Never Forget Them

 

 Trayvon Martin. Mike Brown. Oscar Grant. Jordan Davis. Eric Garner. John Crawford. Ezell Ford. Tamir Rice. Sean Bell. Amadou Diallo. Rekia Boyd. Miriam Carey. Alesia Thomas. Melissa Williams. Kendra James. Johnathan Ferrell. Patrick Dorismond. Orlando Barlow. Ousmane Zongo. Timothy Stansbury. Ronald Madison. James Brissette. Aaron Campbell. Steve Eugene Washington. Ramarley Graham. Manuel Loggins Jr. Akia Gurley. Aiyanna Jones. Pearlie Golden. Tarika Wilson. Shantel Davis. Tyisha Miller. Heather Parker. Delores Epps. Robin Taneisha Williams. Erica Collins.

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Don't forget their names. Don't forget their stories. Don't forget how the justice system failed them. They were brought into this world to be loved but unfortunately they all suffered the injustice of being killed at the hands of people who were supposed to be protecting them. There is a problem in our society. In 2014 we are still questioning whether or not the lives of Black people matter. This is still something that people think it up for debate. Why are young black boys being put on trail and blamed for their own murders? Where is the justice? When will it end? Every life matters. They were sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, etc. Their lives meant something to someone. THEIR LIVES MATTERED. BLACK LIVES MATTER. We deserve the justice that our country forces school aged children to recite about every morning. With liberty and justice for all? Who is included in the "all"? What does that justice look like for Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin or the other names on this list and the names that are missing? How long will we have to wait for an answer? Enough is enough. Don't ask people why they're angry. Get angry with them. The situation at hand is not okay and we should refuse to be silent about it. 

Your life matters. Each and every day, your life matters. You should not be afraid of the world around you. We will stand together and stay angry until change happens. 

Also, if you do have strong feelings about these recent events, know that your feelings are valid. Know that it's okay to feel the way you do. Whether you're sad, angry, upset, depressed, etc.--you're allowed to have those feelings and you're probably not the only one feeling the way you do. You're not alone in this and you are loved.   

Black Excellence Month: Day 2

Ruby Bridges
1954 - 
Activist. Civil Rights Leader. 

At six years old, she made history by being the first black student to go to an all white school in the South. Her bravery inspires us to keep moving forward through negativity. Her story reminds us that our access to education is something that we should always value.

"I believe that history should be taught in a different way. History definitely should be taught the way it happened—good, bad or ugly. History is sacred. For me history is a foundation and the truth."

-Ruby Bridges

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Recommended Reading: 
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•  Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
•  Ruby Goes to School by Ruby Bridges
•  Fifty Years of Segregation 
• Brown V. Board of Education Decision
• First Step Taken to Ending Segregation
• The Story of Ruby Bridges by Ruby Bridges
•  In a Class of Only One by Toby Mac and Michael Tait
• A Class of One 

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Recommended Watching:
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•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R2P-6j_5h4 
•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzuS8CI-sSI
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecBORXfap9A
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CgTYGI2mi8
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKyQV0-z6HE
• Disney’s Ruby Bridges (1998)

Black Excellence Month: Day 1

Audre Lorde

Black Feminist Visionary Warrior Lesbian Poet 
1934 - 1992

 

 "I am a Black Feminist. I mean I recognize that my power as well as my primary oppressions come as a result of my blackness as well as my womaness, and therefore my struggles on both of these fronts are inseparable."

 -Audre Lorde

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Recommended Reading:

•  Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde
• Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
• Uses Of The Erotic: The Erotic As Power by Audre Lorde
• The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde
• Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde by Alexis De Veaux
•  Indo-Caribbean Feminisms and Heteronormativity http://sta.uwi.edu/crgs/march2013/journals/Pragg.pdf
•  Conversations with Audre Lorde by Joan Wylie Hall
• The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House

I read Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of My Name last year on a train ride from New York to Florida. It holds a special place in my heart. Her writing is so beautiful and touching. I feel so grateful to get a glimpse into her younger life. I felt a great connection to her in this book. It reminds me that I come from greatness and of the unique struggles of the women who lived before me for I would not be who I am today if it were not for them. It left me completely inspired.

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Recommended Watching:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eMvnxxFhbM
•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_KYZkRY9pA 
•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HBD4VRqnh4
•  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diHzbQNyO2k

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Links:

• ·      http://alp.org/
• ·      http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/audre-lorde

 

Coalition End Rape Culture

In 2012, I participate in the Coalition to End Rape Culture. I'm glad to have participated in this great event. This was put on by the Students for a Democratic society and after attending this event, I went made sure I could help out in any way possible. I got everyone I knew to sign the petition. This whole movement that they started was meant to raise awareness of the reality of sexual assault and violence on college campuses. The goal is to educate people on rape culture and it's detrimental impact on our society. Basically, rape culture is a system of ideas, beliefs, language, and behavior that create excuses for rapists and make them think that sexual assault is okay. I'm sure we all know that this is NOT OKAY.
While I considered myself already knowledgeable on this topic, I learned two very important things.

• You can be both a victim and a survivor of sexual assault. You don't have to pick one or the other
• Rape culture is the belief that victims of sexual assault not including rape are not important and that their stories don't matter. This is NOT true. 

This movement is still going on and I'm excited to be helping out. We need to do anything we can to end rape culture. I'll keep you updated on how things go next semester!