Convocation

Convocation was an interesting experience, it allowed me to see what our role as a University was, and is. It  put into perspective the role as a predominately and historically black college and the standard we must live up to. Being this type of university puts us in a the position of being an example for all the generations to come after us. It also sets us apart from the rest as the exceptional. The way that Lomax said it, "Great Colleges must not be complacent". Its just as I said in y previous post, as HOward students we must take the initiative and fight for what we believe will better this school no matter how small the change may be. We "must welcome the struggle to become stronger".
Thomas Obisesan

Howard University Opening Convocation, One Hundred and Forty- Four Years

This year’s opening convocation was an exciting even that left me with high expectations for the next four years here at “The Mecca” Howard University. Dr. Michael Lomax, president and chief executive officer of United Negro College Fund, delivered an exceptional keynote address as this year’s convocation. As the convocation orator of 144^th convocation ceremony Dr. Lomax gave an inspiring and thought provoking speech to an auditorium filled with eager bright minds both young and old.

In his inspiring speech Dr. Lomax emphasized the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the United States. He made it a point that HBCU’s are crucial to producing African Americans that will contribute great things to our society. It has actually been proven according to Dr. Lomax that HBCU’s as far as African Americans getting degrees students at HBCU’s outperform majority of other institutions. At historically black colleges students perseverance are greater than that of those at other schools that they are more likely to continue on towards attaining a higher degree or work in more challenging fields of study. He stressed that historically black colleges and universities not only provide a great education but they hold a legacy that only students at HBCU’s can understand. This is an experience like no other, the culture at these prestigious institutions of higher learning are beyond amazing in every way. HBCU’s were established to give the black community an opportunity, if not an equal opportunity as that of other races towards an education. Through HBCU’s students have learned to embrace their culture rather than hide from it, they have learned a greater appreciation.

However like Dr. Lomax reiterated numerous times throughout his speech “great colleges must not be complacent.” As students of Howard University and of an HBCU it is our duty to not become satisfied with what we have and how far we have come but to continue to strive for greatness. We owe it to ourselves and others that have come before us and that will come after us to continue our legacy in any way that we can. Whether it be by upgrading our resources such as textbooks and equipments. It is our job as students of such a historical school to not only preserve the history of Howard University to take care of our “home”. There is no reason that such an astounding university should have so many flaws.

As a whole we need to do better. As HBCU’s we must work together to make sure that we all attain the greatness which our institutions were created for. As students we must work both in the classroom and outside the classroom as well as every aspect of life. We must take every opportunity given to us and strive for nothing but the best.

Segregation

This Thursday lecture by Dr. Wright covered the topic of racial segregation in the United States. Racial segregation was the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life activities. I found this week’s lecture particularly interesting because Dr. Wright not only provided us with the hard facts about segregation that occurred earlier on but he also gave his own personals stories of his encounter with slavery. He also tied in segregation with Howard University’s history in the 1960’s and our lives here as students at Howard University today.

A point that Dr. Wright made that raised an eyebrow with me was that Washington, D.C is a city with one of the highest rates of uneducated young blacks in the United States. This really concerns me that in a community with the most prestigious HBCU's, students of the younger generations are struggling in school. Dr. Wright brought it to our attention that we are not only students of this university to better our selves but better our community. It is our duty to help our young “brothers” and “sisters” and make sure that they learn and ultimately succeed in which ever field they plan to study.

Another point discussed by Dr. Wright that drew my attention and that of the whole auditorium from the responses that I saw from the other students as I looked around was the idea of the university “purging students”. For weeks now the University has made it clear they will purge students who are not financially validated on Monday, September 26^, 2011. To be honest I didn’t really think much of the word “purge” and I did not know the definition of the word until it was brought to my attention on Thursday by Dr. Wright. He told us that purge means “to get rid of something undesirable or unclean” and after hearing that I was somewhat disgusted by Howard University. At such a prestigious university that students give so much back to it is appalling to know that Howard University would describe their students in such a manner and this is all because a student may not be financially able to receive an education here.

“Nobody can restrict your life without your permission” was one of the many inspirational quotes stated by Dr. Wright. This quote was so inspiring to me that I felt the need to share it with others and I posted it as a status on my facebook page. It is important for people to know, especially African Americans that we are capable of doing anything and that no one can stop us. If we are restricted from doing something it is not at the fault of anyone but ourselves. With hard work and dedication we must move forth in life jumping over the hurdles of the obstacles that we are destined to encounter along the way. Dr. Wright further instilled this reality in my head.

All in all I rated this lecture an 8 on a scale of 1-10. This lecture was interesting and valuable to me and others. The only reason I did not give Dr. Wright’s lecture and 9 or 10 because I feel like he should have had a power point presentation as we listened to him speak. As a person who is more of a visual learner than one that can listen and attain information I feel like a presentation could have been more effective. Overall I believe his thoughts and ideas got through to the students as intended and as usual I look forward to what next week’s lecture has in store.

Purging Howard

I know he the lecturer of this week spoke about many things of significance, but the one that resonated with me the most was the one that concerns the whole of Howard, the purger of students from the system. This concerns me not because of the treatment, however uncouth it is, but because of how the students are responding to  it, or lack thereof. Everyone seems to be just accepting the system, and the unfair and un justified way Howard is treating their students. I understand it is the Howard administration, but their behavior on this particular issue is wrong.
    As for the rest of his lecture, I thought it every issue he adressed was very true, especially about students using their knowledge and resources to take the initiative. I have seen alot at Howard in my time that I have been here, I have seen students put up with subpar teachers, food, and housing. You hear the same complaints everyday, like clock work, yet no one makes any moves to initiate change. Why? I have no idea, yet I do know one thing, it has to change or nothing around us will change. Simple point Howard can be better, even if it was already good, it could still be better, but as a college and a people we still have a long way to go.
Thomas Obisesan

Segregation

Summary:

In Thursday's lecture, segregation was a big topic. Dr. Wright discussed his experience with segregation along with his early experience at Howard University in 1961. As a child, Wright was brought up in a home with a background of commitment and confidence. Dr. Wright introduced us to what Howard as like in 60's. Howard was considered a 'boogie' institution, very conservative middle class that was not engaged in Political life like it was supposed to be. He also described that shortly after segregation; there was a lack in education in the young black community. Washington D.C has one of the highest rates of uneducated young African Americans in the country. Dr. Wright made us think about how we, as Howard Students, could help these young people out so that the rate can increase the education of Washington young black locals. In class, the word ‘purge’ was also discussed. The word 'PURGE' means to 'rid you of something undesirable or unclean'. The university uses this word to describe dismissing invalidated students, which I wouldn't say is an appropriate word for this activity.

Reflection:

I thought the lecture was beneficial in different ways, but there were ways that could have been a little different to better my learning experience. There was not a power point or visual aid offered, therefore it was more of just a listening experience. This benefitted learners who better learn while listening, but was less beneficial to visual learners as myself. Other than this minor setback, Dr. Wright had many amazing points that were addressed in class. One included his theory of the entire upcoming 'Purging' of students. Wright was on the student's side, trying to get students in this situation to stand out and let their voices be heard, and also demand an emergency meeting with the President. The lecture was powerful and instilled three quotes in me, "Nobody can restrict your life without your permission", "Nobody can abuse you without your cooperation", and his motto and my favorite, “if it is to be, it is up to be”. These quotes stayed with me.

- Alexis Jackson

Abandoment and Dismemberment

Abandoment and Dismemberment

Unfortunatly I did not enjoy this week’s Freshman Seminar class as I have previous weeks. This week’s lecture by Dr. Mario Beatty was not great to me at all, and to be honest I found myself drifting off here and there. I did not really understand the concept of the lecture or how they related to the previous lectures by the other speakers. Although I did not particularly like the lecture, or should I say the way Dr. Beatty approached teaching the lecture I did learn many key concepts.

In Thursday’s class we learned about dismemberment, an African term for the “middle passage” the beginning of the African Dispora. During dismemberment between 1492-1776 Africans were taken away from their homeland and forced into slavery. While brought to this New World, which Africans consisted of 83% of, Africans were forced to let go of some of their culture to adapt to their new surroundings. They desperately tried to hold on their culture but eventually lost some of what meant most to them. The European and African culture eventually combined with the European traditions holding more credit than that of the Africans.

Another key point that Dr. Beatty made was that Africans actually contributed a lot to the New World. Growing up in an African American Baptist church I have been very well educated on the advancements our ancestors but I felt this was very interesting. Too often Africans, or ancestors, are not credited towards the knowledge and science and technology they shared. Africans were able to use nature around them to cure the ill while carpenters and blacksmiths made fiddles and drums. While the Europeans were not educated in the field of agriculture the Africans were able to pass their knowledge of growing crops to the white people in order for them to produce and make profits. Africans have had a significant impact on our society today in more ways than one. Through our ancestors passing down their culture with younger generations they are the roots behind our medicine, music, agriculture, science, technology and much more.

The topic of Social Structure was also an interesting concept. Social Structure, as defined by the power point is the creation and modeling of family patterns, social and political culture, roles, traditions and rituals. There has always been the prominent role of a mother, minister or our ancestors from the very beginning. Although this role may vary in different religions and cultures every family or group in society for that matter has a social structure.

As stated before I believe that Dr. Mario Beatty could have been more engaging towards the audience but never the less I did learn a great deal. I hope next weeks lecture will be a little bit more interesting however just as informative, if not more as this one was.

Abandonment and Dismemberment

Summary:

Thursday's lecture hit numerous concepts and key points. The lecture was titled 'Abandonment and Dismemberment'. Not knowing what Dismemberment meant, I was utterly confused on what we were going to cover in class. Soon, I was taught that Dismemberment was an African term for 'middle passage' which was the making of the African Diaspora in the Americas. It was said that between the time period of 1492 and 1776, there were about six and a half million people in the New World; 5 out of 6 being African. This opened my eyes to what exactly Dismemberment was. We also cover a topic of Social Structure. This is the creation and modeling of family patterns, social and political culture, roles, traditions, and rituals, i.e. the prominent role of mother, king/ chief/ minister, sage, elders, ancestors, priests, diviners, and blacksmiths. I think that everyone could relate to this because we all have traditions, rituals and religious beliefs within our families. One last concept that I want to share is the NY African Burial Ground. I found this cemetery to be so interesting. The African Burial Ground was discovered October 1991 and it is earliest and largest African cemetery in North America. This burial consists of Africans who lived from the 1600's to 1794 and has 408 excavated remains.

Reflection:

Overall I thought the lecture was phenomenal. At least one of the three ways scholars tend to explain African dismemberment is historical narratives of loss and emptiness. This means "knowledge acquired by investigation" and "the study of the human past" of loss and emptiness. Dr. Beatty asked, if we were empty, what would be filling ourselves up with? My answer was faith. With faith and hope, I have no doubt that I will be okay. There was an excerpt in the lecture about Self Governance. I didn’t know what a maroon society was until it was brought up in the lecture. A proper definition would be "peoples of the African Diaspora who escaped from enslavement and lived independently of plantation societies in the Americas." I gather that there were quite a few of these throughout the world such as in Brazil, Jamaica, and the U.S. I am from Florida and apparently there was one there as well. I thought that was quite interesting. As far as the lecture itself, Dr. Beatty did a great job teaching the lecture, he was interactive with the audience and loud enough for everyone to hear. My learning experience was a fascinating one.

 'Ndyuka maroon women washing themselves, 1955'

Resources:
         Discipline. "JSTOR: An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie." JSTOR: An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2011. http://www.jstor.org/pss/25616528.

"File:Maroon women with washing. Suriname River. 1955.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Maroon_women_with_washing._Suriname_River._1955.jpg>. 

"Google." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2011. <http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=historical+narrative&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa
=X&ei=NTZ2TpKdJIPv0gGdz6SvDQ&ved=0CCIQkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.
&fp=801fedc005a36936&biw=1311&bih=616>.

How could I have not known

This freshman seminar was particularly interesting, especially because I am Yoruba. It was interesting to me because I learned some things about Nigerian culture that I was perviously ignorant to. It was cool to have some one from my own culture come in to present. The concept that he spoke of in his lecture made me think my role in school and in life are. Omoluabi, a person who uses his or her knowledge for the good of others with a lack of concern of the personal sacrifices that it entails. I aspire to be that person, to do things with the knowledge that I gained here at Howard. It is a concept that encompasses the way knowledge should utilized, and what we should be doing here at Howard. It carries a message made for everybody in the pursuit of knowledge and acquisition of the elusive wisdom. It was the most integral part of the lecture for me. I also am interested in the research question, the advancement and transformation of knowledge, and the processes of such an undertaking. It seems as though in our society it is as common as a discarded penny, information evolves, changes, and is perpetuated everyday wether its wrong or right. I am interested in this question because it makes me think of all the ways I advance and transform information.
Thomas Obisesan

Omoluabi: Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility

Thursday, September 8, 2011 lecture focused on “Omoluabi: Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility”. Dr. Segun Gbadegesin, the speaker of this lectures main focus was to explain to us how important it is for Africans as well as African Americans and Blacks to know our roots, where we came from and how we started out as people. Dr. Gbadegesin began the lecture explain to us what the African word “Ijuba”, meaning to pay homage to, is about and how it relates to the African culture and impacts our lives as well. It is important for us to pay homage to our ancestors and those who came before us because without them we would not be who we are today. They paved the way for us to have this life that we have now. Dr. Segun Gbadegesin continued by speaking about Omoluabi, defined as “a child begotten of the chief (or source) of Iwa”. It also means a person of character, disciplined, and self improving, thus earning the respect of peers and community on account of practical wisdom, putting knowledge acquired through education to the service of the community, and not shying away from personal sacrifices when needed.

Dr. Segun Gbadegesin really captured my attention when he began to speak about the second topic, human condition. It is important for us as people to acknowledge the human condition whether it is social, cultural, moral, economic, political, metaphysical, spiritual, scientific or technological. People must understand that human conditions exist in our society in different shapes and sizes and lead back to why so many African Americans are struggling in our society and not living up to their full attention.

It came to my attention during this lecture that many people do not think that Africans have any type of history or philosophy and I was baffled but still at the same time not surprised. Growing up in an African American church it was drilled into my head from an early age that Africa IS our history. Just as Dr. Carr explained in the last class our history as African Americans is not all about slavery. Our history consists of so much more than that including education and religion. As Dr. Gbadegesin explained religion actually began in Africa. I actually did not know this and this is the new concept that I took out of this lesson. He spoke about the Gods that came before the well known prophets and how they relate to modern day religion, it was astonishing.

All though I did take a lot out of this week’s lecture I did not enjoy it as much as the previous two classes. I do believe that Dr. Gbadegesin was affective in teaching us a new way of thinking while also teaching us new concepts however I feel like if he could have been more engaging and that would have made it more beneficial. However, I did like how this week’s lecture coincided with last week’s lecture with Dr. Carr and we can see the relationship between the two topics. Although I did not find this week’s lecture quite as entertaining as the last overall it was a good class. I learned quite a bit, which is the whole point of this class, to gain knowledge that I can pass on to future generations.

Omoluabi: Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility

Summary:

Thursday's lecture was focused and directed towards the aspect of Omoluabi, what it is and what it means. Omoluabi simply means a child begotten of the chief (or source) of Iwa. Also meaning a person of character, disciplined, and self-improving, thus earning the respect of peers and community on account of practical wisdom, putting knowledge acquired through education to the service of the community, and not shying away from personal sacrifices when needed. We were introduced to other new words, such as, Ijuba which means to pay homage (tribute) to the creator and the created. We also touched basis on The Philosopher in Kemet. Kemet is "the ancient Egyptian name of the country Egypt, which means "black land", referring to the fertile black soils of the Nile flood plains, distinct from the deshret or "red land" of the desert." A philosopher in Egypt or 'Kemet' is considered as the one “whose heart is informed about these things which would be otherwise ignored, the one who is clear-sighted when he (she) is deep into a problem, the one who is moderate in actions, who penetrates ancient writings, whose advice is (sought) to unravel complications, who is really wise, who instructed his (her) own heart, who stays awake at night (looking) for the right paths…who is wiser than the sage…..” A philosopher of such standard is apparently praised upon or some type of Ijuba. Another concept in which we discussed during lecture was Iwa. Iwa means existence/character and was the name of Orunmila's wife, a Yoruba God of Wisdom. It was taught in class, her story. She was mistreated by her husband Orunmila so she left him and he eventually lost everything.

Reflection:

A lot of information was gained from the lecture. Knowledge that I clearly was never taught. I thought the lecture was okay. I mean, I did accumulate new things, but I wish the lecture was given in a more entertaining way so that we weren't just given information directly and so straight forward, if that makes since. I guess because of Dr. Carr's presentation of last week’s lecture, I expected more from this lecture by comparing the two. On a different note, I did see a comparison between Dr. Carr's lecture and Dr. G. It does feel like a continuation from one lecture to the other because the concepts seem, or rather is related. I think I will see myself and my discipline to knowledge transform and extending to African traditions as I learn more and more each lecture. I want to end with a quote that was quoted in the lecture by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, "The purpose (of education) is to transmit from one generation to the next the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of the society, and to prepare the young people for their future membership of the society and their active participation in its maintenance or development”. This quote really projected to me. It will motivate me to spread the knowledge I have to others.

- Alexis Jackson

Sources: - “Egypt: Ancient History of African Philosophy” in Wiredu A Companion to African Philosophy, Blackwell, 2004, p. 35

- Neolithic, about 6000 BC a. "Egypt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt

Learning, Wisdom, and the African World Experience

Thursday night after Freshman Seminar my mother called me and asked me how was class and all I could say to her was “amazing”. As I sat there listening to Dr. Carr’s lecture I was so inspired by all of the captivating information he was sharing with the class about our people and our history. Throughout the whole week I heard rave reviews about this week’s lecture in freshman seminar from the previous classes but little did I know how much of an impact this lecture would have on my thought process.

Dr. Carr stated “Learning is the acquisition of knowledge. Wisdom is knowing what to do with the knowledge.” This quote is defiantly what stood out to me the most from is lecture and was so inspired by it that I felt the need to post it on my face book page as a status to share this piece of knowledge that I learned with my friends and family so that they too could take something from the lecture. A wise person is not determined by the amount of information that one learns. A wise man is one that goes beyond what they have learned by spreading this knowledge with others, by educating younger generations so that they too can become knowledgeable.

As the lecture continued Dr. Carr went more in the depth about learning and wisdom by introducing us to the concept of Mbongi, a think tank or common shelter. Mbongi embodying many traditional African functions is a place where everyone is allowed to speak with clarity and authority. It is a way for people to share their thoughts freely. Dr. Carr continued to explain to us that not only have we taken part in an Mbongi in this class, with the evaluation sheets that we filled out but we have experienced Mbongis in our daily lives both socially and academically. As a Howard student I am a part of a Mbongi because I work with other students to create an environment in which we can share our knowledge with others.

I was also greatly interested when Dr. Carr began to speak about education in the African American community. Education to me is one of the most crucial factors in life. To be successful one must receive an education. As stated by Dr. Carr “modern education is linked to the economy of the state” meaning the more education that you have the more successful one will be. Especially in today’s day and age a person’s degree is very important to getting a job, which is in high demand these days. Education is a gift in more ways than one and more African Americans or people in general need to realize that.

I’ve always been told my parents that I will never be handed anything and to get what I want I must work hard and make some sacrifices. Even though I’m away from home I can still hear my mother’s voice telling me “the early bird gets the worm”. Dr. Carr’s statement only enforced what my mother has been teaching me all along, he said “most of life is just about showing up”. It is not exactly what my mother has been drilling into my head but it defiantly is a spinoff of her teachings. Too often opportunities are missed out on because one does not show up. College is a place with so many opportunities but one most go out and get them. My lesson of that day was to take part in events, go to class, join an organization, just SHOW UP. Showing up is half the battle; you never know what opportunities are hiding behind a door.

Overall I think that this was a fantastic lecture. I have been raving about it all week to everyone that I have been in contact with that’s how amazing I thought it was. Not only did I learn so many new things I have also realized that maybe I should reevaluate some things in my life and make sure that I am on the right path towards a successful future. I look forward to next week’s lecture and hope that it will be as inspiring as this one.

Mbongi

The first freshman seminar lecture raised some interesting ideas. Mbongi, the African roots of the human race, and aspects of our culture. I thought Mbongi was the most interesting concept . It was the concept of a communal group, that focused on problems of the community. I thought it was an interesting because after the class I began to notice that we ourselves had Mbongi walking down the street, in the cafeteria, and even at the spot. We spoke about things that concerned us, and concerned our immediate community. Its cool that a word created many years ago still applies today.
Thus far I am actually enjoying the class, and I belive that there are things I can gain from it, we'll see.
Thomas Obisesan

the African World Experience: Mbongi

              Mbongi of students from Howard with children in

              Africa. This picture,I felt related most to me.

                              (found on powerpoint)

Summary:

Thursday's Lecture, Learning Wisdom and the African World Experience and Mbongi, really caught my attention. There were many key points discussed my Professor Carr that I myself had never knew. Before Thursday's, I had never once heard of what a Mbongi might have been. It was Thursday that I learned that a Mbongi was a "physical and intellectual space or common shelter" which constitutes many traditional African functions. It is basically a group of people close together that participate in a lot of things with each other and if you really think about it, everyone is involved in at least one group that would be considered an Mbongi. You can even form your own Mbongi's, for example a studying Mbongi, or an Mbongi formed with your floor mates in your dormitory. Thursday we also discussed a few African Mbongi terms that are often used. These terms included, 'Boko', meaning to break or cut, 'Yemba', which means to create a shelter in order to cover and protect, 'Lusanga', which means to mix or to put together, and 'Kioto', meaning to inhale. Learning these four words expanded my knowledge of the African language.

Reflection:
            

This was my first time hearing these points, so seeing myself as heirs to a tradition of African thinking made me feel like I could potentially contribute and be a part of this and it could really benefit me and my learning and wisdom. According to the lecture and PowerPoint, learning being 'the acquisition of knowledge', and wisdom is 'knowing what to do with knowledge'. These points really open my eyes and broadened my knowledge on the African culture, which is a part of my culture. Professor Carr related his lecture a lot of these concepts with today's society and things that we, the audience, can most definitely relate to. Dr. Carr was remarkably inspiring. There was a quote on the PowerPoint that stuck with me. It was "We must break out of the crypts in which our memory has been buried" [Ngugi, Something Torn and New, pp. 44-45. To me, this quote meant that we, as African Americans, should know our history, and if we don’t, we need to learn now.

- Signed.

Alexis Jackson