From my Social Work Dynamics of Oppression class I feel that I can promise that I will:

Never take a situation just for as is. I will always try and understand it from others points of view or from the point of view of someone of difference from me. Even something as routine as a traffic stop, I will question why, what, and who is involved. I also will not only do this on a personal level, but bring about awareness in subtle ways. I have younger brothers who I feel I have a great impact over. They need to be aware of inequalities, and advantages they have. I need to appreciate who I am, as an individual, regardless of what people may think or feel.

Most importantly I need to allow others to be themselves, to be individuals, and from their uniqueness embrace their beauties. I promise I will fix myself- my own racism, my own oppressive self- before I even attempt to change/fix anyone else.

Also from class I now know for sure:

I have things I need to become more aware of and things I need to work on. I am not perfect-no one is- especially when it comes to situations dealing with race, class, gender etc. I am who I am and i can only improve on myself if I wish. I will try with all my heart to understand where people are coming from, to listen before i judge, and learn from those around me. I only want to gain and grow from this world that surrounds me.

Mission unaccomplished

We did not sleep in boxes.

Rain cancellation.

I still feel obligated to bring awareness. Here are facts about homelessness:

• 
  single men comprise 44 percent of the homeless, single women 13 percent, families with children 36 percent, and unaccompanied minors seven percent.


• the homeless population is about 50 percent African-American, 35 percent white, 12 percent Hispanic, 2 percent Native American and 1 percent Asian.


• 30 percent have been homeless for more than two years.


• 66 percent of the homeless have problems with alcohol, drug abuse, or mental illness

Homeless Children:

• According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, 1.35 million U.S. children are homeless on any given night.


• Families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, accounting for almost 41% of the nation's homeless


• In 2003, children under the age of 18 accounted for 39% of the homeless population.


• 42% of homeless children are under the age of five.


• 14% of homeless children are diagnosed with learning disabilities - double the rate of other children.


• Within a single school year, 41% of homeless students attend two different schools, 28% attend three or more.


• Poverty and lack of affordable housing are the principal causes of family homelessness.

What I wish I got out of the experience was some understanding of how it feels to be homeless. To get a taste of what so many people undergo on a daily basis. But I think the most important thing to understand is people who are homeless are people like YOU and ME.

Sleep in a Box

ARE YOU TWO PAYCHECKS AWAY FROM BEING HOMELESS?

My class will be sleeping in boxes to promote awareness on homelessness. This experience is not only to bring awareness but to educate and encourage empathy.

I am unaware of what to expect, but I believe a reality check will be provided. As I entered Home Depot asking for a large box the workers did not question my request, but all I could hope was it was bug enough for me to fit. I can't imagine what Tuesday night will bring, but i am eager to do something in efforts to understand something many never believe will happen to them.

Porn Pageants

I have never thought of a beauty pageants as a form of pornography. When I was first asked what I thought of that idea I simply answered no. I initially believed that women have entered pageants to promote themselves as an all around package. They show off their physical beauty, a specific talent, personality, and intelligence. I never saw Miss America as a woman promoting her body in a sexual manner, or to please and arouse viewers. I was not unaware by any means her physical beauty was taken into a count, but I never coupled pageants with porn. Then I heard many opinions on this question.

I was provided with a break down on what women were actually judged on and the percentage it played in the overall scoring:

5 points each- hair, nose, mouth

10 points each- eyes, hands, arms, legs, torso, grace of bearing, facial expression

15 points- construction of head

(William Goldman, Hype and Glory, 1990)

Every aspect of women's physical look is examined, manipulated and judged. James Bullie, head of the Cosmetic Surgery Center in Little Rock, Arkansas was asked if he thought cosmetic surgery was cheating. He replied "It's easier to take an extremely talented girl and do a thirty minute nasal operation than take a flawless beautiful girl and teach her to sing or play piano." If this talent and intelligence is so highly praised where does it stand in the judging? This is where my opinion begins to shift. I begin to understand how one may pose the question of porn.

I then bring up the notion of objectification. I believe throughout of society and culture women are constantly molded into a specific look, expectation, and desirable need. In every magazine article, TV commercial, and Internet ad women are seen as sex objects only to be drooled over. Our culture has promoted women to be seen as physical attributes to ones sexual wants and needs.

Someone stated in my class: if one was to be judged on her answers alone, never looked at, never seen, would she be the same one chosen if she was first judged on her appearance?

I answer this question confidently, knowing two different women would be picked!

Affirmative Action is a must!

I am going to answer my own question, but first I need to define Affirmative Action:
refers to policies that take race, ethnicity, and gender into consideration in an attempt to promote equal opportunity

As Affirmative Action promotes positive steps to increase the number of members of racial minority groups and women, it remains a controversial topic. Although containing numerous supporters the idea of abolishing this policy continues to linger. Many allow themselves to believe the goal of this strategy is to eliminate racism. They are incorrect. Affirmative Action ensures fairer representation, diminishes discrimination, and strives for equal opportunity. This policy simply wants to level the “playing field”. Roosevelt Thomas describes affirmative action as “unnatural” and a “loose and fast” way to play the standards. I strongly disagree. Affirmative action is absolutely needed in the society of the United States.
Roosevelt states “minorities no longer need a boarding pass, they need an upgrade”, as I do believe in what he is trying to accomplish, affirmative action is necessary in allowing marginal groups to even begin to have a promotion. He also describes what he believes is the problem: “The problem is not getting them in at the entry level, the problem is making better use of their potential at every level”. I one hundred percent accept what he is communicating, but how can people be recognized for their potential if they are never given the opportunity? As stated in the article “The Roots of the Racial Wealth Divide” forty percent of job applicants with “white sounding” names received a call back for an interview in contrast to “black sounding names”. How can these “black sounding” named people hope for an upgrade without something as simple as a call back?
One of the myths of this policy is declared to be “fighting fire with fire”. People believe affirmative action is merely attempting to eliminate discrimination with discrimination. Supporters of affirmative action disable this thought by describing the use of the policy in terms of vitamins. An unhealthy person needs to be treated with vitamin supplements; whereas if a healthy person intakes more then necessary they can become ill. Discrimination revolves around prejudice and segregation. Affirmative action attempts to conquer these prejudices through inclusion. This myth stands untrue.
Another myth I would like to completely undermine is the idea of affirmative action only being essential thirty years ago. How can anyone truly believe this? Women continue to earn seventy-six cents for every male dollar. “For every dollar owned by the average white family in the United States, the average family of color has less than a dime. Black people remain at a rate of twice the unemployment of white people. It is a proven fact, without affirmative action the percentage of black students (at many selective schools) would drop to only two percent of the student body. The list goes on and on. How do people blind themselves from the truths of the “land of opportunity”? In the “The Roots of the Racial Wealth Divide” article a white respondent states “I think it’s pretty even, but you’d never get blacks to admit it”. What is even? Where in society is there true equality?
Affirmative action does not seek to cure the everlasting characteristic many hold, racism. It is to allow those who were never given and may never be given an equal opportunity to succeed. Professor Cromwell stated that people who hold power, wealth, and assets want people of underprivileged to have opportunities, but once it challenges their own personal situation to decrease in anyway they are not all for equality. Affirmative action is not only a necessity in our society, but if ridded of would be immoral.


(The aarticle by Thomas Roosevelt I am referring to can be rea d at http://www.uvm.edu/envnr/nr6/thomas.pdf)
( The Ten Myths of Affirmative Action can be found here --> http://www.understandingprejudice.org/readroom/articles/affirm.htm)

Empty or Full?

http://seac.org/readings/winter09/unpacking_knapsack.pdf


Is your knapsack full or empty?

Peggy McIntosh sheds light on the naive minds of America as she introduces her “Invisible Knapsack”. As white people unpack their knapsack many start with a full bag and end with an empty one. In contrast with minority group members who begin with a full knapsack to only finish with it full.


Next I ask: Should Affirmative Action Exists?

Wealth?

"When you have a set of resources that allows you to think about your future in a positive way, you can strategize about the future, create and take advantage of opportunity. Otherwise you stay in the present"

-Melvin Oliver

When looking at wealth one must look at assets. Assets include things such as houses, real estate, cash, stocks, bonds, pensions, businesses, cars, works of art, and anything else that can be converted to cash. I bring the issue of wealth up because many are ignorant to the idea that racial differences play a role in one becoming financially successful. Many wish to believe that this success is entirely based on individual behavior. People allow themselves to believe, especially whites, that the "playing field" is now level. If this field we so openly speak about is equal and consistent then please explain why "for every dollar owned by the average white family in the United States, the average family of color has less than one dime"? Tell me why one and four white families receive an inheritance after a parents death compared to one and every twenty African American receives one? Or why white poor people spend a shorter time in proverty and suffer less extreme deprivation than poor people of color? How will we narrow this gap?


"Income feeds your stomach, but assets change your head."

-Melvin Oliver

(Statistics from "Overview: The Roots of The Racial Wealth Divide")

Embrace Yourself!

Internalized Racism:
This concept revolves around the notion of one internalizing they are inferior. One becomes to believe the societal message of being different, and because of these differences, believes to be not equal. The dominant group places a set of beliefs, ideas, morals etc.forth, and if one who is not in the dominating group allows these to be the truth they have become oppressed. They have completely come to terms with self-dissatisfaction. One wishes at any cost to resemble the oppressor. One of inferiority may feel ashamed or embarrassed.
I have allowed myself for 20 years to be completely naive to this situation. How can one be unhappy with who they are? How can one dislike themselves for the color of their skin? How can one be ashamed of their culture? But more importantly, why do people of superiority have the power to make people disown themselves?
My Japanese friend, Tamami, reiterates her hatred for Asian people. At every comment spoken I am struck with confusion. How can she truly dislike where she came from, who she is, and what her family has become? Not only do I cringe with anger, but I fill with sadness. I constantly question her hatred toward herself. She will say "I look so Asian. Gross." and I will reply "you are Asain, and beautiful!" I continuosly tell her to embrace who she is. I hear people ridicule her for how she speaks. They do this with the mere thought of a laugh. They are her friends, classmates, and calleuges. She laughs and simply kids with them. I don't like what they say. I wish they would stop. I become internally angry in my friends defence. But then I think, I only have the right to be mad at myself. I laugh when she speaks broken english. I joke when she cannot think of the right word she wishes to say. For this I am an oppressor. For this I contradict myself when I speak words of encouragement.
Don't listen to the comments. Silence the laughter. Hear only what you wish. Embrace yourself!

Talk. Speak. Communicate

I read an article by Frantz Fanon titled "Black Skin, White Masks". Fanon capitalizes on the use of "race" or "color" through language. He begins by explaining the importance of language and how it is a crucial aspect of culture. One can be labeled and distinguished ("culture can be assumed") from another simply by how they speak, or what language they refer to. I am an English speaking female who was brought up only speaking this one language. Form that simple understanding one can determine whether they will communicate with me or not. Another aspect of language Fanon dissects is how one interacts with different "categories" of people. Fanon explains, "a Negro behaves differently with a white man and with another Negro."
When I read that quote several incidents with my boyfriend popped into my head. Many times he has told me when I meet his family not to speak like a "preppy white girl", or he has told me when he meets my father he wont wear what he normally wears or speak like he does to his friends. Before reading this article i just took it for exactly what he was saying. I did not try and analyze what was truly being set forth. Again, in these situations the color of our skin mattered. It matter to him if his aunt thought I was a preppy white girl, but not onlt that but a white one. He cared what my father thought about the way he spoke. I am white and he is black. This fact will never change or ever be looked over.
Fanon says "to speak a language is to take on a world, a culture". The way one speaks is revolved around the way in which they were raised. Ones culture is vividly expressed through language and should not be manipulated to be seen as a "better" cultural way of identification. Fanon then goes on to say that the Negro desires to speak French "because it is the key that can open doors which were still carred to him fifty years ago". I believe this idea of "black talk" and "white talk" still resides in this world. This notion that once can either speak black or white determines whether the way one speaks is superior or inferior. Fanon incorporated a quote that reads, "what matters is not to know the world but to change it", rather then destroying culture in which we are not familiar witth we shall embrace it. I wish is was as easy as saying "do not change to become whiter!". I say this in reference to the oppression one feels when their speach is corrected. When a black, hispanic, japanese etc is corrected to speak "white".
Who is to say the way I speak is more proper than how my black friend Monique speaks? Who determines that the third grade spanish boy in my classroom is wrong for saying "I already been did that"? I say talk, speak, communicate!

Racial Contract

The Racial Contract is seen as a "formal or informal" agreement between members of society. This contract consist of racial groups being categorized allowing for superiors to exist. The prominent component of this contract is the privilege granted to whites opposed to those who are non-white. Many question if such a thing truly exists. This may not be written and signed in actuality, but it definitely exists. This privilege that is given to whites is something many deny. Whites allow themselves to believe our society, our world, has grown from the days that used to promote white power. They create a blindness to what is happening all around us.
I sat in the passenger seat of a car. Accompanied by 4 black males. As I drove down the rode the color of our skin was not apparent. The only color I noticed was the blue from the flashing lights in the rear view mirror. Silently we waited for the officer to come to the window and routinely ask for license and registration. As he approached the car 2 other cruisers arrived on scene. Three officers now surrounded the car and asked for the three gentlemen in the backseat to present a form of identification. I was not asked. I was not looked at. I was not acknowledged. I ignorantly asked "did they not ask for my I.D. because I am a girl?" The boys replied altogether "No, it's because you are white!" I had nothing to say. I was embarrassed.
As I read an article by Mills a quote reminded me of this story "...whites will in general be unable to understand the world they themselves have made". This quote rang true to me as i sat in a car baffled at a situation. The four black males who experienced this with me were unaffected by the actions due to the anticipation it was going to occur. My perplexed anger brought race to "center stage". By my denial of oppression transpiring around me I sadly proved Mills' point of "accidental, residual'" explanation for the race issue we whites attempt to "remove from our understanding." I did not chose to be white nor did my boyfriend chose to be black, but with the "whiteness" I obtain i am, still to this day, on a "higher rung on the moral ladder." ( I am referring to Charles W. Mills "The Racial Contract").
I raise the question: Will this world ever change?