Blog Post 2- Analysis

Something that I got out of all our discussions in class and in reading was the concept of freedom. How freedom is something that we take advantage of everyday and don’t really think twice about. For people like Bhutto, Fredrick Douglass, Mandela, MLK, among so many others, freedom is something they thought about long and hard. All these leaders had to fight for their rights one way or another, and it wasn’t an easy fight. I was born into a nation that already has freedom for all as their number 1 priority, except it wasn’t always like that. Hearing the stories of all these powerful activists opened my eyes to think about where we once were as a society, and that things haven’t always been this easy.

For example, with Bhutto, she felt as though the West, which is where we live, doesn’t believe that Islamic nations and democracy go along hand-in-hand. As an Islamic woman, this was especially thought provoking because I know that our religion and our beliefs will not stop them from co-existing equally under a democracy. “... Islam is clearly not only tolerant of other religions and cultures but internally tolerant of dissent. Allah tells us over and over again, through the Quran, that he created people of different views and perspectives to see the world in different ways and that diversity is good.” (Bhutto 185). She claims that extremists in Muslim countries have created the bad image of Muslims that the West thinks about, but that isn’t who they really are. Bhutto thinks that real Muslim belief is that we as a people were sent here to live amongst one another and learn from one another, and that’s why power to the people is so important. Because we shouldn’t take away anyone’s God-given right of voice, and we shouldn’t ignore why Muslim countries deserve the rights that the West brags about.

Another thing is even within our own country, we didn’t always give everyone who lived here the same advantages as everyone else. In the story of Douglass, he was a slave here in the U.S., where we claim our main priority is freedom. We need to look back in time to realize that that has not always been the case. Douglass was denied very basic human rights, even the right to learn. He couldn’t read or write, and if he was caught doing so, he'd be punished. This is something else that we take advantage of as well: the fact that we are able to obtain an education. Education is such a beautiful thing that we don’t really think twice about, but to people like Douglass, it was all they could ever think about. When Douglass was finally able to get his hands on some reading material and eventually teach himself how to read, he said that “They gave me tongue to interesting thoughts of my own soul, which had frequently flashed through my mind, and died away for want of utterance... What I got from Sheridan was a bold denunciation of slavery; and a powerful vindication of human rights.” (Douglass 334). A powerful message that I took from this quotation was that he learned about his basic human rights when reading this is that not only did reading open up Douglass’s mind, but it also connected him with his current situation. That slavery was an invasion of human rights, and it’s so shocking to me that if he didn’t learn how to read, he wouldn’t have known the extent of the situation he, among many others of his race, were in.

This ties in with MLK as well. King stood up for what he believed in, and that was freedom and justice for people of color in America. “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The urge for freedom will eventually come.” (MLK Letter 4). Stories like MLK’s and Bhutto’s and Mandela and Douglass all have one thing in common: freedom for them and their people wasn’t an option until they made it one. Even though this isn’t a direct discussion we held, it’s something that just came as a shock to me when hearing the stories of these great figures.

Divider courtesy of CSFD  

Blog Post 3- What is citizenship?

The Google definition of citizenship is “the position or status of being a citizen of a particular country”, but I believe that it’s more than that. My definition of citizenship is similar to the actual definition, yes, but I also believe that being a citizen also means trying to the best of one’s ability to better their country. It doesn’t even have to be the country, it could just be the community. It doesn’t mean having to run for president in order to help our country, it means taking it one step at a time. Doing something small for your community, like donating to a local charity or volunteering at a hospital can do a lot for your country. It doesn’t mean having to attend nationwide protests, it could just mean informing your own self on issues and spreading that knowledge to your peers so now their educated too. Speaking of knowledge on current events as well, this applies to one of the main things that can help us impact our community: voting. 

Like mentioned before, I believe that citizenship is doing more to help not your country, but just even starting with your community. One big way to do that is by voting, which is also one of your civic duties as a citizen. Voting, even if it’s “just the primaries”, can make a big impact on your community and on your country in general. No matter what you’re voting for, it’s a big deal and also is one of the easiest and convenient ways to make your voice heard. As a citizen, you just now made a huge contribution to your community by just filling in a bubble sheet. It is, of course, a lot more than just a sheet with names that you have to bubble in, but it isn’t that hard to get out and vote and make your voice heard, thus making a difference and helping your community (hopefully) move forward and advance.  

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I actually casted my first vote today, and it felt very powerful and even though again, physically it’s just a bubble sheet, it’s much more. You’re actually taking part of your state/country in your hands. To me, that’s a huge factor of citizenship. I also believe that knowledge is a huge part of citizenship as well. Again, like previously mentioned, even just learning about a world-wide, nationwide, or community-wide issue can help make a difference, and can help better move you and your fellow citizens forward. And not only on current issues, but also educating yourself on past issues. Even though we don’t want to relive the past, that’s just the point. Educating ourselves on what happened in the past can help us move forward, and like the Google definition of citizenship states, “advances” us.  

Going back to a little while ago in the semester, we read about MLK and how he was one of the many influential leaders that helped us become more equal, despite differences in skin color. I’m not trying to imply that we’ll go back to that, but it’s good that we learn things like that (the bad things that happened in our country, it’s good to know about the bad and the ugly) so we can find ways to prevent it from ever happening it again, and pushing our country backwards instead of forwards. Also something else that I connect this to is Chimamanda’s “Danger of a Single Story” TED talk, and also the first chapter of “Soul of a Citizen”. I think back to these because they both discussed how we don’t always get the whole story. Chimamanda shared the story of how her roommate in college asked her to play her native songs and was surprised when she played popular pop music, and how Chimamanda could use kitchen appliances. In “Soul of a Citizen”, the example of Rosa Parks was given, and how she’s the face of one of the biggest movements in American history, yet we don’t know all the hard work that was actually put into equal rights for the races. It was much more than Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat for a white man, yet we don’t always consider that. This is why I think that educating yourself on past and present issues is important, and when I say we must educate ourselves, I mean educate ourselves on the whole stories.  

In conclusion, I believe that citizenship revolves primarily on trying to better our country or our communities one step at a time, and no action is ever too small. Every small act of kindness counts, every vote counts, every volunteer hour counts, every dollar donated counts, and the list goes on and on. I believe that citizenship is educating ourselves on the past and using the to reflect on the present, and also making ourselves aware on past issues to make sure we only more forward and advance as opposed to move backwards.   

Blog Post 4- Reflection

One story that I’m choosing to reflect about is on page 74, the story about Charlayne and the drug dealers on the stairs of her apartment building. She says that some of them treat her politely, and other don’t, like this one drug dealer that knows she doesn’t like him, and followed her down the stairs and down the street. He even followed her into the store she was going to and tried saying something to her. I feel the need to go back to this story because it makes me personally feel uncomfortable. I couldn’t imagine something like that happening to me or what’d I do if I were in Charlayne’s position. And the fact that he probably had a shot-gun with him (the men on the stairs did, it didn’t say if the dealer who followed her had a gun on him or not, but it’s still scary to think about either way. Like the mere thought that the men on the stairs who were with him had guns is absolutely terrifying) makes it even more uncomfortable. She’s a woman who was alone, being followed by a drug dealer, possibly with a gun. As a woman who’s been in somewhat of a similar situation (my friends and I were driving and got followed for about 10 minutes by two men) I just can’t imagine that there isn’t much emphasis on safety in the Bronx. Especially since she probably grew up around this stuff so it didn’t startle her as much as it would’ve startled me, but it’s still sad and scary to think about

Another story I’d like to reflect on from the first part of the book is on page 95, when Anthony was explaining the plague that’s coming to the Bronx. He lectured Kozol about the history of plagues, but when Kozol asked about the plague that he’s referring to, he talks about drugs, sadness, and desperation. Kozol asked what could end this plague, to which Anthony responds that only God can fix it. I chose to reflect on this story because it has a powerful meaning behind it, in my opinion. Because the conversation between Anthony and Kozol continue for several pages, however on page 96, Anthony says that the Bronx isn’t God’s Kingdom. His Kingdom is a place of glory, but the Bronx is a place of pain, and I highlight this part of the conversation because it’s sad to think that even the people of the Bronx have lost all hope, that they know their city is in shambles, and there’s not anything they, as a society, can do about it. I feel like this shows that there’s a sense of hopelessness. I also think this is interesting because in psychology, we’re learning about happiness, and some of the happiest people are those who have strong religious relations because with religion comes hope and faith, but it even seems like that doesn’t apply to them. That having a belief in a greater power doesn’t do them much good. Also, something that surprises me the most too is that these are all the thoughts of a 12-year-old boy. He seems so educated about the area he lives in, yet he feels as though he can’t do anything about it which is sad since he’s so young and has a whole life ahead to make a difference.  

Jumping to the second half of the book, I’d like to discuss the story shared on page 151 continuing onto page 152. The story about “moondog”, a 21-year-old man who was shot because he was protected a pregnant woman. The woman and the baby are fine, but the man who protected them died. He loved dogs and would bring him home, he put others far before himself and meant it, he had a good heart, yet died young. Also, as if this didn’t already tug at my heartstrings, the fact the Kozol described the painting of the dog (which represented the man’s death) was an unusual memorial. I’d like to draw attention to this because yes, even though it was unusual for the area, it’s something beautiful. It’s a sad story, but a happier moment because the man loved dogs, and that’s kind of how he’ll be remembered. By his love of dogs. And even though the way he died was very noble and heroic, they’ll know who he was as a person, that people who didn’t know him, like Kozol, will associate the deceased with something that was part of their life, something that was meaningful to them. It’s like the memorial is a celebration of life, and I think that’s one of the most optimistic things in the book. Even though it’s a very small moment in the book, it still holds high significance to me, because I personally believe that the deceased should be remembered by who they were before their dying moments.

The last story from the second half of the book that I’m going to reflect upon is the story on page 217 continuing to page 218 about the AIDS epidemic. The stunning fact of how some 10,000 children had lost their mothers to the epidemic in 1993 (when Kozol first began to visit the Bronx) is so tragic and I can’t imagine ever having to go through something like that. Quite frankly, I don’t even want to imagine something like that. It’s so sad to me that these kids will have to grow up without a mother or father due to AIDS, and that part of their childhood was taken up by a parent dying from this epidemic. I can’t and don’t want to even think about the amount of trauma these kids will have to go through while growing up, and this’ll be what they remember for the rest of their lives. Not only will they have to live with the fact that one of their parents died from the disease, but they’ll also suffer through the disease themselves. 91% of children in New York who are born with AIDS are black or Hispanic. 91% is an incredibly high percentage. And these were kids who came from neighborhoods who were also known for drug abuse, and that’s such a terrible thing to think about. That they spent their childhoods not only without a parent in their life, but also grew up around drugs and now will have to continue their life with the memory of their parent dying from AIDS, but also that they themselves have the AIDS virus, and that they might not even have that much time left. As mentioned before many times, this is such a shocker for me to hear about, because I didn’t know that the area of the Bronx was this bad and had this bad of an impact on children's lives. 

I think while each of these stories have their own kind of individual meaning, they also hold a meaning of their own all together. Like when you put all these stories together and try to find the overall meaning, you see how much this affects the lives of individuals in the society of the Bronx. That’s what I really like about how “Amazing Grace” is formatted, that there’s so many different stories about individual people and their own views and stories and thoughts, as opposed to just asking on person or making assumptions about the society as a whole. Kozol doesn’t generalize, he talks to many different people and gets their sides of the stories so we get different aspects of what life really is like in the Bronx and how it’s personally impacted them, because even though the society is suffering as a whole, they each have their own story of suffering to share. They have their own opinions on what they’ve been through and what the Bronx has been through, and I feel like hearing the variety of anecdotes has made this book have a greater impact on me, and that’s what Kozol wants. He wants the stories and the discussions to have a strong impact on the reader, no matter who that reader is. And Kozol doesn’t really put his own responses to the stories in the book either, so you, as the reader, don’t have any sort of way you should feel about what you read. It’s all up to you on how you interpret everything. And that’s what I think Kozol’s point is. To emphasize the individuals’ stories in the book, but also emphasize your own thoughts and opinions about what has been happening in the Bronx. 

I want to draw attention back to the conversation between Kozol and Anthony about how the plague of the Bronx could be fixed. Anthony said it is all up to God, that no one could do anything for them. And this brings me to the discussion of how important it is to have motivation to make an impact. Anthony, along with probably a lot of other people in the Bronx, have some sort of learned helplessness. They feel as though they can’t do anything, and only a saving grace could help them. I took a social justice class last year, and we learned about the importance on having a voice, and how every generation has the power to make a change, whether it be young or old, but the future lies in the hands of the younger generation. And the fact that Anthony feels as though there’s nothing that anyone can do probably means that they won’t do anything to help try and fix the problems in the Bronx. One kid can’t do it all, but a whole generation of hopeful kids could do a lot. One kid can’t do it all, but one kid could start it all. Change has no start time or no end time, societies are always changing. It’s up to us to determine if that’s going to be a good change or a bad change. 

Divider courtesy of animal-jam-clans.wikia.com

Conclusion- a little sprinkle of hope

What I hope to do is start here. I do wish to help more within our community and then expand off into places bigger than myself. How I plan to do this is become an elementary school teacher. What help could this do? Well, the main reason why I chose to go into elementary school education as opposed to another type of education is because children’s minds are so open to new ideas. They’re like fresh, blank canvases that are just waiting to have color splashed on them. I’m not saying children are the only ones with open minds, but the future is with the younger generation. Starting early and inspiring them to do something great when they’re older is the perfect path to go. Even though I don’t remember much of my elementary school career, I do remember one thing: my fifth grade teacher. She’s the one who brought up all the creativity in me, because she believed in me and took time to work with me. She’s the one who made me consider becoming a teacher myself one day, and if I could have that same impact on kids, we’re one step closer to saving the world.

The funny thing about this is that I actually had a conversation about this with a few friends the other day. We were talking about our future careers and I told them that I wanted to be an elementary school teacher, and my one friend mentioned that this is a risky career choice considering the fact that the education system is extremely poor in Michigan, and I responded that that's one of the reasons why I want to leave Michigan and teach elsewhere. To my surprise, they said that they wanted me to stay so I can fix the problems that were going on here, that I should use the fact that the education system is so poor as a reason to stay. It was kind of a funny way of thinking, but she said that I should stay and try to fix it and then, if I still wanted to move elsewhere, to then fix other education systems too

We joked around about how I would fix the education system here and then go on tour like some kind of celebrity and fix other places too, and I just kind of laughed it off at first, but writing this paper really made me realize that maybe this idea wasn't too far-fetched. That maybe I could do something greater and that I could fix the education system here, even if I thought that it was too big for me. Turn the impossible to possible. Maybe one day I will go on tour like some big celebrity and change the way the education system is. Maybe one day I will change the world

What I really aspire to do is inspire. It's been a lifelong dream of mine to have a life-changing impact on someone, and I'm hoping that becoming a teacher could help me fulfill that. What I really admire about elementary school teachers is that they're basically playing a huge role in a child's life, whether they know it or not, and I'm sure they do. They're helping children grow everyday, and it's so much responsibility in their hands. They're not just responsible for one, two, or even three kids, they're responsible for 20-30. I remember in fifth grade, my teacher had such an impact on me. She inspired me, she was my favorite teacher. She was my homeroom teacher and also my language arts teacher. She enjoyed writing little stories of her own, and one day she brought in her writing journal. She drew pictures on the side to illustrate her thoughts, and the pages were decorated with doodles and stories. She always told my class to be as creative as possible when we wrote, not just with our words, but how we display the story. Whether that just be with imagery or if we draw out the images in our heads ourselves, we should always express creativity in our writing. I didn't know it then, but the fact that I still remember that day in vivid detail tells me something; she imprinted something in my life. I don't owe all my dreams to express creativity to her, but she definitely had some sort of influence on me, and I hope to do the exact same children for other young children someday too.

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Divider courtesy of Kiaracol

Where did this idea come from?

This thought came to me last year in my social justice class when my teacher brought this thought process to my attention. She would spend class after class just having us talk about how loud our voices are and that if we use our voices, we could accomplish such amazing things. This is something that a lot of people don’t really think about, however. What we as a people are stuck in is the idea that we can’t do anything, or that it takes someone “special” or “born to be great”. We underestimate the power that we have within us, and we don’t know that our peers are our best allies. We think “oh, someone else can make a difference”, “someone else can take care of it”, “I’m not cut out for it”, “What difference would I make?” and the list goes on and on of all the excuses we have.

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This makes me think about the first chapter Soul Of a Citizen, more specifically, the very beginning. Loeb introduces us with the story of Rosa Parks, a social justice icon who refused to give up her seat for a white man and started the year-long bus boycott in Montgomery. However, before this, Loeb presents us with the sentence “We can learn a lot from the tales we tell about our heroes” (Leob 1) and then proceeds to talk about how this action “didn’t come out of nowhere. Nor did she single-handedly give birth to the civil rights movement” (Leob 2). Leob isn’t trying to say what Parks did wasn’t heroic in a sense, but that we shouldn’t make her the soul face of the civil rights movement. This is where I will now move to the story of MLK, who is also another soul face of the civil rights movement. In the film “Selma”, it shows more insight into what really happened during MLK’s peaceful protests. The film shows long, sleepless nights of pacing back and forth, arguments with friends, followers, and families, not to mention all of the police brutality. Men and women being beat with nightsticks, kicked down and then being stomped on, the sounds of shots being fired multiple times at one person even when they were down, it was horrifying to watch. It hit harder than I thought it would, and I was even angry at myself that it took me this long to realize what really happened to MLK and his followers. They just wanted equal rights and they did it with just the clothes on their back. They didn’t carry arms with them, they marched together peacefully, and this is what they had to face.

Going back to Loeb’s quote, you really do learn a lot from the tales we share. I personally learned that I was never given the full story. I was always told that Christopher Columbus was a hero because we wouldn’t be here without him. I was always told that Rosa Parks was a hero just because her feet hurt and she wouldn’t get up. I was always told that MLK was a powerful man in the Civil Rights movement because he marched and gave a speech from jail. I was always told that women being given the right to vote was pretty much the equivalent to giving women equal rights as men. None of this is true. None of this is the full story of anything that happened. Growing up, learning about our history, we were never given a full picture, the full story. Unfortunately, we never will learn what truly happened in our nation’s history. We can’t go back in time and see what has happened, unfortunately time travel is impossible. But, like the famous saying goes, we can only move forward.

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