Unit IV - Blog IV/Group presentations and reflection
By now, you've seen most if not all of the group presentations. Each should've represented a culmination of this survey class. This final blog will be two-fold. First, which presentation(s) represents the most inclusive interpretation of what you believe this class conveyed; please explain why. Second, after reflecting from these past few weeks, which aspect of this class this class resonated with you the most, and why?
Due: Thurs., 11/29/18 by 11:59pm
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ReplyDeleteThe interpretation of the slave narratives that I believe was most inclusive our class themes was Abena's group in that they had a reenactment of a reading from the slave narratives collected in the WPA project. While this may be a small aspect of their whole project (it was the first slide) to me (as a fellow storyteller) it was important because it required imagining the age and life experiences expressed in tone of voice. The acting was as if getting a glimpse into the kind of person that can be both born in and live through slavery. In class I've made comments on initial blood memories and moments described in a slaves life that could be considered as the initial moment of trauma. What we didn't discuss was how we process these memories, and I think it was important to describe how critical this enactment was because it gives us the chance to process this trauma. The enactment had to require both research, critical interpenetration, and recognition of an initial blood memory We as a people have found our ways to cope with our lives, but to cope with the fact that ancestors had give up the chance to process their own pain to survive is a new challenge. Shout out to them and their ability to act.
ReplyDeleteAfter reflection I think the most important aspect of this course was the focus on using our critical imagination to replace our lived experiences with the lives of others. This helped me realize when an author was signifying or picture the circumstances that prevent certain writings by black writers from all being Fire and Brimstone. I'm not surprised Phyllis Wheatley didn't curse out her owners. I'm surprised her owners couldn't read between the lines. I'm not surprised the Mulatto included all the violence and betrayal. I'm surprised people thought slavery was just happy slaves, jolly overseers, and great masters. However, without the constant emphasis on using our critical imagination I would've just assumed the same ignorance of the people I'm criticizing. So shout out to that life lesson.
The presentation that represents the most inclusive interpretation of what this class represented was the other group that focused on navigating trauma. Some narratives were told from a woman's perspective, and others from a man's perspective. Some of the slaves were mulatto, and some were field slaves. The narratives that we read throughout the semester had one thing in common. They all included some type of traumatic experience. The women in particular were sexualized, raped, and treated as if they were toys. The group that presented on 11/28 used Aunt Hester's beating, in Frederick Douglass' narrative as an example. She stood in front of her master, naked, with her arms above her head. She was beaten severely for being involved with another man. The experiences that our ancestors went through has caused PTSS today. After reflecting on the class, what resonated with me the most was our Unchained Memories discussion. I could vividly imagine what they had to go through because this documentary provided pictures, along with people that reenacted the narratives in their interpretation of it. Most masters and mistresses starved their slaves. A little girl grabbed a biscuit, and was nearly beaten to death because she was hungry. It was baffling to me how cruel white people were.
ReplyDeleteThe documentary Unchained Memories stuck with me as well because hearing the voices gave me a better visual of what they went through. Along with the pictures that were included it helped me to understand more about exactly what it was slaves went through.
DeleteThinking about how trauma is passed on it makes me think that some of the mental illnesses we deal with now could’ve been my great grandmothers but I’m just now able to afford a therapist. I wonder what parts of our stress is just built up from our past.
DeleteI really enjoyed viewing the WPA project of Unchained Memories as well. The actors & actresses portrayed the slave narratives so extremely real that it really touched me. The one that spoke to me the most was a man describing how the white masters would be the slaves for stealing, but he reminded up that they did the stealing first by taking the slaves & bringing them
Deleteon these terrrible ships and to an unfamiliar land. These just felt so real, it made me want to read even more narratives.
Kirah McAllister
ReplyDeleteThe presentation that for me was a more inclusive interpretation of what we have learned in the class was the presentation on trauma. Especially considering the fact that trauma was the one thing all slaves could relate to. Regardless of where the slave was located each slave experienced some type of trauma. I enjoyed how they mentioned trauma from both the men's perspective and the women's perspective. The one aspect of the class that resonated with me the most was the dichotomy between white women and black women, because growing up as a young black girl and constantly being told you can't where this, or you can't do that, or go change because so and so is coming over but not understanding why you needed to this or why it mattered learning the history behind it and how it all connects into each others makes sense. All in all this class this semester has opened my eyes to things I was never aware of and has made me more conscious.
The dichotomy between white and black women stuck with me as well. I remember going to a predominantly white middle school. If a little white girl used slang words, that was alright. If I used slang words, I was viewed as ghetto. If a white girl was late to class it was excused. If I was late to class, I had lunch detention. I saw the unfairness at a young age. This stems from slavery times.
DeleteI also enjoyed how they spoke about trauma from a man and woman's perspective. Women had to endure the physical beating as well as the sexual assault. They also were still responsible for tending to the children.
Delete-Harmony Donald
First and foremost, thank you!
DeleteI agree with you about the way we used not only men, but women too.
I agree with the example you have about having to change and not understanding. I also went through that. It was great understanding and seeing why people are like this. Although I still don’t agree with it.
The presentation that had the most inclusive interpretation for me, was Paige's group. I liked how they showed a movie clip, and basically showed the sad truth about many black households. How even when you tell the truth, the closest ones to you will not believe you. I also liked how they used case studies. And they answered my question, about why what's the difference between using science to back this up and for example Jefferson's, really well. I also like Professor Jackson said, appreciated how they used white and black alleged predators, showing that everyone needs to be held accountable for their actions. This class was one of my favorites, if not my favorite class this semester. Being Ghanaian, understanding not only African history but African American history and literature is important and I got the most out of this class. In general, I loved how, I felt more connected to slavery and it stood and still stands for, like many people know slavery was horrible but to be in a class and have to read the literature, it makes it all the more real. I also loved class discussions, hearing everyone's point of views and learning how to critically imagine. The aspects that resonated with me is when talking about Douglass's narrative and how black people can blame literally everything on slavery, because it has affected us on such a deep level. How Douglass not having a relationship with his mother can be used to connect how some black men act the way they do now. Also how they're case studies and credible evidence in today's time to back this up. Another was the dichotomy between black and white women. I always saw the differences, especially in the feminist movement, again not really seeing women like me but just bigger name white celebrities. But having slave narratives such as Harriet Jacobs, Sojourner Truth's speech, and further research showed me that this dichotomy and the dynamic between black and white women again runs deeper than I could imagine.
ReplyDeleteI also resonated with our discussion on Douglass' narrative. The events that he had to whiteness was terrible. The history of our ancestors still affect us today. Back then, most of the slaves didn't know who their father was. Or if they did know, they weren't involved in their lives. This is still relevant today.
DeleteThank you Abeena! I worked really hard on interpreting those individual studies. I always joke about how I can tie anything back to racism though, so it is important to remember that various interpretations are to be kept in mind when viewing the different sides of the "scholarly" versus "non-scholarly" sources. So, it's really hard to pick just one thing I resonated with in the entire class. Short answer: Everything, basically.
Delete- Jasmine
The presentation that represents the most inclusive interpretation of what I felt this class represented was the group that focused on trauma. Many of the narratives we discussed this year have included the dark thought of truma. Many times this trauma came from all perspectives. Being men, women and children. The Men were brutally abused and over worked, Women were raped repeadtly. And kids watched their lives ones be destroyed by this trauma, later causing what is called "blood trauma". Many of the groups discussed this trauma in their narratives. , without that being their main focus. The thought of trauma always seemed to find a way to veer its head during these narratives because the cruel and unusual treatment endured by the slaves. An Example on of the groups, who used trauma was , Fredrick Douglas. Who as a child on the slave plantation. watched his aunt Hesters be raped & destroyed in front of him. Causing blood trauma or what is now know as PTSD. Looking back on this class, I believe the thought of trauma and Intellectualism were two of the most import things I picked up in the narratives. As stated most of the narratives we read had the element of trauma as one of the main point of views. Although all of the narratives we've read have showed some type of Intellectualismin some way. For example phillis Wheatley historical break through by being the first African American poet, at a time when reading and writing was something most slaves could not do. Applying this concept of Intellectualism into todays world is quite easy. Because we are black many times opposite races feel we are ignorant to our surroundings, however this is not the case. this class showed that with the stories of the intellectuals that lead the way for our freedom as scholars.
ReplyDeleteI think trauma is the underlying message of all of the stories and narratives we’ve studied this semester. Whether it was feminism, family trauma, etc. the intent was to always expose the oppression and institutional racism that blacks faced, and the trauma that came from them. This semester personally shed light on me to the true horrors that came with slavery.
DeleteThe presentation that had the most inclusive interpretation for me was the presentation about feminism. What really made me enjoy this presentation was the acting out of slave narratives. Those girls did great, and it all felt extremely real. I also love seeing guys talk about and be passionate about feminism as well. Lastly, I was excited to learn about feminism and what it means to be a womanist. It is crazy when you stop and look back into the slavery era when white woman acted as if black women were not women as well, and what is worse is that still happens today. Now white women rather vote for their color over their gender which amazes me every single time. Sojourner Truth continues to stand out to me, because she defines feminism. In “Ain’t I a Woman,” she calls all women, not just black or white, but all women to help turn the world right-side up. The aspect of this class that resonated the most with me, was when we realized that we are all possibly a product of rape, and that we can blame everything on slavery. Slavery has continued to mess with the mindsets of black individuals, white men and women still believe we are inferior to them, and they are still afraid of us as well. Slavery messed with our family dynamics and also how we might feel and deal with the thought of if a family member or male member of our family is accused of rape or sexual assault. It is sad that we must blame everything on slavery, but we also are not crazy if we do. I appreciate my group member Jasmine for finding an incredible study about epigenetics. Certain lifestyles factors are able to change the way our genes are expressed, and this can be passed on. The trauma of slavery is continually passed on, and I appreciate us as black people trying to work everyday to move past such a traumatic era. This class has opened my eyes to many things, it has made me view everything in a different perspective, and I am grateful for it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think it was really cool to find that study on how past generations' trauma can PHYSICAL be passed down to family members. I also think it is important to realize that while slavery has had a long-lasting impact on Black people, it isn't a "crutch" but just a stark reality of our past. Going forward, we must continue to gain more knowledge and understanding of our history while striving to overcome our circumstances. That's why I really enjoyed Dr. Jackson's class most of all. It helps our young Black youth gain a more in-depth understanding of our Black history.
Delete-Jasmine Howell
I also appreciate fellow group member, Jasmine Howell, for finding the source on epigenetics. I feel like a lot of white people, or perhaps some black people, don't understand why we have to discuss slavery when discussing the makeup of the black family. We must include slavery in that discussion because the things that our ancestors experienced is literally passed through DNA. The mental fortitude and strength that they had to build in order to survive are still seen through the way black families raise their kids today. This is why you literally cannot just "get over" slavery.
DeleteI think that the presentation that represented a culmination of the topics we've discussed throughout the class was the one on navigating trauma. It was my own presentation, but I think it tied in all of the other topics. One persisting theme throughout the various class discussions was trauma. White supremacy has not only affected Black Americans, but people of color globally. Colonization has hurt many, if not all, countries and that was emphasized in all of our readings over the semester.
ReplyDeleteOne aspect of this class that resonated with me the most was the the critical interpretations of our different readings. One thing that I aspire to do as an English major is be able to break down and synthesize readings of various difficulties. This class has definitely helped me be able to explore that side of English much more than my other courses have given me the ability to do.
-Jasmine Howell (I always forget to put my name)
DeleteI also resonated with the critical interpretations. I really liked the group discussions that we had in class where everyone gave their input on what we read.
DeleteNajeeah Ford
ReplyDeleteThe presentation that was the most inclusive to me was the very last presentation in class on family dynamics in slave narratives and the black community. Each group member did an exceptional job of presenting to the class different slave narratives that are not well-known. Before this presentation I have never heard of Issac Mason, John Joseph or Solomon Northup. The group members explained how the masters purposely separated slaves from their children and how this still has a long-lasting effect on the black community today. The aspect of this class that resonated with me the most was the REAL history of slavery and the blues. I have learned a lot of black history that I might have never learned without taking this course. I also never learned the details of the horrific experiences that slaves had to go through. Nat Turner was the GOAT for real and I really enjoyed reading his narrative. I also enjoyed learning about Victor Sejour. I thought the Mulatto was a brilliant play and this was one of my favorite lessons this semester. To me this class represented the hidden truth about black history.
~ Najeeah Ford
This was my groups presentation and I’m glad that we were able to shed light on different narratives that aren’t as widely studied as the ones we focused on in class. We made a conscious effort to look up narratives that we weren’t particularly familiar with so that we could take away as much from the project as we intended for the rest of the class to. John Joseph was a personal favorite of mine and I was fairly surprised that I had never come across his name before either.
DeleteI agree Najeeah! Each member in this group was able to provide great details and relate the stories back to their topic. When they first introduced their topic I was a little confused because I did not understand how the topic was related to slave narratives, but through their very detailed explanations I was able to catch on and comprehend the message they were trying to deliver!
DeleteI also enjoyed this presentation. This group was about to show the consistency of slaves being separated from their family and how it negatively impacts slaves view on family and love. They also explained how the negative views on family and love are past down with generations. -Harmony Donald
DeleteNajeeah,
DeleteI totally agree! I hadn’t heard of half of them people and I swore that the book we were reading had to have most of them.
I really think seeing “the GOAT” made me pay a lot of attention to your post.
The presentation that I believe conveyed the topics of this class the most was the first group that focused on love ethics and family on Wednesday. This group incoporated the history of family and love through slaves and their stories, but also put a twist to it by adding scientific theories and studies that supported their ideas and research findings. I believe that the trauma, the societal differences and standards all began many years ago, when slaves were split apart from their families and forced into an unwanted lifestyle. Without this beginning act, some of the trauma and societal standards may not exist and if so, may not be so big in African American communities.
ReplyDeleteAfter the last few weeks of this class, I realized that the slave narratives resonated with me the most and I am appreciative of the amount of time that was assigned to this topic. It was very overwhelming, yet powerful to read and learn the slave narratives of the “unpopular” slaves, meaning the slaves that aren’t in everyone’s history book. Before this class, I was very uneducated as it pertained to the history of our people and our culture. I am consumed with much knowledge now and I will continue to increase my knowledge in our history after this class. It is very nice to read the narratives of our ancestors and learn their raw and authentic experiences. It makes me appreciate my life so much more.
Anyia Childs
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ReplyDeleteThe presentation that I believe best conveyed the topics we studied in class in the most inclusive way was the group that presented on navigating trauma and included the skits in the beginning. I think the skits included examples of signifyin’, spirituals, and call and response. Their presentation on navigating also included other topics we studied this semester such as feminism vs womanism and it’s effect on slaves, family ethics and how trauma tied into family dynamics, and also identity and how these slaves had define themselves and their identities through the trauma they faced.
ReplyDeleteThe part of this survey class that resonated the most with me this semester were the slave narratives and my critical interpretations of them, most specific Equiano’s narrative. My biggest contribution to the class discussion this semester I believe was when I deducted that regardless of speculation that Equiano’s recounts weren’t credible as fact, the way Equian was able describe and articulate his memories so vividly and elegantly that it proves use of literary devices and intellectual capability. The skill in which Equiano couldfirst hand write his narrative proved that black slaves had the same literary ability and mental capacities of the whites.
- Turé Lawrence
The presentation that was the most inclusive was the group that did Navigating Trauma and included the clip from a movie. This group included credible scientific evidence to support their claims on trauma within slavery. I like that they included the clip because it shows how trauma from slavery has impacts future generations. The group showed the normalization of the sexualization of young black girls and how it emerged from slavery. The slide with the examples of accused rapist was also intriguing. This slide shows how in today's society sexual assault is still being ignored. People still blame the victim instead of holding the perpetrator accountable.
ReplyDeleteAfter reflecting these past few weeks, the thing that resonated with the most these past weeks Omar Ibn’s narrative. The ACS used him as a propaganda to continue slavery. Omar used this as opportunity to share his story. He wrote the story the way the ACS wanted to. He made it clear that he did not convert to Christianity and was not content being a slave. His indirect approach when writing this narrative was similar to how Phillis Wheatley writes her poems. I enjoyed how he was able to manipulate the ACS.
-Harmony Donald
That was a very emotional clip to watch. It is very sad because there are many predators lurking around within the black family and the elders often times wont acknowledge them. Children are forced to sit in silence and suffer from years of pain that creates problems for them as adults.
DeleteThe presentation that I believe represents the most inclusive interpretation of what this class conveyed was the group that talked about navigating trauma. I believe that the young women in that group did a great job of explaining the situations that slaves would go through during chattel slavery. My favorite part about the presentation was Jasmine's scientific explanation. I do not remember the entire presentation but I do remember being amazed at the fact that she was able to incorporate another field of study into a topic like this shows dedication and hark work.
ReplyDeleteThe part of this class that I resonated with the most was the slave narratives. It was mind blowing to be able to read and analyze the lives of our ancestors and get a feel for what they went through. Never in my high school years did we look and survey slave narratives at this capacity. From the narrative of Equiano all the way to the Crafts, I have learned more in this one semester than I did in my entire high school years.
I completely agree! As well known as Equiano is and as important as his story is to the world, not once was he brought up in ANY of my classes that I have been in before this one. It saddens me and makes me afraid to question just how much of our history has actually been hidden from us and how much we would have to hunt down in order to put a dent in everything we involuntarily had to miss out on.
DeleteThe presentation that I felt had the most inclusive interpretation was the one on feminism. I really enjoyed their skits and how they included a mulatto narrative . Womanism is a term that I was not familiar with initially, so I really appreciated the fact that they made that distinction between feminism and womanism in their presentation. Intersectonality is a concept that is very important to me and it was nice to see portrayed by their group.
ReplyDeleteThere are several things that we have discussed that have resonated with me. In this class, specifically the oral tradition portion, I have realized how much influence black people have on a global scale. Our history was essentially robbed from us and we were able to create things that were originally used to make it trough the trauma of slavery and continue this through years of tradition. Along with seeing the magic in our people, this class has exposed me to some of our faults, and where we need improvement. Our final group project allowed me to see how white supremacy is still woven in the fabric of the history of black people in America. We need to work really hard to unlearn these things that have been perpetuated for centuries in order to progress. Even though we still have lots of work to do, this class has really made me see the beauty and resilience of black people. Black people are inspirational to all people. Which explains why our culture and the things we do inspire so many.
Paige Parker
In also resonated with the oral traditions that we talked about in class. In the beginning since it wasn’t written down they became distorted. Once the oral traditions were written there was no true way of knowing what was fact and what was fiction.
DeleteI believe the presentation that resonated with me the most was my groups presentation: “Navigating Trauma.” I learned a lot simply from being in the group. This was honestly the best group I’ve ever worked with. I thought the presentation displayed the way in which slavery affected everyone involved and the generations to come after. The movie clip was a great depiction of the effects of slavery and the emotions it evoked were impeccable. I enjoyed the way we incorporated statistics and scientific facts as well. Lastly I believe the juxtaposition of the slave narratives and modern day were very eye opening.
ReplyDeleteI think the thing that matters the most from this class is: to be aware that people have been where you are and far beyond it too. I love quotes so, I connected a quote with this class that goes: “I am my ancestors wildest dreams.” This classs was great and it was a reminder why I can’t stop here.
I enjoyed working with you some much and the rest of our group Tatianna! You’re definitely right, because sometimes I feel we do think the prejudices and injustices we face daily have never been seen before, but they started WAY before we got here. We always must remember our ancestors and be thankful for them treading a path of strength and continually empowering us!
Delete♥️ .
DeleteI love quotes too! You all were one of my favorite groups as well. I really feel that navigating trauma was a very relevant topic in everything we have learned this semester and a prominent theme in the class.
DeleteThe group that resonated with me the most was the group that did Feminism. I loved how they were able to incorporate a skit and give so much emphasis on the topic as well as give the presentation a little more meaning. I had no knowledge on what the term womanism, but it was easier to understand when broken down. Essentially a womanist, is someone who cares about the overall gender of women, no matter what they present as. A feminist is white women, as they only care about themselves and no other race.
DeleteI think navigating trauma had the biggest influence to my perspective of the overclass, especially by hearing the quote by James Baldwin: “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in history, but then you read.” Reading these slave narratives and using the aspects to break down everything we read in class, allowed me to learn more about our history and gain a deeper understanding of the struggle our ancestors went through, just for us to live the way we live. To honor and be grateful for our ancestors to pave a path for us to live and feel entitled to who we are. This allowed me to connect everything to our lives now, although we may be going through our struggles and downfalls in the society we live in, it cannot compare to what our ancestors went through. But we can read and learn more about the pain and history and use that to move forward and paint a better picture.
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DeleteI enjoyed working with you ladies as well! it was a pleasure to learn so many things from you all. I'm thankful for all the lessons that we were able to learn together. Doing this project has now made me aware of exactly how much the trauma of our ancestors has molded the dynamics of the black family. I will take these things that I have learned and be sure to do things differently whenever I decide to build a family structure of my own.
DeleteIt’s 11:59, lol. Thanks Paige ♥️ Conventionally always gonna enjoy you. I thought this was a great presentation! I was relieved to finish it but I’m proud of it too!
DeleteThe presentations that I believe represents the most inclusive interpretation of this class were both navigating traumas and the intelligence groups. I feel like from the beginning of the semester, the most prominent themes that we spoke of were 1) the trauma that our people faced from the time they were captured in Africa and 2) the intelligence that white people attempted to discredit as "exceptionalism" and how we used that intelligence to signify what we really meant in sometimes underlying messages. This is represented by the trauma depicted in the slave narratives between the emotional detachment in Frederick Douglass' narrative and sexual abuse/paranoia in Harriet Jacobs' narrative. This is also represented in examples like Phillis Wheatley and Sojourner Truth. They presented two very different approaches, yet still used their intelligence to convey their point.
ReplyDeleteThe part that resonated with me the most in this course was the slave narratives. I never knew that they were intentionally recorded during that time period or even recorded at all. The struggles they faced and overcame and healed from or learned to cope with - I could never imagine being strong enough to endure the same trials as gracefully as they did. I fell in love with learning a new story and actually putting a name to the person instead of generalizing slaves as a collective as though they all were the same or were placed in the same situations. This class gave them an identity, a voice, a background. What I have learned - not just in this class - by reading the narratives is knowledge I will be able to take with me for the rest of my life. The authors will always be remembered because of these narratives. It is because of stories like theirs that I feel closer to where I come from and have become even more determined to find out as much as I can about it.
- Ria Pass
The presentation that represents the most inclusive interpretation of what we learned in class was my groups’ presentation on feminism. I really liked the way my group members displayed the realness of the events that took place in the slave narratives. Majority of the slave narratives could be relayed back to feminism. Women were raped by their masters and then scorned by their mistresses. The children that produced by these rape victims, were sized constantly by the mistresses and treated differently because they represented the mother. Then wife treated the mother terribly because she was taking the unwanted attention from her husband and she couldn’t say anything about it.
ReplyDeleteThe part that resonated with me the most had to be the slave narratives because I learned a lot about them. Coming into this class I didn’t know much, and it opened my eyes to the array of stories that derived through slavery.
-Abrianna Spencer