Freshman Seminar- Ilesha

This weeks seminar given on Wednesday September 22, 2010 was given by Dr. Alton B. Pollard III . His lecture was entitled Civil Rights, Hip Hop, and Hope: The Power of Young People. His lecture focused overall on how the young people of the past, present, and future contribute greatly to the changes in the black community of America and also the world as well.

Dr. Pollard starts off by mentioning the Civil Rights Movement. I think we all learned that there was more to the civil right movement other that Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. The young people establishing sit ins in diners in Greensboro and Nashville contribute to the civil rights movement as well. However in 1958 Ronald Walters organized a sit in protest of a local drug store in Witchita, Kansas. This was one of the first major sit in before any others occurred. This sit in probably had some type of impact of later sit ins and movements.

The Dr. Pollard starts talking about some of the elders of the civil right movement. Martin Luther King Jr., Ella Baker, Rosa Parks, Joann Robinson, Correta Scott King, and Malcolm X just to name a few. These are some of the very important leaders of the Civil Rights movement when it was first starting out.

More towards the end of his lecture, Dr. Pollard talks about some of the Hip Hop artists of today.  This is when he started to connect the young people of today to the civil rights movement. When I think of hip hop, I think of music that gets you "hype" forgetting about some of the other artists that actually have some meaning in their songs. For example KRS One, Chuck D, Lauryn Hill, Common, Talib Kweli, John Legend, Kem, Anthony Hamilton, and Angie Stone. These are some of todays present hip hop stars that have an actual message in their songs promoting change and human rights.

At the very end Dr. Pollard talks about Barack Obama saying that just having a black president in the White House is NOT enough. That the struggle is still going on. As stated in "Why" By Jadakiss ft. Anthony Hamilton. This song was released in 2004. This was only 5 years ago. His song is stating there is still a struggle going on in America.

On A side note, I looked up who Queen Mother Audley Moore Was. She was a very important figure in the civli rights movement. She was the founder of the Universal Association of Ethiopian Women as well as the Committee for Reparations for descendants of U.S. Slaves.

Freshman Seminar 9/22/10 - Tammy

    This week's freshman seminar lecture was given by Alton Pollard, whose topic was Civil Rights, Hip Hop and Hope: The Power of Young People. Mr. Pollard's lecture focused on the power that young people have had throughout history and how they have made great changes not only in America but internationally as well. He then later compared the young generations of the the Civil Rights Movement and other eras to our generation and told us that we are a generation of hope and change and that we should define what our generation wants to be.


     I was especially intrigued when Mr. Pollard talked about not only the great civil rights leaders but also the lesser known civil rights leaders that helped make a difference. Although he was a little rushed due to time constraints, he still enlightened us on some of the people besides Rosa Parks, MLK and Malcolm X who still made a difference through bravery and courage. However, by far my most favorite part of his lecture was his focus on those involved in the modern day struggle for equal; including, hip hop, R&B, caribbean artists whose words and actions changed the way people thought. Among the artists that he mentioned, the ones that stuck out to me the most were Common, Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott because to me the things they have done have been very influential for the advancement of the African-American community. They are one of the few artists who are still prevalent in today's popular music who talk about things that matter and don't merely make a song just for album sales. They are certainly no Soulja Boys who make song that only progress the stereotypes of black people. Common's lyrics honestly talk about problems within the community and by the end of the songs he usually seeks to find a solution to the problems or at least bring the problems to all listeners' attention. He has survived in the game for decades and is one of the few rappers that has yet to sell out due to fame and money. However, just as Mr. Pollard said, the man is great rapper but the poor boy just can't act...he should probably stick to the booth. Also, Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott are real singers who make songs that speak to modern day black culture. For example, Jill Scott's "A Long Walk" was her breakout song yet it actually had some substance and wasn't just an auto-tuned version of her "singing". In addition, Lauryn Hill's cd The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was filled with inspiration of songs that greatly influenced they both black men and women thought. Songs like "To Zion" and "That Thing" were both deep and emotional and spoke about real things in the lives of African-Americans.


   Finally Mr. Pollard equated the influential people of our past to our generation and said that we can be even better than the ones who came before us since they have laid the foundation for us. I found this part to be very inspirational because our ancestors have done so much for our generation to be successful and it is only right that we honor their memory and do something greater and better. Like Mr. Pollard said our bounds are limitless. We have a black president for the first time in history, a strong foundation on which to stand and now it is our time to shine and show America just how great the black race can be. What great way to start off our experience at Howard University.

Kayla Blackburn September 22, 2010

The lecture given on Wednesday, September 22, 2010, was by Alton B. Pollard. Mr. Pollard’s lecture was named “Civil Rights, Hip Hop, and Hope: The Power of Young People.” Mr. Pollard started his lecture by informing my peers and me that our generation is one of hope. Other than that description, he states that our generation easily defies description. He proposed that we define our own generation.

Mr. Pollard’s lecture was split into 3 parts. The first section was about civil rights. Before this lecture, I thought that I was thoroughly informed about the Civil Right’s Movement.  Of course I knew about the well-known Civil Rights activist, but I also took time to learn about the people who were equally active but less known. However, Mr. Pollard introduced people and demonstrations that I had never heard nor learned about. For an example, I had never heard about Ronald Walter and the Wichita, Kansas sit-in.  I learned that this sit-in occurred before the actually Civil Rights Movement; therefore, it probably had some kind of impact on the movement.

The second section was on Hip-Hop. According to Mr. Pollard, the Hip-Hop Generation was born from the Civil Rights Movement. At first, I didn’t quite understand Mr. Pollard’s rationale. I always thought of the Civil Rights Movement Generation as one of mature and dedicated youth. Contrarily, when I think of Hip-Hop, I think about ruthless, reckless, and immature youth without morals.  Yet, when Mr. Pollard introduced his Hip-Hop artist, they were artist that promoted change, stood for human rights, and had a story to tell; artists like Mos Def and Jill Scott.

I don’t think that Mr. Pollard fully got into his last section but he did say that you should become the prayer that you pray for. I love that statement. Many of us, including me, pray for certain things but we don’t change our lifestyle or the things we do in order to obtain the things we prayed for.

Overall, I enjoyed this lecture. It’s my favorite thus far.

Freshman Seminar- Ilesha

This weeks lecture was given by Dr. Titrobia Benjamin. Her lecture was entitled The Eloquence of the Scribes: Initiation, Expectations, and Mastery Continuing the Legacy of Howard University. Her lecture was mainly about most of the buildings on campus and the famous scribes they were names after.

She defined a scribe as someone who writes books and documents by hand. They were found in liberate society and the kept sacred texts. Scribes have developed from our ancestors who wrote by hand to what we know today as journalists and lawyers. In ancient times there were scribes of every major estate. This continued until the advent of printing. Glutenburg was a 15th century european who introduced the printing press.

As we have learned before, Howard University is named after General Oliver Otis Howard and He can be defined as a scribe as well as many of the other figures that these buildings on campus are named after. 

Mordecai Wyatt Johnson was one of our most eloquent scribes. From 1936-1960, he was the first african american president of Howard University.

More of our historical scribes include Inabel Burns who was the first dean of the School of Social Work and the only female academic dean in Washington, DC at this time, Jesse Moorland and Arthur Spingarn who the founders library is named after, Alain Locks, Zora Hurston, Lulu Vere Childers, Frederick Douglass, Ira Aldridge, and Louis C. Cramton who all have buildings on campus names after them.

The dormitories on campus are named after famous scribes as well. The Tubman Quadrangle (named after Harriet Tubman) include Prudence Crandall hall, Sojourner Truth hall, and Phillis Wheatly hall are named after great female scribes.

The Dormitories of Slowe, Bethune Annex, Drew, and Carver are named after Lucy Diggs Slowe, Mary McLeod Bethune, Charles R. Drew, and George Washington Carver who are also very eloquent scribes.

Before this lecture I can say all I thought a scribe did was write by hand. My understanding of a scribe is now better because I now know a scribe is not someone who just writes, but they are also very powerful people who have made an impact on not only America, but the black community as well.

Lecture #3: This History of Howard University - Tammy

      Dr. Benjamin's lecture about The Eloquence of the Scribes: Initiation, Expectation, and Mastery - Continuing the Legacy of Howard University was very interesting. She descriptively described some of the founders of Howard and explained the significance of each building and who they are named after which has always intrigued me. I was so excited to hear how many influential leaders both black and white either came from Howard or who's legacy continues within Howard. I felt so proud to be a part of legacy that embodies Howard University and hope to one day fulfill all my predecessors legacies and spawn a legacy of my own.


      The first person Dr. Benjamin talked about was General Howard, the founder and namesake of Howard University. I always knew that the founder of Howard University was white but I never thought deeply about the impact of General Howard's actions. He bravely allowed blacks to enter one of the first integrated universities in the post-Civil War era. Despite prejudices, General Howard still founded a school that all could enter regardless of their skin color. Another person who helped inspire scholarship among blacks was Prudence Crandall, a white woman who opened a boarding school specifically for black girls. Unfortunately due to local aversion to Crandall's school, she was forced to shut the school down but as Dr. Benjamin stated in the beginning of her lecture, Crandall's legacy lives on. So frequently we focus on the blacks who helped African-Americans gain rights and privileges that we sometimes overlook the crucial white and non-black people who also made crucial strides in African-American freedom from prejudice. 


    Since I mentioned Prudence Crandall, I can't forget about the other air conditioned hall in the quad which is Truth Hall named after Sojourner Truth. As a resident of Truth Hall, 3rd floor, I was especially interested in the story of Sojourner Truth who lead thousands of slaves to freedom. Sojourner Truth, who's name was originally Isabella Baumfree, was a true hero because she risked public death to save others from slavery. She was not about recognition or fame but simply wanted others to know what is was like to truly be free of slavery's oppression. I'm now even more proud to stay in Truth Hall.


    Dr. Benjamin also talked about how much history lies within Howard University. Not only have great and influential people such as Lulu Childers, Charles Drew and Tony Morrison been a part of Howard's rich legacy but also historical information lies within our own libraries. Dr. Benjamin told us how Founder's Library holds many historical books and a lot of documentation about black history both domestic and abroad. I've never been so interested in learning about Howard's history, especially now that I can appreciate the significance of our school as a keeper and crucial element of such a rich legacy. HU, YOU KNOW! 

Freshman Seminar September 1, 2010 - Ilesha

Freshman Seminar September 1, 2010

Wednesdays Lecture was entitled Learning, Wisdom, and the African World Experience which would cover these objectives as follows:

1. Reflecting on the African foundations for our intellectual work at Howard and in the Human Community.

2. Sketching an outline that traces the connection between Learning and Wisdom.

3. Opening our personal pathways for engagement and renewal.

Normally giving a lecture, a teacher of professor would start from the very beginning, but Dr, Carr started from the end which is where we learned of Djehuty and Seshat. Djehuty and Seshat were not only brother and sister, but they were also husband and wife. Djehuty was the creator of letters and his wife Seshat was the creator of numbers. The Pathway of Djehuty accepts content masters and precision as the responsible behavior of the teacher and student while The Pathway of Seshat accepts accuracy, reliability, and preservation of knowledge as the responsibility of the teacher and student.

We were also informed on the three authorities of the classroom which are student, teacher, and text. All three of these authorities work hand in hand, however Dr. Carr stated that there will always be two of these authorities present in the classroom. Furthermore that if there is one authority absent, the other two have to work even harder.

Moving back to the beginning of the powerpoint we learned of some basic africana terms. A few that stood out to me were Ma'at which means truth, Sankofa which means go and get it, and Iwa Pele which means good/right character. These three stood out to me because these are some of the attributes I think I have. I'm a very truthful "go getter" with good character.

Dr. Carr also spoke of ancient egyptian writing which did not look like writing at all. They were little pictures called hieroglyphs. These little pictures depict the alphabet and symbols which stood for words like man or woman.

The basic message Dr. Carr gave us to take home had to deal with just that taking your knowledge home. I've learned my knowledge means nothing if i'm the only person it is benefiting. Dr. Carr said we should take our knowledge back home and share it with our community. Coming from Delaware, I can safely say I have had a good life living in the suburbs, but in the inner city there is so much going on. People fighting and shooting and sometimes there are innocent lives being taken. Just being at Howard University I have learned that there are just some things in life that are not worth fighting over, and I think the people in the city of Wilmington, Delaware will benefit from the things I will learn over my four years at Howard University and I will be sure to take everything I learn back to the city.

The Human Genome - Ilesha

The Human Genome

Last Wednesdays lecture from Dr. Georgia M. Dunston who was from the microbiology department was about the human genome. She did not get past the introductory slide, but she still gave some vital information. However before she went into her lecture, she started by saying the dean stated that our class was phenomenal and she sees how we are such a phenomenal class. Dr. Dunston goes into her lecture by saying our genome holds knowledge. It holds knowledge of not only out family history but our ancestral history as well. The genome contains not only this but knowledge of biology and life and how it works. Being a record book holding the legacy of human kind and our cultural story, Dr. Dunston goes on to say that every culture has a story but other cultures feed of the story of the Africans. Africans are the foundation for other cultures.

Dr. Dunston also said out genomes represent knowledge to solve problems of our time. Our genomes have an energy and what disturbs our energy is what we are destined to do. In other words we already know our calling and what we were put here to do and what problem we are going to solve. For example for me I know what disturbs my energy is dental hygiene. This is why my dream is to become a dentist to make people more aware of how important dental hygiene actually is to your overall health.

Overall the message I took from the lecture is that we all have a unique genome and each and every one of us is unique. Our genomes hold information that stems from our ancestors and from our family and the information we all hold is unique. Even though Dr. Dunston did not get past her first slide, she still gave us all some very good information that I actually found interesting.

My First Freshman Seminar Lecture!!!! 9/1/10 Tammy

My First Freshman Seminar Lecture!!!!

     Yesterday was my first real freshman seminar class where the class actually began the first of many lectures. The first lecture was given by Dr. Carr whose voice can make even the sleepiest person's eyes burst open. In a class that big, the lecturer's enthusiasm is a must. The title of the lecture focused on Africa with special emphasis on ancient Egypt's Djehuti and his wife Seshat. I have never even heard of these people before or knew of their great accomplishment of inventing numbers and letters. Thinking myself a well read and learned person, I was shocked that I had never actually heard of them. I immediately felt a sense of pride that my own people had been the first to create written language instead of believing the common belief that language started in Europe of ancient Greece. I learned so much that class that I almost ran out of room on my mbongi form! Plus I would never even have thought that the word mbongi from the people of Congo would ever become part of my regular vocabulary...I guess that's HBCU life for you...


      While Dr. Carr was speaking I felt empowered. He talked about having a fresh start in college where I could be anything I wanted to be. I've always thought of myself as good student but sometimes lacked motivation. No longer is that going to be me. Dr. Carr told us that the power to be educated ALWAYS lies with student when all else fails. There's no reason why I cannot take advantage of all the opportunities that Howard has to offer. With the excitement and atmosphere here at HU, my possibilities are endless. When a whole crowd screams HU YOU KNOW at any given time, it's impossible not to feel like you're at home.


     After sitting through the lecture, it hit me. BAM! I'm actually getting a chance to really learn about my people from professors who actually care about the topic. Coming from a predominantly white all girls school, I didn't really get the opportunity to learn about my heritage in ancient Africa, let alone from people who actually cared about the topic. As Dr. Carr made the room pronounce words that my mouth had never pronounced from the language of my people, I felt at ease when my tongue didn't. Finally I was at home. I realized the Mecca is where I need to be. Only at Howard University would I ever be able to find enthusiasm and education like this. FINALLY! AMEN!!!

Freshman Seminar - Human Genome 9/8/10 Tammy

     In Freshman Seminar this week our lecturer was a woman from the microbiology department and specialized in the human genome. Although she never got past the first introductory slide she still made some interesting points about the black community in relation to the Human Genome Project, of which, she is a member. The topic of her lecture was supposed to be Abandonment, Dismemberment and Reawakening: The History and Legacy of Howard University, she in her own special way still somewhat touched on the subject. However, most she talked about how every person's individual genome makes them a unique part of the world. She even said that identical twins do not necessarily have the same genome because everyone single person is unique. That phrase gave me a sense of pride i knowing that even if I follow in the steps of others, I am still the ONLY person in this universe that will ever be like me. 


        Also, she told us that our genomes present and intricate history of not only my family ancestry but the black community's ancestry as a whole. The one point that she made which did relate greatly to the topic is that without a knowledge of the history of black people it is impossible for all people to know their true people. When in high school I could remember talking greatly about European and American history which could date back to the BCE age but never did my school ever talk about ancient African history. All other histories branch off from ancient Africa because that is where the world originated. I never actually thought about the world like that but this point is so true. Archaeologist and historians need to focus more on how ancient Africa came to be and how black civilization formulated. Schools need to also emphasize the importance of black history as the origin of all history in general and not only focus on countries such as Greece, Britain and America because countries in Africa date back much farther than any of these countries combined. 


    Although there were times during the lecture when I became bored with the constant talk about the human genome, I still gathered an appreciation for our lecturer's discussion. She offered valid points but I only wish she would have connected other aspects of the lecture's topic into her lecture. Oh well...I guess better luck next Wednesday...

**^_^ *September 1, 2010* ~Kayla Blackburn~

**^_^ *September 1, 2010* ~Kayla Blackburn~

Yesterday's lecture was called Learning, Wisdom, and The African Experience. 
Objectives:

• reflect on African Foundations for Intellectual Work at Howard and in the Human Community
• sketch outline that traces the connection between learning and wisdom
• open personal pathway for engagement and renewal

1.  I learned about Djehuty and his sister/ wife Seshat. Seshat invented numbers while her husband/brother invented letters. Both of them are of African ancestory.
2.  I also learned the three authorities in the classroom: teacher, text, and student. All three of these authorities rely on each other and if one fall short, its up to the remaining two to pick up the slack to progress the learning experience in the classroom.
3.  After sitting in this lecture I made a choice to go back home upon graduation and help bring up my community. I always thought that I wouldn't go back home because there's only crime, corruption, and a bad economy in Memphis. Those same reasons that were preventing me from going home is now pushing me towards home. The speaker said that learning is no good if only your benefited by it. Many organizations gave me scholarships so that I can go off and recieve an education else where so that I may come back and use my education and college experience to better my community.

September 8, 2010 Lecture - Kayla

Topic: Abandonment, Dismemberment and Reawakening: The History and Legacy of Howard University

The lecture this week was giving by Dr. Georgia M. Dunston. She's from the Microbiology Department and she specializes in the Human Genome. Although Dr. Dunston never made it passed her introduction, I learned alot of insightful information that applied biology to our everyday lives. Dr. Dunston used information from the Human Genome Project and related it to the black community. She begins the lecture by stating that our genome holds knowledge. The knowledge that she's speaking about applies not only to our family's roots but also to the ancestral roots of mankind. According to Dr. Dunston, mankind's roots were founded in Africa, the motherland. Africa is known to the be the motherland of African-Americans but it is also the motherland of every race, because life itself began in Africa.

She also discussed that the human genome holds energy. Its the disturbance in this energy that tells us what we are meant to be. The thing that disturbs your inner peace is what your predestined to change. For example, the human condition disturbs my peace. I often find myself wishing that I could save humanity all by myself.

I enjoyed the lecture. Dr. Dunston said that we are all living our ancestor's dreams'. That statement really touched me because all my life I have been striving to be successful in life because I didnt want the death of my ancestors and their life long fight for our right's to be in vain.

September 18, 2010 - Kayla

September 18, 2010

Today’s lecture was called The Eloquence of the Scribes: Initiation, Expectations, and Mastery- Continuing the Legacy of Howard University.  The lecturer was Dr. Benjamin. Her presentation was mostly about the important buildings on campus, the scribes they were named after, and information about the scribes.

To begin, Dr. Benjamin introduced the word scribe, the history of scribes, and 21^st century scribes. She stated that scribes were people that kept record of something by writing it manually (with their hand.) According to Dr. Benjamin, scribes have been around since ancient Egypt. The decline of scribes is due to the type-writer and printing techniques.

 The civilizations that were known to have/ produce scribbles were very literate. The scribes were very important members of these societies. Their job titles ranged from royal scribes to anonymous scribes, and were found in every field.

Some 21^st century scribes that Dr. Benjamin named are General Oliver Otis Howard, Inabel Burns Lindsey, and Prudence Crandall.  Although she named many more scribes, these three stuck out to me. Howard University is named after General Oliver Otis Howard because of his many contributions to the founding of Howard University.  Inabel Burns was the first dean of the School of Social Work, and she was also the first female dean in Washington D.C. Likewise Prudence Crandall also made history. She created the first school for African American girls.

Overall I enjoyed this presentation. Unlike many lecturers before her in this class, she actually made it past the first slide of her slideshow. I learned about the different buildings on Howard’s campus and the people they were named after.