Sunday, April 22, 2012

East Austin - Then, Now, The Future

Just as the members of the East Austin community share in our video as it relates to the journey their neighborhood has been on, we too share in our own journey as members of this semester's African American Families class.  As we formed our groups, each of us joined as individuals with our own stories and perspectives to share.  As Jasmine pointed out in her blog, each of us in our committee were drawn to this project for different reasons, however each one of us was interested in raising awareness around the topic of gentrification in our target community.  This once close-knit community had slowly changed.  Our desire was to visit with both long-time residents and "newcomers" to learn more about their perspectives on the changes that had occurred over many years, and also the changes that are on the horizon.  In the midst of the semester and our work together, we shifted our focus a bit; not in the information we wanted to learn more about, but the audience we wanted to share it with.  Originally, we thought that we would create a video of collected interviews from people within the neighborhood and share it with the community at large to increase discussion about what is happening in their neighborhood.  As the project evolved, we knew that sharing our project with the community was important.  However, there is currently a group of very hardworking individuals that we feel do not accurately represent the face of East Austin.  It was at this point that our focus shifted and our video project became a message to this committee of the importance of inclusion within their group.  We are both excited and anxious to share with the class our work and look forward to additional voices to our message!

Friday, April 13, 2012

HIP-HOP: Beyond Beats and Rhymes


The overall message of HIP-HOP:  Beyond Beats and Rhymes takes a look at the representations of manhood, sexism, and homophobia in the hip-hop culture and describes the cultural and political environment in which the music is created, consumed, and commercialized.    The issues of women and violence in rap music, representations of manhood in hip-hop culture, what today’s rap lyrics reveal to their listeners and homoeroticism in hip-hop reveal the complex intersection of culture, gender, and business.  This video allowed for much class discussion around gender, race, and the community as it relates to hip-hop and stirred strong emotions amongst our group. 

The video addresses the need for improved media literacy.  Literacy no longer is exclusively necessary in written material.  As a result of technology and increased media, there are a variety of avenues for entertainment and education, many of which do not include reading, but instead involve viewing and listening through various media outlets.  Parents, educators, and other professionals should use this film and other similar resources to engage in the process of improved media literacy.  This idea is supported through the Watts article which speaks to an intervention designed to help young boys use critical thinking in examining the lyrics of hip hop. Expanded media literacy can also be used to discuss the additional area of concern related to African American girls’ sexual health.  Tools such as the video HIP-HOP:  Beyond Beats and Rhymes and the intervention discussed in the Watts article are what have been missing in this hotly debated topic.  With resources such as these, viewers (youth and adult) can better listen, understand, and respond.

Friday, April 6, 2012

THE BOYS OF BARAKA

Mural project Devon Brown participated in after his return from the Baraka School

This week I will focus my blog on the documentary film "The Boys of Baraka."  From a social work perspective, there were some things that very much concerned me about the way the news that the boys would not have the opportunity to continue at the school for a second year was presented.  Where were the options for alternatives to just returning them to their zone schools?  Where was the care and concern for what would happen to these young men if/when thrown back into their neighborhood environments long-term?  As social workers, we are trained through our education and required by the NASW (National Association of Social Workers) to uphold six ethical principles:  Service, Social Justice, Dignity and Worth of the Person, Importance of Human Relationships, Integrity, and Competence.

In my opinion, the following three ethical principles were not followed by The Baraka School's administration.  Are educators not held to a similar set of ethical principles?  Does this type of training occur as part of their education?  If not, why?

Value: Social Justice
Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge social injustice.
Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. Social workers’ social change efforts are focused primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice. These activities seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers strive to ensure access to needed information, services, and resources; equality of opportunity; and meaningful participation in decision making for all people.

Value: Dignity and Worth of the Person
Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person.
Social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers promote clients’ socially responsible self­-determination. Social workers seek to enhance clients’ capacity and opportunity to change and to address their own needs. Social workers are cognizant of their dual responsibility to clients and to the broader society. They seek to resolve conflicts between clients’ interests and the broader society’s interests in a socially responsible manner consistent with the values, ethical principles, and ethical standards of the profession.

Value: Importance of Human Relationships
Ethical Principle: Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships.
Social workers understand that relationships between and among people are an important vehicle for change. Social workers engage people as partners in the helping process. Social workers seek to strengthen relationships among people in a purposeful effort to promote, restore, maintain, and enhance the well­-being of individuals, families, social groups, organizations, and communities.

I have posted a link below to a Point of View Discussion Guide based around "The Boys of Baraka" documentary.  It was created to use as an outreach tool for giving interested groups the opportunity for discussion about school improvement and educational policy.  The Discussion Prompts raise excellent questions to consider.

LINKS

Link to the Point of View Discussion Guide I discussed in my blog: http://www.pbs.org/pov/film-files/pov_boysofbaraka_guide_action_discussion_file_0.pdf

Link to the article from Washington, D.C.'s Capital Community News in which it shares the story of the mural that Devon Brown helped create:  http://www.hillrag.com/CCN_Website09/publicationhtml/papers/EOR/0110/Ward7Metamorphosis.html

Link to an article from the PR Newswire website in which Bill Cosby encourages action through National School Choice Weekhttp://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bill-cosby-urges-parents-to-get-involved-in-childrens-education-encourages-participation-in-national-school-choice-week-114275819.html








Friday, March 30, 2012

Friends for a lifetime...and not just at school or work


From our party this past weekend.  My daughter Cailin and her longtime friend Courtney (and not just at school).
  As we visited around the topic of the struggles with racial identity in our small group on Thursday, there was much discussion about the influence of family on shaping one’s identity and how school experiences also played a part.  The article this week focuses around experiences of black youth as it relates to racial identity and socialization.  However, as one member of our small group shared her experiences, it became evident that some of the things experienced by “Janice” (a black youth in a white school) are also experienced in the adult working world.  While Janice made friends with some of her white classmates, she always felt their acceptance of her was limited.  She explains, “I was friends with them at school, and that’s where it stopped.”  Our group member shared almost word-for-word this same feeling when she expressed similar situations with her white co-workers, “We’re friends at work and everyone gets along great.  However, I’ve never been invited to their home, their weddings, or parties.”  Quite honestly, I was shocked and discouraged to hear of this and personally just do not understand it.  I had a party at my home this past weekend full of friends and family.  Until our discussion on Thursday, I didn’t even stop to think that some of my friends (who I also consider as close as family) that were in attendance also happened to be black.  As I have continued to contemplate on this, it has taken me back to other events even as far back as childhood birthday parties, parties my parents had at my childhood home, my weddings (first and second), my children’s special events and throughout the years there has always been a diverse group of people in attendance.  Reading these articles and participating in the very vulnerable and honest discussions we have in class continue to open my eyes to things that I thought were struggles well in the past.  I just want to share that am very thankful for the learning experience this semester in African American Families continues to give me!

My daughter and her fiance visiting with our friend Sharlamar (who used to be a co-worker of mine).