Thoughts and final self evaluation

I just went back to my very first post, and it still applies - I still hate looking inwards and self-evaluating!!! BUT!!  While I still may not like that part of this class, and I don't think I did it particularly well, I have REALLY enjoyed the process of educating myself towards other cultures/groups.

If I had to do it over again, I think I would have taken even more opportunities to learn, whether here on campus, or pairing up with some other classmates to go off campus...there are just so many opportunities out there, and when you feel busy with work and the class, it's hard to go out seeking for those opportunities. So I would try to do more.

But each of the experiences I participated in REALLY educated me in ways that were unexpected. I felt like I was a pretty worldly and open minded person, and I am, but I've learned that you can never know enough, that there is always more to absorb, better ways to teach/advise, so many great experiences to still have.

I learned that as much as I think I'm getting to know someone, I can go farther and do better. I can have more empathy. I can realize that there is usually more to the story. I can be more patient, especially at home:) I can learn as much as I can in order to better understand the students I come in contact with each day.

I loved something you said in class, something like "You need to see the differences and similarities at the same time - cross-eyed". This is it in a nut shell, we are all alike and yet we are all different. We need to be able to appreciate and value those differences. We need to always keep in mind that THEIR perspective is not OUR perspective.

Thank you for this class. I was hesitant when I entered, and I go forth with so much more knowledge and understanding. I feel more able to advise my students in a way that is more beneficial to them, and I also really feel that I now have resources and people on campus that I can go speak with when I need to learn more. I am committed to continuing this knowledge adventure this fall and beyond!

White Like Me - movie review

I hadn't planned on watching this, but after hearing about it from a couple of classmates I really felt I would be missing out if I didn't!

NOTES:

Tim Wise - grew up in the south

Parents sent him to a predominantly black pre-school with black teachers, admin, etc - viewed black leaders in a way that most of us won't get the chance to

Chose to address racism in S Afr but not in his own neighborhood - white privilege

David Duke - 60% of the white vote - people were willing to vote for a guy who was racist!!

Instead of asking what it's like to be black, instead ask what it's like to be white (Black Like Me missing a little something)

Job insurance (cash to give them a leg up) - helped pull us out of the depression - BUT, excluded agricultural workers and domestic service in private homes (everything to do with race) WHY? Acceptance of SSA in the south if preferential treatment were given to white people re: job insurance

Crucial housing assistance - loans - 98% recipients were white

GI Bill - benefits to veterans - of 67,000 mortgages given out to help veterans, less than 100 were taken out by non-whites!!!

NOT BAD - juts need acknowledge that they benefitted WHITES - pumped wealth in to whites - STRUCTURAL ADVANTAGES that made it easier for whites

Thoughts from white people:
I won't be profiled, followed by mall security
Whites are not "representing" their race when they fail

Legacy of inequality and Legacy of Obliviousness!!

War on Drugs - overwhelmingly poor black people, non-violent crimes, swept into jail - racialized justice system benefiting white people - never really even thought about this!

Black success actually reinforces the thoughts of, well , it's their fault - Obama made it, so can others - but not really that easy!

Poverty - today portrayed by media as black people - contributing to the misconception that welfare is being used only for them, while the majority of recipients are actually white - but BEFORE 1960 it was white folks - dustbowl - so support was good until the 1960's but once media started equating poverty with people of color, support went in the toilet - now think of them as moochers

MOST POWERFUL STATEMENT

"If the one story we buy into from american history is that we're a meritocracy, a colorblind society, that we reward or punish people based purely on how hard they work or how capable they are, then the entire history of institutional racism magically disappears and we're left to wonder what's wrong with black people who can't seem to get it together?" can lead to an intesification of racist thinking


Implicit or unconscious bias - what pops into your mind first when thinking about a certain race/population?

We can't be colorblind - because then we won't see the disparity

Be color conscious

REFLECTION: This movie has affected me more than I ever thought it would. It opened my eyes to just a fraction of racial bias in our country's history, showed me some errors in my way of thinking, and has made me want to share this knowledge with everyone I come in contact with! I'm pretty sure they're tired of me talking about it. I cannot be colorblind, and I cannot think we are equal, everyone needs to just try harder: it's not that easy, and to think so is doing a disservice to many. I'm not quite sure how to make big changes, but I do know that I can try to make small inroads here and there by sharing what I've learned and by advocating for others to watch this show. TWO THUMBS WAY UP

Interview with a Prison Social Worker aka Caity Liechty

PREMISE: I thought I should ask my daughter Caity about her experiences with female prisoners because this is a group of people that I most likely will have little if any interactions with, but still need to be understood. Now when I hear about things to do with prisons, with the rights of prisoners, the prison administration, I look at it with different eyes.


Preconceived thoughts about prisoners:
-scary
-meaner, more hostile less willing to work with
-thought she would have a hard time not letting the crime define them

All the women she works with are considered inpatient - they MUST have counseling and therapy. They are all in there for very serious crimes, they have all been and a lot currently are drug addicts, they all came from a pretty harsh life. Some had psychotic breaks while committing their crimes and are extremely remorseful, others could not care less about the crime they committed. There are some she has an affection for, and others that she wishes she did not have to work with.

Biggest lesson: This has shown her that everyone has inherent worth - no one wants to be defined by there mistake. To be held back from something that they did 20 years ago and to not be allowed to change is cruel

BUT, some have not changed, and some of the crimes are pretty awful

Surprised: that they all had/have drug problems

All are white + 2 hispanics (20 total) - thought there would be more diversity, they come from all over, not just from Utah

Surprised by the voices they all hear, even while on meds - they struggle with it every day:(

Surprised at how low functioning they are - middle school literacy and mental capacity

MY THOUGHTS: I was speaking with Caity again last night, and she was telling me about some changes that are happening at the prison, and they are not positive changes. The ONLY way for more positive things to happen is if the prisoners themselves write to ACLU and tell them what's happening. The men write, because they have this assertiveness about them that the women do not. We then talked about how if, as taxpayers, you hear that money is going towards programs at the prison but is being cut from schools, of course you're going to be mad and non-supportive. But because she is there and she sees how bad it is ( not that she thinks they need all these wonderful things - space is a big problem and will soon be affecting therapy/counseling in a big way) she looks at things in a different way, as do I.  It's like taking a Stats class, learning how things can be skewed to fit the story, and then watching a news broadcast, and questioning every statistic they give, because how do we really know where/how they got their data!

By having this alternate view, it makes it easier to be less quick to judge. I think this is true in every case we've learned about this semester!

The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan - Book Review

I don't think I have a fascination with the Arab world, I just feel that I have VERY little understanding and real knowledge except from what is seen in the media. This book is based on a reporters experiences while living in Afghanistan/Pakistan/India and it gives one woman's view of life in those countries. I chose this book because I wanted to learn but I wanted to experience some humor as well since it always seems to be such a serious subject: this book fir the bill.

Kim Barker, reporter for the Chicago Tribune, begins in Kabul, where the war is now pretty sleepy and the big news stories are in Iraq. Her story includes so many instances of her cultural ignorance that as a reader, I was like, OH MY HEAVENS, what are you doing? She is very honest about it and of course afterwards and upon reflecting about her experiences, fully recognizes her errors. Not that that would have changes the story, but the people she offended, the difficulties she had with the Afghani's, could have been substantially lessened if she had been more aware and willing to be more humble. One review says it's an eventful look covering and ambivalent war in a complicated country, and that's exactly how I felt. She was in very little danger the majority of the time because the war wasn't huge during her time there, but the politics and navigating life in that area of the world were made that much more difficult by her own obstinate attitude and refusal to learn and adapt to their way of life and customs. Still a good read and informative.

Mormansandgays.org

For a class assignment we were to look through this website, and for me, it really was an eye opener. I watched every video on here and really tried to see the world and the church through the interviewee's eyes.

My personal experience with LDS people who are openly gay is limited: a good friends' son who I believe is still active in the church but has a boyfriend, and my nephew who just opened up to the world last year, is living in NY with a boyfriend, and I'm not sure if he is active, my guess is not. I love these young men, and will always be loving and kind and supportive, but to watch these videos, I think that takes a LOT of courage and commitment and I really appreciate their openness and honesty in the videos. I did not know this site existed, so I also appreciate the assignment to explore it. Such difficult trials some people have to endure, I do not dare judge them for their choices.

UAA 2016 Conference

Quite a few of the advisors attended this conference up in Ogden. I was only able to attend for the first day, so I made sure I attended every session that could possibly have to do with a culture other than my own! By far the sessions available centered around gender identity and LGBQT on campus.

The sessions I chose to attend were pretty much centered around the LGBTQ community. I chose these mostly to gain exposure to what advisors around other campuses are doing, what they are encountering, and how they are learning and progressing to new understandings and tolerance.

The sessions I attended are:

1. Training at UC: How We Progress Together - talked about the awareness, competency training that has happened in their department

2.  Harnessing Your Passion: Motivational Planning for Productivity

3.  Advisors as Allies: High-Impact Practices for Gender Confirming Advising for LGBTQ+ Students - how to advise students without offending, presuming, or demeaning

4.  Nervous? Avoidant? No Matter How Many Times You E-mail, They Still Don’t Come In: Advising Students with Anxiety Disorders.

5.  Is Perfectionism Zapping Your Students’ Energy? - a problem I feel we encounter on BYU campus

All of these were informative and enlightening, but really, the presentation that included the following short video from author Brene Brown was what impacted me the most during the day - a new understanding of the difference between empathy and sympathy. It's something that I now consciously try to adopt when speaking with anyone, and notice more when I'm on the receiving end. Loved it!

OJ:Made in America: Part 1 - TV program

NOTES:

People of color moving to LA - to get jobs, actually buy a house - but it's not as rosy as anticipated

Grew up on a farm, owned land, but no opportunities

OJ born in Cali

Chief Parker - cleaned up a corrupt LA police dept, but Racist himself

BUT - racism as stark as in the JimCrow south
Always conscious of the police

Police relations in the community based purely on apprehension

Aug 11, 1965 Watts Riots - Black people had had it - police responded with even more force, didn't try to understand - one of the first events being caught on tv -

Racial thoughts: "We didn't ask them to come here, they came here and flooded the area"

Watts area right on the other side of the USC coliseum where OJ was playing, people warned not to go into that area - when white people saw OJ on campus and he talked to them, it was likely that for most of them this was the first African American that they had ever spoken to

1967 African American boycott of 1968 Olympic games  - trying to escalate the relationship between pro-athletes and the civil rights mvmt - tried to get OJ to participate in the mvmt - he said "I'm not black, I'm OJ" **He wanted to be judged by his character and his competence, not the color of his skin

Groundbreaking - OJ being sponsored by Chevy, ABC commentary staff, his story was based on pleasing the white people - OJ was like a character, and he recognized that fact and performed - what made him so successful in the white community, people didn't see him as black

OJ - Hertz - other black people looking at OJ and saying, I want to be like him, I can do that.

First to demonstarte that white people would buy things from a black endorsement as long as they didn't perceive that it was being pushed by a black man - did that by removing all black people from the ad besides OJ !!!! - white people saying Go OJ Go!! - America could point to somebody who made it, that we not only accept you, but embrace you. OJ got fame/money/celebrity - THE guy of the 70s

OJ wanted to erase race - and that's why white society accepted him. The problem is that so many had sacrificed - and he in essence was saying  "well, HE made it, and the rest should just try to get there like he did."

REFLECTIONS: I watched the beginning of this because I wanted to see that particular time period, before the drama. I thought back on the Hertz commercials that I remember, and realized that I never looked at OJ as a man of color, just a famous football player, and that's exactly what they were going for. But when I listen to OJ's words, that he made it, everyone else can too, I think it does a great disservice to other people of color. As we've learned, we aren't all equal, and to say their is no difference between us is to deny that there ARE disparities.

"In Football We Trust" Documentary

This documentary follows four Polynesian Utah high school boys and their families over four years, and their quest to make it to college and then professional football. KBYU or PBS aired it and by accident, and fortuitously, I tuned in.

In this documentary we watch four young men fight through the struggles of high school, of friends and influencers and gangs, of family strife and needs and pressure. It broke my heart to watch this film. Playing on a college football team, making it to the pros, and providing for the family is their main goal, and if it's not theirs, it is certainly the parents'.

I watched this before we had our Polynesian guest speakers, and I am still torn about my feelings thinking back to it! The pressure that is put on this culture to excel in football is enormous. The chances of them making it to the pros is small, but if it happens, the payoff is huge, which makes it all the more enticing. But what happens if they don't? What happens when that dream falls through because of academics, problems with the law, injuries? What's the backup plan?

Because of the newness of this documentary, we don't get to see what happens over the course of the next 4-5 years. But the questions I have are many: Did they make it? And more importantly to me, if they didn't, where are they now? How do their families view them? Was there ever a Plan B?

This film just gave me a broader understanding the need of these people to provide for their families, to place family first, to give them respect, HOW they give them respect. Two thumbs up, worth watching!

My first real random encounter

This morning I went to the Aveda School to get my brows waxed....pretty exciting morning. The student that was performing this service asked questions about what I do, what's my schedule like, etc, and in there I mentioned I was taking this class and therefore my schedule was a little wackadoodle on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She immediately said, Oh, that's so awesome! I'm multicultural, and our conversation ensued.

Without repeating the entire dialogue, what I loved most was that I was able to speak with her about issues of which I may not have previously thought about. My favorite was asking her about how she's felt having two heritages....she said that up until a couple years ago she didn't appreciate her father's heritage (white, Mormon) but fully embraced her mom's side (Chilean). But even when she visited Chile she was teased while visiting for being two white. A couple years ago she had an aha moment and has accepted and embraced both cultures. Her parents are also divorced, she has blue hair and a pierced nose, and is one of the kindest and most passionate people I've met. I think there were definitely a lot of things going on in her young years that have been learning and life shaping experiences for her.

Another comment she had was about the racist comments she would occasionally receive - completely not in an unkind way, but in the unknowing, uneducated way. "You're Chilean? You don't look like it!!! YOU speak Spanish?!? Are you SURE you're from Chile?"  She realized that these were not meant to be hurtful, but the fact that people would say them were hurtful.  This whole part of the conversation made me realize that I've probably made those comments in my lifetime, and that not everyone could shake it off as she has apparently done. Awareness....

I was SO excited when I got to speak with her, but I kept my excitement to a minimum (not wanting her to feel like she's ALWAYS in the spotlight) and I tried to ask questions that would be sensitive and educational on my part, hoping that she would mention some of the things that we've read about and learned from our guest speakers. I loved this brief encounter and actually look forward to visiting with her every 3 weeks when I get my brows done! :)

The CJC

Volunteering at the CJC has been a little different then I expected. I signed up to help every Thursday from 8-10am through August. My job is to hangout with the kids who are waiting to be interviewed. They have been anywhere from 5 to 16 years old. The two biggest rules are not to offer them food/drink before their interview so that it cannot be construed as a bribe later in court, and to not ask the type of questions that may lead the child to disclose details to me rather than the interviewers.

When you apply to volunteer you have to fill out a short form asking about your feelings regarding child abuse as well as how you feel about the abusers. This made me begin thinking about how I was going to interact with the people I came across.

It turns out that the adults you see are either foster parents, the parent that is not the abuser, a case worker, etc, and you have absolutely no contact with the abuser, which only makes sense. The children come in, and as with all children, personalities vary. Quiet, shy, talkative, a little edgy, kind....all descriptors of kids I've seen and interacted with. Every one a lovely child.

The thought that run through my mind each time I see a new child is...I would never know if I were to see you on the street. From all appearances and interactions, they are just like any other kid you'd meet on the street or playground or even at church. It's good and sad at the same time....that they are adaptable, but that there may be so many people out there that to just look at and have these superficial conversations with, you would never know the hell they may have gone through.

CASA is Court Appointed Special Advocates, and I'd love to be a volunteer with them. I chose to do this volunteer work at CJC to "get my toes wet" and to see if it's something I could mentally handle. I think it would be a privilege to be an CASA advocate, and I feel that after my short time at the CJC it's something that I'm even more interested in pursuing.

Volunteering at the Food and Care Coalition

Last week many of our classmates volunteered at the Provo Food Care and Coalition. I'm a little embarrassed to say this was my first time volunteering here although I have dropped off desserts before:)

I had envisioned what I've seen on tv: long tables with food laid out, all of us volunteers standing behind the table, the patrons walking along the table with their plates, holding them forward as we dished out food.

Wrong.

I love how they do it at the FCC! While I was disappointed not to have more interaction, I was impressed with how they actually serve the food. To have volunteers serving the food to the people gives a sense of being in a restaurant, where the customer matters and service is given to make the meal enjoyable. I also feel like serving it this way even gives the patron a little bit more dignity rather than standing in the line, essentially begging for food (obviously not begging, but putting forth the plate in the hopes of food being ladled on).

I was able to briefly say hi and smile to a few patrons before being whisked away to another job, but the general sense I got was that they were happy to be there, were appreciative of the service given to them, and pleasant to be around.

I will not lie though, by the end, when I finally had a chance to stand at the counter and look out over the crowd, I also experienced the smell of unwashed humanity, and that is a bias I need to figure out how to overcome, probably more than any other bias I have! It made me wonder about living conditions here in Provo. I know in SL they have The Road Home, but I don't know where homeless stay here, if anywhere. If that's the case, how can they maintain, or even obtain, the dignity of walking around bathed and feeling refreshed. And perhaps that's not high on the list of priorities when you're homeless or living at such a level of poverty that you need meals provided.

This was a great experience for me. I also learned that I can donate my time to play the piano/clarinet/whatever, because they're not looking for professionals, they're looking for something to distract/entertain/give a sense of more than just coming for food...a social experience/exposure that they may not otherwise get. A great first time exposure for me to have!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Book Review

The author of this book, Rebecca Skloot, has always been obsessed with Henrietta Lacks, the African-American woman whose cancer cells were harvested in 1951 and used to without Henrietta's knowledge and which "became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the Polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more."  She then endeavors to interview the Lacks family members.

Henrietta Lacks, a poor black tobacco farmer, sought help in 1951 at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for what she called a "knot" on her cervix. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer and treated with radium and x-ray therapy.

In the process, some of the tissue was removed from her tumor and sent down to George Gey's lab at Hopkins to be cultured in test tubes. Gey was the head of the tissue culture department at Hopkins and he'd been trying for years to get cells to "divide continuously and infinitely in the lab so that the scientific community could have an inexhaustible supply of human cells to experiment on."

Neither Henrietta nor any of her family members knew about the tissue sample—and neither Gey nor Hopkins ever informed them. They didn't inform them even after the cells began to grow amazingly fast and Gey and the rest of the scientific world realized they'd just made a gigantic breakthrough in medical technology.

Maybe it wouldn't have meant anything to the Lacks family, who were poor, uneducated and extremely nervous of the medical community. They had to focus on Henrietta, whose cancer cells were spreading.  She died at the age of 31, leaving behind a husband and five young children, and sadly, the family from there on continues to decline in a sadly stereotypical fashion of a poor black family.

When reading this book you find yourself stepping in to the lives of a family that is so dysfunctional that it's hard to relate. There's abuse, both sexual and physical, there's pure apathy, drug abuse, ignorance...and yet their story is so real you can't help but be sucked in and outraged by the indecencies, the lack of compassion and services given, the difficulties endured by living below the poverty level. Besides being intrigued by the whole medical process, this story is so much more about the unfairness of living in one of the wealthiest nations and being at the very opposite end of the spectrum. Every person is entitled to basic healthcare, and yet, it doesn't happen. 

In the end, the author and other sympathetic doctors and researchers were able to answer the Lacks family's questions about Henrietta and her contributions to science since her death. Although she can't force the scientific community to make reparations to the Lacks family, the author, Skloot, created a foundation to help the family financially. This story is amazing because without it, most people would not even know the sad but amazing history behind one of the worlds greatest public health success stories.