AAAS and Me

The more I learn about the history of AAAS in this country, the more I see just how important it is not just as an African-American, but as a well-rounded, educated person. Even as a young child, I always had a passion for history, sociology, and anthropology. I love to learn about and engage in intelligent discussions about race, religion, politics, and culture. But I find that most Americans are especially close-minded and limited in their knowledge about other cultures and ethnic groups, even though diversity of its people is what makes the US what it is.

That’s why I love the AAAS program at Uni. of Memphis. This major touches and builds upon every discipline that I’m interested in, and the things that I learn about can be useful in dealing with people on a day-to-day basis. So many of the issues that plague the black community today has its roots in the exploration of Africa by the Europeans in the 1400s, the colonization of the New World, and the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. While the history of an entire people was stolen and hidden for hundreds of years, new histories and cultures were born throughout the world. Those Africans that were deemed “less than human” or “savages” held on to as much of their history as they could, formed new families, passed on their traditions, and helped to build the most powerful countries in the world.

I’m taking four classes this fall, but it feels like just one. In each of my classes (four different subjects and concentrations), the same themes pop up over and over again. AAAS ties literature to history to sociology to politics to religion. I can’t think of another discipline that does that. The Uni. of Memphis is very fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and dedicated group of professors to teach such a board range of classes and maintain a strong AAAS program. I wish more students knew about the benefits of taking AAAS classes.

Promiscuity: Educated Women vs. Hood Girls

Sexual promiscuity is sexual promiscuity. It’s not bad or good, negative or positive, and certainly not rated by socioeconomic class. It simply is what it is: a sexual behavior. While promiscuous sex has perks, it can definitely roll out consequences. Staying protected is essential, and remaining emotionally guarded is a must, unless you’re naturally polyamorous. Primarily, I encourage all women to be sexually empowered, whether it is with one partner or many. However, I find that there are some double standards when it comes to women of different socioeconomic statuses sexing it up.
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Reflection on my Studies

Below is a reflection from one of the students in the Intro Class of AAAS

by Zerriyan Jackson

During my study this week on the definition of African American studies I learned about my purpose as an African American. I understand that as an African American it is our purpose to uplift one another and maintain our heritage. Our history is so rich with stories of struggle, survival, greatness, and sacrifice and victories. Our pioneers made many sacrifices for us, such as the right to education so that we are able to teach each other. Our purpose is to educate each other of our heritage and culture. That is very important because we are engulfed with European culture and history and only filtered selective information about African American History. I personally liked Carlene Young’s definition of African American Studies. The individuals that seek higher education have gained the tools and knowledge to pass on more knowledge to their peers and the generation behind them. Therefore, African Americans have the responsibility to go back to their communities and enrich them with better resources to build themselves up. Especially blacks, who grew up in the “hood”, all too often seek a better life and opportunities for themselves and tend to forget to go back and impart some of that knowledge that they set out to discover. I think that more interest in African American studies would happen if blacks took more pride in their heritage; which is tough because some black kids are teased for their dark skin color or “nappy” hair texture. And that alone can cripple a child’s spirit because they have no control over their genetic make-up. Our history books do not emphasize African Americans and their importance to the United States and I believe that if more blacks demand a change for more acknowledgment in history books there could be a better sense of understanding of blacks and who they are.

SAT and ACT Scores-2010

From: blackstar1000@ameritech.net

National SAT scores by various categories for class of 2010
By score and group:

* 1721: Students reporting family incomes
of more than $200,000 a year
* 1714: Students who had taken AP
or honors courses in natural sciences
* 1636: Asians
* 1580: Whites
* 1558: Students who took core curriculum
* 1546: Students who previously took PSAT/NMSQT (a pre-SAT)
* 1523: Boys
* 1510: Students reporting family incomes
of $60,000 to $80,000 a year
* 1509: National average
* 1496: Girls
* 1444: American Indian
or Alaskan natives
* 1407: Students who did not take
core curriculum
* 1400: Students who did not take
PSAT/NMSQT
* 1369: Mexican and Mexican Americans
* 1363: Latinos (excluding Mexicans,
Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans)
* 1349: Puerto Ricans
* 1329: Students reporting family incomes
of less than $20,000 a year
* 1277: African Americans

Source: SAT 2010

National Average ACT Composite Score by Race/Ethnic Group, 2010

Asian American/Pacific Islander 23.4
Caucasian American/White 22.3
American Indian/Alaska Native 19.0
Hispanic 18.6
African American/Black 16.9

Source: ACT 2010

At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance

Rosa Parks was often described as a sweet and reticent elderly woman whose tired feet caused her to defy segregation on Montgomery’s city buses, and whose supposedly solitary, spontaneous act sparked the 1955 bus boycott that gave birth to the civil rights movement.

The truth of who Rosa Parks was and what really lay beneath the 1955 boycott is far different from anything previously written.

In this groundbreaking and important book, Danielle McGuire writes about the rape in 1944 of a twenty-four-year-old mother and sharecropper, Recy Taylor, who strolled toward home after an evening of singing and praying at the Rock Hill Holiness Church in Abbeville, Alabama. Seven white men, armed with knives and shotguns, ordered the young woman into their green Chevrolet, raped her, and left her for dead.

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Ron Walters Rememered: A Jazz and Justice Tribute

This week Jazz and Justice paid tribute to Dr. Ron Walters. To help with that host Tom Porter invited a powerful collection of guests to discuss Walters, his work, his politics, his impact and the enormous political and academic vacuum that must now be filled. Among his guests were Drs. Toni-Michelle Travis, Clarence Lusane, Wilmer Leon, Amiri Baraka, Maurice Jackson and others. This was truly a great show that covered more than Walters’ life and work but that of others as well. The discussion ranged from politics to music and beyond in what was a genuine display of Jazz and Justice.
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1965 debate between William F. Buckley and James Baldwin

The Media Resources Center at the University of California at Berkeley has made available online a 1965 debate between the late William F. Buckley and the late author, James Baldwin. Buckley was a national figure from the time he founded the conservative “National Review” in 1955 at age 29.

The UIC Library lists 45 titles of the 54 titles authored by Buckley, the first being God and man at Yale: the superstitions of academic freedom, published in 1951, and the most recent being Rake: a novel, published in 2007. In the UIC University Library “The National Review” is available in print format from1955 and electronically from 1975. The CNN article referenced below gathered some of its information from the electronic resource Contemporary Authors Online, an electronic resource accessible through the library Website.

View the “Debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley, October 26, 1965. Sponsored by the Cambridge Union Society, Cambridge University.” The topic of the debate was “The American Dream is at the Expense of the American Negro”. [Requires Windows Media Player or Flip4Mac ]

Excerpted from the MRC blog:

On February 27, 2008, William F. Buckley, conservative author, journalist, TV commentator, and all-around pundit died at 82 (SEE CNN article for details ). For those of us who came of political age in the 60s and 70s in the embrace of the New Left, Buckley was something of a right-wing anti-Christ. We loathed his patrician accent and showy erudition; his quirky mannerisms and his maddening condescension. But mostly, we hate him for his infuriating habit of glibly bashing everything we held sacred.

Now, forty years later and from the perspective of political developments in the last few decades, Buckley is looking better and better. Even if one still disagrees with his politics and social viewpoints, Buckley’s wit and intelligence, his commitment to civil and informed discourse must be acknowledged and at least grudgingly appreciated.

The Open Road Wasn’t Quite Open to All

or almost three decades beginning in 1936, many African-American travelers relied on a booklet to help them decide where they could comfortably eat, sleep, buy gas, find a tailor or beauty parlor, shop on a honeymoon to Niagara Falls, or go out at night. In 1949, when the guide was 80 pages, there were five recommended hotels in Atlanta. In Cheyenne, Wyo., the Barbeque Inn was the place to stay.
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Blackberries and Redbones: Critical Articulations of Black Hair and Body Politics in Africana Communities

Blackberries and Redbones features engaging scholarly essays, poems, and creative writings

that all examine the meanings of the Black anatomy in our changing global world.

The body, including its hair, is said to be read like a text where readers draw
certain interpretations based on signs, symbols, and culture. Each chapter
in the volume interrogates that notion by addressing the question, “As a
text, how are Black bodies and Black hair read and understood in life,
art, popular culture, mass media, or cross-cultural interactions?”
Utilizing a critical perspective, each contributor articulates how
relationships between physical appearance, genetic structure, and
political ideologies impact the creativity, representation, and everyday
lived experiences of Blackness. In this interdisciplinary volume,
discussions are made more complex and move beyond the “straight versus
kinky hair” and “light skin versus dark skin” paradigm. Instead, efforts
are made to emphasize the material consequences associated with the ways
in which the Black body is read and (mis)understood.

The aptness of this work lies in its ability to provide a meaningful and
creative space to analyze body politics—highlighting the complexities
surrounding these issues within, between, and outside Africana
communities. Blackberries and Redbones provides a unique opportunity to
both celebrate and scrutinize the presentation of Blackness in everyday
life, while also encouraging readers to forge ahead with a deeper
understanding of these ever-important issues.

To read chapter abstracts and to purchase the volume please visit: www.blackberriesandredbones.com

FBI Informant-Part 4

I post these clips in response to the revelation that Civil Rights photographer and icon Ernest Withers was an informant for the FBI during the late 60's and early 70's. Here is another informant Darthard Perry giving his account in 1980.

FBI Informant-Part 3

FBI Informant-Part 2

FBI Informant-Part 1

Careers for Graduates with a Degree in African American Studies

Click here for article

Ernest Withers AKA ME-338-R

*Double Exposure by Marc Perrusquia

This article about Ernest Withers was in todays, Sunday September 12th's Commercial Appeal. the link is posted above for those who missed it. The first reason I thought this article was important to post on the blog was the amazing black and white photos by Ernest Withers. As a black and white photographer myself, I found the images of the civil rights movement to be astonishing. A few more of his photos can be found here. He was know as the original civil rights photographer. He photographed the events in the Emmett Till murder, Little rock Nine, integration of Ole Miss, 1968 sanitation strike, as well as Dr. Kings Death. Secondly, the article gave light to parts of the civil right movement I have scarcely heard before. I have heard of the FBI and other secret government organizations being involved in Memphis during Dr. Kings death. This article dives into the FBI's involvement in Memphis like nothing I have read before. The article marks Ernest Withers as ME-338-R, a domestic intelligence informer. He had a front row seat to the civil rights movement and antiwar movements, that the government thought was a threat to national security. The government put up a fierce campaign against King. They also broke up a Black Panther style militant group called the Invaders in Memphis in the 1960's. Lastly, after reading this article I was most curious about what my fellow peers thought about it. Please comment on your thoughts of the FBI's involvement with the civil rights movement. Why was it considered a national threat? What was J. Edgar Hoovers reasons behind such dirty tricks? Then consider if the FBI had programs such as COINTELPRO, described in the article, over forty years ago; then what is the FBI doing now that you wont find out for another forty years?

How my mother's fanatical views tore us apart

She's revered as a trail-blazing feminist and author Alice Walker touched the lives of a generation of women. A champion of women's rights, she has always argued that motherhood is a form of servitude. But one woman didn't buy in to Alice's beliefs - her daughter, Rebecca, 38.

Here the writer describes what it was like to grow up as the daughter of a cultural icon, and why she feels so blessed to be the sort of woman 64-year-old Alice despises - a mother.

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Defecting Black Vote Spells Big Trouble for Democrats

It’s no overstatement to say that Barack Obama would not be president if Latino and especially black voters had not turned the 2008 election into a holy crusade—not an election, in the traditional sense, but a holy crusade. That bears repeating because minority voters do not decide presidential elections. White voters do. But 2008 was the exception, solely because Latinos and blacks saw an Obama White House as the fulfillment of the American racial dream.

It took barely two years for that dream to come unraveled. The newest Gallup poll found that black voters are poised to desert the voting booth en masse in November. By a nearly 2 to 1 gap, whites are more likely to say that they are thinking about the November elections than blacks. This divide is far greater than the typical white-versus-minority voter participation gap found in recent midterm elections.

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Incorporating Religion and Spirituality into Social Work Practice with African Americans: Interview with Nancy Boyd-Franklin, Ph.D.

When I was a social work intern, I worked with an African American mother who had AIDS and whose 6 children were HIV+. The father of her children had been an IV drug user who had died of AIDS. The mother was in poor health, and rarely sought her own treatment. I had a hard time tracking her down because she spent most of the day, every day, on public transportation with one child or another taking them to and from medical appointments. I remember being on the bus with her one day (because that was only place I could meet with her), listening to her talk about how she had successfully fought hospital administration to get treatment for one of her kids. Being the eager social work student that I was, fully prepared to acknowledge my clients strengths and resources, I told her that I was in awe of her strength. “How do you do it?” I asked her. Her response totally caught me off guard. She said, “The good lord will give me only as much as I can handle.”

Read the rest and listen to the podcast interview here

The GOP's New Fake Racial History

Almost 50 years ago, the Republican Party made a decision to embrace the backlash generated by civil rights among white Southerners.

Traditionally, they had been staunch Democrats, but they were also culturally conservative, and as Lyndon Johnson and the Democratic Party embraced civil rights once and for all, they were up for grabs. The Republican Party offered them a home, a steady, decades-long realignment ensued, and today conservative Southern whites comprise the heart of the GOP -- just as culturally liberal Northerners, who called the GOP home before civil rights, have migrated to the Democratic Party.

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Obama's Picture

I am not putting this up for the article per se, but for the picture. Do you see anything wrong with this picture?

The Miseducation of a Nation: Unveiling the Illusion of History

As always, I'd like to begin by offering peace and respect to all that honor humanity in words and deeds. The struggles of daily life often create distractions, and I like most become a victim of life circumstances, but as long as we are living, we must keep striving for higher ground. To do that, we must first accept that history is a matter of perspective (place, space, and time), but truth is universal and transcending. Perception makes it difficult to recognize truth. One’s perspective is based on one’s experience. People cannot understand of what they have had no experience. This is understandable and in many ways hard to argue against. I can’t fault my students for not knowing material I have not taught them…but if I teach them a lesson, they are then expected to know it.
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Glenn Beck and "Restroing Honor" rally

Written from the perspective of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jasiri X responds to Glenn Beck's rally and the growing racial and economic divide in America. From the police's brutal beating of Jordan Miles in Pittsburgh and murder of Oscar Grant in Oakland, the increasing poverty and joblessness, to the ever expanding racial division lead by the rhetoric of those like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin...Dr. King's dream has turned into a nightmare.
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My Mic Sounds Nice: Women & Hip Hop

A couple of days before this documentary aired I was asked on Twitter, Who are your Top 5 female emcees? My answer was: MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Salt N Pepa, Yo Yo, and Lauryn Hill, because they had the biggest impact on my young mind and vulnerable feminine self.
They key to that answer is the because. Now if we're talking strictly skillz, slice 'em in half with sharp ax where the minds grasps the tongue, then I would still say MC Lyte and Lauryn Hill, but I'd also line up Rah Digga, Jean Grae, and Bahamadia. But in keeping it centered on those who raised me so to speak, those who had my ear when I first stepped out into those late 80's early 90's streets, fresh-faced with dimples and my little red arriving every month, feeling like I was grown, unaware that the wolves could smell me coming from down the block--then I gotta stick with those 5.

All the more so because I truly pray for these young girls today, out here carrying the same daddy and abuse issues that most of us do, only now there's a strong pimp game on steroids going on in these streets and glorified in the rhymes. The average age a young girl gets turned out seems to be dropping down to numbers that surely signal hell has arrived or perhaps has always been; this digital world where stripping is glamorized and sex tapes are seen as a ticket to the big show. With the internet, social networks, texting turned sexting, the traps for young girls, and god help those with little or no self-esteem, have been set in every direction; it's to the point where one can only hope they can shake off the slings and arrows, as avoiding them altogether seems highly unlikely.
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