African Burial Ground

Going to see the African Burial Ground in New York City was a unique experience for me as well as the whole freshman class in my opinion. When we arrived there, we poured libation to our ancestors buried within the seven mounds, each containing 60 bodies. We poured to many things in African American tradition, for example Those who came before us, those who come after us, the rising of  the sun, and the slaves who toiled to get us where we are today. The second libation we poured was a mixture of Atlantic Ocean water and sand from El Mina, one of the caves where the first humans emerged in Africa. I learned that often, before being taken away from their homeland, that many Africans would eat dirt in order to maintain that special connection to Africa, the motherland. The burial ground itself, which first documented use is 1712, was used until 1991. Sonny a strong leader, organized the people of New York to a mass protest to the defiling, and building over the land. In the end, even though there was only a compromise, because of Sonny, we succeeded in getting that burial ground memorial there today. Part of the memorial was an unfinished pyramid, in which we, the present generation, are tasked with finishing. Inscribed on it were the words "For all those who were lost, for all those who were stolen, for all those who were left behind, for all those who were not forgotten." Our guide, part African himself, described each of the 21 Sankofa symbols. Seven for the describing the deity, seven for worshiping the deity, and seven describing family values. The one I have heard about before is the heart inscribed on the pyramid, which he also said is depicted as a bird moving forward, while also looking back.

As I walked into class late I realized that Dr. Williams was our speaker I was very shocked because she was the speaker in my class the day before. At first glance, I was very intimidated by Dr. Williams for some odd reason. Dr. Williams spoke about the basic components of research. The first one would be to state the problem or challenge, that includes to advance in knowledge, to solve a problem. The next step was literature review. The third was methodology, which included how you were going to retrieve the information you chose to use, such as is the information coming from primary sources or secondary sources. The fourth is called framework and that is how you choose to present your information such as in a report or a power point. Fifth, is the development of the thesis, and the last is the conclusion which you should discuss limitations you and your group came to during the project or any last thoughts. Afterward, she spoke on on what Freshman Seminar was all about and what our blogs should entail. She read some of the blogs that have been writte and some of the blogs that caught her eye. All in all, it was a good speech and i felt very motivated to do research and better myself not only as a student, but as a human being

It was a regular Wednesday morning and i was definitely not ecstatic about attending freshman seminar. The night before was definitely not one of the best but i still had to wake up and drag my butt to class. When Dr. Sesus was introduced, I thought to myself "oh great, here we go again". After listening to his enthusiasm in his little "HU!, You know!", my attention was quickly shifted and i was very attentive.Dr. Sesun explained African origins and the meaning of Iwa. Iwa means the wisdom of application of knowledge to service the community. A person of character earns the respect of peers. Iwa also means existence. Extrinsicaly Iwa is the responsibilty to the self. One can remake themselves through education. Iwa means the responsibility to the community. Immorality is the crown of existence. Iwa also means character. Iwa Iewa means that good character is healthy as well as internal beauty. Iwa lesin says that good character is the essence of religion. Iwa endures. Dr. Sesun also taught us the Instructions of Ptahhotep in addition to the Principles of Ma'at. He basically stated that a man of character is a man of wealth. The coffin text date back to 2200 to 1800 BCE. They were written for the tombs of nobley. The coffin texts contain themes of reward and punishment in the afterlife. Ties that bind ancient Eygpt to the African world are physical, spiritual, and philosophical both ethical and metaphysical. Dr. Sesun tells us to be the dew drop of water. The dew drop represents gentleness.

Research and Methodlogy: Inscription as a liberating practice

      Dr. Dana Williams presented on Research and Methodology: inscription as a Liberating practice. She began the presentation first by discussing how we as students should seek knowledge and how free we can be intellectually by performing research. Then Dr. Williams went on to discuss the ways in which the basic components of research  are performed. First state the problem/challenge by consideration. Consider the purpose of your research by asking if yourself if you're planning to inquire, advance knowledge, or solve a problem. Consider the reasonableness of your research by asking if it requires special types of skills or if it is specific enough. The second basic component that was touched on was  the current state of research. In this state of research one is to ask what has already been stated about the current subject, if the information will reveal new knowledge, and what information is needed to complete the research. The third component of research was the Methodology, in which one is to conduct research by conceptualizing a research design, determining a method of data collection, and considering which disciplinary approach should inform the research. The Framework was the fourth basic component that was described as the structure and the way in which data was displayed from the research. The stucture may be expository, informational, or persuasive. Data may be displayed by power point, handouts, charts, graphs, videos, and depending on the audience that the information is being presented to. The fifth component of research was the thesis- how it is articulated, details are provided, and the structure of the thesis. The last component of research was the conclusion- what new insights were available after the research had been conducted and what future study should the study undertake.

Freshman Seminar, Final Lecture (Research and Methodology: Inscription as Liberating Practice)

Speaking today was Dr. Dana Williams, whose concentration in English led her to write a book in 2005, teach four years at Louisiana State College and to publish in the well-known Langston Hughes Review. Along with all of that, she has edited or co-edited four popular books. Dana drew on the purpose of Freshman Seminar, which ultimately is to stimulate and expand our minds when it comes to doing independent research, whether for a class or not. It also is implied that once we understand how important it is to fully appreciate academic understanding, then research does not become a droll, tedious task, but rather we see it anew as a liberating, curious and fun experience. We should be glad to expand our knowledge in more than just areas that appeal to our specific fields of study. Dana went through Six Research Methods, which were State the Problem, Literary Review, Methodology, Framework, Developing a Thesis, and Conclusion. The one method that interested me the most was Framework, and how it focuses on the structure of your project, whether or not it will stand tall or crash to the ground. If your framework is shaky, then presenting the project with an unstable framework will lead to a shaky performance, and thus a decreased experience of learning for your audience. Framework also concentrates on how will you display data? A PowerPoint or a brochure or maybe even a video? To me, making an important choice like this could very well change the outcome of your project. For example, if your audience is a group of High School students, then most likely they are not going to want to read a boring handout and would prefer a PowerPoint or video.

Freshman Seminar, 5th Lecture (Omoluabi, Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility)

Today's speaker was Segun Gbedegesin, a renowned expert in European and African ethics, who wrote a book in 1991 advancing the popular concepts of personal identity and destiny. Gbedegesin told us the story of Iwa, and how unlike Orunmila, we cannot afford to lose her, because she represents good character and self-identity. It is said that a man who loses their self, i.e. their identity or character will get nowhere in this world, and I believe that to be true. We talked a lot about the Egyptian God Ma'at, who stood for justice, truth and order. Western society took Egyptian philosophy (an interesting aspect of this is that even the Hebrews took some ideas from the concepts of the Principles of Ma'at, which acted as a moral and righteous code for the Egyptians that could've been used for the 10 commandments), and combined it with moral ethics. The Principles of Ma'at in specific were widely followed by the Egyptian people, for angering the God of truth and justice was not a good idea. Another set of texts around that time was the instructions of Ptahhotep, which focused on bettering oneself with character and leadership qualities. Written on ancient Egyptian coffins were texts with themes of punishment and reward in the afterlife. It is said that in addition to the principles of Ma'at that the coffin texts also had influence on the 10 commandments. Today's lecture's focus was Omuluabi, which is a person of character who works constantly to help themselves along with the community, constantly bettering everyone even if it takes sacrifice. The other focus was Iwa, which put simply is existence, with centers around good character and religion.

Civil Rights, Hip-hop, and Hope (4)

Earlier this week Dr. Alton B. Pollard III touched on Civil Rights, Hip Hop, and hope. He described how young people have always been the initiators of revolutions and how they have always deeply impacted the world. The 1948 Wichita Kansas sit in was brought up in which a small group of young black students sat in at a Wichita diner, but were ignored everyday they came because of the color of their skin. So they came twice a week and were ignored every time until the diner’s owner changed the policy of discriminating by gender, age, or skin color. This led to the NAACP’s support of sit- ins and the 1960, Greensboro, Northern Carolina sit in. This historic reminder provided an example of innovative young people that made a change. During the presentation various Hip-hop artists were shown, because they are the new civil rights activists of their time. They are the expression, passion, and the voice of their people. Dr. Pollard let it be known that Hip Hop and rap are not the same. Hip-hop is not only just the music created by these Hip-hop artists, but it was explained that Hip Hop was its own culture. Through Common, KRS-one, LL Cool J, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Chuck D., Nas, Talib Kweli, A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, Dead Prez, and many other Hip-hop artists that this culture of Hip Hop was created. As young people we are the hope of this young nation, but more so the world. Our generation has high expectations and losing is not an option.