Tea Time with Teachers

In " Voices of our Foremothers: Celebrating the Legacy of African-American Women Educators," Sunny-Marie Birney describes how she felt growing up having been adopted people of Euro-American descent.  She says that she feels like a motherless child because she was never able to connect her parents.  When she began going to school her African-American profesors really connected with her and she felt that they were like her mothers.  They impacted her life and made lasting impressions. 

 I just wanted to highlight the importance of having a relationship with professors.  In college I feel that it is important for teachers and students to form relationships.  Every student is different and teachers should respect that.  I agree with Jacqueline Jordan Irvine that students perform the best when their teachers care for them.  Personally I do better when I know that my teacher cares about me.  This is one of the reasons why I love Spelman.  It is not a big school, so teachers actually know me by name.  I know that the teachers care about me because if I have been absent, they ask " is everything ok?"  They may shoot me an email about it or something. A lot of professors at bigger schools do not even know your name.  Teachers and students should make the same effort in trying to develop a relationship.  Students should go to office hours not only when you need help, but just to stop by and find out about their life.  My calculus teacher and I have a good relationship.  I go to her when I need help and just to talk.  She watches BET's The Game just like I do and we bond over that.  Knowing your teacher will come along way.  Your professor may be able to get you that intership that you wanted, and you may need a recommendation.  So I challenge you to get to know your teachers.

Downtrodden, but not broken!!

This discussion concerning how becoming an educated African American has created a more concentrated effort to be sure I do not take my educational access for granted any longer.  In “Lessons From Down Under: Reflections on Meanings of Literacy and Knowledge From an African American Female growing up in Rural Alabama," Besse House –Soremekun vividly describes the hardship and tedious journey we had to endure in the South. 

She explains three different types of situations that contributed to some of the problems as well as the success of becoming literate. 

1)       (Problem) Due to slavery and race (being an African American), early access to literacy was denied or not given the best of what was offered.  We all know that learning how to read and write was forbidden during slavery.  Then to make matters worse, after the end of slavery, African Americans attended and even developed their own school; however, we still did not have the best school equipment and text books. 

2)      ( Problem) Written and Unwritten Laws:  In the South, during the Civil Rights era, laws known as “Jim Crow” laws were created. This law stated that African Americans were “separate but equal”, which allowed blacks access to restaurants, buses, public facilities and schools but had to sit in a separate area (63).  For instance, if we did ride the bus, we had to sit in the back.  The affects of this law is where the unwritten law came into effect.

One problem was that within the school system, there was no African American literature to glean from. 

Besse states “the message I interpreted from such forms of inequality was that Black people were unequal to Whites and had minimal value” (63). 

3)      ( Success) Oral Tradition was highly regarded as very important.  African Americans held on to their oral tradition in order to keep the culture alive.  By doing this, we were able to pass down our history and also teach one another life issues. 

The South really helped develop a determination in our ancestors which has been carried down to our generation.  Despite the hostile environment we had to endure to become equal, we still were able to keep the “fire” alive in us. 

Just Dont Get It the First Time

              In the essay, Unearthing Hidden Literacy: Seven Lessons I Learned in a Cotton Field,  Lillie Smith recounts one of her most distinct childhood memories of picking cotton at her aunt’s house. At the time she could not see how picking cotton could be beneficial to her life. As the years went by and Smith continued her education, she took a course entitled Black Women’s Literacy which opened her eyes. While taking the course, she learned about different female activist who endured similar negative situations and had something positive as their outcome. The course work she was given allowed her to assess the situation and thus view how she had grown from that experience.

                Sometimes it takes a while for a person to see that what they are going through can possibly have a positive outcome. For example, all throughout middle and high school my parents would always tell me not to procrastinate. I thought they just wanted me to get out their face and do some work, but the night before that assignment was due I was rushing and stressed, and everything was all bad. My parents would simply say, “didn’t I tell you to do your work ahead of time.”  At that moment I would realize that they were right and if I would have done my work when they told me too I would not be in that predicament. Since this occurred on many occasions, I should have learned my lesson the first time, but for whatever reason I did not. Now whenever I get long term assignments,  I do my best to start them early because of my many mishaps in middle and high school.

Oh No..Not with my Money...

I really enjoyed Star Parker's " My Life as a Welfare Brat."  It allowed me to see how people live on welfare and not even give a damn.  They party and carry on with their lives for basically the price of nothing.  I always thought that folks were ashamed and embarrassed to be on welfare, but it seems like those new Jordans that everyone wants and brags about.    I especially like when she went on the Oprah Winfrey show to debate the women on welfare, women that have the same mindset like she used to have.  Of course she can speak on it, she has lived it , abused it, and she has learned from it.  As far as sympathy for these types of women, it depends on the circumstances.  We feel sorry for her up to a certain point, but once we know that she , she gets no sympathy.   

Oprah asks " Why must we have to see her on the street?"  I for one believe that just because she is not on welfare, does not mean she will be in the streets.  She could try to get help from family, but I also know how family can be judgemental and hypocritical.  Some women would rather struggle than seek help from their family and they could very well have their legitimate reasons. Being on welfare is not bad or lazy.  It becomes bad and lazy when someone starts to take advantage of it and does not do anything to better themselves.  Why should I, as a taxpayer, work my butt off while someone is at home sucking up the lemonade.  It does not work like that.  You are going to get your lazy behind up and do something with your life. At least strive to do better for your children if not for yourself.   

Black Women on Welfare

In this essay Sandra Golden is highlighting the downfalls of the welfare system and its nonchalant treatment of its customers, especially black females. She talks about the group of women she studied and their experiences with the system. All of their experiences were negative, “it seemed the assumptions was that welfare recipients were unmotivated, unskilled, uneducated or undereducated, and responsible for bringing fatherless children into the world” (Golden 27). Despite the attitudes of the caseworkers, the women could not respond with the first thing that came to their mind because that response could result in the loss of any assistance they were receiving.

In her conclusion Golden speaks about how she was a recipient of welfare. Now she is confidently standing on her own two feet and her daughter has grown up to be a positive addition to the world. Many understand the hardships of welfare either from personal experience or how it is portrayed throughout the media, but what needs to be shown is the positive side and more success stories.

Who Am I?

In Mandi Chikombero's "Dysfunctional Literacies of Exclusion: An Exploration of the Burdens of Literacy in Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions", examines the burden of literacy among the women of the Zimbabwe's culture.

"Look what they've done to us....I'm not one of them but I'm not one of you."  --Nyasha in Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions (1988). 
This question/statement poses an Identity issue, not literacy. 

According to Chikombero, literacy has been defined as "the ability to read and write, or the state of being knowledgeable or competent.  It speaks to a deep understanding of one's environment and one's ability to exist in and uphold that environment (150). 
In the context of Nervous Conditions, the characters described all had some form of literarcy, be it traditional (oral traditions, myths, legends, folktales,songs, and dance(151) or colonial (academic(153).  But after further reading, having both or just one type of literacy, the woman were struggling with who they were within their form of literacy. 
Tambu is the main character of the story.  Surrounding Tambu was her mother( traditional and passive ), her aunt ( traditional but not passive), her aunt (traditional and colonial but passive) and her cousin (traditional and colonial but aggressive).  Tambu learns that having either form of literacy really did not change your role in society. So in the end, the woman must discover who they are within their literacy confinements.  Discovery of who you are is the main issue.  These woman were very aware of their role, now they needed to learn who they were and how to best use that knowledge to live life out in the culture that they were in. 
That is why I pose the question of "Who am I?" 

Transformative College Literacy

The following is a quote from Lauryn, a first semester peer counselor, senior biology pre-medicine major from Fall 2002. “I think [being alliterate Black woman] means to be independent, not to be dependent on anybody to provide for you because you can do things for yourself. Knowledge is power, so if you’re literate you can make your own way. It’s freedom. You can do whatever you want to do. It doesn’t limit. The possibilities open up.”

                Literacy, which has been a reoccurring theme throughout this course, is essential to life. Robin Wisniewski, author of ‘Transformative College Literacy of Literate Black Women Peer Counselors’, spoke specifically about the challenges of college students who have disabilities or are the first in their family to go to college, and how she orchestrated peer tutor groups to help out these students.  Wisniewski thought helping out these students was a pressing topic that needed to be addressed in order for them to have the same freedoms as everyone else.

                Before reading this essay it never really occurred to me that there were people who do not have the same literacy skills as my friends and family. I too think it is important to help everyone reach the same level of literacy. I can only imagine the struggles someone with lack-luster literacy skills would have to go through. With the number of highly educated men and women in this world there is no reason why there should be people without basic literacy skills.

The Color Purple

  In E. Yvette Walters' Women and Literacy in Alice Walker's The Color Purple, she talks about five major epistemological categories from which women view themselves as well as reality.  She says that we as women use these major categories to "draw conclusions about truth, knowledge, and authority" (138). The categories are:
a) silence
b) received knowledge
c) subjective knowledge
d) procedural knowledge
e) constructed knowledge

  "The simplest form of knowing is silence" (140).  A lot of times people know something and do not speak up for whatever reason.  I recall several times my professors would ask a question and no one would raise their hand, but deep down everyone would know the answer.  The reason behind this maybe because we are intimidated and lack confidence in our answers.  We often times keep quiet for fear of embarrassment.  Celie was silent  because she had been voiceless from the start.  She was always threatened not to speak and she felt that she did not know anything, and she did not mind.
  Walters also highlights the subjective woman.  According to Walters, the subjective woman forges new rules and establishes boundaries for herself and her relationships. She has negative attitudes towards specific men due to her past experiences and she feels that she can do without one.  We all know women who are like this if not ourselves.  In BET's The Game, we see Tasha Mack.  When we were first introduced to Tasha Mack, she was single, bitter, and unhappy.  She had been bitter because she was a teen mother and the father of her son had walked out on her leaving her to raise her son, Maliek, by herself.  She could not go to prom or any other events a high schooler would have the chance to endure.  She holds on to that bitterness towards men until she confronts the father of her son.  Yes, I am going somewhere with this.  In the new season we see a new Tasha Mack.  A confident, fierce, successful Tasha Mack.  She is a lot happier and she is dating again.  I wanted to make the connection that from the way I see it, subjective women tend to be unhappy deep down inside.  She may walk around with a smile on her face like she is Ms. Independent, but she is suffering inside.  Now I know all subjective women are not like this, but I am simply stating my opinions and interpretations.

What is really behind the "BIG WIN"

Halle Berry's winning the Oscar for her performance in "Monster's Ball" was an exciting moment, I am sure, in her life as well as for all the African American women who have gone before her to help create this moment in time.  I mean, that is the "prize" correct?  To play such an awesome performance in a motion picture and walk away with an Oscar.

But one has to really think, what was her role?  Her character was a black widower of a death row inmate who fell in love with a racist prison guard. Nothing against Halle Berry, I LOVE HER, but wow, an Oscar for a role depicting the black woman, in my opinion, in another negative way.  But hey, who I am to judge what the mass population, or at least those who had the opportunity to vote towards her winning, thought was a stellar performance. 

 Reading Joanne Kilgour Dowdy" Reel Women:  Black Women and Literacy in Feature Films has caused me to better analyze the "why" behind the win.  Did the voter's really love Halle's performance so well, or did they agree with the image that was being portrayed on the "Big Screen". 

Either way, I will now look at movies more critically that feature African American women as the main character.  What story are the directors trying to tell?  Does it "lift up or tear down our image? 

Again, I have no issues with the performers, they are making their way in a very hard profession.  I just feel as the viewer, we need to really be careful or be more sensitive to what is being shown as an example of what an African American Woman looks life in real life...

Going Against the Grain to pg 134

“Each movement toward literacy was a signal that these women were going very much against the grain of prevailing cultural beliefs, practices and expectations”(114).

Black women have always been in the position to take care of and nurture those around her, in Going Against the Grain Royster puts the spotlight on black women who were fighting against the law for the rights and literacy. It goes on to account the many people who were against slavery but never put forth any effort to stop it, such as Thomas Jefferson. She also highlights people who were strong advocates for the freedom of black people.

                I found it compelling to read that there were so many people who were against slavery but did nothing at all to stop it. As I dwelt on this fact I thought about times when things like this happen today. For example many people do not like ‘bullies’ yet very few will stand up for the kid who is getting beat up, they just keep on with their day and are glad that they are not the ones getting picked on.

                I would like to place a challenge on you. If there is something you are against, do not be a bystander, stand up for what you believe in and fight for it to be made right. Stop the nonsense.

Going Against the Grain Part II

     "Thus, by the turn of the eighteenth Century, education was considered a necessity for good citizenship, not just for the knowledge of God's word." Royster (133).
In this reading, I am amazed to learn how many people were involved in the education of African Americans.  Reading about how "property was handed over to purchase African Americans from slavery to educate them" (132) has led me to believe all white people were not for slavery.  Slavery was just the law of the land, but some people, especially religious groups such as the "Quakers, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists" (133) were not at all too concerned with the laws but were committed to end oppression. 
     Now of course, there were those who still felt like the African American people could not  be taught or better yet, did not deserve an education.  Those mindsets however, did not hinder us from finding creative ways to learn. 
Some were taught by slave masters or their children, while others were taught by "picking up" information by overhearing different conversations in the "Big house." (136). 
Now after the civil war, there were three different movements that accelerated African American Education. 
1) The Sabbath School Movement: " a church sponsored, community-run school that provided basic literacy instruction"(153). 
2) The Missionary School Movement: This type of mission required individuals to leave their home and go abroad to a certain area and educate.
3) Common or Public school Movement:  These schools were established as "southern leaders rose to regain their authority by supporting the education of the African American." (154)
     I have to say, that after reading about the fight even after slavery had ended to gain an education has caused me to give much honor to those who have gone ahead of me.  I will no longer complain about the simple things in life that I may feel necessary in order to gain my education.  I will strive to work through whatever obstacles come my way because I do not want to ever again take for granted what I am privileged to receive because of what my ancestors have put in place.

Going Against the Grain : 155 - end

“...they hungered for knowledge in the interest of sustaining both themselves and “the race”” (161).

“The pioneers succeeded in going against the grain of cultural expectations” (161).

Every time I read or hear a story of how a black woman makes a name for herself or how she has made wonderful contributions to society, especially if she is Spelman alum, I feel empowered.  Jacqueline Royster motivates and inspires me in “Going Against the Grain.”  Black women have been oppressed since we came on the scene.  So reading about a black female who has overcome the harsh obstacles that society has flung at us makes me take a sigh of relief.  Spelman is, and has been, a place to educate black women, and all races are welcome.  Knowing that many African American pioneers, such as Clara Howard, or Selena Sloan Butler, have graduated from Spelman gives me reassurance that we ‘Spelmanites’ are destined to greatness if we really want it.  We have to achieve and do well.  We just have to. We cannot let any, current and past, of our Spelman sisters down.  Even though methods of discrimination of black women have changed overtime, my sisters, we still have to go against the grain.  We have to not only compete, but work harder for that job, that promotion, that scholarship which could easily be handed to that non-black female. Before you know it, one of us will be president. 
We can do it.
               We will do it.
                             We are taking over.

Through the Eyes of Another

Reading this interview was extremely rewarding.  I completely appreciate Christina McVay's view regarding being able to learn from teaching Black Literature. 

Growing up in a predominantly white school setting, we were only exposed to a limited amount of Black authors and even the teacher really didn't know how to deliver the "message" of what was read.  We, the students had to "figure it out" for ourselves which left me to not really get a chance to appreciate Black Literature at all. 

I could only imagine how the students must feel to be able to "be themselves" and even more so appreciated for their culture, especially in a learning environment.  Christina McVay was correct when she stated "black students have been told by teachers, by the whole school system, frequently by their own parents, that black English was bad, improper" (94).  My mind suddenly went to the "code switching" that was discussed in Elaine Richardson's article "To Protect and Serve". 
Now McVay has created an environment for the students to be able to be themselves and not have to be concerned with whether or not they are speaking within the correct language code. 
Christina McVay also mentions that she has embraced a lot of different values by teaching Black Literature and that causes one to really thing about changing their "own world". 
Just because you were raised one way, as you get older, you can "change your view" if it does not align with your own values. 
Christina McVay is a wonderful example of being brave to step out and dare to be different and then be bold enough to declare her new love and appreciation for another culture.

Speak

“Black women comprise 44% of all illiterate women (Safman, 1986). 

Hearing that black women are illiterate saddens me, yet it makes me want to do better.  This fact makes me  sad because I am a black woman and, for lack of a better phrase, those are my people.  It is also motivation to go against the norm and become the best literate black woman that I can be to prove myself.  Black women have always, since slavery, been given the short end of the stick. 

  While Sharon Darling speaks on “Literacy and the Black Woman,” she says that “If literacy is narrowly defined as just being able to read and write, the number who would have been considered literate is negligible.”  This makes me think of the storytelling chapter that we read.  One of my classmates defined literacy as being able to read, write, and speak.  Going off of her definition, I believe that many black women are literate to some degree.  Although some black women might not be able to read or write well, we sure as hell can speak.  However, I do agree that we as black women should become literate.  Not only for  our family, but also for ourselves so that we can have a chance to compete in this cruel discriminate world.

Black,Female,and Literate. Why Not?

After reading Leonie C. R. Smith’s story of her literacy acquisition I felt a sense of sorrow, hope, and pride. Sorrow for all the things Smith had to go through, hope for myself, and pride in Smith and all other black women and women of color who have persevered through  all their obstacles to reach their goals.

Smith had many obstacles to overcome throughout her life beginning with her mother’s death, then moving to the United States and the different schooling system, and of course racism. She seemed to take everything in stride and roll with the punches, but racism hit her hard. “The cancer of racism infected academics; it infected sports, social life, and every aspect of my being. It metastasized to my bones, it reached my heart, and it almost got to my soul. It ate away at me, tore me up inside for 4 long years” (195). The figurative language used to describe the pain racism caused her was so real and powerful, everyone can relate to the use of the words ‘cancer’, ‘infected’, and  ‘metastasized’.

Every young women of color should read the story of Leonie C.R. Smith. It is very inspiring and would give hope to anyone. The conviction with which she pressed forward to get her education is also inspiring. From reading her story I feel that I should push through any walls that may build themselves into my path so that I can reach my education goals. It also makes me want to tell anyone who may be struggling that they can make it through as long as they have the determination.

The height of your success will equal the depth of your convictions. -William Scholavino

Not Always a Bedtime Story

As a child, I never got into "storytime" that was offered by grade school teachers.  I was a loner and I would prefer to just read the book alone.  All of the questions being asked and comments on the pictures would irritate me.  But then as I entered motherhood, storytime had become important to me and my sons.  It was the time to wind down and teach my children about the world we live in.  That was the time to allow their imaginations to run free.  I wanted to expose them to more than what I, or their father, could offer at the time. 
At story time we could either read their favorite book, or just discuss our upbringing as children.
It's so funny that, with fiction or non-fiction stories,we would always begin with "Once upon a time".  That indicated that what I was about to share was in the past and there was a lesson to be taught, so pay attention.

After reading "Storytelling" by Wanda J. Franklin and Joanne Kilgour Dowdy, I now realize why storytelling was so important to me as a mother.  According to the authors, "story telling helps us create a foundation on which we build an understanding of the world as well as provide a filter through which we experience life" (119). 

I now realize that everything and everyone has a story to tell.  We go about our daily lives communicating with others and whether or not we realize it, we are telling a story.  We discuss our experiences at work, home, school, and play.  We talk about lessons we have learned from others, or just re-hash a story we heard.  But all-in-all, casual conversations are one big story being told.
All the stories we share have a specific purpose.  They can be divided up as stories of safety, stories of morals/values, stories of health, stories of religion, or stories of culture. Most of the time a lesson is to be taught and learned through the story.

As a mother, I can relate to the section regarding story telling through research.  Although, I have never researched or interviewed another black woman, I can see why it was important to me to be sure I was the one telling them my story.  Franklin and Dowdy made reference to how, when a woman is sharing her story with others, she is giving up herself.  This is sometimes hard because not all may understand the inner struggle we as black women endure, and if we are ever so brave enough to share with others, we like to be sure our information is regarded as fine treasure. 

Moving forward, I will hold people's conversations with more reverance because I now know that they are telling me their story.

Black Girls Rock



Michelle Howard: 1st African American Female Admiral(USN)



After reading Elaine Richardson’s “To Protect and Serve,” I was shocked, I was inspired, and I related.  What shocked me the most, and I think most of my classmates would agree, was when Richardson spoke of her findings after typing “young black girls” into the Yahoo search engine.  I found that to be completely degrading.  Curious to see about the other ethnicity, I typed in “young Asian girls” and surprised to find the headlines “Japanese porn,” and “Hot Asian Bikini Models.”  As stereotypical as it seems, I was expecting to find something about how Asians are so smart.  When I “Googled”  “young white girls,” I found nothing about pornography.  The headlines mentioned “missing white girl,” or ‘white girl raped.”  I feel like “white girls” are seen as the victims when that is not always true.

Mae Jemison
1st African American Female
in Space

As a mathematics major, I related to this article when Richardson spoke of how it is harder for black women in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) field.  Although I have not encountered any personal struggles so far, I do not think so anyway, it sort of gives me a heads up of what to expect in the future.  At the same time, many women have gone on to excel in those fields.  When Richardson mentioned the code switching, I laughed to myself because I knew exactly what she was talking about.  I remember countless times when my mother would be on the phone and she would speak more proper than she normally would, but I do understand that people speak in the language and dialect that they feel comfortable in.  Then you have your professional voice that is turned on and off when needed and I feel that there is nothing wrong with it. 

Overall this article opened my eyes to things that I did not know as well as reinforce the things that I already knew.  I really enjoyed this article and I enjoy reading about how black women are doing well in society.  As a member of Navy ROTC, protecting and serving is something that will forever be in my job description.    





Phylicia Rashad
"Claire Huxtable"