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.