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.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, September 20, 2010
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!
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!
Friday, September 17, 2010
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.
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.
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.
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