Peer Presentation: Poor African-Americans

Another group presentation that stood out to me was DC5’s. This group presented on the reasons behind and effects of poverty amongst African-Americans. They provided a number of interesting statistics including the fact that while African-Americans make up 12.5 percent of America’s population, they make up 15.5 percent of America’s poor population. This statistic was very interesting, because it so clearly demonstrated the difference between what the numbers are and what they should be. They also relayed the fact that 11 percent of African-Americans from the ages of 16-24 drop out of high school, and that 72 percent of African-Americans are born out of wedlock. While I doubt the latter statistic, these numbers are nevertheless discouraging. They described the education was key, but with the dropout rate combined with the fact that school districts with lower standardized test scores, receive less funding, it creates a vicious cycle. Typically the school districts with lower test scores are the poorer ones, and are prevalent in African-American communities. Therefore, the public schools that have lower funding can never have it increased, and the quality of education remains low. They also touched on the affect of the media, and claimed there weren’t enough positive African American role models present.

All in all this was a pretty good presentation. The statistics presented were eye opening, and their presentation put an emphasis on the fact that poverty amongst the African-American community is cyclical. Now it is up to us to break that vicious cycle, but the question is how?

Peer Presentation: Failure of The Family

One particular peer presentation that stood out to me was a PowerPoint on the Failure of the Family in the African-American community. This group discussed what constitutes a normal nuclear family and the disparities present when contrasted with a split family. They found that children in a split family are typically more aggressive than when contrasted to a family that stays together. They also pointed out that the divorce rate has gone down since the 1980’s, but so has the number of people getting married. They discussed that the number of grandparents raising children is also going up, and that the media plays a role in showing that a split family is acceptable. They backed this point up by saying that 99 percent of homes have at least one television in America. They detailed the effects of foster care and the role of child protection services, touching on the controversy of the cps’ ability to judge whether a family is fit to raise a child. They also claimed that typically a child taken away from their family generally tends to have low self esteem

This is a very poignant issue in the African-American community, because it seems so common. This presentation particularly stood out to me because I live in a home with a single mom, and was initially raised by her, and my grandparents. I feel as though family is very important, however, I do not feel as though it is necessarily failure if the family is not a stereotypically nuclear one. In my case my family has not failed at all, and has made me who I am today.

Self Reflection

I can honestly say Freshmen Seminar has been a new experience for. Coming into the class I thought it would relate more to helping me assimilate to the level of work that I would be doing. The class has taught me how to research properly and allowed me to meet many of my classmates. One thing I am confused about though is how the new system relates to us as new freshmen that need to know more about the history of Howard University. I will admit that sitting in the lectures was difficult. To listen to a straight forty-five minutes of talking and being able to take in the information and effectively take notes is a skill that I am not ashamed to say I have not fully mastered. This course however has set me on the road in order to obtain that skill. I have learned valuable lessons such as time management and the importance of teamwork while working on group projects. I especially enjoyed working with Dr. Williams. Some of the things she covered in her lesson I have applied in my other classes and it has proved to help immensely. Our very first lecture from Dr. Carr opened my eyes to just how blessed we truly are at this university. We are surrounded by some of the greatest minds in the nation as our teachers. There is no doubt in my mind that by being taught by some of the best, we will in turn achieve greatness. One thing I wish would be changed about the class however is that it would be more relevant to what we need as freshmen, not just a fascinating class where we learn pockets of information.

Suicide in African Americans

One of the group projects the stuck out to me was the presentation about suicide in African Americans. For years it has been a common misconception that African Americans do not commit suicide due to their pride. Recent studies however have shown that this belief is untrue. Over the last couple decades there have been higher and higher instances in which adolescents between the ages of thirteen and twenty are feeling the pressures of life. One of the main pressures happens in high school and college aged teens in the form of bullying. In some cases bullying has become so severe that these teens see no other way out of their situation then death. This is really interesting to me because the concept of suicide has been so controversial within my own mind let alone the public opinion. I thought it was brave of this group to take on this subject and apply to us as African Americans. The way they presented was spectacular in my opinion and they made it very clear what their research method was and their question. I’m not exactly sure how it applied to the class but it was still a great presentation.

Staff Interview

for our interview we interviewed Professor Jerome Kravitz, here are our following questions...

Q: How does sleep deprivation affect students academically?

A: Depends on the amount. Large amounts negatively effect health/resistance to sickness and being sick can mess up all of your courses. Sleep is also a part of learning, without it we can not form memories and there for take in what we learned.

Q: Do cat naps through out the day help students stay focused?

A: Yes they do.

Q: Are there things you can do to replace sleep?

A: No, there is no way to replace sleep

Q: What is the best type of sleep?

A: All parts of the sleep cycle are important, it is best to get at least 8 hours of sleep

Staff Interview

The staff interview was conducted by one of the other members in my group. She interviewed a psychology professor at Howard University. We used his expertise to enhance our knowledge of the affects of sleep deprivation. Setting up the interview was a tedious task because we couldn't accommodate a time and place that would permit all group members and the professor to attend. We as a group eventually decided to send only one representative from the group to conduct the interview. The questions that she asked him were very thorough and therefore the professors's answers were concise. His answers confirmed our hypothesis about the dangers of sleep deprivation. We learned that college students on average get about four to five hours of sleep each night; when in actuality they should be getting about eight hours of sleep each night. The lack of sleep will slow down your performance and hurt your academics. The professor also made it very clear that energy drinks and other alternatives often times used to replace sleep are not adequate enough to improve your performance. There is absolutely nothing that can replace a complete eight hours of sleep. However, it easy to see how students can get engulfed in their work and academics and neglect sleep. Just as a student trains themselves to make time for studying, socializing, and class-they should train themselves to make time for them to sleep. This interview was a great tool to get students accustomed to using various sources of information besides the internet. There is a plethora of knowledge all around our campus and it is our responsibility to utilize every resource.

-Kaylynn Webb

Personal Reflection

Freshmen Seminar was a challenging course because it required discipline and time management from the students. The class only met once a week therefore it was extremely important that students attended all sessions to receive the information. The lecturers varied week to week which allowed the students to experience a variety of different teaching styles. My favorite lecture was the first lecture by Dr. Carr. His presentation was engaging and the topic was new material that I had not previously learned about. Unfortunately, the class is very short; sometimes I felt as if the information was given in a rushed manner. It takes so long for the class to assemble that we waste valuable instruction time. All in all, I think the direction that the freshmen seminar class is moving is a positive one. I think that the class will continue to develop in years to come.

Working on the group project was not as difficult as I predicted it to be. I was fortunate enough to be put in a group with other students who actively participated in the process of creating the project. Early on, we as a group identified our strengths and divided the project accordingly. I was skilled in powerpoint and creating other multimedia projects. The project was completed after only two group meetings. The most difficult portion of the project was ensuring that we had the proper equipment to display our video and power point. This meant that we had to do extra preparation for our project. I believe that our presentation was interactive and very professional. I am proud of my freshmen seminar group and glad that I had the privilege to work with them.

-Kaylynn Webb

Peer Presentation Review:2

The second group that I reviewed was Stampede. Their discussion question was: Why is the suicide rate increasing amongst African-Americans between the ages of 15-24? A group member came up with this question after a recent incident where a Howard University student committed suicide. I think that it is important for researchers to research relevant topics like the one Stampede reviewed. I was very interested to hear their presentation because it was related to myself as an African-American and person between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four. Some of the causes of suicide in this age bracket are unemployment, alcohol abuse, relationship discord, physical abuse, stress, and death in the family. All of these reasons seem logical based upon personal knowledge of other suicide incidents. Some of the statistics Stampede provided stated that over 30,000 Americans have committed suicide in the past year. This equates to five African-Americans committing suicide a day. In America it is the eighth leading cause of death, which is over homicide/murder. Between 1980-1995 there was a record high suicide rate in the African American community. In order to help prevent the act of suicide the group presented alternative solutions and resources. Some of the resources included help hotlines, peer to peer mediating groups, and just talking with a friend. The most intriguing part of the presentation was the segment about anti-depressant pills. The information they gathered showed that many anti-depressant pills do not work and the chemical imbalance that is suggested by pharmacies is false. The only factor of the presentation that was not included was the citing sources. As a researcher it is extremely important to cite your sources so that the information will be reliable. Other than that factor the presentation was nice.

-Kaylynn Webb

Peer Presentation Review:1

The first group presentation that I reviewed was Group 4.0. Their discussion topic was historically black colleges and universities. From this topic they developed a central question which was "are HBCU's effective in creating higher success rate in African-American students?" Their methodology for acquiring their information was researching second hand resources such as websites like www.hbcunetwork.com. The question that they posed was intriguing because it relates to all the students in Freshmen Seminar; however, their presentation of the information was not engaging. Throughout the majority of the presentation one student read directly from the powerpoint. Also, the information on the slides was in paragraph/long bullet form. To improve their presentation I would suggest that they find the key points of the information and make SHORT bullets to display on the screen. It is hard for students to understand the important parts of the information if everything on the slide is read and is not simplified enough for note taking. The factual information that I gained from the project was that on average fifty percent of freshmen that attend HBCU'S graduate in four to six years. According to the professor they interviewed, HBCU's are commonly weighted heavier than a predominantly white school. This means that the course level of work is graded meticulously. I agree with the group when they concluded that African-American students perform better at HBCU'S because they are more comfortable in their environment. I personally chose to attend an HBCU because I felt that I would relate to my peers more so than I would at a predominantly white college. Overall the presentation was informative but not engaging.

-Kaylynn Webb

The African Burial Ground

This weekend, the Monday section of freshman seminar took a field trip to New York in order to see the African Burial Ground Museum. Once we arrived, we watched a short video depicting the history of the burial ground, and then were allowed to tour the small area of exhibit. The items in the exhibit were informative and interesting because they put a new twist on things as opposed to what was commonly expected. The personal touch of the story following a young girl was interesting and the life size figures of them were cool as well. Afterwards, we went outside and were given a tour of the monument which was constructed for all of those buried. This was my favorite aspect because of the symbols and general artistry of it.

After that we were taken to 125^th street (aka Harlem) where we were allotted free time. The trip to Harlem was fun because we were allowed to see the Apollo, which was a new experience for me. In future trips, maybe a destination other than Harlem could be visited, such as time square, where there is not only the option to go shopping, but also sightseeing. This is because after awhile, shopping became dry, especially if you didn’t have money to spend. All in all this was a great field trip, although none of us were sure if it was mandatory. It was a nice experience in off campus education, and also inspired me to take advantage of more of the things that Howard University offers.

Research and Methodology: Inscription as a Liberating Practice

The primary focus for today's lesson was to revisit previous lectures that have taken place throughout the course of the semester. Dr. Williams reiterated the goals for Freshman Seminar; which are to encourage every student to pursue a lifetime of independent discovery and build a commitment to academic excellence. As a student at Howard I have constantly been encouraged to become a woman of excellence in all areas. However, I do not feel as if freshman seminar has influenced me to pursue a lifetime of independent discovery. Although students are required to complete an individual group research projects, it seems that the project is extremely short and will not require much effort. For future courses I think that students should be given more time to develop a thorough project and presentation.

Also, during the lecture Dr. Williams taught the six components of research. The first aspect is "Component of Research." This section is where the statement of the problem and or challenge is located. Researchers should consider the purpose of the research and the skill level that is needed. The second component is the "Current State of Research." The underlying question of this component is "what has already been said about the subject?"; in other words what research has been done and what analysis have already been concluded. The third component is "Methodology." It determines how you will approach the research, study the design of the research (ex. longitudinal), and method of data collection (secondary sources, interviews) . There are three types of studies which are discipline specific, multi-disciplinary, and interdisciplinary. Discipline specific refers to the underlying assumption of one field. Multi-disciplinary is comprised of multiple disciplines and their thinking process. Lastly, interdisciplinary is inquired knowledge that has an unlimited domain.

The last three components of research are framework, development of thesis, and conclusion. The framework describes how you will structure the project and how you will display your data. The development of a thesis is self explanatory; the way in which you write your assertion about the data is the development of a thesis. Researchers must be able to clearly articulate their thesis in order for readers to comprehend it. Finally, the conclusion should provide new insights that the research has revealed. In the conclusion one should provide the limitations and obstacles they inquired will doing the research. These six components if followed accurately are the steps to produce a good research project. In freshman seminar specifically students must follow the six components of research in conjunction with their group project.

-Kaylynn Webb

Omoluabi: Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility

Dr. Gbadegesin started today's session in a very unique way; he began by paying homage and saluting many of the influential persons in his life. For example he saluted his mother, father, and the Howard University class of 2014. He then went on to tell an elaborate story that his father had started. The overall moral of the story was that a person who does not have character lacks wealth, health, children, and essentially any other important aspect of life. Another word for character is Iwa, derived from the Holy African Scripture. Iwa was a core principle from the ancient goddess Ma'at. Dr. Gbadegesin explained that before philosophers like Socrates or Aristotle arrived there were Ancient Africans such as Goddess Ma'at, Vizier Ptanholep, and Pharaoh Amenemope who created the Principles of Ma'at, Pyramid Texts, and Coffin Texts.

Coffin texts differ from the other texts because they were literally messages on the coffin's of pharaohs reminding people of their themes of reward and punishment in the afterlife. The way in which Ancient Africans conducted themselves was so important because it impacted them in their afterlife. Afterlife was a central belief in Ancient history and each individual's afterlife path was dependent upon their current life. Goddess Ma'at helped to navigate people into a positive life by giving the Principles of Ma'at. An example of these principles would be "I have not closed my ears to truth." Ancient Egyptians practiced truth, justice and order. Through the stories that Dr. Gbadegesin described students understood that we have to fight for our rights and justice.

Not only did ordinary humans strive to abide by the Principles of Ma'at but other Gods also made an effort to practice her principles. Gods became strong by living through Ma'at. They were not exempt from certain morals or consequences; This ties back to the idea of Iwa. Keeping good character means that you are living in good existence. Omoluabi: a child begotten of the chief source of Iwa is what many wanted to be. This type of person was a person of character,disciplined,self-improving and thus earning respect from others. In conclusion it is important that Howard University students and staff have character or Iwa. We must salute the influential persons in our life like Dr. Gbadegesin did at the beginning of his lecture. We must remember "a river that forgets its source will eventually dry off."

-Kaylynn Webb

Practices of Freedom & Justice

In America the term freedom is often times used very loosely. America is known as the land of the free yet it incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. It is perceived that American citizens have the freedom to make choices based upon their own desires; This is mostly true when speaking in terms of modern day America. However, when discussing early United States history spectators will discover that the African and African-American race was largely exempt from America's perceived freedoms. In early America nearly all peoples of African decent were slaves. As a slave you were considered nonhuman and your life was at the mercy of your owner. Being enslaved is the farthest idea away from freedom. According to Dr. Fletcher freedom refers to a group's inalienable right to exercise choices whether good or bad. As history has progressed black leaders have paved the way so that African-Americans today can utilize their freedom to make choices. It was in the hopes of our ancestors that we would make good choices that would continue to advance the race. None the less we see many blacks in gangs, unemployed, uneducated, and incarcerated. There is a large disconnect between our ancestors hopes for the progress of the black race and its actual advancements. Although there are many negative things holding back the black race Howard University is committed to creating and molding successful and productive African-American members of society.

Another idea discussed in today's lecture was justice. Justice was a term that used to mean "Just-Us" relating to one specific group of people. In this society in which just-us derived everyone could not participate in government, economic decisions, etc. Justice can be described as the relationship between fairness and equality. Dr. Felder emphasized how religion largely plays a role in the ideas of freedom and justice. Our actions are heavily influenced by our desire to seek and do God's will.

Dr. Felder's overall presentation discussed ancient and modern concepts of freedom and justice. He related the two ideas with religion and gave vivid examples/stories of how they relate.

-Kaylynn Webb

The Eloquence of the Scribes”: Initiation, Expectations, and Mastery—Continuing the Legacy of Howard University

   
    A scribe is a person who writes books by hand as a profession. In history scribes were usually employed by the government to help draft important documents. Although there were many scribes who had government oriented jobs, there were those who specialized in other specific fields. In today's lecture Dr. Benjamin discussed prominent scribes that Howard University has named their buildings after. She presented the information so that students could fully understand the richness and caliber of history that Howard University has.


One of the early scribes discussed was Oliver Otis Howard. He was a United States General and founder of Howard University. Howard was known for encouraging the education of former slaves and blacks in general. The school was incorporated by congress in 1867 and today Howard's home still remains on the University's campus.


   The Harriet Tubman Quadrangle houses many Howard University female freshmen. The buildings are named after Prudence Crandall, Phillis Wheatley, Lucy Diggs Slowe, and Julia S. Caldwell-Frazier. Before the lecture I did not know that Crandall was a woman who opened a school for young ladies that welcomed girls of color in the 1830s'. Unfortunately the school was closed due to great controversy. It is women like Crandall who continuously inspire Howard students and especially Howard women to value education and the lengths that people had to go for us to receive an education today. 

   The Administration Building is named after the eloquent scribe Mordecai Johnson. He is well-known for being the 11th President of Howard University and more importantly the first African American one. Johnson was responsible for getting the college annual funding from congress.

     

   There are other buildings on Howard's campus that are named after profound scribes that I did not mention.  The one's that I did describe are only used to give a general idea of the history here on our campus. These historic scribes continue to motivate students with their great accomplishments. 

-Kaylynn Webb
   

Abandonment, Dismemberment and Reawakening; The History and Legacy of Howard

 

Dr. Dunston lead the lecture for the week with the central topic being genomes. A genome can be defined as a set of 23 chromosomes which are also used to operate the human body or can be defined as the gift of life. The session was a reinforcement of last week's session topic which was knowledge. Dr. Dunston showed how knowledge is embedded in each and every genome. Instead of knowledge being acquired it is something that is already within your genome. A major point that Dr. Dunston highlighted was that we as humans are extremely competitive. We fight each other constantly to get knowledge and information that we already have and are born with. It is up to us as the individual to figure out how we will unlock our own embedded knowledge. As she further explained students discovered that the genome is also a "record book" and legacy of human kind. Each and every body of people can be defined by their genome. The most vital key when discussing the genome record book is to fully comprehend that the Africans were the first and foundation of all other origins and their story. We cannot discuss European, Asian, or any other genome history without the African history.  

"There is nothing more powerful than a sense of purpose" says Dr. Dunston. Your genome has a unique sequence that defines your energy field. When a person walks in a room that has a strong presence their genome can be credited for giving off that type of energy field. We as humans need to be aware of the type of energy fields we give off and how we can positively use them to help us discover our purpose. Everyone has a divine purpose in life that they should strive to master. Howard University students are "On time, on point, and on purpose" says Dr. Dunston. Meaning we are a group of young intelligent people who mostly know our purpose or are striving to discover it and then execute it.  

Dr. Dunston overall was a very effective speaker. She presented a scientific topic such as genomes and taught how it was more than just scientific. The genome plays a large part in our every day lives and helps to define our divine purpose in life.

-Kaylynn Webb

Learning, Wisdom, and The African World Experience

Dr. Gregory Carr, Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Chair of the Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University, delivered the first lecture to the freshman seminar class on “Learning, Wisdom, and The African World Experience”; more specifically an Mbongi. Mbongi is a word in the Kikongo language which means “learning place”. The Mbongi is a place where people in a village come together to look for and find solutions to problems. In his presentation, Dr. Carr strived to make understood the connection between our ancestors and ourselves, by examining their contributions to global traditions and innovations in teaching and learning, the purpose and relevance of an Mbongi, as well as how these African foundations contribute to the intellectual work at Howard and the community. He discussed the misconceptions of the Africans. How they were believed to be intellectually inferior, and how these beliefs were slowly passed down through mis-education. Africans created writing, counting, sciences, art, spiritual systems, and formal teaching. They built pyramids, branched out to populate almost every continent on earth, and ruled Spain for nearly 800 years. These actions alone prove that Africans were highly intelligent beings. Dr. Carr also expressed the importance of studying the pass contributions of our ancestors in order to learn from their mistakes, observe their success, and apply what wisdom we have gained from their experiences to generate growth within ourselves. In other words, “se wo were fi na wosan kofa a, yenkyi”: there is nothing wrong with learning from hindsight! By the end of the lecture you started to see that even if you have never known Africa, you cannot deny how much it is apart of you. It’s through the developments of Africans, and their ancestors, and their ancestors after that, and so on and so forth, that you are who you are today.

Africa

Africa, my Africa

Africa of proud warriors in ancestral savannahs

Africa of whom my grandmother sings

On the banks of the distant river

I have never known you

But your blood flows in my veins

Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields

The blood of your sweat

The sweat of your work

The work of your slavery

Africa, tell me Africa

Is this you, this back that is bent

This back that breaks

Under the weight of humiliation

This back trembling with red scars

And saying yes to the whip under the midday sun

But a grave voice answers me

Impetuous child that tree, young and strong

That tree over there

Splendidly alone amidst white and faded flowers

That is your Africa springing up anew

Springing up patiently, obstinately

Whose fruit bit by bit acquires

The bitter taste of liberty.

David Diop

~ Al'Shondra ~