First MLE – MLK Day of Service

Two weeks ago, I attended my first Multicultural Learning Experience. I participated in a day of service by volunteering in honor of MLK Day. I also attended a ceremony after where different organizations representing different cultures gave a variety of performances. I took a lot away from this experience, more than I expected to and I am so happy I decided to volunteer.

This event started off at the HUB. As soon as I arrived we were told to pick a place to volunteer. I originally wanted to work with children, but it was full. Another option was to go to Nittany Valley Montessori School. I never heard of this place before so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I was kind of sad because i wasn’t going to get the opportunity to work with kids. However, I ended up having an amazing time with the people I worked with and at the place we went to.

When we got to Montessori I realized that it was a children’s nursery. I was happy because although kids were not there, it was still nice to work in a children’s environment. After greeting some of the women who worked there, we were told we would be working outside. At first, my group and I were a little skeptical because we were told by volunteer leaders that the program stopped allowing work to be done outside because of the cold weather. However, it wasn’t that cold outside at all and we all had gloves so we chose to be optimistic about the situation and give it our all.

We ended up cleaning out a garden, racking out the leaves, dead plants and tomatoes. We also broke down cardboard boxes and moved some old furniture to the garage to put in storage for the winter. Although these seemed like small, miscellaneous tasks (except for the racking out leaves, that was hard labor lol), I couldn’t stop thinking about how much time and energy we were saving somebody else by doing it for them. That thought alone comforted me so much and brought me to a place where I realized the dream MLK really had, for us to help each other.

                                                                               

 

I always though MLK’s dream was for the black and white race to live together as one, in peace. Yes, this was his dream but this day of volunteering helped me realize it was so much more than that. MLK wanted us to help each other, serve each other, and genuinely be here for each other. This day, we were there for strangers who needed help and that’s all that mattered in this moment.

After volunteering, the women at the school couldn’t stop thanking us for what we did. However, I wanted to say thank you to them. For teaching me the value in helping people and for the warmth that was brought to my heart knowing I did something for someone else that I would have wanted to be done for me. That feeling was priceless, and I think that’s what life is really about- helping people.

Not only did I love volunteering, but it was a great meeting new people. I volunteered with three other women, much less people than the other groups, so it was much more intimate and a great bonding experience.

After a day of volunteering, we went back to the HUB to eat and watch some performances. We also listened a motivational speaker who talked about the importance of helping people, not just one day of services but whenever we have the chance to.

I definitely plan to make volunteering a big part of my life and I’m looking forward to helping people not just by volunteering, but every day I am granted the opportunity to. 🙂

 

 

Reflection on Bell Hooks “Cultural criticism and transformation”

After watching Bell Hooks’ “Cultural criticism and transformation,” and reading chapters 3 and 4, I gained a heightened sense of the role that the media plays in the things that we are aware, the stereotypes we believe and how we interact based on our beliefs. I am realizing more and more the critical role the media plays in how we perceive people. Bell Hooks made some very interesting points about our culture and the direction it is taking in regards to the reproducing of negative stereotypes.

One of the first things that Bell Hooks mentioned that left an impression on me was the role that the mass media played to bring women back into traditional gender roles following World War II. This was HUGE for me. It really made me open my eyes…literally. I realized how significant and powerful the media can be in shaping our lives, whether individually or collectively. In this case, it happened to be collectively among women who finally began to reinvent themselves as being more than capable of staying in the house. In this case, as in many other examples Hooks pointed out, the mass media was used as a form of oppression towards women. During a time where one of the most powerful movements were taking place to remind people that women were more than sexual objects, mass media was working to show that women were made to cook, clean and cater to men. Mass media showed violence and oppression taking place against women in movies. This reinforced the idea that women were weak and put themselves in positions for violence to be taken against them easily. Being a woman myself, I find this to be offensive, disgusting and disheartening. Displaying women as sexual objects that can be taken advantage of easily is an extremely false idea. During this time, the media should have covered the movement that was taken place that would forever change the way America viewed women.

                                                             

One thing I loved that Bell Hooks mentioned was that we need to become “enlightened witness.” In other words, we need to become critically vigilant about the world we live in. She mentioned that the movies, TV shows and literature that we are taking in are all consciously produced by someone. Of course, every movie and tv show has a director, producer and writers, just as literature has authors and publishers. However, it actually clicked to me that these same people are consciously making the decision as to whether they would like to reinforce a stereotype. These people are making the deliberate decisions to reinforce and set stereotypes, some of which do not even know why.

This relates to some of the theories discussed in chapters 3 and 4. I agree with the idea that suggests that the media select and emphasize certain aspects of issues in ways that promote a particular interpretation. Although this is said to be one of the most controversial theories of media effects, I believe this to be absolutely true. As Bell Hooks says, media or figures in the media reproduce ideas that remain stagnant to its audience. For example, in the case of OJ Simpson, the media developed the idea that black men in general are violent and sexist. I do not believe this one event should dictate the demeanor of all black men. I have a father and a brother who I would never describe as violent or sexist.

Another thing mentioned by Hooks that made me re-evaluate some preconceived thoughts was the idea of white culture being made as “wonder bread” and black culture as “edgy” and “exotic.” I used to think it was a compliment to be called exotic, especially in today’s culture where looking foreign and exotic is said to be one of the best things you can be. However, after hearing Bell Hooks speak about the ways in which black women are exploited and portrayed through rap music videos, I had to re-evaluate my thoughts. Being called exotic is not a compliment. This idea of “exoticness” only adds the idea of white culture being conservative and appropriate. It was uncomfortable to watch black woman being exploited as sex objects, and even more disturbing to see know that this has been going on for decades. What is the most disheartening though, is that I am finally waking up. Although the chains are off, we are still in slavery.

                                                                  

Another thing we discussed in class was whiteness. I really enjoyed our discussion on whiteness, because I genuinely felt like I learned so much. I gained a lot of clarity from the information the group shared and from some of the comments my classmates made. I was so happy that one of my classmates, Anna, asked about cultural appropriation. I thought I knew all their was to know about cultural appropriation. However, it wasn’t until hearing my peers discuss this term and share their thoughts about it, did have a greater sense of how cultural appropriation presents itself in our society.

I learned that cultural appropriation is not okay. It is not okay because you are taking qualities and characteristics of another person’s culture and making it your own. Qualities that a certain “race” is known for is being taken and reinvented in a way that fits into another “race’s” culture, but not in a cool way (lol). For example, in the 2012 Victoria Secret fashion show, model Karlie Kloss and Victoria’s Secret received a lot of backlash because of a Native American style headdress worn by Karlie. Many took offense to this. Before, I personally didn’t see much wrong with it. I could see why others would be offended, but I didn’t think it was a big deal. After today’s discussion, I see why it is a big deal, especially in this specific case. In Native American culture such extravagant head pieces are worn by chiefs who earned it. In this case, it being a fashion show, just throwing this piece on for beauty and entertainment is definitely not appropiate.

Overall, the biggest lesson I took from this lesson was that each culture should be appreciated not appropriated. We are all one human race, but we also have our differences that make us unique and help us to admire one another. Culture should be valued and one group of people should never have to feel like their culture isn’t being valued by another, because it is being appropriated.

 

Tim Wise & White Privilege

Watching Tim Wise speak on the subject of white privilege, racism, white denial and the cost of inequality, was both enlightening and informative. I love how he uses his privilege of being an upper-class white man as a platform to enlighten and inform others about the injustices that colored people face on a daily basis, that others are either oblivious to or deny. Although I have heard Tim Wise speak about the significance of racial injustice at a previous engagement, I did not quite grasp the concept of what he was trying to say. After watching this YouTube video, I was educated and apprised about the social injustices that take place in the country where I live, solely due to race. I believe the amount of media coverage being devoted to stories of black people being killed by authoritative figures attributes a lot to my enlightenment. Although I am more aware of injustice that takes place in the United States because of race and stereotypes based on race, I was not very aware of White privilege and the significance it has on the advancement of these injustices. Tim Wise made it clear what White privilege is in America and the role it plays in institutionalized injustice. One thing Tim Wise said when he first began his speech was that black men are more likely to be stopped by the cops then white men, although white men are more likely to possess drugs. I admire that when he spoke of white men, he did not use the word “them” but rather “us” and “we.” I think this emphasized the exact point of his speech- to make those who are white realize that they are privileged. It was an eye opener to hear about the injustices that take place in African-American communities and neighborhoods. Tim Wise spoke about how there is more toxicity in black communities then there are in white communities. He also spoke of one million black people being killed due to violence, but no one being aware of that because the media gives attention to what is being done to or by white people instead. This made me realize the affect that the media has on what we think about and are made aware of. We are blind to these things because of the racial injustice system we live in that has been being built for years in America. I love how Tim spoke gave examples of how the denial of white privilege has been taking place for years, even before major “advancements” in the political system took place, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. He stated that in 1962, 80% of white folks said racial minorities are treated equally in their communities. This puzzled me because blacks were not even allowed to vote! 90% of whites also said that black children receive equal education opportunities, yet schools were still segregated. The denial of white privilege that has been taking place in America has been passed on through generations the same way that white privilege itself has.

Another thing Tim Wise spoke about was that stuck with me was the fact that it is a duty for us to know about “white stuff.” The example he used was that we do not identify things derived from white people as “white” stuff. For example, we do not say “white literature, theatre, literature, drama or history.” On the contrary, we do say “black literature, culture and history.” I never noticed this before this speech brought it to my attention. I noticed we have classes named African American history and culture. We also have black history month. Being white is the norm, and white things are the things in which everyone else’s is compared. We do not have to name something that is white. It is the norm. This was very eye opening.

I also loved how Tim Wise made it clear that the injustices that take place against people of color derive from an institutionalized justice system where racism, white privilege and the denial of racism is imbedded. He mentions that anyone who isn’t a straight, upper-class white man knows stuff doesn’t just happen…stuff gets done. I completely agree with this statement. Anyone who is not white, straight and wealthy knows the struggle of living in a country that oppresses anything that is not the norm.  We know how it feels to have to fight, defend and keep your position, whether it be in school, the office or everyday life.

I have experienced this myself. I have felt like I have had to defend not myself, but my race. I have felt like I have had to overcompensate in classes and organizations because I have to prove that blacks are intelligent, powerful and intuitive human beings. We are worried for the sake of our race so we work harder to prove ourselves, not only for us, but for generations to come.

Overall, as Tim Wise says, our country is one that tells us to take advantage of our advantages. The country that I live in is one where white privilege and white denial is existent and feeds to the profession of racism that affects the country politically, socially and economically. Inequality is something that is even more serious than I thought. It may seem like we have made enough progress as a country to take a break, but we have a lot of progress to make. At times, if I am honest, I feel like I cannot help being one person, especially of a “minority.” However, I remember who I am fighting for, the generations after me, and most importantly- those before me.