Topaz: Artists in Internment

A picture of the wall where all of the poems were placed.

A piece of art that really stood out to me that was titled, “Where Would We Go?”

A photograph taken of the Topaz Camp.

     A few months ago I had the opportunity to attend a reading of a play called “Block 8” which is a story based off of the experiences of Japanese Americans during WWII.  The reading was done in honor of the opening of an exhibit in Salt Lake City featuring art that was from the Japanese Internment Camp in Delta, Utah called Topaz.
    The poet Lawson Inada, who helped to present the Topaz art, wanted people to be able to interact with the exhibit.  So he came up with what he called Jan Ken Po-ems (Jan Ken Po is the rock-paper-scissors childhood game) which hint at haiku, but they are just common everyday phrases applied in an uncommon context.

Some of the phrases were …
Broke His Heart
In God We …
Do It Justice
Go On Living
Please Forgive Us

Inada wrote:
    “We want your thoughts and responses to the artwork created by artists, no longer alive, who visually recorded their lives behind a barbed-wire fence.
    “Begin with one of these pieces of paper with three words written on them.  Add your words.  Your words can come before one of the words or after.  You may cross one out and add another to the list.  You choose.  If you wish, just begin with a blank piece of paper and write a Jan Ken Po-em.
    “In Japan, Shinto temples and, often, trees and bushes are places were individuals may leave a paper prayer.  In our version, your poem may be a poem, a wish, a dream or a prayer.  Please post on the wall above.  Thank you.”

And I invite you all to do the same.  For more information you can visit http://topazmuseum.org/

~ Rachel Shimizu

The Human Experience

I watched this documentary on Netflix recently, and if any of you have the opportunity-watch it. The "back of the box description" says, "In a world fraught with hostility and violence, an altruistic group of young men endeavor to understand the true essence of the human spirit by visiting forgotten souls such as homeless New Yorkers, Peruvian orphans and isolated Ghanian lepers. By spotlighting heartwarming stories from around the world, this uplifting documentary shows viewers that every single person, no matter his or her lot in life, is beautiful."

This film was honestly so inspiring. I feel as though taking this sociology class has really opened my eyes to different situations, even to different people, in America that I never paid much attention to before, like the homeless on the streets or the neglected lepers in Ghana that these young men in the documentary noticed more once they literally spent some time in their shoes. Everyone on this earth is united, "we are really the same." I love the quote by President Ucthdorf that says, "Everyone is walking his or her own difficult path." Now that we have really seen the difficult paths for our fellow brothers and sisters we have the responsibility to do something more-no matter their race, citizenship standing, sexual orientation, or anything else. We need to find the things that make us universal humans, no matter what our political or social beliefs are.


-Nikki Bradshaw

Gender Roles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srnaXW9ZgZc
(I couldn't get the video to post so here is the link so you can watch it on youtube!)



I loved this video!! This little girl is among very few, children in particular, who understand these implemented gender roles in society. Gender roles are so ingrained in our society and in our media. These gender roles are implemented into our brains and way of life from a very young age. I feel that this is the case because of media and especially because of parents. I’m sure we all could share a story or two about the time our brother or cousin came out wearing a dress or chose something pink over something blue and every adult around started freaking out. I totally believe that boys and girls tend to gravitate towards different things because of their gender, but we tend to take things to extremes. I think this little girl got it just right when she said, “Sometimes girls like superheroes and sometimes boys like princesses”.

It Gets Better at BYU

Validation!

I know this is a a bit different topic than normal, but I remember reading something about a month and a half ago about not letting the chain of love stop with you. I've been thinking about that lately. I was also thinking about when I was a nanny for my nieces and nephews over the summer. I remember being horrified at the shows they ended up watching. I felt that they were really vulgar and rude. They were basically teaching my little nieces and nephews how to make fun of and to hate people that they view as different or inferior. Maybe the nostalgia is hitting early at 20, but weren't the kids show about accepting others and being kind and understanding? Anyway, my roommate found this mini movie on youtube that sums up the point. With all of the tension going on, like elections, shootings, hate crimes, and lack of understanding, we need to revisit the power of a compliment. It feels like all of us are surrounded by unfeeling comments. With all of the topics we have covered in class, it is hard not to notice how the power of words can bring an entire population down. The sheer number of racial slurs is staggering! Hopefully this will put a smile on your face because your smile is beautiful and you are awesome!

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Cbk980jV7Ao" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Rebecca Anderson

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: