Homecoming Prestige 2011

Like every other freshman, I was looking forward to Homecoming this year. Growing up, before I even thought about coming to Howard University, I always heard about how great homecoming was and how everyone from all over travel to enjoy the events. This last week wasn't how I expected it to be, I thought I was going to be at every event and go to every party. I got into the R&B show for free and that was the only event I attended this week. If I could have chosen to go to only one event, the R&B show would be the event. It was my first time being at a concert and I enjoyed seeing such great musical artists. I do wish that individually the artists had more time on stage, but other than that, the concert was definitely an experience. Next year, I'm going to save up for homecoming and try to go to everything, because it's expensive. In conclusion, I still enjoyed myself. I know it doesn't take money to spend time with friends, laugh, and just have a good time, so homecoming 2011 was pretty decent.

Open Doors

The lectures of freshman seminar have finally come to and end. I can honestly say that I will miss them. Up to this day my favorite still remains that initial lecture by Dr.Carr because I meant it when I say that it moved me. The lectures have been informative. When I first started freshman seminar I thought that it would be a class that just told us ways to make it through freshman year or college in general, but the class went way more in depth than just that. I have learned lessons that I believe will open doors in my future. Just because lectures are over does not mean the journey is over,. The group projects are about to begin and I think the freedom to choose a topic should be fun. I look forward to it.

Although we've come.....

End of the Road

Wow first of all, I cant believe that I've been here 8 weeks. I reflect back to my first journal when I was still a little confused about the way things work here at Howard and hoping that I could change that very soon. Now I feel like this is were I belong and I don't plan on leaving for the next four years.
The last 7 weeks of  Freshman Seminar have all been very amazing. At first I really thought that freshman seminar was going to be a drag, but i actually started liking it. I have learned and grown so much just from the hings we have discussed in this course. I hope that I got enough understanding out of this seminar to be able to go and do my research project very well.
Now i checked my grades before starting this blog so I'm a little upset because I missed a lecture because I was sick but I cant reflect that with a note which automatically gives me a U. I don't know what I can do, or what having a U will do for me but it scares me, a lot.

10.6.11 - Dr. Leslie Fenwick's Lecture

Dr. Fenwick's lecture was very informing and gave me a lot of notes to jot down. She began the class giving a miniture quiz with statistical based questions: What is the percentage of crack attributible to white people? 68%, I wasn't suprised at all by these results. What is the percentage of powder crack attributable to white people? 72%, again something that wasn't a suprise to me. The statistic that blew mind mind was when she asked: Which 12th grade subgroup mostly believes drugs are unacceptable? I was one of the students who thought asians were going to be the answer. Honestly the last subgroup on my mind were blacks and after Dr. Fenwick said that was the answer, I felt kind of bad for thinking so little of black people, epecially since I am black. This lecture opened my eyes and made me go to my room and research more statistics on our community, most of what I had know clue about. I plan to keep up with such stats, because the comminuty is always changing and on day when I'm old I'll tell teach my children and grandchildren the statistics of their community, so they won't ever belittle themselves or any other race.

Miss Evers' Boys

I really enjoyed Miss Evers' Boys, the cast, my fellow peers, did a great job at portraying the past and how the four boys were treated. Before coming to Howard I hadn't heard of the play, but I am glad I got the chance to see it. I told my mom all about it and she too had never heard of it, but plans on going to see the play whenever she can. It kind of made me mad how Caleb, Ben, Hodman, and Willie were treated. I know it was just a play, but just thinking about how this was based off of what has really happened and the hardships African Americans had to go through just to get to where we are today, still working for approval and acceptance. Overall the play was great and I plan on seeing the rest of the plays Howard has in the future.

African Burial Ground

The trip to the African Burial ground in NYC really was a really memorable experience for me. I always love hearing stories about my ancestors and people who lived through the extremely rough times of slavery. Unlike other cultures, African-Americans whose ancestors were slaves aren’t really given a lot of information about their family’s history. Information about ancestors or family in Africa got washed out throughout the years and I really don’t have a flag to wave. So going to the African Burial ground really gave me a sense of understanding. Finding about the ritual the enslaved Africans did when a loved one died was really informing.

The process of developing the burial ground was struggle. Citizen had to fight NYC and the construction company in order to have the burial ground. It really shocks me that at first that they weren’t even considering it at first. A person with morals wouldn’t build a building over a grave yard. Part of me wonders that if the bones found were of European decent, would they even second guess building over them. Overall this is a really nice experience that I think my parents would have really liked as well.

Ms.Evers Boys

This play was phenomonal. I was greatly impressed by the Howard University theater department. The play was set earlier in the 1900's and was about the Tuskegee experiments conducted on blacks back then. That immediately ccaptured my interest because while in high school former Tuskegee men came and spoke during an assembly so I previously knew a bit on the topic. Ms.Evers was a nurse who was tricked into administering syphillis into young black men. She was only trying to do her job as a nurse and had no idea that doing that job meant taking the lives of innocents. This play was such an eye opener. Blacks were reduced to becoming lab rats at one point in this country. Doesn't America stand for freedom? Why must its own citizens go through such a horrid ordeal? They deserved better and the ones that met with death did so before it was there time to go. This play is honestly something I would not mind seeing again. I look forward to the next Howard University production.

Statistics Proven Wrong

I did not connect as much with this weeks lecture as I have with the previous weeks. It was pleasant to here from the Dean of Education though. She made a few strong arguments that I completely agreed with. For one, the fact that statistics are largely misunderstood by people of the black race. We all automatically assume that negative facts about blacks are true and doubt it when we hear a positive fact. I too am guilty of this. We find it so easy to look down on our own race sometimes and that has to stop. We need to stop fueling the flames of black stereotypes. Another point that she made was about blacks in education. The percentage of blacks is a mere 4% I believe the dean said. Personally I can say that I have had one or maybe two black teachers before I came to Howard. Education is a thriving major and I think that our race has the potential to thrive in that field. Lastly what stuck out to me was the statistic that she provided on drug use specifically. I have had friends who have turned to drugs so thats why I partly would think blacks do it more than whites, but I was glad to hear that wasn't true. It makes me prideful to know that we are making something of our lives. I enjoyed listening to the dean and hope to hear from her in the future.

"Miss Evers' Boys"

Miss Evers' Boys was a very emotional play to me. I think that the actors did a very wonderful job of potraying each and every character and the emotional rollercoaster that they had been placed on. The story talks about how 4 men who had been affected with syphillis were being treated for it until the funds for their treatment ran out and the doctors only took care of the white patients and gave the other 4 men a fake vaccine. Due to the fact that syphillis takes years before it starts affecting your body these men felt that they were fine for years until the disease started taking its course.

This made me sick to my stomach because these men could have been taken care of hense they could have lived healthy lives but due to the fact that they were black they had their death sentences already written. Although they all only two of them died the surviving two still suffered. Although the stories main focus was on the 4 men, many people suffered this exact treatment due to their skin color.

Achieving Greatness

Education is the key to success no matter what race you are. Minorities are the underdogs and because of that reason we need to try that much harder to rise above the stereotypes and prove that we are an intellectual force to be reckoned with. Dr. Thorton made many good points in this weeks lecture. He spoke on how Howard’s job is to continue education along with other HBCUs. “Be different so you can help.” When the speaker said this he really had me thinking. I realized that in order for us as students to make the biggest impacts that we can we have to break free from tagging along with behaviors of peers and form our own beliefs and personalities so we can rise to the same greatness as the namesakes for the majority of Howard University buildings.
To become part of the best and brightest at Howard I intend to not slack and keep with my good grades. It is hard to balance life especially when in college, but the effort is well worth it in the end. If it means giving up a bit of my social life to reach my 4.0 at the end of the semester then I am all for it. I want to become involved in campus activities and become an active part in the D.C community as a whole. There is much potential in the class of 2015. I see nothing but developing scholars when I sit in my classes and I just soak in the presence of future greatness.
I think that to be a citizen of the world means that you simply are a entity of this planet. We are all citizens of the world. The citizenship that we have in our respective countries makes us citizens of the world by default. We as a world need to unite and realize that we are all brethren. Skin color, age, location and other such factors should no longer keep people apart. We all need to gain education and pass that down to future generations so world unity can eventually be achieved.
There are many deceased representative thinker that represent Howard, but I choose to use Dr.Carr as an example. I feel that he is one of the greatest minds in Howard University and many other places. His work in his life so far inspires me to branch out to younger kids when I actually make it in life and to share the knowledge that I have gained through the years to help them further themselves. I have only known Dr.Carr since the initial lecture that he spoke during, but since them I hang on to the words that he speaks. I wish to inspire the future generation the way that he inspires the class of 2015.
In closing, I took in much from this weeks lecture. Mainly the fact that we can’t ever stop pushing and need to strive until we prove naysayers wrong and attain greatness.

I don't need a passport to be a citizen....

       Sometimes I take a step out of my body to look at myself and say. Wow im at Howard University. Being at a school like this you always have to remember that everyone else is just like you. I doubt that you can go to any other University and find that the entire school is made up of go getter and acheivers. Thats one off the main reasons that I love my school. Whats going to keep me from becoming apart of the best and brightest at Howard is to not only stay focused but be involved. I plan on staying here at Howard and making a diffferent, puttig my voic out there so it can be heard.
       Being a citizen of the world means being just that. A citizen of the world is focused on what they can do to contribute too things thatnot only better us as a community but as a whole. When you are a citizen on the world you have to make sure to stay focused on what your particular goal may be and sticking to it. Making sure that youre not just claiming to being a citizen but you're also proving it.
       I would have to say that if I had to chose a representative thinker at Howard I would have to say that Dr. Thornton would be one of the top candidates. He inspires me to go out and be the best that I can be in life. His emphasis on being apart of such an elite community made me want to become apart of the elite community of the world.