Amber Spencer: Convocation

Howard University celebrated it's 144th opening convocation on Friday. Dr. Lomax was the speaker this year, and I found his speech to be amazing. He acknowledged that HBCU's give a strong educational environment that is important. The United Negro College Fund allows students to receive an exceptional education by helping to fund it. HBCU's allow us to achieve our dreams and goals as well as succeed in life. He also mentioned several important people in Howard history who made a large difference in our school. Overall the convocation made me feel welcomed as a Howard student in the class of 2015. As long as everyone puts effort into making this a great learning community, HBCU's can help people become who they want to be. Dr. Lomax states how alumni from HBCU's need to give back more. By this happening, the schools in general would do much better. Many Howard students say that they plan to give back, but fail to actually do. I hope that I become one of the alumni that actually follows through with this process.

K'ara Locke - Convocation

Dr. Michael L. Lomax was the keynote speaker for Howard University’s 144^th opening convocation ceremony. He really stressed the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the US. He emphasized how we all to work together to bring each other up so that we are all on one accord. There are strong HBCUs and there are weak HBCUs, but we all have to work together to be as powerful as we are capable of. And for this to happen “Great colleges must not be complacent, they must welcome the struggle to become stronger.”

The quote that put the wheels of my mind in motion was, “We cannot afford to lose any more black colleges. [They] need to all perform at the top of their game.” I think this hit home a little because this is why I choose to come to Howard. I knew I wanted to go to an HBCU but I didn’t want to go to a ‘weak’ one; I wanted to be at the most prestigious, not one that was close to falling off the edge. But we have to all work together to strengthen the weaker ones and eventually all be strong.

Dr. Lomax has been doing his part as the president of the United Negro College Fund and now it will soon be our turn as HU alumni to give back to our alma mater to keep it strong. Especially since not enough HBCU alumni do; a mere 11% give back, and that is not enough.

Amber Spencer: African Burial Grounds

I found the lecture on the African burial grounds that Professor Mack gave extremely riveting.
I thought it was amazing how the people who studied the grounds were able to tell so much about the people who were buried there. It is intriguing how looking at the remains of people can tell you so much about their life. It was also amazing how you could learn so much about how each person was put to rest. I believe that this is special ground and it should therefore be saved and not built over. So much history lies there.
I think that by visiting the actual grounds would make the situation more real to me. Seeing the place in which my ancestors were buried and understanding how they were buried would be an eye-opener to me, and I think that I would be able to benefit greatly from that experience. I'm glad that Howard gives us this type of opportunity!
I think that it is great that Howard chose to save these remains, not only to study them for knowledge, but also because I personally believe that it is morally proper to save these remains. The origins of these people are so important and more people should learn more about it.

K'ara Locke - African Burial Grounds

As I listened to Professor Mack’s lecture, I found myself very pleasantly surprised. I was impressed first, with the amount of information the team, that did the excavation, was able to gather from studying their bodies and how they were put to rest. There is still so much that we, as students, are not taught or even guided in the right direction to teach ourselves. They went so in depth with this project; they were able to find even the minutest details about their lives, rituals, the level of humanity that they showed towards one another and several other things.

Although many aspects of the project don’t sit well with me, i.e. excavating these people’s remains to study them and the fact that they built over much of the cemetery fully aware of it. I am excited to go see the monument so I can see it for myself and just explore and let my mind wander. I think it amazing that HU was asked to play such a big role in this project. It definitely makes me look forward to all the opportunities that will come my way throughout my time studying here at Howard. There is so much about African culture that we are just so unaware of but a good amount of it affects our daily lives and we would never know it.

Convocation

Dr. Michael Lomax was the first to speak at Convocation. I found it interesting how he elaborated on the importance of HBCUs. I've always found HBCUs to be important to the African American community because there is a sense of empowerment in going to a school with people of your skin tone who are trying to better themselves. I've never seen it from a more practical point of view as Dr. Lomax spoke about. Historically black colleges/universities are responsible for more African Americans with degrees than any other bachelor degree program.

Convocation: Trey D. Lasane

Dr. Lomax gave a speech to remember at Convocation this year. The class of 2015 left with a better grasp of the importance of convocation and its history once convocation started. It had such a professional atmosphere as we stood for the board of trustees. We understood that these are people who have dedicated their lives to educating themselves and others. Despite Dr. Lomax being a Morehouse man, he acknowledged the strong educational environment that President Ribeau has created for us. He mentioned important people in Howard history such as Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, a former president at Howard University.  As the director of UNCF, he also mentioned the importance of helping minorities get funded education.

Convocation: Sierra Williams

On Friday September 23, 2011, Howard University celebrated its 144th Opening Convocation. The orator was Michael Lomax, President of the UNCF. It was very important to hear what he said and for anyone else who spoke. “ A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” That was one of the first things that caught my attention. It is important to note just because students are in colleges, doesn’t mean they are always doing their part; or that the college or university is doing their part either. Graduates from HBCU’s are more likely to give back to the global community and earn degrees. HBCU’s are very important to underrepresented students because they help us achieve our goals. This is the reason that HBCU’s are necessary. The United Negro College fund wants to double the number of graduates from universities. One thing noted by Dr. Lomax, was that some schools are too focused on what they used to do, and not as focused on what they have to do. Despite the mission statement of an HBCU, they are all different and some are doing better than others. Dr. Lomax, wants all HBCU’s to perform at the top of their game. One way to help these schools do better is for alumni to give back and help out. Only 11% of alumni give back to Howard University, which means the other 89% talk the talk. When I am an Alumni of Howard University, I plan on giving back. “ Even sacred ground can lose ground if it is not taken care of.” Howard is a sacred place, and while it is doing very well it is important that we call take care of it. The future of Howard is in our hands. The main idea of convocation was to welcome the class of 2015, and to acknowledge Historically Black Colleges and Universities and how they can help scholars achieve great things; as long as everyone puts full effort into making it a good learning community.

African Burial Grounds: Trey Lasane

First and foremost, I believe it is the civil duty of us as African Americans to save and preserve the remains of our ancestors. It is very disheartening to hear that the city of New York saw no problem with building over our history. I applaud Howard University for taking the initiative by saving these sacred grounds.
I don't know if I will truly grasp the history of the African Burial grounds unless I am physically there. I would feel honored to be the descendants of people who worked so hard just to survive each and everyday. I think that I will feel a greater sense of pride of my ethnicity and a lot more respect for the staff at Howard University.
I believe that Howard's first priority was to save the burial grounds initially, and then study what remained very carefully. They chose to study the remains for several reasons. I believe they are unique, because this was a society that wasn't exactly part of slavery. Most importantly, we wanted to know/confirm the origin of these people.

African Burial Ground- Sierra Williams

To here about how there were 10,000 buried at this site, was very shocking. The fact that there were buildings built on top of the burial ground was even more shocking. It was very interesting to see that people did take action, and acknowledged the fact that it was a sacred site. It seems as though professor Mack’s passion is in this area. If this were my passion, I would fight until the end to make sure that there was justice and peace brought to the burial ground. I understand that it was a very expensive project to take bodies out of the ground. People were protesting because they felt it was disrespectful. Four hundred nineteen bodies were taken out of the ground, and I fell as if the project should have been finished, and there should have been more research done. I think that because the bodies were buried under buildings to begin with, that people should not have been protesting against the digging up of the bodies. A factor that I thought was the most interesting was about the people themselves. Their teeth showed the most about them. The filing of teeth was a cultural marker, right of passage, and they felt as though it was aesthetically pleasing. My overall impressions of the project are that its good that the African Burial ground didn’t go ignored for a longer period of time. I think it is a good idea for me to visit the monument to be connected with my ancestors. As a historically black institute, I think that they have a certain obligation to be connected with projects such as these; especially when there are professors from Howard who are involved. Howard’s involvement in the project has inspired be to be a part of the legacy of transforming academic knowledge.

Dismemberment Lecture- Princess Jenkins-Simlin

Dismemberment is a thought that subtly pervades the minds of those of African American descent. Some scholars define dismemberment as when historical narratives of newness combine African and European lifestyles while developing a eurocentric point of view. Having been cut off from their original culture, African American people have been forced to adopt a new way of life. In a sense, they were empty and are now being forcefully filled with whatever is around them. In this case, it is the dominant white culture of the United States. This means that unless African American people strictly define their own culture, as White America has, they will constantly be "filled" by white culture.

Robert Farris Thompson's text, Flash of the Spirit, concerning Re-Africanized Christianity transformed the idea that Christianity was originally a white concept. This in itself is powerful knowledge for African Americans because they were generally forced by the dominant culture at one point to adopt Christianity.

K'ara Locke - Abandonment and Dismemberment"

More than 100 million Africans were forced from their towns and taken on the journey to the Atlantic shore; but only 15 million survived. Even less made it to the Americas Many were taken to South and Central America and enslaved there; the rest were brought to the New World. I found it difficult to grasp that of “6 ½ million people in the New World” from 1492-1776, “5 out of 6 were African.” It amazes me that about 1.1 million were able to oppress over 5 million people and it worked, sadly.

I also learned about the “maroon societies.” I find it very interesting how certain things are simply omitted from American history textbooks. It’s good to know that they actually did resist efficiently, and not only in the New World, in other countries as well. There were actually more slaves in Brazil than in the New World and we are not taught that either.

It is widely misconceived that the Africans forced from their homelands also abandoned all their traditions and culture. I did not know that so many things in our daily lives are from the the things Africans did not leave in Africa and we do not know it (i.e. food, music, language, literature, dance and countless others).

One way scholars tend to explain the African dismemberment is through “historical narratives of loss and emptiness.” They tend to view it as the Africans losing everything they once lived for and this resulted in a feeling of emptiness and therefore they absorbed everything from the New World and became Americanized. This is not necessarily a correct ay of looking at it because, as I stated earlier and how scholars reject the narrative of loss, the African people did not lose everything, they actually brought much of it with them to the new world.

Abandonment and Dismemberment: Sierra Williams

When Africans came to America, it is important to note that out of the 6 ½ million people 5 out of 6 of them were African. One of the key points of the lecture is that when Africans came to America they felt the feeling of loss and emptiness. Under the conditions that they were in culturally they had to adapt to many things but they had their own culture that is still present today. They term that describes the Negro having to adapt is known as “Acculturation”. In addition to adapting they adopt the values of the nation. Normally when people start spending more time in an area they adopt many aspects of that place, whether it be language or other cultural aspects.
Another aspect of the lecture was Reafricanized Christianity. Africans already had their own religion and beliefs before they went to America. The white society tried to influence them but they have their own culture. Dr. Beatty also brought to my attention all of the aspects of African culture. The aspect of Agricultural cultivation, music, language, and literature was a large part.

Abandonment and Dismemberment: Amber Spencer

One thing I learned from this lecture was that a majority of the people in America during 1492-1776 were actually African. 5 out of 6 to be exact. People make it seem like America has been a "white" world for so long, but in reality Africans were there awhile ago as well. This brings me back to Dr. Carr's lecture when he stated how so many things came from Africa such as cultures and traditions. It changes the view that people previously instilled in my mind.
Before this lecture, I did not fully realize what was lost culturally in the Middle Passage. Africans had to leave behind the world that they knew and come somewhere new. In addition to this, they were forced to leave behind certain ethics, cultures, and values. On the other hand, some of these things were also brought over during the Middle Passage. Dr. Carr pointed out how we are able to modernize the African culture so that it is not completely lost.
Another thing is how Dr. Beatty stated that the Africans came over to America and were forced to leave so much behind. Although they left things behind, they were also able to make something new and great out of their new life and surroundings. This shows that although people go through difficult times and may even lose it all, something new always derives from the remnants of what was "torn." This gave me confidence to keep trying to succeed although things may become torn, and make something new out of the situations that are placed in front of me just as the Africans did during the Middle Passage.

Abandonment and Dismemberment:Trey Lasane

Most people don't fully understand what was actually lost during the Middle Passage. It wasn't just people suddenly becoming slaves, but human beings with values, ethics, and cultures. It's not just about making the transition to a western world that doesn't accept you as a person, it was about being able to hold on to the customs and traditions. According to Dr. Carr, we have done a fairly decent job of keeping our African ways in a more modern form.
I like how Dr. Beatty mentioned the feeling of emptiness that African Americans supposedlly had when they came here. It is amazing that they were full all along, full of rich culture and pride despite being surpressed by the white man.
Like in recent lectures, Dr. Beatty emphasizes how today's classrooms should have more emphasis on African History before the Middle Passage. I applaud Dr. Carr's efforts in Philadelphia and feel that the African American student would be elated to know their past and African beauty at its finest. 

Sierra Williams-Omoluabi: Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility

Dr. Segun Gbadegesin made several points about remembering our history and going back in history to remember the contributions made by Africans of Kemet. Omoluabi is described as a person of character, disciplined and self improving, thus earning the respect of peers and community on account of practical wisdom. The main point of the lecture was that character is all you have. Uroba teaches that. It is important to have responsibility to the self, responsibility to the community, and immortality is the crown of existence.
Another main point is that it is important to pay homage. It is important to give Ijuba to the creator and the created and also to the class of 2015.
Previous thoughts thought that Africans have no history and there is no black philosophy. But Ancient Egyptians learned and practiced: Truth, Justice, and the principles of ma’at. Some of the Ancient Egyptian leaders before Jesus, Socrates and plato. There was the goddess ma’at, ptahhotep and Ramses. Their teachings show that we do have history, character and philosophy.

K'ara Locke - "Omoluabi"

From Dr. Gbadegesin lecture, the break down of the terms stuck out the most to me. Omoluabi, iwa and ijuba are the few that made me reflect on what I don't do enough in my life and also that I could apply to my own life with the most ease.

Omoluabi is "a child begotten of the chief of iwa" (Dr. Gbadegesin). From the lecture I took the meaning of omoluabi as someone who is very selfless and takes all their own knowledge and applies it to the their life to better the rest of the world and help everyone else out; someone that has no limit when it comes to helping someone out or making something better for the next person. I like omoluabi because I want to be a pediatrician and as a doctor I want to be able to push myself past my limit to help people and make their lives better. It will make me that much better as a doctor.

Iwa is having good character and is essential to your enduring existence. The story that Dr. Gbadegesin told us help us understand iwa was very helpful and I truly feel like I understand what it means to have good iwa. Iwa helped me understand how everything one does really does define who they are and how they are viewed by society. which is why having good iwa is important.

Ijuba literally means homage (Dr. Gbadegesin). It is important to pay homage to everything and everyone because without such seemingly small parts of your life, you would not function the same. Everything is important regardless how small. This was a good reminder because it is so easy to forget and take things for granted and i don't want to do that.

Dr. Carr and Dr. Gbadegesin's lectures both were about how important it is to apply your knowledge and share it with your community. Having them back back emphasizes the importance of this concept.

Omulabi and its ties to Mbongi

Amber Spencer: OMOLUABI: Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility

Dr. Gbadegesin brought up multiple great points in his lecture that really stuck out to me.
One point was when he talked about "Omoluabi" and told us what it meant. The definition of "Omoluabi" is a person who is disciplined and self-improving, and who earns respect from their peers by putting the knowledge that they have and using it to help the community.This definition showed me that this is how I wish to be in the world. We all need to be someone who uses the knowledge we know to help our community grow, prosper, and become better. This is something that should be kept in my mind at all times.
Another thing he spoke about was the "Ijuba." This is the homage. This basically tells us to pay our respects to everything and everyone including people and things in our past and present. I think it is important to respect and show regards to others as well as ourselves. That is something that our world seems to struggle with sometimes, so it is important that we try to keep this in mind. We should not only honor those who came before us, but we should also honor those who will come after us.
One of the main points that I got from this lecture is that we need to be the beauty in the community and make it better for everyone through our actions and knowledge. We are creating the path for the people who come after us to follow after, so we need to work to make that path a great one.
This lecture relates to Dr. Carr's lecture in the sense that both lectures pointed out how learning has advanced over time and will continue to advance. They also talked about the importance of knowledge and that we should use our knowledge to help others.

Omoluabi-Princess Jenkins-Simlin

Dr Gbadegesin made several interesting points durning his lecture regarding Omoluabi, self actualization and communal responsibility.

He made a point to talk about "ijuba", which is homage. We should give homage for everything because without everything we would be nothing. Those before us should be honored because they have paved the way and those after us should be honored because they will continue to follow the path after us. They may even make the path better. It's always important to remember where you have come from and ijuba exemplifies that idea.

Aside from that, another point made was the idea of advancing knowledge. To advance knowledge is to prove the wisdom of those who have come before you; it is to confirm previous knowledge with further knowledge.

To transform knowledge, however, is another story. Transforming knowledge is the art of challenging the previous knowledge that has been advanced. It is through transforming knowledge that we become great researcher and scholars. I believe Howard University will teach me to transform knowledge rather than just advance it.

Princess Jenkins-Simlin: Wisdom and the African World

This last class with Dr. Carr brought some interesting subject matter to my attention. One of the main points of the lecture that I noticed was the lack of appreciation towards African contributions to society. I found no comfort in the thought of a fully eurocentric society which was shown in the presentation. It's interesting because this lesson is one I have seen in my other classes as well, my Intro to Research in Political Science class in particular. As a result of this, I found Dr. Carr's repeated use of African terms to be refreshing.

The concept of Mbongi is an interesting one that I found rather complex upon first hearing of it. It was admittedly difficult to connect something that is a part of African culture to my own life mostly because of the eurocentric society I live in. Howard University is an mbongi that I hope to fully participate in. With this mbongi I hope to gain an extensive amount of both knowledge and wisdom. I noticed there was a subtle difference in Dr. Carr's lecture between knowledge and wisdom. Sandra Carey once said, "Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life."

Another point that I found appealing was the section called "Education: The Great Equalizer". Dr. Carr spent an extensive amount of time talking about wisdom and implied how ignorance is a danger to African Americans. Although many have pointed out the need for education in our community, few have taken the steps to achieve it, for various reasons. I want to attend Howard to help gain that level playing field, not only for myself, but for everyone who will come after me.
~Princess Jenkins-Simlin

Sierra Williams- "Learning, Wisdom, and the African Experience"

One point of the lecture that I thought was key was Education: “The Great Equalizer”… If learning is linked to Wisdom. I agree with this statement, and I believe that modern day African Americans have the ability to achieve great things. If we take the time to look at history, it is evident that African and African Americans have done a lot more than is apparent to the rest of the world. It is important to always keep an open mind because there are always opportunities to learn something new.

Connected with this are the ground rules of intellectual work. It is imperative that African Americans don’t fall into the stereotypes that are commonly put upon us, and it’s an essential part of our daily lives to rise above those stereotypes. It is critical that we follow the ground rules. Dr. Greg Carr talked about “Being present, in time and space, to read, write and speak to after,” and these are all an important part of gaining wisdom. I can identify with this because I have worked hard to get to where I am today, and I know that won’t stop in order to get to where I desire to go. Having a younger brother, I try to instill the ideas in him that he has to work hard, and even harder as an African American male to get where he wants to go in life.

Another point of the lecture was that African history started way before slavery. This is also connected to the African language, and the African American language, which is always changing. Ebonics is something not understood by all, but those who understand are part of a culture. This stood out to me because this is something that can be witnessed everyday. Overall the lecture reinforced many things that I already knew, as well as teaching me things I didn’t know about my culture. I can say that I identify with the African Experience.

K'ara Locke- "Learning, Wisdom and the African Experience"

Dr. Carr’s lecture on “Learning, Wisdom, and the African Experience” was a completely new concept for me and I loved it. He presented us with various points about learning, wisdom and knowledge pertaining to black people and our African ancestors. The few that stuck out the most to me were “the ground rules for intellectual work,” the “relationship of learning, wisdom, and knowledge,” and the idea that everything since slavery is not progress for black people.

I found the “ground rules for intellectual work” a fascinating concept. You have to be present in time and not just space; when you are aware of the time you are not present. Although I never thought being present as more than physically being present, it’s very logical concept. You have to read and write to learn, it personally helps me retain new information.

The relationship of learning, wisdom and knowledge was not necessarily new information; I had just never had it presented it to me so clearly and easy to remember. It was easy for me to reflect on how important it is to retain all the information I learn. I have never thought about the history of African-Americans as starting with the beginning of humanity; I have always looked at it as beginning with the slavery. Our history did not begin with slavery, thus we have not necessarily made progress as much as we have overcome a bump in the road. That was a new way of looking at the history of humanity, and I like this perspective much better. Overall, I found this lecture very informative and interesting. I view life through a new set of eyes now.

Amber Spencer: Learning, Wisond, and the African Experience

One of the points in Dr. Carr's lecture that stuck out to me was when he asked the question: "What's wrong with black people?" What struck me even more was the answer that was given to this question which was that we exist with "no sense of ourselves outside of that unfixable model." The solution of this problem is that we need to erase it and move on. I interpreted this as meaning that as black people, we cannot stick to the stereotypes that the world places on us. It is our job to prove to others, as well as ourselves, that we are capable of doing anything that we desire and that African Americans are intellectual. Sometimes it seems as though people forget that, so I believe that it is our job as black people to remember this and live by it.

Another point that Dr. Carr made was when he said not to compare, but to embrace the whole experience. People are always quick to compare others value and importance to the world, but maybe if we stopped comparing everything to each other, we could fully understand and experience the beauty that everyone brings to the world. One example he presented was how people compared Harriet Tubman to Barack Obama. He pointed out that both of them did amazing things and influenced people's lives. We need to embrace the greatness of both rather than focusing on just one person and what they did. African Americans have made a large impact in our world, and we must start embracing everyone rather than focusing on a select few.

One last point that Dr. Carr brought up was when he discussed the Genealogy of African learning and wisdom of this world. Before now, I was not aware that so many things originated from Africa. It also amazes me how every language has some degree of origin to the African language. This shows that Africa has had a massive impact on the world, and that is something that was not brought to my attention until I heard Dr. Carr's lecture. This lecture really opened my eyes and allowed me to learn new things about Africa in relation to the world.