Research Methodology: Trey Lasane

Dr. Williams' post concerning research methodology served as the foundation of the research we are currently doing with our group projects. Her slides showed us that we need to emphasize putting thought into our research before we actually do the research. Dr. Williams wanted us to make sure that we answer all of the right questions when we begin our research. More importantly, she wanted us to be committed to a "lifetime of independent discovery." This is always been a goal of mine; I want to learn more every single day.Dr. Williams used a lot of examples from our peers as well as well renowned scholars. I feel that I am fully prepared to begin my research and delegate responsibilities to my group.

Miss Evers Boys

Miss Ever's Boys is a play based on the true story of a medical abomination that occurred in Tuskeegee, Alabama. A study concerning the existence and general nature of syphillis was conducted. In the study, however, a group of African American men, Miss Ever's Boys, were purposefully given the syphillis virus. The men were told they were being treated for "bad blood". Even after the cure for syphillis was discovered, the studies continued. Penicillin, a cheap, over the counter drug, could have easily saved the lives of those men. As a result of this disgusting occurrence, Miss Evers had to watch each of her boys eventually die from a treatable illness. I liked the play because it showed a more personal side to the story. It's easy to read about this tragedy on paper and say that it was wrong, but the way the story was told combined with stellar acting really brought the play home for me.

Princess Jenkins-Simlin

Homecoming-Issues with wifi connection

Homecoming was an experience that I will never forget. It was a great opportunity to see a lot of celebrities come and share quality time with everyday students. I noticed how celebrities like college students because they share the same desire for greatness. Most celebrities are prime examples of success, and it seemed as if college students wnat to be in their position one day.
 I had the opportunity to participate in front of the parade with our very own Howard University Air Force Reserve Officer's Training Corps. We marched with pride and shouted our jodies out as loud and proud as we could! I will never forget that day.

Homecoming

Due to a busy schedule, I wasn't able to attend many of the Homecoming events. I had a military obligation that took up the entirety of my Saturday, from 3am until 9pm. It was extremely disappointing. Aside from that, the actual Homecoming experience was amazing. I could feel the school come alive the closer it got to Saturday, the more excited everyone was getting. I have friends who go to other Universities in the DC area. When I spoke to some of them, they all told me how excited they were about attending the real HUs Homecoming. It was great that they all finally realized how amazing Howard is, even if it was only for a brief moment. At the same time, I was somewhat disappointed that I would miss my first Homecoming. Maybe next year Howard.

Princess Jenkins-Simlin

Amber Spencer: Homecoming

Homecoming week just occurred, and I must say that it was a very exciting week! Unfortunately due to a busy schedule with homework assignments and club meetings I was not able to attend everything that was offered. The events I did attend were fun though! The fact that it was my first homecoming as an actual Howard student made the entire week exciting. It was awesome to see the entire school filled with so much spirit and pride. I never got into homecoming back at home, but seeing all of the energy and excitement that Howard offered actually made me excited for homecoming. It made me feel like a true member of the Howard University family. Seeing so many people coming out to the Howard Homecoming helped me to realize how major homecoming is for the students, families, and others as well! This year's homecoming made me feel like homecoming really is supposed to mean coming home, and by Saturday night I truly felt that Howard University was my home. Homecoming was an amazing experience that helped me understand the meaning of "coming home."

K'ara Locke- Freewrite

I feel like just a few weeks ago we were all saying our good byes to our families as they were going back home leaving us alone to be adults. The time has flown. My weeks seem to be moving by like they are days. I have been enjoying my classes so far minus the homework. Mid-terms came faster than I was expecting as did homecoming. I remember looking at the blue 5"x7" "SAVE THE DATES" flyer that we received during freshman week with all the homecoming events, it seem so far away; but now it is here. There doesn't seem to be enough time in a day for me to get everything accomplished that I would like to (if I want to sleep). Trying to balance sports and school was difficult at first now I feel like I've got the hang of it and it is getting easier. I am anxious for what the rest of this semester holds.

Sierra Williams

Amber Spencer: Freewrite

It is amazing to think about how far we have made it through the year. I'm glad that I have been able to take this course. It has taught me about my ancestors as well as encouraged me to be a successful student. All of the lectures have influenced in a great way and have allowed me grow. Also the opportunies were wonderful. For example, I do not think that I would have gotten much of a chance to see the African Burial Ground if the class had not offered it. Also, it was interesting to go see the Miss Evers' Boys play. There are things that this class required me to do that I know that I would not taken advantage of if it was not required. I am honestly grateful of some of these requirements though. It allowed me to receive a different type of learning experience that I plan to carry throughout the rest of my college years as well as after college. As I continue to balance school, friends, and other clubs and activities, I hope that I am able to retain what I learned in this class and use it for the benefit of not only myself, but others around me as well.

Freewrite: Trey Lasane

It's crazy how time has already flown this year. Every freshman is scrambling to balance school, clubs/sports, maintaing your dorm, having fun, and making the most out of every experience. Some students are starting to learn whether or not the major is right for them, some are even questioning if college is right for them. When all else fails with other people being able to help you, who will rise to the occasion? The students with the will to survive will make it. I thought Carver week sent a lot of positive messages (at 4 AM) about how we control our own destiny. Our RA's and GA's explained all about how one slight misstep can ruin your entire life.

K'ara Locke - "Miss Ever's Boys"

I really enjoyed the play and the message was very clear and easy to grasp. The idea that the white man tricks the black man, leading him to believe that he will benefit from it in the end but the white man is really only interested in his own selfish outcomes. They led all those men to believe they could get better and help their community and make a difference by using Miss Evers to cover it all up. Even though she wanted to get out of it because she did not agree she was not able to. She really loved Miss Ever’s Boys and she did not want anything to happen to them but she was stuck in a position and she did not know what to do to get out of it. What I got from this play was that you cannot lose who you are in the midst of trying to help someone else. Never compromise who you are.

K'ara Locke - African Burial Ground

The trip to New York to see the African Burial Ground was very interesting. It is a lot different to see it rather than just hearing about it. It was easier to connect to everything they went through and the true historical significance of the African Burial Ground when you can see it. It was very disturbing to see how small the actual monument is. There are so many bodies buried in that area and all these buildings have just been built on top of them intentionally as if they did not mean anything. The lack of humanity that they show towards all these people because of history is unbelievable. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the trip and I learned so much that I feel everyone else should have access to as well. The trip was more than amazing.

Miss Evers Boys- Sierra Williams

The play “Miss’ Evers Boys” put on by the Arts & Theatre Program of Howard University was very good. I already knew a little bit of background information as to what the play would be about. The actors were great, and while the story is tragic, it was an enjoyable experience to watch the story unfold. The Miss Evers Boys story, was a infamous clinical study conducted between in Tuskegee, Alabama by the U.S. Public Health Service. This study was created to study the natural progression of untreated syphilis in poor, rural black men. These black men thought they were receiving free health care from the U.S. government. For participating in the study, the men were given free medical care, meals, and free burial insurance. They were never told they had syphilis, nor were they ever treated for it. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the men were told they were being treated for "bad blood," a local term used to describe several illnesses, including syphilis, anemia and fatigue.
The 40-year study was controversial for reasons related to ethical standards; primarily because researchers knowingly failed to treat patients appropriately after the 1940s validation of penicillin as an effective cure for the disease they were studying. This deception study was not only unethical but it is a disgrace to the government. Now because of the Tuskegee Syphillis Expriement studies require a informed consent communication of diagnosis, and accurate reporting of test results. The Arts & Theatre Program of Howard University did a dynamic job of portraying the true story of Miss Evers Boys. The actors did a great job in acting out the true story.

A charge to keep - Sierra Willams

The key points to this lecture all involved education. Ms. Worthy explained the 5 main tenens of culturally relevant teaching. They were: African Logic, African Epistemological Styles, African Axiology, Cultural visibility, social, emotional and political responsibility. LEAP schools were culturally relevant schools that taught this way. Children from different cultures do not all learn the same way and that was important to note. The idea is to take out all the European influences that are placed in the school system because that is not culturally relevant to African children.
Being part of a schooling system like this can benefit many children who have thought about dropping out of school because they don’t understand the way they were being taught. I know that sometimes I don’t understand the way certain teachers teach, but until this lecture I know that it’s a possibility that they were not teaching me in a culturally relevant way. Culturally relevant teaching can benefit all children and it is important that it can be incorporated into more schools in the future.
The leap schools follow Ubuntu which means humanity. They follow the Zulu proverb that a person is a person through other persons, we affirm our humanity when we acknowledge that of others. They follow many rules such as being kind and honest and it is a very good way to learn because it promotes self growth.

African Burial Ground trip- Sierra Williams

The African burial ground was a good experience. The monument was well worth the trip. The monument itself had several different meanings and within it were symbols all around. Some of the symbols were ones that were easily identifiable , like the cross and the heart. My favorite part was the libation ceremony . It was interesting to hear everything dr. Carr had to say relating to the ancestors. Watching the movie really put the whole thing in perspective for me . It was really shocking to see how the Africans had their own burial ground and it was only 20 years later that it got shut down. There were a lot of artifacts that were preserved from from the African burial ground , and to see them in person was good to really understand what things were like back then. THe people who were singing and playing instruments after the libation was a good experience to be a part of. The whole ceremony made everyone feel as one and everyone was there for the same purpose. I am glad that i took the time to understand more about the African culture and more about this experience; that until this day I knew very little about.

Amber Spencer: Miss Evers' Boys

I attended the production "Miss Evers' Boys" this past week, and I'm glad that I got the opportunity to see it. Not only did the actors do great, but the plot of the story was also intriguing. It was basically about a research study dealing with Syphilis in black males. The point of the study was to see if blacks responded the same way as whites to the effects of the disease. Hundreds of the subjects died due to mistreatment.
I find this entire situation horrible. How can someone sit and watch a large group of people, black or not, die due to a disease that could have been cured? It seems almost not human. Using humans as guinea pigs for research, is completely immoral. Some respect can be lost towards the government and to those who knew about the study, but let them die anyways. I wonder why they would choose to let the blacks die and treat the whites. I wonder this because I don't fully understand what this study could have possibly proven effectively. And whatever was proven through this experiment, was it worth the loss of hundreds of innocent black people? I feel as though it was not. When they saw that so many people were being affected negatively, they should have stopped the experiment and cured the people who were infected.

Amber Spencer: A Charge To Keep

Ms. Worthy spoke about the LEAP schools and mentioned how culturally relevant they were. She explains the five tenants of culturally relevant teaching. These five tenants are African logic, African Epistemological Styles, African Axiology, cultural visibility, and social, emotional and political responsibility. All learning should be based on these five tenants because this would make the learning system much better. I think that people would get more out of school if schools based their learning on these five tenants.
She also spoke about LEAP's emotional program. LEAP basically meets the emotional needs of the students and the people involved in this program. They have a class that develops a learner's sense of belonging and having an identity. This in turn creates a "safe-haven" for the students where they are allowed to grow and feel comfortable with themselves. This is a good thing for students to have because everyone needs an environment that they feel comfortable growing up in and for being able to show their emotions without feeling judged. It's difficult to feel this in most school systems. I have personally never felt that in any school that I've attended.
Ubunti means humanity. These schools are based on this. Under Ubunti, the LEAP code of conduct is created. This code of conduct states things such as being kind, honest, and never giving up. It is full of inspirational aspects unlike many other schools. I don't remember reading things such as this in my high school code of conduct for example. I think that if every school's code of conduct included these things, then schools in general would be much better for students. After hearing this lecture, I wondered why every school does not do this.

K'ara Locke-" A Charge to Keep"

Ms. Worthy explained to us how the LEAP schools, like the one she visited, are culturally relevant. One of the ways their teaching is culturally relevant is by incorporating African Epistemology in their learning environments. Their school day runs a lot differently than our school day in a typical American school would run. They have multiple age groups together in one class and they do not break up all their subjects the way we do because African people learn better in that way. Ms. Worthy thinks we should re-segregate the schools in America and teach the black children in a more culturally relevant way so we can excel and be up to par with our white counterparts because it worked before, when segregation was forced. All this sounds good but it makes me question what was it all for in the beginning then, with fighting for desegregation of schools.

LEAP also caters to the emotional needs of the students. They have an entire class dedicated to sharing how they feel and “to develop the individual learner’s sense of wholeness, identity and belonging.” This gives them a safe, non-judgmental environment to learn and thrive in, which many if them still need since the apartheid has just recently ended and they are not adjusted to the changes. This could help a lot of American students, just to know that you are surrounded by people who care; because we definitely do not have that feel in our school system.

These schools work based on Ubuntu, which means humanity. A man defined freedom as “the struggle for humanization.” The LEAP schools put a great deal of emphasis on Ubuntu, it is almost like their way of life, it guides them throughout their entire school day. There is more to it than just humanity, it is the LEAP code of conduct. I think it would be beneficial to American students, if we learned about Ubuntu and applied it to our lives as they do.

K'ara Locke- Eloquence of the Scribes

To be the “best and brightest” of Howard be pushing to excel in every course I take. I came Washington with the mindset that I was going to leave with a 4.0. But I won’t top there, I will work hard to make myself well rounded and aware of the world around me. This way I will know how I can be the change I want to see.

To be a citizen of the world to me means to be aware that there is a whole other world outside of the one I live in and know. And to know that I have to help change it and help make it into what everyone wants it to be. As a world citizen, I have to truly understand the importance of progress. My citizenship in the nation informs my world citizenry because I realize how much we have already done, is no where near enough, compared to what we still have to do to make the world all be on one accord.

I know Thurgood Marshall is going way back in time but I know that he had “to till and turn over” a lot “soil” to get where he got in the time that he lived in. Thurgood Marshall, although he chose a career opposite of the one I am pursuing, he inspires me to keep pushing and try my hardest at everything because if he could achieve all that he did at the time that he did, then I should be able to do more.

Eloquence of the Scribes- Princess

To become a part of the "best and brightest", I will do my best to excel here at Howard. I feel as though I've already made a leap in the right direction just by attending such a prestigious, historically black institution. I'm already aiming for a 4.0 GPA. I had a consistent 3.2-3.5 GPA in high school and now I want to achieve more than I ever have. To be a citizen of the world is to be an educated member of society who attempts to make the world a better place. An important aspect of being a world citizen is to recognize the importance of progress. Being a citizen in the nation as compared to being a citizen of the world has made me realize all of the work that still needs to be done, not only in the United States, but across the land. I'm not sure what is meant by a "representative thinker", but if I had to pick someone, it would be Dr. Abdul Karim Bangura. Every class he questions my traditional values of society. In an early Freshman Seminar presentation, one of the speakers spoke about advancing versus transforming knowledge. I believe Dr. Bangura is one of those people who transforms knowledge, which is why I look forward to his classes.

Princess Jenkins-Simlin

Sierra Williams- Eloquence of the Scribes

To be the best Howard scholar, I know that I must take all of my work seriously; and that I cannot achieve my goals without hard work. I strive to obtain a 4.0 GPA. Being involved in my own future, and the future of others will help me contribute to the Howard legacy. Working on areas that need improvement is also key to becoming the best and the brightest. To be a citizen of the world means to acknowledge the existence, and taking responsibility for what goes on around you. To be a citizen means that you have rights, but there are also rules to abide by. My citizenship in the nation will inform my world citizenry because based of the opportunities that I am afforded in America; I know that I have the potential to help the global community. I think a representative thinker that has inspired me is Patricia Bath, M.D. She is an opthamologist, the first African- American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention. Her life’s work inspires me to till and turn over the soil, because I aspire to be a medical doctor, and from a long time ago it wasn’t possible for everyone. Even though it is a competitive field, if you work hard enough you can achieve your dreams.

Being a Howard student and World Student: Trey Lasane

As a student, I want to embark on a journey that leads to the future of energy in America. I believe energy will be a key resource for our nation as we move forward with technology. Our environment, economy, and foreign relations can all be improved with a little dedication towards renewable energy. I will be the best and brightest at Howard by forming my own organization: Future Energy of America.

A citizen of the world has strong nationalism but at the same time accounts for people everywhere. As we recognize how America was formed and aided by other nations, we must be a part of the help in other nations around the world. The United States simply couldn't stand by and watch Quaddafi stop the formation of a democracy. We couldn't sit back and watch the tragedy in Darfur. We proudly stand as a United nation, but we must be our brother's keeper to other countries just how others have done for us. Being a citizen of the world means that you care for more than just your own country.

For my Howard role model, I look no further than my Commandant of Cadets 1st Lt Baynard. Lieutenant Baynard has demonstrated superior during her Howard tenure as well as her leadership as a member of the cadre at Howard University. She has showed me that it takes more than brains to be a successful Howard student. Lt Baynard shows power of will and sets the example for everyone in the detachment.