Where I come from, race is a very sensitive subject. No one really likes to talk about it unless they are around skin tones that resemble their own. Mississippi has matured over the years, but she still suffers from the bruises of her previous relationship with Racism. She has gained enough strength to leave him and focus on her new love, Unity! However, just like any man that cannot/will not let go of his ex, Racism tries to sneak his way back into Mrs. Ippi’s life with an intent on foraying her relationship with Unity. Racism is never alone! He is always accompanied by his boys Inequality, Prejudice, and Injustice. Racism loves being with his homies, but he is more obsessed with the idea of controlling Mrs. Ippi. Racism (on numerous occasions) allowed his boys to strip her naked, rape her until she lost consciousness and all feelings of self worth. She didn’t feel like a woman. He had no sympathy for her children as well. Racism hated Mrs. Ippi’s children because they didn’t look like him. In his eyes they were all a bunch of Niggers, Crackers, Wetbacks, Jews, Red Savages, and Chinks who were born only to bring hell on earth. He attempted to turn her children against one another resulting in blood shed and death. But one day, Mrs. Ippi had had enough! She couldn’t take the physical/mental abuse any longer. She was tired of being the subject of every Blues song. She was tired of pressing her fine white Cotton against her face only to see it drenched in blood. This incongruous relationship could not continue and this became her axiom. She knew that in order to leave this relationship, she would have to fight her way out. She wanted freedom and prosperity for her children and herself. One day, she met Unity. Unity was beautiful, intelligent, kind, and gregarious among other things. He loved her children regardless of their differences. He loves the smell of the Magnolia that blossoms so beautifully in her hair. Mrs. Ippi was hesitant to get involved with this unfamiliar spirit due to her previous scars, fear of loving another, and getting hurt a second time. Unity was a gentleman. He had fallen in love with Mrs. Ippi and had made up in his mind that he would be patient with her and would do whatever it takes to make her smile again. For her children, he didn’t try to win them over with money or material things. Instead, Unity brought smiles, laughter, brotherhood, sisterhood, integrated education, mentorship, spirituality, equal opportunities, and understanding of differences. His intent was not to impress Mrs. Ippi, because these gifts came from his heart. ‘It was just the right thing to do,” he said. Today, Mrs. Ippi still has not fully submitted herself to Unity. She wants to love him! She wants to be with him, but she is afraid! She’s afraid of change, afraid of what racism might do to destroy this new union, and afraid of losing more children. She still cries a River when she is reminded of her past. Yet Unity is still around, waiting on her to receive him. “Im going to wait for her, no matter how long it takes. Until then, I will continue to be sprung. I will continue to do things for her and her children. I will continue to attempt to bring joy in her life no matter how tough it gets. She will be mine! I know that I will never love another like Mrs. Ippi.” IT HAS BEEN OVER 50 YEARS!! UNITY IS STILL WAITING!!
How grateful I am to you, for this marvelous creature you have blessed me with. I must say that the female species has to be one of your greatest creations. After all of these years, I never thought that I would be able to love a woman whole-heartedly. I am so in love with her spirit. The fact that she seeks a stronger relationship with you and consults with you in regards to our relationship makes my spirit rejoice. Kind sir, how is it that my love for this woman and our love for you make this relationship blossom?
Tis great to know that when I look at her, I can also see you.
Tis great to be granted the opportunity to love and protect such a gift.
Tis great to know that in her heart you dwell.
Tis great to know that she has made room in her heart for me, right next to thee.
I know that I will never be able to compete with you to win her love. That will always be a losing battle. As a man who admits his undying love for you as well; I will never allow my love to choose me over you your majesty. You are the driving force of our lives.
You are the natural adhesive that keeps us together, even when we hurt one another.
By loving him, he has allowed me to love her. Her desire to seek him and receive his favor draws me closer; for I desire the same. Oh lord, humbleness! Humbleness I need in order to be able to understand her emotions. Patience! Patience I need when those emotions may seem unstable.
Kind sir, Which would be greater, man after thine own heart, or man and woman bonded by love ordained by thee while after thine own heart at the same time?
When I think of my love, I can hear you saying, “Peace, I give unto you. For your love for her and your love for me is unconditional”.
My lady has another man!
And I am comfortable with sharing her with another.
I don't know if it's just me, but at times I feel like an alien surrounded by a mass number of strange creatures who are similar to me in many ways, but mentally we share no connection. (especially when it comes to money) It seems as if my generation has some how been transformed or have taken a detour into a materialistic/greedy realm that causes them to believe the American Dream simply means "having stuff" or the means to get more of it so that you will forever have a happy life. We have become the generation that is only moved by MONEY!! money, money, and more money!!
"Money is my Motivation!"
"If you ainttalkin bout money, you ainttalkin bout me"
"I look like money, smell like money...."
"F*** the H03$! Im bout my money"
"Rise and grind, Lets get this money"
THE LIST GOES ON!!
The truth is we all need money to buy the things we need, but when those "wants" heavily exceed those needs, we then start to see a pattern of over spending and an obsession for more when that "fuel" runs low. Our crooked determination of keeping up with the celebrities, living your life based on Glamour, and your eagerness to have the latest "it thing" or trend is actually blinding you from seeing your real PURPOSE in life. I'm not saying that you have to go through life as a bum, but don't let it be the "thing" that guides you throughout your life's journey. Having that type of mindset will only result in you going in circles, broke, bitter, and money hungry. I admit that i do like the finer things in life, but I will NEVER let it rule over my life. It blinds you from seeing the bigger picture.
There's an artist that says, "The only people who believe that money ain't everything are the people who never have it." (I guess that's how it goes) I'll let you be the judge in determining if this is a true statement or if he's basically an idiot. Out of all the rap songs about money I've ever heard in my life, "Mo Money, Mo Problems" has to be the most honest one of all. The issue is that my generation cant focus on their main purpose, because they are so focused on the Purpose of the dollar. In all actuality, God supplies/blesses us with everything we need (money included), but we then become greedy with our "wants" and abuse the blessing that was intended to help with our NEEDS!! Then, we begin to cry and pray when things get bad and wonder why we're back at Stage 1. (because you lost focus) Money is the root of All evil and we cannot deny that we have all been its victim!!
As young African Americans, money tends to come into our hands and leaves before we can blink an eye. One of my mentors stated, "Even before black people get money in their hands, they have already made up in their mind what they're gonna spend it on". There is no need for me to explain that, because it's pretty self-explanatory right? We need to start focusing more on our Purpose and a little less on the Price!! Some of you may one day be rich, but I'm sure that is NOT your main purpose in life. What will you do after you become rich, besides try to stay rich. More problems will arise and people will look and treat you differently. The bible says, to whom much us given, much is required. You want that lifestyle, but you don't want to go through the test in trials in order to have it. Nothing in life is free. If God blesses you money, then you owe him!! When you start buying into the media's perception of the American Dream, money becomes your purpose (among other things) and sooner or later MONEY BECOMES YOUR GOD!!
All I'm asking is that you try looking past what money can do for you and start focusing on your real purpose in life. Find out what your purpose is and stay focused on that. By staying focused on your main purpose, God will provide you with more than you can imagine (money included), but you cant lose focus. Start saving, investing, giving to those who really need it (circumstances), etc. Don't be blinded by what you see as the American Dream because it will lead to destruction. (we walk by faith/not by sight) The American Dream is not STUFF. Money can be a blessing or a curse. You control it! Don't let it control you and don't EVER let it become your GOD!!
FULFILLING YOUR MAIN PURPOSE IN LIFE, IS THE AMERICAN DREAM!! FIND IT!!
I think I was about 11 years old when I began to question why I was always the smallest or shortest male in any surrounding. As years went on I began to notice that most of my friends were shooting up like sky scrapers and even the ones who were my size and height began gaining weight and getting taller as well. This concern never really bothered me until I became a teenager. We all know how our bodies went through changes and that emotional rollercoaster that seems as if it would never end. Well I went through all of that, accept I didn’t really have a pimple phase and my voice didn’t really change tremendously like my friends (at least I don’t think so). People still assume Im a child today. lol I can only recall the hair growth (everywhere), a little weight gain, and my abnormal desire for sex. I would always question my appearance in my mind, but would never do it in public. I have always been confident, outgoing, obsessed with women, popular blah blah blah, but I felt like I was missing out on actually “growing up”. I was never the buff teen that I assumed girls went for. I have always been small, but I have always taken care of my body. I told myself that If God wasn’t going to make me buff like all of the other guys, then I would at least keep this body that I have cut and in shape. Most of the time, my body was the only thing that I was ever insecure about. (at times it still is) Some girls (who have actually seen me shirtless/etc) would say that my body was fine for a person my size. As the bigger guys were getting the “damn he fine” treatment, I was getting the, “awww, He is soooo cute” treatment. I thought they were just being nice. I was never and still not the typical Macho Man that lives and breathes sports, but I was involved in almost every organization you could think of including track and soccer. I had no choice but to keep my body in shape. It was always me competing against everybody. All men can not lie and say that they didn’t go through that phase when they questioned the size of their MOJO compared to other dudes. It doesn’t make you gay or whatever, but lets admit that it happens. It somehow determines your confidence. It’s in our DNA to want to compete with other males and be the top dog with the “big swang”. Being that I was small, I just knew that everyone else would make me look like a damn cocktail weenie. Lmao You began to notice some things maybe when you are showering after practice or a workout. Through those unintentional glimpses I was like, well I definitely don’t have a problem in the meat department. In high school and mostly around Jackson everybody knew me because I could dance. That was one of my ways of luring girls into my web. After a while, my nickname in the female community became “WOOSH”. I hated that name and I still do now. I didn’t mind the attention neither did I mind the sexual favors, but I wasn’t the type to like my business out like that, even though it does happen………but anyway
I can remember one incident in class when two of my friend girls were discussing guys that they would date and guys that they would f***. When my name came up, I tried to act as if I wasn’t paying attention, but I was very curious to know what they thought about me. One of the girls said that I was really cute and if I was a little bit taller, she would talk to me with the quickness. At that point I didn’t know whether to be flattered or mad. The other girl, whom I had a major crush on and had heard about “the rumor”, said that she wouldn’t date me because I was too short, but she would have sex with me out of curiosity. (lol I’ll leave that there) I still think about that moment today.
It is a known fact that people will over indulge in the things that make them standout in order to hide the things that they lack. Men know that this is true and they hate when women admit it. Some men work out constantly to maintain a marvelous physique, but some do that to make up for the lack of swing between the legs. Every man has a way of making their best features stand out. When I entered college, my reputation followed me. Of course you had the females that were obsessed with the huge football player that couldnt form a complete sentence. The people that I hung with including myself weren’t like most of the black males on campus. We were moderately conservative, didn’t dress like people would expect young black men to dress, yet down to earth, uber talented, free spirited, popular, heavily involved, part of the freshman elite, and honestly some down right whores! I was still the shortest person in the group, but my presence was always known and at times I stood out even when I didn’t want to. By this time I knew that I would never be the model type and that I probably would never grow. I just knew that I would never become an attractive man. I would stay the little cute guy. It was always placed in the back of my mind so that no one would ever notice that my body, more so than my height was my insecurity. Half of my college life was full of sex/alcohol. Getting either one of those was no problem at all. It had gotten so bad that having the most sex partners became a game. I still feel bad about the things I have done, but during intercourse with any of those women I would always think that they couldn’t possibly think I am physically attractive. I would always put in my mind that it must be the popularity, maybe she wanted one of my other boys first, maybe she’s looking for a status boost, maybe she cant get sex from anybody else, or maybe she’s curious about what’s in my pants and if I can Sho Nuff use it. After a while I was just having sex just to prove a point. (That my Johnson wasn’t small). This became my way of coping. Sex/Alcohol became a big part of my personal life. It would sometimes stress me out and had a very huge affect on my academics. It took prayer, mentors, family, and friends to get me out of that depression period. It had gotten so bad that I was taking six bottles of meds for six different things. Wasn’t sleeping, eating properly, overly active, lost a lot of weight blah blah blah. I was just physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally drained. I was really good at hiding most of it, but some people could even see my pain from a distance.
Now that I am older and sort of free from that insecurity, I realize that I have accomplished so much through these few years on this earth that people may not accomplish in a lifetime. I notice that even in a room full of tall people I can still be the big giant, because as my mentor would say, “leaders are models without a height or weight requirement.” I admit that I sometimes stand out unintentionally and I know that it intimidates some men at times (even the muscle heads). My bright personality, intelligence, creativity, well-roundedness, ability to demand attention without causing a scene, outspokenness, and confidence is what I believe draws people to me. Last night I was told (by #oneofmyfollowers whom I had just met) that my choice of words/tweets made it seem as though I was tall. I began to laugh, because that actually made me feel so good inside. I know that I will never be tall or buff, but I am attractive in so many other ways and any female that can look past the small physical frame and see what’s really attractive (inside) then she is indeed “A TRUE WOMAN” and it not only makes me feel buff, but it makes me feel taller than any man!
This research was a part of my personal research as well as my Senior Capstone Research for Psychology/African American Studies class. Here I am providing you with information/facts on the affects of slavery/racism from past to present. Hope you will enjoy. It's pretty long, but I swear it's not boring. A large portion of these facts are NOT taught in school.
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Through the years, the American media has conjured many stereotypes about the African American way of life across the board, especially in the South. People of color have always been portrayed as lazy and careless individuals whom are only moved by entertainment and materialistic items. Society viewed this group of people as mentally incompetent and incapable of intellect. The history of social, mental, and physical abuse has had major affects on the many generations of the African American race. Some African-Americans fear that psychoanalysis and psychiatry are both inherently racist; which is a reason blacks, (mainly males) choose not to seek medical attention from professionals. This report will provide information based on the negative and positive aspects of psychoanalytic studies as well as racism in the unconscious minds of African Americans.
African Americans who were born in America as well as native Africans suffered slavery for over 200 years. It was not until the Emancipation of 1865 that they were considered released from bondage. Some scholars would argue that this so called bondage did not end at this time. After the signing of the Declaration of Independence, slavery became even more prominent in the United States. Slaves were not only victims of abuse, but also victims of pseudoscience and scientific racism. Dr. Benjamin Rush, who was founder of American Psychiatry, Dean of the MedicalSchool at the University of Pennsylvania, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence did studies on Africans who were victims of the slave trade. In 1797 he described blacks or Negroes as suffering from an affliction calledNegritude, which was thought to be derived from leprosy. “The only cure for the disorder was to become white.”(Jackson 2002) He was the first chemistry professor in America so officials took heed to his findings. “He published a pamphlet on the iniquity of the slave trade, and helped organize the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage, the first antislavery society in America; he later became its president.”(Leitch 1978)
Although Dr. Rush was an abolitionist, his understudy was also a leader of medical authority took on the ways of the old South. Dr. Samuel Cartwright claimed that he has discovered two new diseases peculiar to Blacks that he believed justified enslavement as a beneficial necessity for the slaves and as a medical and moral responsibility for their White masters in May of 1851. He claimed that Blacks who fled slavery suffered from a disease called Drapetomania which caused slaves to run away.In his writing "Diseases and Peculiarities of the Negro Race", he stated that “If the white man attempts to oppose the Deity's will, by trying to make the negro anything else than "the submissive knee-bender," (which the Almighty declared he should be,) by trying to raise him to a level with himself, or by putting himself on an equality with the negro; or if he abuses the power which God has given him over his fellow-man, by being cruel to him, or punishing him in anger, or by neglecting to protect him from the wanton abuses of his fellow-servants and all others, or by denying him the usual comforts and necessaries of life, the negro will run away; but if he keeps him in the position that we learn from the Scriptures he was intended to occupy, that is, the position of submission; and if his master or overseer be kind and gracious in his hearing towards him, without condescension, and at the sane time ministers to his physical wants, and protects him from abuses, the negro is spell-bound, and cannot run away.” Cartwright argued that treating slaves as children would be the best way to prevent them from thinking that they were equal to their master. When slaved become sulky and dissatisfied, they are more prone to run. The best way to treat this is to “whip the devil out of them.”
Another disease that he attributed to mainly freed Negroes was Dysaesthesia Aethiopica, which was a disease of the mind and body that attacks such slaves that live like free Negroes in regard to diet, drinks, exercise, etc. He believed that this disease cause Negroes to go rampant due to lack of having a white master. “To narrate its symptoms and effects among them would be to write a history of the ruins and dilapidation of Hayti, and every spot of earth they have ever had uncontrolled possession over for any length of time. I propose only to describe its symptoms among slaves.”(Cartwright 1851) Cartwright is speaking of the Haitian Revolution, which led to the inhabitants and slaves revolting against the French and reclaiming their land. The aspiration for freedom is not pathological and the opposition to work for a master is not a disease. The goal of the scientific racist was and remains the defense of a racial hierarchy that still exist in modern society.
Dr. Kenneth and Mamie Clark are two African American psychologists who conducted doll studies in the 1940s to show the damaging effects of racism on the self-image of black children. The study was done at their own facility which was called The Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem, New York. They found contrast among children who attended segregated schools in Washington, DC compared to children who attended integrated schools in Harlem, New York. In the doll test, psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark used four plastic dolls that were identical except for color. They showed the dolls to black children between the ages of three and seven and asked them questions to determine racial perception and preference. Almost all of the children readily identified the race of the dolls. However, when asked which they preferred, the majority selected the white doll and attributed positive characteristics to it.
They found that black children would rather play with white dolls rather than a doll of their own ethnicity or skin color. The children were also asked to fill in human figures of based of the color of their own skin. Most of the children filled in a lighter shade of color than that of their own. The white doll was given what was considered white attributes such a pretty and good, whereas the children saw the black doll as dull and ugly which were considered black attributes by the media and most white supremacists. The outcome of this research demonstrated that society inflicted internalized racism on African Americans due to racial segregation, separate educational institutions that lacked proper resources, not to mention disenfranchisement. This led to Kenneth Clark testifying against segregation of schools in the Briggs vs. Elliot case. The research and results influenced the U.S. Supreme Court to hold segregation to be unconstitutional in the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education case, arguing the “Separate but Equal” doctrine. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren announced the court’s decision to desegregate the school on May 17, 1954. The Clark’s study and citation was instrumental in proving that segregation had indeed damaged black children psychologically.
“It is now generally understood that chronic and remediable social injustices corrode and damage the human personality, thereby robbing it of its effectiveness, of its creativity, and if not its actual humanity.”(Clark 1965) Ultimately, the Brown decision would undermine state sanctioned segregation in all aspects of American life. In May of 1955 the Supreme Court issued a second ruling which most would call Brown II. It addressed the process of desegregation.The Court stated that the states involved should begin the 1954 ruling and it shall be done with, “all deliberate speed.” To African Americans this meant immediate desegregation, but little did they know that white Southerners were prepared to maintain the “southern way of life” at any cost. In 1955 the White Citizens Council was created by white-collar businessmen, clergymen, politicians, and businessmen who used their economic and political power to coerce blacks who challenged segregation. People were evicted from their homes, fired from their jobs, and even refused credit. “President Eisenhower seemed displeased with the Court’s rulings and refused to put the moral authority of his office behind their enforcement.”(Hine & Harold pg. 577) Nine southern states had filed suit to eradicate the NAACP by 1957. The organization’s lost many of its southern branches and membership plummeted tremendously. Thirteen public school systems were desegregated by 1958 and by 1960 it had only risen to seventeen. The massive resistance of the leading white supremacists showed that change could not come through the courts alone.
Race and racism continue to have a deep and often painful significance for people of color. One of the most evil experiments which has had a major affect on African American men in terms of choosing to visit doctors and health professionals is the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. This study was conducted between 1932 and 1972 (40 years). (Brunner 2003) “The study was meant to discover how syphilis affected blacks as opposed to whites-the theory being that whites experienced more neurological complications from syphilis, whereas blacks were more susceptible to cardiovascular damage.How this knowledge would have changed the clinical treatment of syphilis is uncertain.” This study has been called the most non-therapeutic experiments on human beings in medical history. The study involved 399 black low class sharecroppers from the poorest towns in Alabama.
The Publics Health Service wanted to study the progress of syphilis with no intent to cure them. The subjects only knew that they were being treated for bad blood. After trying to enlist in the military (which they also had to be cured in order to do so), the PHS made sure that they did not receive any treatment. They only received placeboes and had to suffer for forty years.In 1947 penicillin was the normal treatment for syphilis. Most of them died and 40 of the wives became infected. Some of the children had inherited the disease as well. This led to changes in United States law to protect participants involved in clinical studies. Today studies require informed consent from the participant, communication of diagnosis accurate reporting of test results, and debriefing.Borgna Brunner asked the question, “Who could imagine the government, all the way up to the Surgeon General of the United States, deliberately allowing a group of its citizens to die from a terrible disease for the sake of an ill conceived experiment? In light of this and many other shameful episodes in our history, Africans Americans’ widespread mistrust of the government and white society in general should not be a surprise to anyone.”
As a race, African Americans have come a long way in their fight for social justice. A lot has changed, but in a way some things need to be examined and dissected a little bit more. This modern generation is becoming more diverse and they are taking steps into understanding the importance of learning the interior of a person instead of focusing on what you see on the outside. African Americans still face certain disadvantages that hinder not only the conscious, but also the unconscious such as learning in an educational setting. If one must to flashback to the 1950’s during the fight to end segregation of the school systems, you will see that after the Brown vs. Board of Education case that many institutions, mainly in the south, did not rush into making this happen. Many institutions closed down or made special accommodations for black students, but they still were segregated. An example of this would be one of the cases that would trigger the Brown vs. Board of Education case, the McLaurin vs. Oklahoma State Regents case.
The University of Oklahoma admitted George W. McLaurin into its Graduate School of Education program, but he was not allowed to sit in the class with the other white students. He had to sit in the hallway in the classroom door, had his own personal area in the cafeteria and the library. When he finally received a seat, it was marked “reserved for colored”. Whites who did not agree with integration in the 1950s fled to suburbs and reaped the benefits of the economic boom. This left blacks in urban cities with run down schools, outdated books, lack of resources, and little to no funding. This trend has extended into modern day public institutions that were once majority white and now the table has turned. Most public schools, mainly in the south are dominated by the minority.
Many problems with the educational system in this country, directly related to racial and cultural issues range from self-fulfilling prophecies, based on expectations of poor performance by teachers in elementary and secondary schools (Rosenthal and Jacobson 1968; Rubovitz and Maehr 1973), to discriminatory admissions policies in higher education (Sedlack 1974; Sedlack and Webster, in press) and to racism encountered by minorities in graduate and professional schools.In 1976 William Sedlacek and Glenwood Brooks Jr. developed a model that was primarily aimed at eliminating racism in white-oriented or predominately white educational institutions by changing the people who control the system. The conference consisted of 17,000 students, 36 principals, vice-principals, and some central office staff. The system was just beginning to have increasing African Americans enrolled in the schools as the city’s suburbs pushed outward.
The conferences consented of small groups of 10 to 15 individuals whom were organized around the 6 stages of the model. The purpose of this was to maintain a sense of group identity and to gain exposure from a variety of people. The consultants came from a diversified pool. The participants at the conference were majority white (127) with only 6 blacks. Cultural and Racial Differences were Stage 1.Some of the points that were made by the consultants and the participants were: (1) Most white teachers are not prepared to by background or training to work with most of the black students they encounter. (2)Many blacks have questionable and environmental support for education and are not likely to be motivated by traditional methods. (3) Understanding cultural and racial differences and designing educational experiences which are both sensitive and reinforcing of these differences are crucial to any education.One of the discussions that struck an interest to the consultants was that, “the written material given to participants was usually not read, thereby pointing up a problem often noted by librarians and black curriculum specialists.” Without training in multi-cultural studies, teachers are more likely deter from experimenting with new curriculum and materials.
How Racism Operates was Stage II. Points made by the participants were: (1) Institutional racism is action taken by a social system or institution which results in negative outcomes for members of a certain group or groups. (2)The definitions of racism are behavioral in that results, not intentions, are important. Examples of institutional racism were noted in the county schools: (a)The system is clearly segregated, resulting in fewer facilities, fewer teachers, and less money spent per pupil on black students. (b) There are few blacks in supervisory or central staff positions in county schools. (c) Most components of county school curricula are oriented toward white, middle class children. Here racism is compared to alcoholism. If you deny that there is a problem then you cannot work to get rid of it. If you openly admit it, then you can to the proper steps into killing this racism in the unconscious.
Examining Racial Attitudes was Stage III. In the phase the Situational Attitude Scale was presented. The 6 black participants were not tested. The test was given in two different forms (Form A and B). To sum this section up, it turn out that whites feel more comfortablewith blacks in “service roles”, but they did not agree with the a friend or family member being engaged to an African American. This is an example of how people may not come seem racists, but when it comes to equality and sharing, whites change. While some whites chose to discuss the issue, most whites refused to speak being that the session was opening an emotionally difficult area.
Sources of Racial Attitudes were in Stage IV of the conference. The SAS documented that, (1) Textbooks help perpetuate racial stereotypes. (2) The nature of prejudice and racism should be taught at all educational levels.(3) Racism and prejudice, as well as black culturally relevant content, should be an integral part of the regular curriculum and not isolated as “black history week.” In this phase a white participant presented her results from the SAS test and she received great hostility from a fellow black participant. This opened most participants up for discussion and they started to experience each other. Role playing also made them more comfortable and able to discuss their racial attitudes.
Stage V was a session on Behavior: What Can Be Done? Some of the goals stated by the participants where: (1) Initiate changes curricula from Kindergarten through 12th grade, including special emphasis on language, integrated social studies vs. black studies, instructional materials, and massive in-service training of teachers working with curriculum and instructional materials. (2) Require race relations experience for hiring and promotion. (3) Find ways of involving the community in eliminating racism in schools. (4) Review the use of test scores. In this stage there were still a few that failed to recognize that racism existed in there schools, but most spoke freely of their goals.
Stage VI which is the final stage focused on how it could be done.(1) Emphasize results, not intentions. (2) Facilitate communication through separate monthly newsletters for elementary and secondary students and for staff and teachers, reporting human relations news, achievements, and etc. (3) Require the school system budget to list how much money is being spent on eliminating racism and the percentage increase from the previous year. These models should be implemented in our schools systems in Mississippi. Here the concept of racism is so sensitive that we are forced to put it in the back of our minds.
Jackson, V. & Randall, V. (2009). An Early History - African American Mental Health. In Race, Health Care and the Law . Retrieved November 19, 2009 from The University of Dayton, School of Law Web site: http://academic.udayton.edu/health/01status/mental01.htm
Cartwright, S. (1851). "Diseases and Peculiarities of the Negro Race", In Southern and Western States,XI. Retrieved November 19, 2009 from The University of Dayton, School of Law Web site: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h3106t.html
Pilgrim, D. (2005). Question of the Month: Drapetomania. Retrieved November 19, 2009 from Ferris State Univeristy, Jim Crow Meuseum of Racist Memorabilia/Curator Web site: http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/question/nov05.htm
Sedlacek, W. E. & Brooks, G. C. (1974). Eliminating Racism in Educational Settings. In Institutional Racism and Community Competence. Retrieved Month Date, from National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Hine, D. C., Hine, W. C. & Harrold, S. (2000). The African-American Odyssey. Retrieved Month Date, from National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
J. Quinn
Also Check Out This Old Cartoon* (part of my group research)
http://african-american-cinema.webs.com/cartoons.htm
I was pretty hesitant to post my opinions on this issue, because it is such a broad subject and I did not want to over generalize with out giving you hard evidence/research.
Lately I have been paying close attention to the growing trend of this "Barbie Epidemic" and I must say that I personally feel that a woman that would even refer to herself as such is not only lacking the understanding of the true Essence of being a woman, but also what it means to be a woman of color. The miseducation, disenfranchisement, devaluing, and de-culturalizing of our Nubian Queens is a story to be told, but sadly to know the history and the story of progression and regression you would have to do personal research outside of the classroom. This epidemic is nothing new to women of color. The original Barbie was created in March of 1959 by Ruth Handler. She drew her inspiration from a German doll called Bild Lilli. The new American prototype was displayed all over the media. Need I remind you that during this time, blacks were involved in the Civil Rights movement, marches, sit-ins, and etc. The leaders of these movements were trying to redefine their culture and protest the unjust laws that were inflicted on blacks. As young black women began to see the images in the media/papers/magazines, they began to understand and visualize what American "true beauty" looked like. They were used to seeing the pale faced white lady with the rosy cheeks, blue eyes, the long flowing hair, and etc. As most teenagers have done, these black sisters battled identity issues, self-evaluations, and mixed feelings of self-worth. They were made to believe that this image is, "what will make boys notice me" or "this is what I have to look like to be accepted". During this time, many women (as well as men) had no clue of the importance of an African woman from a historical perspective because like a stated previously, the African culture was stripped away from Africans during slavery and post-emancipation.
If you did not know, Africans were involved in the slave trade just as much as Europeans, but their goals and forms of slavery were totally different. Black males over populated the slave ships. Women were sent in small numbers, because African culture placed the African woman on a high pedestal. In some tribes she was Regal or considered a Goddess of fertility. She was worth more in Africa than she would have been in the New World. (Homegirl had it made!) Do not be fooled, there were black Kings and Queens in the past. I will save that for another blog, but I will say that some African Queens who ruled actually have success stories that I believe could compete with Queen Victoria of England's story any day. As our culture began to vanish during slavery, women became victims of sexual abuse, beatings, arranged marriages, and lynchings. As time progressed we began to see the growth of a new black culture in America, because more African-Americans were being born in the United States. By this time most African customs did not survive, especially the importance of the black woman. As a result African-American men have continued the trend of our European brothers by devaluing our women, using them as bait for cash, placing more value on her "pie" instead of valuing the black woman as a whole. Today we cannot continue to blame everything on the white man, because now its the black men and sometimes the black women that continue this trend. We are forgetting to place more value on the intellect of a woman, her mind, body, spirit, her strength, her ability to give birth to a healthy child, and etc. We cannot allow these celebrities (AND YOU KNOW WHO IM TALKING ABOUT) to teach our young women that being a DAMN BARBIE is what it takes to be successful or get noticed.
Black men and women need to start talking about the Essence of A Black Woman more often. We cant afford to continue to sit back and assume that the opposite sex knows what or how we are thinking. COMMUNICATE!! Men cant respect a plastic/lifeless prototype of something the was originally created to devalue the worth of a black woman anyway. So why call yourself Barbie?
I will leave you with this quote from a distinguished gentleman who agrees that this "Barbie Epidemic" HAS TO DIE!!
"If you were to get a knife and cut a Barbie doll's head off, you would find no brain inside. If you were to make an incision on the doll's chest, there would be no soul. A human being lacking these two vital components is in a severe vegetative state. Contrary to Aqua's 1997 hit record, "Barbie Girl", life in plastic isn't so fantastic. Almost 15 years later, it seems many women have forgotten that important message."-Enitan Bereolaesque
LETS REDEFINE THE ESSENCE AND VALUE OF OUR BLACK WOMEN
This is a section from another journal that I started a couple of years ago when I was going through a phase where I began to question God's existence. Enjoy!!
When I look back over my life, I began to realize all of the things God has done for me and all of the situations he has brought me out of. I am now a 21 year old man and it seems like I have been through hell more than 21 times, but a wise woman said, “sometimes you have to go through hell to get to heaven”. And as I began to look at one particular situation I began to think about the stories in the bible. Last semester, Fall 2007 to be exact, was maybe the worst season of my life. I over worked my body so much that it began to shut down.
My digestive system began to weaken, I stopped sleeping and eating. My muscles weakened and my mind went completely blank. I could not focus or pay attention to any information. I tried my best to hide it from my friends and family. I ended up taking 6 bottles of medicines that felt great, but slowed me down even more. My dreams became nightmares so I avoided sleep or picked up a drink to distort them. I was in and out of the doctor’s office and counseling. This went on for about a month until I just got fed up and said enough was enough. I got angry and tired and I needed God to fix this right now! I was sitting in my room one day, just sitting in my bed staring at the wall, and suddenly I blacked out. I had a vision of me fighting through this crowd of people. I looked down and noticed that there was massive blood on my white robe near my stomach. I clutched on to it and continued to fight my way through the crowd, not having a clue where I was going and why was I running. The harder I fought the more the pain increased. It had gotten to the point when it hurt so bad that I yelled, “Jesus Please”! At that moment I fell to the ground and clutched the clothes of the person in front of me. All I heard were gasp from the crowd, but before I could look up, a bright light came and in my body I could feel something going on in my body. It felt like a cold broom sweeping through my body. It felt so good that I began to smile. When I returned to my “conscious state”, I noticed that I was faced in a totally different position than before, but the best part was that I felt sooooo good inside. I suddenly began to pray and ask the lord for forgiveness and healing. I prayed so hard that I couldn’t even feel the air from the air conditioner anymore. And after that, within a couple of hours, I felt like a new man. Now the funny thing is that, this was so last year, but sometimes it takes people a while to realize what God is trying to do and prove. If you’ve never experienced God like this then this may go way over your head. Like I said, that was last year, 2007. Today is February 20th 2008 and what God was trying to show me just hit me. In the bible, there was a woman who had an issue of blood, she wanted to be healed. She wanted to meet Jesus. She said, “If I could just touch the hem of his garment”. So when she got her chance, she had to maneuver through the crowd of people, and she did so........Now that was the short version. If you want to know the full story, pick up your bible and read. But anyway, as I began to think about, I began to laugh at myself and God because he has a way of showing us things and sometimes it goes right over our head. This story was very similar to my dream. The lord showed me and proved to me that he is the alpha and omega, he is a healer, he is the same yesterday, today, and forever more. Mostly he proved to me that the same miracles and healings that when on back in the bible days are still in effect in 2008. I thought about when I yelled, “Jesus please”! I cried out to the lord for help. I woke up, got on my knees and prayed. See at this point im getting excited. The bible also says, “If my people, which are called by my name would humble themselves and pray, seek my face, then will I heal.” You see that scripture just confirmed it. If my people-(I am God’s child) which are called by my name would humble themselves and pray (I realized the situation I was in wasn’t good so I had to get myself out through prayer and crying out), seek my face (nuff said) then will I heal (the lord promises healing in your life). Victory is mine! And the bible says, ”and when your victory comes, his joy he’ll unfold”. You see, just when you think you’re bout to give in, God will snatch out of the situation you’re in. When you think you bout to fall, he catches you. And when I think about that sweeping feeling I felt in my body I think about Spring cleaning, and I thank God for that. You see he was cleaning out all of that mess in me that I had in the Fall of 2007 to prepare me for the next level going in to the Spring of 2008. If that aint Spring cleaning then I’ll thank him anyway. All I am saying people is, listen to God. You may not be all that God wants you to be or where God wants you to be, but I bet you he will lead you in that direction. Look at how far God has brought you! It took me going through all of that just so I could say THANK YOU for all you’ve done for me! You don’t have to be a pastor to get a message from God. Im not perfect and people who know me will tell you that I don’t have myself all together and who actually does? But I know God, trust him whole heartedly, and I know that he’s not through with me yet. Im still developing slowly, but surely. So before you judge me, you need to check your self and focus on the message that God is trying to send you!
