Competent vs. Controversial Communication

I believe this advertisement is both competent and controversial.  The celebrity above is Colin Kaerpernick, a former professional football player. He was the first to take a knee during the national anthem to acknowledge the racism within some police departments.  The movement was rapid across the nation.  It caused an uproar, even within the capital.  Many people argued that it was disrespectful to veterans and those in service.  Others argued that it had nothing to do with those people in the service, and that the argument took away from the point of recognizing senseless deaths of innocent black men by police officers.  His actions were very effective, and I admire his courage.  I would model my communications after what he did.  His actions were impactful, nonviolent, and noticeable.  It reminded me of Dr. Martin L. King, Rosa Parks, and many other activist.  Their legacies still live, and I believe Kaerpernick's legacy will too.

The Personal side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppressions

When working with children and families from diverse backgrounds, I always hope that I will have a positive impact on them.  I want to be a helpful resource to those who want my help.  I would like to treat people with respect and fairness.   We all have our differences, but that should not stop us from helping others.  I would like to encourage and educate children about the diverse backgrounds, especially the diversity within our classroom.  It is important that they know, understand, and respect differences.  I thought about hoping to be knowledgable fo the different family cultures that families would have.  Unfortunately, culture is constantly evolving and changing.  To study a particular culture would be enlightening, but also could be misleading.  The stereotypical information about blacks would help a person at first, but it may also insult the person its directed to help.  

A simple yet complex goal for the EC field is to find a way in which we can teach about and possibly eliminate racism.  Children are taught racist actions.  Why can’t we explain what is appropriate and what is not appropriate?  Why can’t we as educators open up the conversation about race? Explaining why Suzie has pale white skin, and how Edward has dark skin and hair like Suzie would help children to understand how we are all different but equal.  The EC field can have a dynamic impact on racism, but we must first be brave enough to step in.        

I just would like to say how much I appreciate the feedback, advice, and opinions of my colleagues through the Diversity and Equity Class at Walden U.  Our weekly discussions and open conversations have open my eyes to the EC field even more.  I hope that we can still remain connected through future classes and possibly opportunities.  The knowledge, experience, and wisdom that each of you have is priceless.  Thank you all and best wishes to your future endeavors. 

Welcoming Families from Around the World

Hypothetical situation: 

I am working in a hospital and a guest family from Malwa, Punjab (India) is scheduled to come in.  I would prepare for their arrival, but finding out: 

- what language(s) they spoke

- any customs that would be deemed as disrespectful to them

- the reason they are coming 

- if there is a dominant person within the family 

- foods they eat to direct them to restaurants within the area

I would have to found out the languages they speak to see if I would need an interpreter.  It is very hard to feel comfortable with anyone from a hospital when they don't speak your language.  I wouldn't want to offend them, so finding out any details that the staff knows about them including religion, customs, and lifestyle would be beneficial.  I would also need to know the reason for them coming.  There are many reasons why a person would need to visit a hospital, so I would not want to assume.  I would want to find out if there is a dominant person within the family.  I would not want to disregard the decision maker, or disrespect him or her.  Charleston is full of restaurants, if they have dietary restrictions I would want to know.  Having knowledge of the food and area can make a person a little more comfortable, when visiting or looking for somewhere to stay.  

Making people comfortable is a privilege.  I would want to help them as much as I could.  This would be a great way to start.  

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

I loved the movie Hidden Figures.  It showed how African Americans were targets of bias, prejudice, and oppression, how African American women contributed to the success of NASA, and how they were not recognized for their contributions. 

At the beginning of the movie Katherine (Taraji Henson), Mary (Janelle Monae) and Dorothy (Octavia Spencer) were having car trouble.  The car was on the side of the road and a white, male police officer pulled over. They were immediately nervous and didn’t want to go to jail.  The officer got out of the car holding his baton, walking as if he knew he had power over them.  Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy kept their heads down until they were spoken to.  Knowing how police officers were allowed to treat African Americans, the women treated him with respect and answered his questions with a yes sir or no sir.  He asked them questions such as

·         Are you getting sassy with me?

·         Where they were going?

They informed him that they worked at NASA.  His response was, “I had no idea they hired”.  Dorothy interjected and said “Women.  They have a few of us working there, sir.”  After finding out what they did and the services they provided for America, he changed his attitude.  He assumed the Russians were watching Americans, and begin asking questions about the staff at NASA.  After seeing the ladies' employment badges, the officer offered to help them and gave them a police escort to NASA so they would not be late.    

In the movie, the women were prejudged by not only the whites, but the black men as well.  It was as if no one could see a black woman being smart enough to be an engineer or mathematician.

Watching the movie for the first time, I became emotional for several reasons.

• Mad - because the way the blacks were treated by whites, I had never heard anyone give any of these women credit for their efforts until this movie  
• Annoyed - because although this was based on a true story, some people still go through these situations even today; especially the police officer.  
• Proud - because a black woman made a difference in the world; the movie shows that we as women are just as or sometimes better than men in different areas
• Happy - this was a person that many young girls and black can look up to  

I am appreciative to the writers and everyone that had a part in the film.  They opened up the doors for people to discuss different bias and prejudices of people.  Although these events all happened in the past, I feel as if we can learn from it.  Acknowledging that our ancestors went through troubling times and may have done some bad things would be the first of many suggestions.  You can't be sorry for what someone else had done, but acknowledging that it was done is a start.   We can all grow by changing our minds and focusing on the future and learning from the past.

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

I have been told that it is so important to learn from older people, but I have also realized the importance of them learning from my generation as well.  My great-grandmother, an 82 year old African American woman, was raised in a time where racism and segregation were not hidden.  She went through the back doors to buildings, was only permitted to drink from certain fountains, and was not treated with respect.  She had grown up with a white supremacy  mentality and passed it along to her children.

While in college, I would take on the responsibility of taking my great-grandmother grocery shopping to FoodLand.  The entire trip would take anywhere from 3-5 hours for about 20-30 grocery items.  She walked very slow and refused to use a cane.  She was very particular about her quality of food.  Grandma would examine and reexamine packages, dates, and name brands of products.  Last but not least, she would also stop and talk to several employees about the food.  During the grocery excursion, it was imperative that you remain close to her just in case she has you to go and grab and item she forgot. 

After a long voyage through FoodLand, it was finally time to check out.  I loaded all of the groceries onto the belt for the young lady to ring up.  Grandma watched every item to make sure she wasn't getting charged twice.  She looked over in my direction to see the Caucasian bag boy starting to bag the groceries.  She immediately made him stop and said, "Alisha go and bag those groceries.  He shouldn't be doing that for us."

Wide eyed, I looked at my grandmother and said in a very calm voice, "This is his job grandma.  He is supposed to do this for everyone. He gets paid for this."
"Not for us.  Now go and do what I said!" This is when she gave me the grandma "look".       

After the young boy insisted on bagging her groceries, she calmed down about the situation, and allowed him to do it.  I was still livid.  Because I would never want to disrespect my grandmother, the car ride home remained quiet.  I was humiliated, angry, ashamed, and astonished that she would say or think that whites are too good to bag groceries for blacks.  My mother had taught me that being black was beautiful.  Grandma was trying to tell me that being white was better.

 

I wanted to tell my grandmother that we have overcome, but looking at the news, politics, and other forms of media makes me doubt that we have.  Discrimination, prejudice, sexism, racism, are all negatives thoughts that continue to grow over time.  We have the power and education to put an end to the hatred, but everyone has to work together.  I guess that is the problem.  The thought of working together is intimidating. ...

FYI..... absolutely none of these pictures are me and grandma :)

What is Culture and Diversity

Asking several people about culture and diversity:
- 2 African American Male (43 and 32)
- 2 African American Females (39, and 52)



these are some of the answers I got:

Culture:
Everything
How you act
How you were raised
Your process of thinking
Where you were from
What you like and dislike
Your values/morals
Your belief system

Diversity:
Your race
Your gender
Your sexual preference
Embracing and respecting another person's background, culture, and their way of thinking


The majority of the answers that I received have been listed in a portion of our reading assignments.  The major omission that I realized (in diversity and culture)  is the role or identity that a person has.  After reading this week's assignment I can see how a role/identity is assigned to a person.  Even throughout my childhood, I can see how I was assigned or assumed roles subconsciously.  It is something that naturally happens.  This is a direct affect of culture and the impact that it has on a person's thought process.

After reading about culture and diversity and hearing other people's definition, I realize how why definition has changed through education.  I have been enlightened by my reading and conversations with other classmates.  This class has changed my outlook on a variety of topics involved within culture and how to acknowledge and respect others.

Thanks Walden

My Family Culture

If I had to choose the three most important things that represented my culture, I would have to definitely choose my bible, our family photo album, and my wedding rings.  The Bible is a book that will always give me encouragement, direction, and wisdom.  My family album would help me to remember the family that was lost or that I had never gotten to meet.  It would also allow me share our family history with my future generations.  My wedding rings is something that represents the unity between me and my husband, and something that represents one of the best days of my life.

I would feel torn and awful if I were to have to loose any of the three items.  They each give me something different.  The bible is a great resource and helps me to make wise decisions.  The album would give me physical proof of great memories and loved ones.  The rings represent a portion of who and what I am.  I would really have a hard time trying to decipher between which item would be most important.

I was looking through my house to figure out what I would take if this scenario would ever come true.  It was hard for me to make a decision.  I appreciate and love my home and family.  Deciding on what is most important is extremely difficult.  I have learned that I am not a materialist person through this exercise.  Although I would be deeply saddened, I love my family more than the material things.  Bad things happen, but the healing process is what determines what type of person you truly are.