Free Write: Apology To My Brown Boy

I came across this blog post today and thought it quite thought provoking.  Here's what Bassey Ikpi had to say about a poem she recently wrote, follow the link for the full text.

About ten years ago, a  few years before I became a mother, I wrote a poem called Apology To My Unborn about my fears for my then unborn son. My son is now 5 years old and has been asking me about Trayvon Martin. I’ve done the best I can to answer him in ways that make sense to him but I’ve become incredibly saddened by the weight of it. The fact that there are conversations that I’m going to have to have with him as he gets older that go beyond normal parenting upsets me. I hate the fact that there are rules of conduct for boys of color that are meant to keep them from being murdered senselessly. It pains me. The fact that despite these rules, it takes just one person to act out and stop their life, infuriates me. But at the end of the day, my job as a parent, is to make sure that my son doesn’t carry the weight of society. I can’t raise him to fear. I won’t. 

I have been unable to write about Trayvon Martin because there is so much more to this than what I have the space to comprehend. I don’t know what to say. Tomorrow will be a month. 

This morning, I did a free write on my son and Trayvon and questions and parenting and I revisited my poem Apology To My Unborn and used it as a writing prompt. This is more or less something answering myself as my son is now older and my fears have changed. This is not a work in progress because I don’t think I can stand to go back and edit and shape it into something that makes sense. I can’t let this fear and pain affect how I raise my child. I won’t. 

My love and prayers go out to you and yours.

Love someone and mean it. Please.

B.

http://basseyworld.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/free-write-apology-to-my-brown-boy/

-Sarah Overson

This I Believe in The Student Review

The latest issue of The Student Review featured an interesting article written by a homosexual student who attended BYU.  The article outlines his struggle to become secure and confident in his sexual orientation in an LDS setting.  Although we've moved on from this topic in class, I think the article is definitely worth one's time and a moment's thought.

Here's the link: http://thestudentreview.org/2012/03/13/this-i-believe-4/

-Sarah Overson

Tan Le: My Immigration Story

We have talked a lot about Mexican migration, but there are a multitude of immigration stories from all over the world.  One important story we have not touched much upon is immigration from Vietnam.  Here is one of those stories.  This story captures the essence of immigration and why our country is so much stronger for the millions of immigrants we bring in every year.

Feminization of Black Men?

I was recently introduced to an unsettling trend in movies and television. I was made aware of it when a friend sent me this video of Dave Chappelle on Oprah.

Black comedians are frequently appearing as women. Comedic movies featuring cross-dressing aren't really my thing, which is probably why I hadn't really noticed this going on. Of course white men cross-dress in movies as well, but they seem to be portrayed as better, often noble, characters.

I had a glimpse of this trend a few days ago while watching the show “Happy Endings.” Damon Wayans Jr., has not, as far as I know, worn a dress on the show (I haven't seen the first season). However, in a recent episode, in reference to a dream, he said, “He made me keep my heels on!” At first I thought it was nice that a straight male character was not being portrayed in a stereotypical way. With this latest episode, I'm not so sure. To my knowledge, none of the white male characters have been feminized to that degree.

Michelle McMonagle

How prop 8 was overturned

No matter which side of this issue you fall on, you are probably aware that prop 8 was ruled unconstitutional, a ruling held up by the ninth district circuit court of appeals. In this high profile trial, both plaintiff and defendant presented their best and most robust arguments for and against the legalization of same-sex marriage.

When discussing among friends issues about which everyone already agrees, it's easy to reinforce each others' comments and feel absolutely certain of the merits of one's argument; we call this phenomena groupthink. But when these points of arguments are challenged by the opposing view, how do they stand up? Some are made uncomfortable by the conflict of a civil debate, but it is only under critical scrutiny that the truth can hope to emerge. This is exactly what happens in this documentary of the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial.

Based on actual courtroom transcripts, this is a verbatim theatrical reenactment of the trial proceedings which overruled Proposition 8. I expected boring, with a cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Martin Sheen, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Kevin Bacon-- this video watches more like a courtroom drama than a documentary.

Challenge your beliefs. If you find them unscathed, they will be that much stronger. If they crumble under scrutiny, you will be forever grateful you escaped ignorance.

-Josh Ruchty

One of our past class discussions was about the reconstruction of black servitude after the Civil War. We focused a lot about the sharecropping system being one of the results. However, the documentary, SlaveryBy Another Name, was mentioned by Professor Morgan to further explain the reconstruction. 

The documentary went in such detail about what the blacks went through after the Civil War and it really surprised me. I had no idea that the Southerns went through so much just to get the blacks back to slavery as close as they could. For example, there was convict leasing, peonage (like debt servitude), and sharecropping. A lot of blacks were arrested for things they did not do, just so the Southerns could use them as labor. I felt so horrible while watching this documentary because I have been blind to what really happened to blacks after the Civil War. They most definitely were not free. I would have to say that some of the blacks were treated worse when they were considered “free” rather than when they were actually slaves. I highly recommend those who have not seen this documentary to watch it. 

You can can watch the documentary online at the following website:  http://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/watch/

Taylor Stacey

"What Would You Do?" in Utah (part 2)

Here is the clip I thought was the most revealing, on the topic of interracial relationships:





And here's one about domestic violence (I was touched by how the people responded to this one:

What would you do? in Utah

In class, we have watched clips from the show What Would You do? There was an episode that aired tonight where all of the filming was done in Utah. It was very interesting to see some of the scenarios that they set up and the reactions that people gave. With all of the recent publicity from Mitt Romney and the Book of Mormon musical on Broadway, I felt that this episode did show some positive things about people who live in Utah. Even thought not all of the people interviewed were Mormon, it shows that there are incredible people who are willing to stand up for what they believe in.

Here are a few of the clips from the show that aired. I would recommend watching the entire episode.

"What would you do?" Tests gay support in Utah

"What would you do" Bride Lies about Virginity: Should Mormon Husband Still Marry Her?

Here is a Link to the Website with the rest of the clips

http://abcnews.go.com/whatwouldyoudo

Posted By: Daniele Vaughan

LDS Church condems past racism

Recently the article in the Washington Post has stirred up quite a controversy on race and the LDS Church.  I thought it might be helpful to post some information for those who are interested in learning more about the issue:

Washington Post article

Deseret News article (summarizing the latest information)

Church response to the Washington post article

Another statement about race by the Church

An interview with Elder Holland where he talks about this issue (scroll down to the following question: "Where were you when you heard that the ban was lifted on blacks in the priesthood?"

An article that uses the scriptures to debunk the myth of the "curse of Cain"

Finally an article that talks about three myths about blacks on the priesthood

Asking To Be Different?

As my best friend and I were doing sociology homework together for the chapter on race in You May Ask Yourself, we came across a really interesting point. She's in the other class, so she has slightly different assignments, and she had to answer all the questions at the end of the chapter. One of them said:

"Ask three white people you know the following: "How would you describe yourself over the phone to someone who has never seen you before?" Ask three people who are not white the same question."

I helped her ask people, and at first, I figured it would all be the same-- everyone would just say "I'm tall, brown haired, green eyed, etc.". In fact, I was very wrong. Every single white person said their descriptions as I excepted and even included some personality traits, such as loud, fun-loving, smart, so on.

It became interesting when all three people who weren't white gave their descriptions. First of all, they all seemed a little phased by the question, as if it was meant to be offensive. Secondly, race was the first thing that they said. The friend I asked - who's black - said, "Let's start with the obvious. I'm black. I have big lips, curly, black hair, black eyes..."

To me, I never think of being white as being something that makes me who I am. Yes, it has played a part in my life, partly because the "invisible knapsack of privileges", but I don't use it as an identifier. I started thinking about this "mini-experiment" and wondered why this was. While they could be mentioning their race as pride (which they may have; I'm just not sure), I feel like they use it as an identifier instead of describing the individual person they they are. I sometimes feel as though other races use their race to separate themselves. This friend who I asked always takes every little thing, twists it, and says, "that's racist!!". That has ALWAYS bothered me. I feel like he's always looking for racism even when it isn't there. One time, he posted on Facebook "I love being black!! Black people are the best!" I was happy that he had so much pride in his race, but I could only imagine the horror and crap I'd get for posting "I love being white!! White people are the best!!" I know it'd be taken as racism even if I was just proud of my race.

I'm curious to know what other people think of these experiences and their opinions on individuals' own views on their races.

How Racism Affects Women's Health

Although the majority of Caucasian women would see racism as a thing of the past, many African-American women know that blacks are still treated unfairly in American society; for instance, racial gaps in income are still present in the United States. Where a person lives, what resources are available to them, and how successfully they handle life challenges can all affect the health of individuals and populations. As we've learned in class, this is referred to as socioeconomic status—the position of a person in a hierarchical social system. Contributing factors that determine socioeconomic status are education, income, place of residence, occupation, heredity, and religion. Low socioeconomic status can lead to ill-health; high socioeconomic status normally predicts great health.

In many public health classes we watch episodes of Unnatural Causes, a 2008 PBS documentary highlighting how racial and socioeconomic differences affect the health of Americans. In one of the videos listed below, researchers analyzed a puzzling case–an African-American woman named Kim. Even though Kim had a high-paying job, health insurance, adequate prenatal care, and lived in an affluent neighborhood, she still delivered a baby girl who was pre-term and very low birth weight. Why would this woman with high socioeconomic status experience the same outcome that is typically seen with disadvantaged populations? Even though a woman comes from a high socioeconomic background, growing up as a black female puts her at risk for delivering pre-term babies and suffering from overall ill health as a result of lifetime chronic stress. This theory is called the life course perspective—the hypothesis that cumulative experiences over a woman’s entire life will affect her health, regardless of socioeconomic status. Being a member of a particular minority group is bad for your health. Minorities are considered vulnerable populations and more subject to chronic diseases such as alcoholism, accidents, violence, diabetes, and violence.

You can follow these links to watch two important clips from Unnatural Causes:

The Mystery of Black-White Differences in Infant Mortality (6 min)

How Racism Impacts Pregnancy Outcomes (4 min)

The Cherishing our Hearts and Souls Coalition (COHS) Anti-Racism Project is the perfect example of an organization that works to better the health of a minority population. In conjunction with the Harvard School of Public Health, this coalition develops and implements projects designed to help participants understand the relationship between racism and health. Despite the overall improvements in life expectancy in the United States, this program recognizes the impact racism has on health and how it related to ethnic disparities in health care. Their mission specifically targets cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other chronic conditions in African-Americans living in under-served neighborhoods. The programs to raise awareness to racism and CVD include a three-year social marketing campaign, community workshops, after-school anti-racism programs, meetings to discuss policy issues, and other methods for the reduction of CVD risk factors.

Jane Eyre

Linsanity bringout out prejudice and stereotypes about Asian Americans