Looking Back

What was most important to me about this class was identity. Learning about my heritage and embracing it as a subject to be proud of is something that I had needed. I liked the centrality of knowledge in the African experience most of all. As someone who had always been enthusiastic about learning as much as I could, the stigma of intelligence being a "White" trait was distressing. I could not betray my passion, even if it meant rejecting my blood as an aspect of my person. This class taught me that not only can I be a Black man and hold my love for knowledge, but that knowledge was born in the hands of my kin.

I've grown curious of African History because of the course. I want to know more about the culture that I was separated from. I think that my newfound interest and appreciation for my ancestry is the best thing that I've taken from this course. I look forward to the classes I'll take in the future to expand the foundations of my identity.

Now that freshman seminar is over, I have mixed emotions. freshman seminar allowed me to get a better understanding of not who i am but also my African culture. i now have a better relationship with my heritage thanks to freshman seminar. i am thankful for all of the exposure i was able to experience over the course of semester. going to the African Burial ground was one of the best memories i have from this class. also i gained a better understanding of who I am. i learned how to work better within a group of people that i hardly even know. at first i was very uncomfortable with it but i matured and has enabled me to become a better man. also i appreciate doing blogs, let me relax and just express my thoughts without worrying about all of the aspects of grammar. I glad that I was apart of this course at Howard University and am thankful for freshman seminar.

Becoming Part of a Legacy

As I look back on this semester I see that I have changed in many ways. I have become accustomed to life as a college student. I am living on my own now in a new city. I am now a proud part of a rich tradition and the legacy that is Howard University. Freshman seminar has helped me to take a new look into the history of Africa and how that relates to me. In any given one hour session of this class I learned more about African and African American history than I have in any other class I have ever taken. This class has helped me to learn about the history of my ancestors and how the beginning and basis for civilization all stem from ancient Egypt. I am happy that this was a required class and I would have taken it even if it weren’t. The lectures were all informative and I was able to take something from each one of them. The trip to New York also allowed me to learn about the American history that isn’t taught in schools. Overall freshman seminar has helped me to evolve into shaping the person and character that I look forward to one day being remembered as.

The N Word

The N word has been a part of society for hundreds of years. The use has changed and much like many other words in the English language that evolve over time. Over the years there has been much controversy over the use of the word and several attempts to “kill the word.” White slave owners created the word nigger as a derogatory term to describe their African slaves. Since then the word has evolved and different forms have come from the word. Nigga is the most common of these and has long been a part of African American culture. It can be seen in music, movies, and everyday conversation between fellow African Americans. Some argue that it is still the same word no matter how you say it. I disagree with this, as the English language is full of words that sound very similar but carry with them completely different meanings. Many people who believe that we should stop using the world is because of the original meaning that is still carried along with the word when someone of another race uses it to describe an African American and African Americans become offended. This could be compared to the use of the word ese among Hispanic cultures. It is acceptable for Hispanics to call each other ese but offensive when someone uses the term in reference to a Hispanic. African Americans generally reach a consensus that nigger is offensive even when used amongst themselves, and that Nigga is acceptable only amongst themselves. Although I am not against the use of the word I feel that to some extent the word is another example of how the tactics described in the Willie Lynch letter are still being used today to pit African Americans against each other.

Higher

The topic of one group’s presentation was marijuana. The members of this group were proponents for the legalization of marijuana. They reviewed the facts of the harm that marijuana does and found that there were no adverse effects and no deaths that can be directly attributed to the use of marijuana. The group also explored the benefits that marijuana would have on our society if it were legalized. The legalization of marijuana would save millions of dollars in law enforcement and would also generate millions in new revenue from the sales of marijuana and marijuana related products. I agree completely with the views of this group. I feel that the legalization marijuana would prevent the incarceration of many young African Americans who are arrested more time for possession of amounts used for personal consumption than users of crack and heroine. If America follows countries that have legalized and regulated use such as the Netherlands, or even federal decriminalization such as in many countries throughout the world people will be free to continue to use a drug that is as socially accepted as alcohol and more accepted that cigarettes. Personally I feel that too many people view marijuana as taboo due to propaganda and misinformation about it. If Americans are proper educated about the topic instead of making ignorant assumptions the people will know that there is nothing wrong with marijuana. Marijuana isn’t physically addictive like most other drugs the only addiction comes from the psychological dependency that can come from anything such as eating or watching tv. Marijuana is not the enemy it is here to stay and even when our president has publicaly admitted to smoking weed we must open our eyes and realize “because everything’s better when your high”-Wiz Khalifa.

Dr. Tritobia Benjamin spoke to us and I found her hard to follow but she spoke to us about the elegance of the scribes from Ancient Egypt. The scribes were part of the upper echilon of society and received the most education. Their job was one of the most important because they taught people about the past and without knowing about your past you cant march forward and create a better world. She talked about that we are the continuation of African scribes in the modern era. That we walk in the footsteps of greats not just at Howard university but we walk in the footsteps of great people. When she was talking about this it made me realize how high the expectations for us are, that because we walk in their footsteps we a glorious legacy to uphold, not only do we have to honor the legacy of the greats we have to live up to the legacy and expectations of this great institution. Because we are lucky enough to have this opportunity we have a greater responsibility then most t change the world in which we live.It made me think about how far we have come because of these people and I have to try harder then them because surely they were given the same choice and if they had been content to stand on the achievements of the past we would not have made it to where we are today.

Lost World

Before the trip to New York I was most excited about the chance to explore one of the greatest cities on earth not so much to visit a burial ground. Things changed after I saw the monument and then learned the history about the burial ground from the museum. This burial ground was the place that the slaves in the area were allowed to have something that was theirs. They built traditions here and preserved their heritage through the rituals performed at the burial ground. When outside and I heard the story about how the ground was discovered and then the struggle that was made to get the grounds declared a historical site and national monument. When walking through the monument and learning the story of the design and selection of the symbols surrounding the inner chamber I felt a feeling of connection to the history that took place beneath the ground that I was standing on. When looking down and seeing the inscriptions of the remains that were found I had a feeling that I cant explain. It was like being there in the past like I was a part of history. This had been a place that was forgotten for hundreds of years a part of my African ancestry that was lost in time. I am pleased that today our ancestors that were laid to rest here now have a place where they can be honored and people can come and learn about the history of this burial ground. The trip was a touching experience that allowed me a chance to visit a place that history was made and now is being preserved.

Research

The lecture given by Dr. Williams turned out to be very helpful when working on our group project. She helped to outline the steps that should be taken to perform effective research and be able to transform that into our presentation. In review of the scientific method we walked through the steps of conducting the research strating with discovering what is to be researched. By going through the different steps Dr. Williams helped me to see the different approaches that can be taken in doing a research topic. The different methods of compling and presenting information gained in research not only helped me in working on the group project, but will also help me in future research projects that I will be a part of.

Freshman seminar has taken me on a journey. One that I am lucky to have taken it taught us about the greatness of the African people. It started with our beginnings in ancient egypt. The invention of language and architecture that the Egyptians gave to the Greeks we were told how the Egyptians came up with the set of values that would later evolve into what we know now as the ten commandments. We learned about the human genome and how we are all connected. We learned that we were unique and special. We learned that through our DNA we are connected to the greats like MLK that all we are are energy fields, and if the secrets of the genome could be unlocked then we could cure all diseases and make medicines tailor made for each patient. We learned about character and how althought we expres the need for great character the Egyptian, again were the first and that they valued it far more then we do. Through the story of Iwa we learned that they held their gods to the same standards that they held t each other. Through the group project I learned skills that will help me not just in college but in the work place as well. We learned how to look at a problem from many different angles and disciplines. We also learned about the African burial grounds which were our people trying to keep their culture in a horrible situation. Learning of there perseverance, of our perseverance allowed me to hold myhead up higher and have more pride in my people.

A Definition of Self

Dr. Gbadegesin’s lecture was one of my favorite ones of the semester. The main focus of this lecture was a person’s character and how that defines who they are more than anything. He started by telling us of how the Egyptians formed many basic principles that we should live by. From Ma’at the Egyptians learned and practiced truth and justice while maintaining order, balance, and harmony. Through Ma’at the Egyptians lived virtuous lives. By following the principle of Ma’at a person builds good character. Character can be explained through Egyptian beliefs through the story of Iwa. By taking care of Iwa a person establishes their self as a person of good character. I agree with what the Egyptians had to say about character. A person’s character is the defining of who they truly are. I person with strong morals and a strong set of values will make good decisions and will be a person that can be trusted. A person that has no value or is inconsiderate of others will not be a person of strong character and overall not a good person to associate with. Character exists on two levels. They are based on responsibility to one’s self and responsibility to the community. Character is what people will remember you by after you die. What you establish as your character while you living will forever go on to be your legacy after you are no longer here. After hearing this lecture I thought hard about what my legacy will be after I die. Since then I have worked to build my character to be a person of strong character and moral integrity that will establish a strong legacy for myself in the future.

Fighting for Freedom

The lecture that was presented by Dr. Cain Hope Felder enlightened me on some of the African Americans that have fought for freedom and justice. One of the most notable people that Dr. Felder spoke to us about was Sojourner Truth. Sojourner Truth is a woman that I knew of prior to the lecture but I didn’t really know a lot about her. Curious to learn more I did some research. I learned that she was born a slave and that escaped to freedom. After becoming free she sought justice for the freedom of her young son in court. She was one of the African Americans to successfully win a case against a white person in court. Sojourner Truth is just one of many African Americans who has fought for the civil right of herself and others. When learning about the stories of people like her I am thankful for the work that they have done and the progress that been made in securing equal rights and fair treatment for African Americans. Just like the greats who have come before us it is now our turn to carry the torch and continue to strive for freedom and justice for all people so that our children will be able to live better lives just as Sojourner Truth wished for her children.

team thermond howard substance abuse

Substance abuse is something that has been affecting our country for awhile now. The people most likely to commit substance abuses are between the ages of 18-30, essential college students. Substance abuse is wide spread on college campuses and currently colleges are trying to turn their campuses into dry campuses. We also learned that substance abuse is higher in African American males then an any other group of people. Many students even say that if they had to say why they preformed badly in school it would be because of the substance abuse that they took part in.
Drinking is most common. The effects of alcohol are loss of focus, heavy loss of memory. According to this group most unplanned, unprotected sex occurs after a night of drinking, and that most date rape happens while drunk.
The drug of choice according to mcchilders is marijuana. The first thiing they tried to do was to debunk the positive sterotypes that are attached to weed. Tey told us that unlike what some say there are no acedemic advantages to marijuana. That it causes people to lose focus, loss motivation, apathy and lathargy. The reason they told is this is because some people are under the impression that it inhances your creativity so they would use marijuana thinking that it will help them with school. Many of these substances block neurotransmitters. Street drugs like cocaine unfortunately become a physical need. It make people unable to function without the drug because it becomes the norm for them.

the fight against aids

One of the groups that presented was GLADS Q, and their goal was to lower HIV deaths nation and worldwide. They started out with the history of HIV telling us that it evolved from SIV a disease simular to HIV but in monkeys. At first symptoms may appear such as fevers, flu, and a rash but after that they can stop appearing for years. HIV is a horrible disease that attacks your immune system which makes you more susceptible too colds but your body has no natural defense against it.
Treatment for HIV/AIDS as evolved. Back in the 80s it was a death sentence, but now there are plenty of people living with HIV but the problem is to stop the spread of the disease. 2.7 million people were diagnosed with HIV last year. Another thing talked about was that Washington d.c is known as the aids capitol of the country with ¼ people have HIV. 1/10 Howard students are currently living with HIV as well.
According to GLADS Q Education seems to be the best way to combat the problem. People need to be informed about the risks, statistics, and the protection measures that they should be taking. Statistics show that sex education has caused a significant reduction in AIDS cases. They informed us about Wold Aids day. At the end of the day what they stressed was the need for protection while having sex as well as the benefits of sex education in preventing future cases of HIV.

A Legacy of Eloquence

The day that Dr. Benjamin came to our class to speak the topic we learned about was ancient scribes. Dr. Benjamin focused mainly on the Egyptian scribes. In ancient Egypt the scribes were some of the most respected and highly educated people. This was because the scribes were the ones who recorded history and interpreted the writings so that others would have an understanding of the past. We also learned a lot of background history of Howard University and how we are now a part of rich tradition. Dr. Benjamin showed us several prominent figures in Howard history and the buildings that bear their names. We were taught the relation to early scribes and how ancient Egypt still plays apart in our lives today as members of the Howard legacy. I learned from Dr. Benjamin the history behind most of the buildings on campus. I also learned the significant impact that the namesakes of the building had on establishing the legacy of Howard and helping to build the rich tradition that I am now gladly a part of. I learned from this lecture that in order to establish a base in history for yourself you must be able to have your own legacy written down so that it may last for future generations to build upon.

When I first learned that we were going to an African Burial ground in New York I did in inward shutter. Hearing this I imagined us underground viewing remains, but my vision was nothing like the reality that awaited me. What I saw was a beautiful monument to our people, a people fighting to be free, a people truing their hardest to adjust and keep some semblance of the culture that raised and made them. The video tape showed us a traditional funeral. It showed us what they had to fight to get the site protected. I never expected to find a story where new yorkers of different classes and cultures came together to preserve this sight, I never expected that their was o much protesting by so many people to stop an injustice that was being committed. It was very inspiring seeing people from different grouped with nothing in common fighting together for the same cause. Another surprise that awaited me in New York was knowledge. Knowledge of my that we built this city. That their would be no Broadway and many other famous places in new York. Another part that I liked were the symbols of the monument all of them, like the heart, date back to ancient Egypt and are still used today. The story of the lock in key was a great way to discuss slavery with kids, to tell them about their history without bog them down with the details of what happened.

Although I had heard of, and grown up knowing names such as Sojourner truth, but the little I knew I learned I learned at home. At school they were always glanced over in class when we talked about them in school, as if it was a shameful. one thing not mentioned about Sojourner truth is the fact that she fought for womens rights as well as an end to slavery. Sojourner Truth is just one of many African ancestors who have fought for freedom. the fact that i did not know that my education did not focus on Sojourner truth and shows me that education and history is not tailored to our people. It made me think of how we as a people are discounted and pushed to the side, a if we are Americas secret shame. Why else would you not teach American's about the deeds of Sojourner Truth. Why else our are our faults, and problems displayed and discussed on the news but our contributions ignored and overlooked. This Why else our taught about the problems in the black community but not all the good that has come from it. This presentation made me realize how lucky I was to grow up in household that discussed the good that blacks have given to this would, and the good that I can contribute to better the world and our reputation. As I listened I found my self feeling more pride in our community as people were introduced to relatives they should have known their whole life.

A Look Inside: The Human Genome

Dr. Georgia Dunston visited our clas to speak to us about the human genome. The human genome is essentially the complete identity of a person on the most basic level. The human genome preserves the history of our ancestors and provides the key to the past of each individual person. I was excited to learn that our genetic makeup preserves the history of our ancestors. When she spoke about how each person's genome is specific to them and has its own unique story I wanted to learn more about my own. Through the research done by Dr. Dunston she and others have been able to decrypt the code that is embedded in our genome to allow us to take a glimpse into the past and learn about our heritage. Through future analysis of the human genome it may become possible for each and every person to have his or her ancestry and lineage rebuilt. Dr. Dunston has already done incredible research that has led to many new discoveries into our pasts. Another development that may someday be derived from the study of the human genome is the cure and possibly the abolition of many genetic diseases. Through studying our genome we can continue to learn new things about our past and also to one day make advancements to give ourselves a better future.

Beautiful You Are

in this group presentation, the discussed the beauty in women. the touched on how men view women, the usage of plastic surgery, the influences of the media, and the westernization of beauty. the group explain that society has shaped the meaning of ehat true beauty is. i believe that it is true. many of us today base our opinions of how beautiful a person is based on what we see on the outside. the group did a survey with guys on which type of girl they would rather date, light skin or dark skin. a majority of them picked light skin females. they asked many of them why and their answers were, they were mre attractive, smarter, and better overall. i believe this is because of the influence of the media. the media has made many of the males today belive that light skin females are better especially with the use of light skinned models and celebrities. however this cause many girl to change their appearance to fit in with the standards of beauty that society has made. women today according to the group are using plastic surgery to change their appearance. this may not be a problem to the women that are using it but to those who dont it is. many women and men feel there is no reason to change your appearance through the use of surgery. also women with issues of beauty have experienced a number of eating disorders. this to me is very sad because many women are harming thmeselves to fit into the image of beauty that society has made. i believe that true beauty comes from within but not everyone does. overall this group also had a good presentation.

Mary J

In one of the group presentations a group went through the pros and cons of marijuana. when i first heard them introduce what their project was about, first thought that came to mind was all of the students and friends that i know smoke weed. many of them use it has a stress-reliever or just something to calm them down for the moment. however the group began by giving some of the background to where marijuana came from. i was unaware that marijuana has been around for as long as it has and the fight for it to still be legalized is still ongoing. But the group explained that in history, marijuana was a substance that many never understood therefore it allowed many to misinterpret its uses and give is such a bad connotation. the gave some of the commonly used nicknames such as: weed, tree, mary j, kush, joint, blunt, and doobie. all of them i am pretty famaliar with. also the group informed us that marijuana isnt as bad as many drugs that are being used and are already legalized. the chart that the group presented showed evidents that marijuana has yet to kill anyone but the usage of tobacco and alcohol have done most of the damage. medon personally i see the problem with the use of weed besides many will have lung problems or loss of memory but other than that it has caused any serious problems in my eyes. one of the group members says that he is for weed to be legalized everywhere. he explained but that its not as bad as other drugs, there is evidence of it and it shouldnt be looked down upon if you were to smoke it. i agree but i understand is all has to deal with the economics of it. that has been the reason why its not legalized across the US. so you can say that i liked the groups presentation.

The Human Genome

The Human Genome lecture. Honestly, that was the hardest lecture for me to relate to. The professor went into this strange conversasion about Ancesteral Memory, something I thought I'd never hear outside of a discussion about Assassin's Creed. She went off into all sorts of strange and barely connected tangents and I'm not sure what exactly she was trying to say: that we're already perfect? That we have all that we need sealed away into our DNA? That our species' Nitrogenous Base Sequences are somehow more divine than the Base Sequences of other lifeforms? I really didn't know what to take away from that lecture. I'm not that bad at understanding metaphors, but I'm not a terribly reflective person either. Maybe her lecture just encompassed one of those concepts I do not, and perhaps never will, understand. I think my groupmates felt the same way, seeing as no one had written this entry, even though I specifically asked one of them to do so (Tsk, Tsk). Or maybe she just couldn't articulate her point well. Some other lectures were a lot more steeped in metaphors and allegory, but I understood them well enough to reflect upon them instead of just repeating their words. I really, truely, don't know what she was talking about. It just made me angrey confused.

African Burial Ground

This past saturday, we went to visit the African Burial Grounds. I was overly excited to see the grounds but also since it would be my first time being in New York. I really didn't know what to expect. I really couldnt wait to get off of the bus and explore into more of my African roots. when we arrive Dr. Carr had us pay our respects to those who were buried in the ground. he said it was up too 400 the were in the ground. Also the other man i forgot his named showed us around the burial ground and went into great depth of the individual meanings that each had. the man was white aat first i kinda past judgement but after hearing him speak i realized that african culture is within us all. Afterwards we moved on into the federal building, I learned a great about the struggle that my ancestors went through. I touched me in a way to where i really took the time to appreciate the things that i have. i realized that i should be thankful that i didnt have to go through what those before me had too. we then watched a video of the history on the Burial grounds and how its connected to Howard university. I never knew that Howard was involved in the findings and the understanding of the grounds. I was aware that Howard has a great history behind it but the Burial grounds I took a great interst too. The wall inside the build als gave insight to what the slaves then had to go through. I read few of the captions and I understand now that I can't lose focus on my education because of the fact that so many were denied theirs. The African Burial grounds was a great expericence, i shall cherrish this experience and it close to my heart.

Components Of Research

In this weeks lecture session, Dr Dana Williams gave vital insight on how to research and clues to making your research worthwhile. But I found that these research tips were not only beneficial in my schoolwork but as well in all life situations. The six steps of research consisted of: Stating the problem, Current state of researching, Methodology, Framework, Developing a thesis, and Conclusion. This form of research is similar to the Scientific method. But with stating the problem can relate to all aspects of life. in order to solve a problem we have know exactly what that problem is. Current state of researching, help to expand on ways to solve a problem. this has made it possible for there to be multiply ways to get things done. Methodology, helps with methods of collecting information. Framework, forces you think about how you would want to present your information as well as present yourself. Developing a thesis, is at the point of having all of your info sumed up. Conclusion, What was revealed and how should we go about things in the future to prevent the duplication on the same problem.. i realized that I should take in account these components of research. With this it will better me in my organization on my schooling and my goals in life.

Character

Character, is the most important part a person can uphold. without character you have nothing at all. in the story of Iwa, it explains the importance of character. iwa= character/ existence. in the story of Iwa is married too Orunmila. Orunmila=Yorba God of wisdom. Orunmila mistreats Iwa and in return Iwa leaves orunmila. as a result Orunmila loses everything that he possesed and now is lost looking for Iwa. the moral of this story is once you lose your character you lose everything. you end up being left alone trying to find out who you are because you never cherrished the simple things that once made you who you were. this lesson has brought to my attention how important it is to cherrish who you are. Egyptians, were the first to expand on the importance of character. the egyptians really took pride in who they were and set the foundation that i believe we should follow in todays society. it seems that things in life that are the most valueable fall short because we all overlook their importance. character is one of those things that needs to be taken into account as being more valueable than gold.

To be honest I thought that freshman seminar this week would not help me at all. I walked in thinking how is this information going to help me in the future, but this week I was pleasantly surprised. the information that was given to us can not only help me in group project, which to be honest I had no idea on how to get going on, but, I can use this information on future assignments not just in my college career.
The first step to me was obvious, but no less important for that. The first step was to state the problem and to do that you must consider the purpose of your research. You must take this step to help you order thoughts in one direction. The second step is to consider the current research on your subject. To do this you must consider what has been said about the subject of your project, and you must ask what new information your research will reveal. The third step was to consider the methodology that you are going to use. This includes such thing as which disciplinary methods that are best. Whether you want to take the single, multi, or interdisciplinary method when you research your projects. The fourth step is to decide your framework, such as how you structure your research, and how you present your research to your audience. At first it truck me kind of odd that the fifth step wasn't the second or third step, I always thought that developing your thesis statement was one of your most important steps, but then I thought about it for a little while and this analogy came to mind before you can build a house you have to have a blueprint, before you caan delve into your research you must decide how your going to go about it. The last step is your conclusion. I think this is like a catharsis were you go into the new insights that your research has brought and the limitations of your research. this also helps out the people who are reading your report. It gives them a realistic view of the good and the bad of your paper.
Another thing she did was use the class as a way to illustrate how you apply this method. I liked her example because not only did it explain the purpose of Freshman Seminar better, it also explained their reasoning in structuring the class the way they did. this also showed us that they were trying to make sure we got as much out of this class by structuring it the way that they did.
This weeks freshman seminar not only made it easier to do my project but it also gave me skills that I can use in the future. this week connected the journey of the African people from the beginning, into the past, then how to live in the present with character, and they gave me skills I can use to better the future

Character: More Valuable Than Gold

Character is something tat has been valued throughout the ages, but the first culture to stress the importance of character was the Egyptians. The Egyptians notion of good character, and that the principles of Ma'at, their rules to live by, evolved into the ten commandments.
Character, according to the Egyptians, is the most important thing that a person has, without character a man is nothing. According to Egyptian culture even if you are the richest man earth but if you have bad character. This notion comes from the story of Iwa, where a women denies a god because of his character and his attitude, showing that to Egyptians nothing is more important then character and that their gods are not exempt from this. The reason that this struck me so hard was that they are instilling the importance of character into their society. not only did they first use this idea of character they spread it from Egypt to other parts of Africa, and to the rest of the world. yet they didnt spread it forcefully, they were the dew drop that spread virtue and culture to the rest of the world. They showed us a better way to live, a way that helped your fellow man.

It was also wonderful to be shown my connection to this great civilization. It inspired me, it made me want to do more, it made me more confident in my abilities to know that I have the potential and character of an Egyptian inside of me.

The Centrality of Character.

There are two sets of laws people hold themselves to, the laws of the land, and the laws of oneself, that is, their own personal honor code. Often times these two sets overlap with one another, but the former can never be appreciated without the latter. Without a family and a village to enforce the reverence of character and personal honor, we will never be able to retain a stable society. The importance of character can be traced back to some of the earliest writing by the Egyptians. They were laws of the state, but they were also laws that everyone had strived to uphold not only for others, but for themselves. The Egyptians took great pride in their quality of character, which is something that is more than admirable. I too, strive to improve and treasure my person so this revelation makes my relation with Egypt and Africa feel all the more powerful. One thing I found particularly interesting is the story about the dew-drop. By being gentle, understanding, and holding oneself to those characteristics can move others to behave the same way, making the world a more harmonious place.

This week in seminar class was very interesting and informative to me. Dr. Cain Hope Felder gave us great insight to freedom, justice, and some history on Sojourner Truth. Dr. Cain explained how Jesus is the epitomizer of Freedom. According to Dr. Cain, “Freedom is the opportunity to make choices.” He stressed that we as human have the power to make a difference, just some are given to much power and abuse their authority. Also, “ Justice is about things being balance and fair” says Dr. Felder. I was never aware of the true history that lies within the bible. He gave us a few biblical verse to follow up if we were really interested in understanding the truths of the bible and Traveling Biblical Waters. Sojourner Truth is something that I heard of but new truly understood it. It has been one of those things that in high school they expected me to know but never took the time to explain and teach me. Dr. Felder went into great depth of the corruption that is in within the church. The truth is, the teachings on the bible has change for what is was when it was originated. We have to take time to research and understand things for ourselves. Dr Cain also stated that, “We are the people the day before yesterday and potential to be people of the day after tomorrow.” With this I have to take the initiative to be all that I can be and not settle for great. I have to strive to be better than what I am. There shouldn’t be any limits.

I had never heard of Sojourner Truth until the latest class session. I don't know whether or not I should be disappointed in myself, or in the schools in which I've been educated. I began to doubt if my right to knowledge and the truth had been satisfied in the past. I wonder how many other things my schools had trivialized and ignored in the history of my people. This should not be acceptable, history should be looked at with the same critical eye that science is. In science there is no dogma, only observations and the conclusions born for those observation. In history however, the winning man is the one who writes the tale. History has no method of discovering the truth as science does. The abuse and distortion in history is rampant even in the churches, a place that people go to and expect nothing but the truth. The actual history in the bible is dropped in favor of a lot of feel-good lines that are taken out of context. The sacrifice of Christ is often lauded over, as well as his position as lord and savior. The pastor emphasizes the need of subjecting yourself to him. Why is it that swearing servitude to the man is often held as more important than the lessons that he had taught? Why is it that the bible as a whole is, for some reason, immune to the scrutiny, analysis, and criticism? This session has reminded me once again that it is important to set out and learn the truth on my own instead of relying on the words of others.

Ronald W. Walters, a political activists for African-Americans, wrote a book called Black Presidential Politics in America: A Strategic Approach. In this book he makes the case that Blacks in America have a substantial effect in presidential elections. For example, he points out that the Black vote had provided the victory for president Carter. Walters also shows that Blacks have a great potential to influence the House of Representatives. He also presents ways to further increase the amount of power Blacks have in the political process.

In his book, Walters often talks about two reoccurring political strategies used by Black Elected Officials (BEOs) and groups focused upon African-American issues: Dependent-Leverage and Independent Leverage. The Former strategy is the attempt to influence the political atmosphere by gaining access to an existing party and changing the party platform. Logically, if Blacks were to lend their support to a party, said party would be more than willing to listen to the needs and desires of the Black community. In most of the cases written about in the book, it is the Democratic party that was the beneficiary of the Black vote.

This stradegy, while providing some great and much needed advantages, was not without fault. The Black vote was in danger of being a guarantee for the Democratic party. As such, less effort was put into appealing to the Black community. The shift to more conservative practices had also impeded the prevalence of Black issues in politics.

Independent-Leverage, on the other hand, seeks to become relevant by rewarding or punishing candidates as necessary. Instead of unwavering support of the Democratic Party, blacks would have a more neutral position between the parties. This would force the Democrates to make an effort to win the Black vote, and Republicans would see that Blacks are not only a potential swing-vote, but are also viable constituents rather than certain opponents.

Walters himself favors the second strategy as the former has not proven to be very effective in making African-American issues be taken seriously. The later, on the other hand, brings the community's voice to the forfront and allows for BEOs to become powerful leaders in the community and in higher offices.

We Are All Unique

In this week's lecture by Dr. Georgia Dunston, she explained to us that there was a loss of Abandonment, Dismemberment, and Reawakening. She gave insight to what it is that makes each individual unique. The Human Genome, is what gives us our creative edge. I was always aware that, humans are very creative, but never aware of the actual force that gives each of us our creativity. The Human Genome is the most powerful source of knowledge. Dr. Dunston says, " We as humans never stop learning." She went on to inform us that we are the "Problem-Solving"generation. The knowledge that we gain each day, gives us power to overcome any obstacle that lies ahead of us. The genome allows our generation to expand upon our creativity not just as individual but as a whole. Einstein's E=MC^2 equation, is not just important in mathematics but just as important as a necessity to life. E=eternal energy that is created from our individual genomes which enables us to give light into new ideas. Most of all, the knowledge that we gain give us wisdom. Th more knowledge that we gain, the more wiser we become. In order for our generation to advance, we have to rely solely on the genetics given by our elders.

The Human Genome: The Keys to our Past and Future

I found Dr. Georgia M. Dunsten’s lecture to be exciting, informative, and enlightening. I learned that she is the director of the human genome center. She also works at Howard University as a physics and an astronomy professor. I found out that we are connected to our past through our blood, that the human experience is recorded into our Genome. all of humanities past triumphs and struggles are encoded in our DNA. we are inextricably bound to the past, yet we are not ruled by it.

Before her presentation I never knew the difference between her profession and geneticists. geneticists just look at certain parts of our genes when researching instead of at the whole genome, they think that they can take it apart to fix the problems that plague us. what really interested me was all the medical benefits that can come from researching our genome sequence. how we can find out which medicines will work better for a particular persons. the effects of these possible discoveries would result in more personalized health-care and less allergic reactions to medicines, and more preventative care.

Another thing that stuck out from her presentation was the effect of thoughts and words on not only yourself and on the world around you. since we are all energy beings, the energy that we put into our words has a profound effect on the world around us.

Her lecture was not just insightful, it was also empowering. she kept reminding us of how unique each person in this room is unique, and how no one in the world can offer what we can. I left Freshman seminar feeling empowered and hopeful.

In this weeks freshman seminar class, we discussed how Egypt is not just the first great civilization but how it relates to our African culture. I never took the time out to connect to my heritage and know about the truth of my culture. We went through many examples that explain where we have originated from, the ways we have learned, and how Egyptian culture has powered us to the generation that we are now.

From the presentation by Dr. Carr, I learned that the origins of our African culture equals humanity, intellectual work, and cultural unity. If you were to trace back to our roots, it would explain that our culture was meant to learn and grow as a people. It wouldn’t show any trace of one person succeeding while others struggled to survive one day at a time.

Learning and wisdom was the goal that has been traced back to our Egyptian ancestors. Culturally it explains that leaning is collective, experimental, incremental, and is measured by the rites of passage. This serves as the groundwork for our schoolwork and how it has cultivated our leaning skills.

I realize, that you must first understand where you have originated from in order to move forward with history. It’s extremely important to reserve the ancient history of our heritage. Not taking it for granted as many our generations today are doing. This has inspired me to not only seek knowledge and understanding for myself but to also spread the works to the upcoming generations.

I always thought of Egypt as the first great civilization, but I didn't know how much it contributed to the other great civilizations of the world, mainly the greeks. Much of the greeks discoveries from religion, toArchitecture, to art, to math and science you can trace back to Egyptian culture and inititive.

The greek god hermes was originally derived from an Egyptian god they just changed the name and the image of the god.

Egyptian architecture was the first to use collumns which is why it still stands tall today. their monuments have lasted for thousands of years, such as their pyramids, the sphinx's and many obelisk's. which were stolen from the lands of Egypt and given as gifts. looking at the architecture you can see the similarities between Egyptian and Greek architecture.

If you look at art in the first 100 years of the Greek empire you can see similarities between theirs and Egyptian art.

Astronomy is where egypt made many of their big discoveries, the pyrimids are set up to correspond with differnt positions of the sun, and over the picture of the scribe is an instrument that was used to measure the positions of the stars.

the Greeks say many times that the land of Egypt is where they go to get educated but they never sited their work. the Egyptians passed on knowledge to the Greeks, and from them it was passed on to the rest of the world.

The True African Experience

In this week’s class we discussed how Africa is the origin of all things. I learned about how important it is to connect to our roots and learn about our heritage. We looked at examples of how our African ancestry is being preserved through the efforts of scholars and researchers. Overall what I took from this class is that I am a part of a very rich heritage and culture.

From the presentation about Egyptian society I learned that the basis of almost everything comes from our Egyptian ancestors. The Egyptians are responsible for giving us many different intellectual ideas such as language, math, and astronomy. Without the Egyptians we wouldn’t have most of the modern concepts we take for granted everyday.

I learned that it is important to preserve our heritage and keep treasures that document the journey our people have been through. By keeping these elements of our past sacred and treasured are able to look back on the struggles that our ancestors have been through and progress towards a brighter future.

Our ancestors worked to get us to the point that we are at now. We must continue to achieve intellectual excellence. By creating our own history and becoming apart of a heritage that goes back to the beginning of time we place ourselves in a position to be prominent members of a culturally rich people.

Inheritance

I had never truly understood the depth of my antecessors in Egypt. I knew that the Egyptians had built one of the greatest ancient civilizations. I knew that they were the vanguards of knowledge in the world west of India. I knew, but I never understood. I had never recognized that I am of their blood. I had never considered Egypt and everything they had built to be apart of my heritage until now.

I suppose that a few of us would take this as a justification of black superiority. Personally, I don’t think that superiority was the goal of our ancestors, and it shouldn’t be our goal in this day and age. One of the three important facets of learning is the student. It is the student that will gain knowledge and pass it on to others. My ancestors not only passed on what they learned to their own kin, but to other peoples as well. They understood that knowledge shouldn’t be stowed away in secret like a cache of precious metals and jewels. It’s meant to be shared with others; family, friends, even total strangers are worthy recipients.

Embracing Egypt as a part of my heritage was one of the proudest moments of my life. I’ve never been one for ancestral arrogance though, even now. I have great reverence for the Egyptians, and I acknowledge what they have done for all civilization, but I don’t like to put myself on a pedestal upon the accomplishments of others. Rather that boast about my people, I’d rather take up a few of their cultural practices: to revere, seek, use, and pass on knowledge to the next generation.  Personally, I will do all that I can to learn as much about them and other African cultures in the future.

Our Mission; Entry 0

My name is Denzel Wright, and this is a blog belonging to myself and my fellow Howard University students, Robert Sykes, Joseph Daniels, John Amara F. Walters, and Charderch Patterson. We, along with other students in our class, will blog about the weekly classes that will introduce us to the Collage of Arts and Sciences and teach us to use our resources to the fullest potential. We hope to use this Blog to share our ideas and experiences with the rest of the world as proud students of Howard University.