realize that I would be the representative token Black person for the next six months of my life. Although there were a few other Black students, I was very saddened to learn that they would be leaving Bahia after only a very short four weeks. My hopes and expectations seemed to be flashing before my eyes. So much of what I thought that I would be able to do, learn and grow was dependent on the condition that there would be other Black students in my study abroad group that I could at the very least feel comfortable going out with to meet other Afro-Brasilians. I did not want to deal with uncritical whiteness nor the people that it attracted. I did not want my tokenness to speak for my politics in the eyes of other Afro-Brasilians. And I did not want to be the official spokesperson for all Black people and their various sub-cultures for six months straight.
My next step towards easing into Brasilian society was moving in with my host family. While this was a fairly smooth process, moving in with the family was not as simple as becoming a part of the family. I was very welcomed and made to feel very much at home. However, the unique thing about my host family, and most other middle-upper class families in Bahia, is that the only other dark-skinned Black woman, aside from me, that was "a part of the family" was the maid, Thea*. Aside from all of the basic issues that may come to mind when thinking of this sort of living situation, the basic thing that I had a problem with is that I did not feel comfortable having someone who looks like me, my mother, my aunt, my sister, my grandmother, cook and clean up after me. There is nothing wrong with cooking or cleaning. It is admiral work that society cannot function without. It is the fact that I could never reciprocate or work with Thea to maintain a space that we both benefited from equally that highlighted this power imbalance that I had to confront. On one level, there was this very real privilege that I had to look in the eye that for the first time in my life. Despite my feelings of solidarity and very deep connection to the African Diaspora, the combination of my American-ness, educational access and class mobility determines my life and well-being in very real ways that are dramatically different from many of my kin in the greater Diaspora. In Bahia, it gave me enough social status, security and respect from the greater Brasilian society so that I could have a care-free existence at the expense of Thea and a countless number of Afro-Brasilians.
On the other hand, I always wondered, how much of a welcome would I have received from my host family and other Brasilians alike as a dark-skinned Black woman, had I not been American or a college student or a native English speaker. With time, the answer revealed itself. As my skin got darker from the Bahian sun and as my Portuguese improved, the excitement that characterized people's eagerness to meet me faded away with my American accent. As my ability to pass for baiana increased, the American flag as my cloak of protection seemed to become more penetrable, more removable and more invisible.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Bahia and Brasil. It is an experience that I will value for the rest of my life. I learned so much and it has really transformed me in lots of unexpected ways. And even though I have already left and am already savoring the moment of return, I am still learning and still trying to understand my time there and Brasil in general. I look forward to returning under different circumstances and with more of an ability to be at the service of those doing social justice work there.
----
*pseudonym
**Interested in hearing more about my experience in Brasil? Email me at smensah1@swarthmore.edu. I especially welcome other Black people in the campus community, or elsewhere, to get in touch with me as well.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
So So Back!
Hello to my beautiful family, friends and community:
I'm back! Yes, I made it back. I went to Bahia, Brasil. For six months. What an amazing beautiful experience that I am still trying to make sense of.
Anyways, I just wanted to let y'all know, that I am back! Not only to the Northern Hemisphere, Not only to the United States, Not only to New York and Swarthmore, but back to blogging and vlogging again!
I look forward to sharing my thoughts and having great conversations. I look forward to further discovering how the past 6-8 months have really me changed me and challenged me and helped me grow. Yes, I know, a lot of me. Seems kind of ego-centric, sort of. But it is after all, my blog right? ;D
Until my next post,
Beijosssssssss
Sable
sososerious.blogspot.com
I'm back! Yes, I made it back. I went to Bahia, Brasil. For six months. What an amazing beautiful experience that I am still trying to make sense of.
Anyways, I just wanted to let y'all know, that I am back! Not only to the Northern Hemisphere, Not only to the United States, Not only to New York and Swarthmore, but back to blogging and vlogging again!
I look forward to sharing my thoughts and having great conversations. I look forward to further discovering how the past 6-8 months have really me changed me and challenged me and helped me grow. Yes, I know, a lot of me. Seems kind of ego-centric, sort of. But it is after all, my blog right? ;D
Until my next post,
Beijosssssssss
Sable
sososerious.blogspot.com
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The Summation of a Series
Here's a wrap of the most recent conversations going on here. Be sure to check out the comments:
http://sososerious.blogspot.com/2009/05/so-so-diverse.html
http://sososerious.blogspot.com/2009/05/clarification-on-so-so-diverse-question.html
http://sososerious.blogspot.com/2009/05/no-more-anomynous.html
http://sososerious.blogspot.com/2009/06/continuing-conversations.html
http://sososerious.blogspot.com/2009/05/so-so-diverse.html
http://sososerious.blogspot.com/2009/05/clarification-on-so-so-diverse-question.html
http://sososerious.blogspot.com/2009/05/no-more-anomynous.html
http://sososerious.blogspot.com/2009/06/continuing-conversations.html
Monday, June 1, 2009
Continuing Conversations
Here is a conversation with a good friend:
friend: idk if read ur clarification...but ur saying it also bothers you when someone comes up and asks hey have you done the reading for class and what do you think?
me: no. she totally took what i said out of context.
friend: i get what your saying that the poing is to not assume ur access/ availability
me: and well meaning white people like her don't ask me my opinion because 1. they heard it in class already 2. they think that i think that they are racist 3. don't actually care what i mean/think
friend: i think she just needs clarification... like its not about wat you say its about the context... even if it is something as simple as did you do the reading its ok if it's like while waiting to go into class and neither of you are doing anything but is rude if you are for example having a conversation with a friend or look like ur in a rush somewhere cuz that just assumes that wat u r doing is not important/ you are accessable which goes back to your opinions on that and slavery. thats what you're getting at? or am i just as confused as this other chick?
me: yeah, you got it, the assuming thing. in that case, the context doesn't matter because the assumption is still being made. with that said,
friend: yea.. i was gonna say...
me: people can still default to social rules of respect that should govern ppls interacts with each other. which is complicated
friend: even if you don't have the assumption the fact that that is what these people are doing is the assumption you make
me: because ppl obviously have different social rules
friend: idk i think it has to do with context... cuz i dont think its safe to assume that if it is the second situation (the ur busy one) and they come up to u that theyre assuming ur accessible... some people are just actually rude and have no idea about social rules. they may have no problem doing stuff like that to white people as well
me: its not that i am making an assumption about most of the white people that i am interacting with. what i meant before is that there is a social precedent, informed by society, politics, history etc, that is larger than just me or the other white person that creates and reinforces power dynamics that are very pervasive. what i am calling the white person out on is buying into the social precedent, laced with different systems of oppression that places them and their needs in the center and pushes me to the side, just so that they can get what they want and get their needs met. so even if you are totally clueless about social rules and even if you are rude, if you are white, it is has been made okay for you to do so or be like that because of that social precedent.
but if you are of color, then come along a host of sterotypes that will silence you or push you off which is how i read into ann marie's and kate's comments (kate less so)
using the social precedent to their benefit... however, the corollary that comes with it, that their benefit is someway connected to someone's detriment, is never considered because that privilege to not even acknowledge the consequences of buying into this on an individual level, is also wrapped up into this social precedent
friend: kk i c
me: i know that was long... i've been thinking about it for a while
friend: but i get it... even if its not that they always blatantly think you are accessible its that its a social precedent and lifetime of being "more important" just because you are white that causes them subconsciously (and not so subconsciously) that's what's going on. rightish?
me: yeah, totally, i would be surprised if most people had these thoughts on a very conscious level and i think that because they don't, they often don't see themselves implicated in anything having to do with racism, because only the kkk has blatant thoughts like that. thx for pushing me & asking those questions... i needed to articulate that. do you mind if i post this conversation?
friend: haha np... i was just being a pain in the ass cuz i figured you just kept getting posts like this cuz ppl were really understanding where you were getting at since usually ppl dont have these blatant thoughts... so i wanted you to break it down
friend: idk if read ur clarification...but ur saying it also bothers you when someone comes up and asks hey have you done the reading for class and what do you think?
me: no. she totally took what i said out of context.
friend: i get what your saying that the poing is to not assume ur access/ availability
me: and well meaning white people like her don't ask me my opinion because 1. they heard it in class already 2. they think that i think that they are racist 3. don't actually care what i mean/think
friend: i think she just needs clarification... like its not about wat you say its about the context... even if it is something as simple as did you do the reading its ok if it's like while waiting to go into class and neither of you are doing anything but is rude if you are for example having a conversation with a friend or look like ur in a rush somewhere cuz that just assumes that wat u r doing is not important/ you are accessable which goes back to your opinions on that and slavery. thats what you're getting at? or am i just as confused as this other chick?
me: yeah, you got it, the assuming thing. in that case, the context doesn't matter because the assumption is still being made. with that said,
friend: yea.. i was gonna say...
me: people can still default to social rules of respect that should govern ppls interacts with each other. which is complicated
friend: even if you don't have the assumption the fact that that is what these people are doing is the assumption you make
me: because ppl obviously have different social rules
friend: idk i think it has to do with context... cuz i dont think its safe to assume that if it is the second situation (the ur busy one) and they come up to u that theyre assuming ur accessible... some people are just actually rude and have no idea about social rules. they may have no problem doing stuff like that to white people as well
me: its not that i am making an assumption about most of the white people that i am interacting with. what i meant before is that there is a social precedent, informed by society, politics, history etc, that is larger than just me or the other white person that creates and reinforces power dynamics that are very pervasive. what i am calling the white person out on is buying into the social precedent, laced with different systems of oppression that places them and their needs in the center and pushes me to the side, just so that they can get what they want and get their needs met. so even if you are totally clueless about social rules and even if you are rude, if you are white, it is has been made okay for you to do so or be like that because of that social precedent.
but if you are of color, then come along a host of sterotypes that will silence you or push you off which is how i read into ann marie's and kate's comments (kate less so)
using the social precedent to their benefit... however, the corollary that comes with it, that their benefit is someway connected to someone's detriment, is never considered because that privilege to not even acknowledge the consequences of buying into this on an individual level, is also wrapped up into this social precedent
friend: kk i c
me: i know that was long... i've been thinking about it for a while
friend: but i get it... even if its not that they always blatantly think you are accessible its that its a social precedent and lifetime of being "more important" just because you are white that causes them subconsciously (and not so subconsciously) that's what's going on. rightish?
me: yeah, totally, i would be surprised if most people had these thoughts on a very conscious level and i think that because they don't, they often don't see themselves implicated in anything having to do with racism, because only the kkk has blatant thoughts like that. thx for pushing me & asking those questions... i needed to articulate that. do you mind if i post this conversation?
friend: haha np... i was just being a pain in the ass cuz i figured you just kept getting posts like this cuz ppl were really understanding where you were getting at since usually ppl dont have these blatant thoughts... so i wanted you to break it down
So So Not About You
This is the Mission Statement of the fabulous vlogger, Alysha P. I am posting it because it's so so relatable. On the hair level, and even beyond... so feel free to extrapolate as to what I might mean.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Hunger Strike Press Release
http://soccollective.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/hunger-strike-press-release/
Hunger Strike Press Release
May 25, 2009
UC SANTA CRUZ STUDENTS OF COLOR COLLECTIVE HOLD HUNGER STRIKE TO PROTEST CUTS TO RESOURCES FOR UNDER-SERVED COMMUNITIES
MAY 22th, 2009
The Students of Color Collective (SOCC) brings together organizers from various campus minority organizations to address the disparities at UC Santa Cruz and the higher education system. The collective has formed in response to the massive education budget cuts that have adversely affected people of color who have historically faced and continue to face inequalities in higher education achievement.
Members of the SOCC will be conducting a HUNGER STRIKE Beginning Tuesday May 26th at the Base of Campus at 12:00PM that will be accompanied by a large student rally in support of the hunger strikers and the SOCC demands. This action will is being conducted to draw attention to cut backs in resources for students of color and for the UCSC administration to recognize and meet these demands.
Student of Color Collective Demands
Short Term ( by the end of this quarter 09-10)
•Hire full-time American Indian Resource Center and Women’s Center directors with student voice in open hiring process
•Maintain academic integrity and current structure of Community Studies Dept. by keeping field study
coordinators Mike Rotkin and Flor Marchetti and Department Manager Penny Stinson and not merging the department into Sociology.
•Retain both Latin American and Latino Studies lecturers Guillermo Delgado and Susan Jonas
•Makes UCSC a sanctuary campus for undocumented communities
•UCSC openly and publicly support the state and Federal DREAM Act
•Permanent funding for Ethnic- Year-End Ceremonies from college C.A.O.s and Provosts
•Resource Center representative as liaison between local tribes and UCSC in order to maintain respectable relationships with local tribes
•Support Family Student Housing in receiving equitable rent for next year 09-10 funding (no rent increase)
•Fair transparent negotiations with workers and unions to ensure equitable pay, working condition and representation
•No layoffs!
•No worker deportations by ICE
•Freeze on Budget Cuts over the summer, while students are not present
Long Term:
•Institutionalize scholarships and other resources for AB540 students
•Access and affordability to higher education for underrepresented communities- STOP STUDENT FEE HIKES!
•Outreach and retention of faculty and staff of color (including hiring a full-time Counseling & Psychological Services staff of color)
•Fill Asian American “specialist” position for American Studies
•Movement towards an Ethnic Studies Program
•Affordable and quality housing for under resourced immigrant students
•No cuts to Disability student resources
•No cuts to Rape Awareness Programs
Signed,
UCSC STUDENTS OF COLOR COLLECTIVE
Hunger Strike Press Release
May 25, 2009
UC SANTA CRUZ STUDENTS OF COLOR COLLECTIVE HOLD HUNGER STRIKE TO PROTEST CUTS TO RESOURCES FOR UNDER-SERVED COMMUNITIES
MAY 22th, 2009
The Students of Color Collective (SOCC) brings together organizers from various campus minority organizations to address the disparities at UC Santa Cruz and the higher education system. The collective has formed in response to the massive education budget cuts that have adversely affected people of color who have historically faced and continue to face inequalities in higher education achievement.
Members of the SOCC will be conducting a HUNGER STRIKE Beginning Tuesday May 26th at the Base of Campus at 12:00PM that will be accompanied by a large student rally in support of the hunger strikers and the SOCC demands. This action will is being conducted to draw attention to cut backs in resources for students of color and for the UCSC administration to recognize and meet these demands.
Student of Color Collective Demands
Short Term ( by the end of this quarter 09-10)
•Hire full-time American Indian Resource Center and Women’s Center directors with student voice in open hiring process
•Maintain academic integrity and current structure of Community Studies Dept. by keeping field study
coordinators Mike Rotkin and Flor Marchetti and Department Manager Penny Stinson and not merging the department into Sociology.
•Retain both Latin American and Latino Studies lecturers Guillermo Delgado and Susan Jonas
•Makes UCSC a sanctuary campus for undocumented communities
•UCSC openly and publicly support the state and Federal DREAM Act
•Permanent funding for Ethnic- Year-End Ceremonies from college C.A.O.s and Provosts
•Resource Center representative as liaison between local tribes and UCSC in order to maintain respectable relationships with local tribes
•Support Family Student Housing in receiving equitable rent for next year 09-10 funding (no rent increase)
•Fair transparent negotiations with workers and unions to ensure equitable pay, working condition and representation
•No layoffs!
•No worker deportations by ICE
•Freeze on Budget Cuts over the summer, while students are not present
Long Term:
•Institutionalize scholarships and other resources for AB540 students
•Access and affordability to higher education for underrepresented communities- STOP STUDENT FEE HIKES!
•Outreach and retention of faculty and staff of color (including hiring a full-time Counseling & Psychological Services staff of color)
•Fill Asian American “specialist” position for American Studies
•Movement towards an Ethnic Studies Program
•Affordable and quality housing for under resourced immigrant students
•No cuts to Disability student resources
•No cuts to Rape Awareness Programs
Signed,
UCSC STUDENTS OF COLOR COLLECTIVE
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
No More Anomynous
Hey Everyone,
I have chosen to remove anomynous as an option for people who want to leave comments.
I initially allowed that as an option so that people without open id accounts to participate and to foster conversation amongst us all, because even shy people have something to say.
However, I think that for the conversations that I want to have, if you identify yourself as anomynous, then I am concerned as to what your intentions might be. I established at the very beginning of this blog the parameters in which we can have constructive, open dialogue -- and that includes challenging me. However, given that I have made so much of an attempt to be open, at the minimum, I deserve the same to be reciprocated by letting me know who you are.
Last, I will put up a poll to see how you feel about it. Please don't be afraid to vote. Also, if there is another thing that I am not considering, or you flat out disagree, please let me know in the comments section.
I have chosen to remove anomynous as an option for people who want to leave comments.
I initially allowed that as an option so that people without open id accounts to participate and to foster conversation amongst us all, because even shy people have something to say.
However, I think that for the conversations that I want to have, if you identify yourself as anomynous, then I am concerned as to what your intentions might be. I established at the very beginning of this blog the parameters in which we can have constructive, open dialogue -- and that includes challenging me. However, given that I have made so much of an attempt to be open, at the minimum, I deserve the same to be reciprocated by letting me know who you are.
Last, I will put up a poll to see how you feel about it. Please don't be afraid to vote. Also, if there is another thing that I am not considering, or you flat out disagree, please let me know in the comments section.
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I'm really confused... First you complain that the freshman didn't come to you on your hall to talk about diversity, and then you say that you hate it when random white people come up to talk to you. Which is it?
Hi Anonymous,
Thanks for calling that out. It does seem very contradictory right next to each other and it was something that someone has already asked me about.
To make it simple, it's both.
To complicate it a bit: I was calling out the freshman on diversity, because based on this interaction that I had with him, sharing a living space with people of color as a white person is supposed foster some greater connection across difference, across race. However, despite the fact that we did occupy the same living space, he failed to utilize our living space in a way that would help bridge differences in that multicultural way that would bring diversity and understanding.
Having random white people come up and talk to me and having a white person in my hall trying to build a relationship, bridge whatever you want to call it are two entirely different things. To be completely honest, both situations annoy me. But the more problematic one is the former. Aside from the fact that it is rude to interupt people without their consent, what really bothers me is the assumption of my instant access and availability. Contrary to popular belief, there are other things higher on my priority list than interfacing with curious, well-meaning white people who are interested in their dose of diversity for the day. And as a Black womyn increasingly aware of her past while keenly aware of the present, I am very conscious of how instantly accessible and available Black women are and have been in American society (NOTE: I'm thinking of slavery. I'm thinking how raping Black women was not considered a crime, through the mid 20th century, because of assumed access and availability). To get a clue on how these interruptions and assumptions leave me feeling, see Alysha's video on The Ethnic Spectacle. It annoys me when random white people try to talk with me, with no context or preface, because not only does me fulfilling that role support their whiteness as central to the universe, but it simultaneously constructs myself, my needs, my desire and my being as peripheral in a way that is detrimental to me. So if I am going to have a conversation with a white person, random or not, about anything, it needs to be on my terms, and in a way that my interests and well-being can remain central to the purpose of the discussion, in a way that I see fit. And I do not care for the white person who had lost out on the opportunity to learn. I am no one's teacher and I came to college to obtain an education for myself. Not to be an enriching supplement to anyone else's.
The latter situation annoys me because of the whole teaching aspect, but I do believe that given the setting, if I chose to engage, there would be more room for me to claim power in that situation. Whethor it's power to set the parameters of the conversation, because of our shared living space or power to say I do not want to have this conversation, because of our shared living space, it is still power that I can claim as my own and power that is more likely to be recognized and respected by my white hallmate who did not engage in anything at all.
[Which brings me to this last point, diversity (as demonstrated by this white male student) is something where white people just exist and "Ethnic Spectacles" are brought to their doorstep, or shall I say dormstep, where people of color are the only active players.]
And don't be so shy anomynous. I think that it's better to have conversation when we both know who we are talking to.
SableYork