The Black House

Wow!!!!! We're going to have a black president. I woke up this morning and it was still true. Watching the results trickle in on four different networks last night was surreal. When Barack Obama, 44th President flashed across the screen, I couldn't believe it. I was hoping they didn't pull another 2000. But with the numbers he had, that would have been impossible. Obama truly does represent the change we need in this country. And just like he said, for those people who didn't vote for him, he's your president too (just like Bush was ours for 8 terrifying years). If we can disregard race to come together and elect a black man as President,then we can come together on so much more and make this country achieve its true potential and make it as great as it can be.

Oh yeah...GOBAMA 08!!!!!!!! Yes We Can!!!!!!

Sister Stars

Last night, I went to a Sister Stars empowerment session where Dr. Debyii Sababu Thomas presented to the “sisters” some encouraging advice on overcoming obstacles. Dr. Thomas presented to us the guidelines for dealing with obstacles. What makes a woman a woman, she noted, is the way that they handle obstacles. But before we began, we were asked to write down obstacles that we have had in our life. My obstacles ranged from physical attributes to academic struggles. Being able to write down my obstacles allowed me to analyze how what I’ve gone through has helped define me as a person. We then defined the word obstacle and came up with this definition: an obstacle is something that gets in front of you that takes time to deal with it; it’s a barrier, it’s something that stands between you and a goal, and its nebulous – something that you can’t always see.

Furthermore, she gave us 4 words to describe what obstacles do: disappoint, distract, deform, and discourage. These four words perfectly paint a picture of how obstacles get in the way. She then said that obstacles come at different angles and she gave us the 5 ways to deal with obstacles. First we regroup, then reexamine, redirect, rethink, and then recommunicate. In the regrouping process, you must collect yourself. Moreover, in the reexamining process, one should distinguish between an internal or external obstacle. Rethinking involves finding another way. And finally you recommunicate by speaking to the obstacle and preventing it from standing between you and your goal again.

Dr. Thomas gave some very helpful advice. She communicated to the sisters about obstacles – something we deal with every day – and how to properly handle them. Many times, we are faced with obstacles and are confused about how to handle them. This session was very empowering and enlightening.

STI Panel

On Wednesday night, I went to an STI panel presented by the ladies of NCNW where health science Professor Deneen Long-White was the lead panelist. The panel was very informative and even had free HIV testing at the end.

The ladies of NCNW opened with a few handouts on STIs, contraceptives, common lines people use to have unprotected sex. Most people could relate to the information. It wasn't too stiff, nor was it too comical in trying to be colloquial.

When Professor Long-White took the floor, that's when the program really started. She has a way of dispersing information that makes it easily accessible to the students. She's very down to earth and had a way of telling the students like it is. The first thing she talked about was STIs and their prevalence among college students. She also passed around a poster with pictures of also the infection looked so we as students know what to look for and when to get help. Some of the pictures were a little graphic, but they had flaps to cover them and it was nothing that we as young adults couldn't handle.

After talking about STIs, Professor Long-White went on to discuss methods of contraception such as condoms and oral contraceptives. She talked about the pros and cons of each and the proper way to use them. For example, there's no point in taking birth control if you don't follow the dosage schedule. That makes it ineffective. With condoms, both male and female, she demonstrated the proper way to use them. She had a few props which garnered more than a few giggles from the crowd. The female condom was a new sight to many people. They had heard of it but never seen it. So it caused a lot of reactions among the crowd, even more so than the finger condoms she pulled out. Although some of the information wasn't new, a lot of it was. The session was very informative. All in all, it was a great presentation.

Opening Convocation 2008

Being that this is my junior year at Howard and I attended the Opening Convocation my freshman year in 2006, I decided to sit this one out and let the newly enrolled freshies enjoy this significant experience. I planned to watch it on WHUT at 11:00 but was unaware of the scheduling changes. So I caught it online. I felt that the way President Ribeau addressed the audience in a casual way was fitting for the wide range in audience. One of his first statements was an acknowledgement of the young audience (some elementary schoolers) and the diversity in the audience. His theme was "Now is the Time." He was very down to earth. He made jokes about his family and preparing his speech. He claimed he was part of the class of 2012, "these are my classmates." In saying that he made himself very accessible to the students. He attempted to give the audience a sense of who his was beyond what's written in his bio and on his resume. I felt he accomplished that by letting the audience in with his personality. He also wanted to talk about the spirit of Howard, what intangibles Howard is driven by. What makes it significant to society. He also wanted to talk about how to make Howard the university of the 21st century. I felt that the topics he addressed and the way in which he addressed them resonated with the students and he was able to connect with us in a way that President Swygert didn’t. His speech was excellent. My grade: A.

The Howard Legacy

You know... I been thinking a lot lately. When I decided to come to Howard, it was a purely monetary decision. Howard covered all of my expenses; tuition, room & board, fees, meals, and even books. Howard wasn't even one of my top choices before I got my award letter. I had heard about its reputation of being the "black Harvard," the number one HBCU, the birthplace of most of the Divine Nine, and so many other things. Initially to me, it was like "Oh, that's nice, but that's not why I'm coming here." But now, when I sit back and think about it, so many brilliant minds have matriculated here and are currently professors here. We've had visitors from all walks of life. Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, John Kerry, Nikki Giovanni to name a few that's been here in the 2+ years that I have. I'm privileged to be in this environment. That's inspiring to me. But I haven't been taking advantage of that. I haven't picked the minds of some of the world's foremost African-American scholars and artists. Scholars and artists who share their classrooms with me, many of whom have open-door office policies. Most of them hare their stories and are waiting for an eager student who wants to learn about their experiences. I'm not saying I totally disregard my professors and their views. Quite the opposite actually. When they speak, I'm intrigued. I just haven't developed those personal relationships that I would be able to continue long after graduation. Why? I don't know. Maybe it's because I don't ask questions unless I have a problem that I can't solve on my own or am just completely lost. That's hardly ever. Well, I think I would like to make a resolution to get to know at least one of my professors outside of class.

I'll let you know who I meet. Don't be jealous. Peace.

Cultural Heritage Tour

This is my junior year at Howard. I’ve been in DC for three years and haven’t seen even half of all DC has to offer. Over the summer, my best friend and I decided to do more cultural activities this year. Not to say I haven’t done anything, but that I would like to do more. I’ve been to plays and musicals, art galleries, many museums, and restaurants with live music. These kinds of things excite me and I was excited by the Heritage tour. It allowed me to become more aware of the historical resonance of the grounds that I walk on. I’ve passed by some of these buildings and landmarks multiple times over the 2+ years that I’ve been a student at Howard, without really knowing their history and significance outside of general knowledge. For example, take the Minor building; I pass it on my way down the hill to A-Building and up the hill on my way to Burr Gymnasium. I knew it was old, but I didn’t know it was a teacher’s college. Nor did I know where the Howard Hospital stands was once Griffith Stadium. Howard Hall is the oldest building on Howard's campus and it was the home of Gen. Oliver Otis Howard, one of the founders of Howard. (Lol, he stayed on campus just like me.) I liked learning these little not well-known tidbits about my school. I feel enlightened. Howard has such a rich history and when I think about it, I feel inspired to be here because of that history.

Blogging for Class

For one of my classes we have to do E-journals and we can do it in blog format. So instead of creating a new blog just for this assignment, I'm going to post the entries on here. I guess I'll change the color of the post or something to distinguish them. Idk, I'll figure somethin out.

Peace out