Self Reflection Lauren Bolden

Self Reflection

Freshman seminar has taught me a lot not only about Howard, but also myself. The lectures were great because they taught each of us about the rich history of Howard as well as the pride that we should have as a people. Each speaker encouraged us to continue the legacy and make the world a better place for the generation after us.

I can honestly say that freshman seminar was a learning experience, especially as far as working with other people. The group that I was originally put with did not even attend class, and when it came time to work together on our group project they were nowhere to be found. This taught me that if I want something to be done I have to rely on myself. I also learned that while others may not be as eager to do work as you are you have to put forth your best effort. After being reassigned to another group I was able to get more accomplished.

One thing that I really enjoyed during freshman seminar was our trip to the African Burial Ground. I know that without this class I would not have gotten to go to New York to see this historic sight, and it is something that I definitely won’t forget. I think seeing the burial ground made me realize just how much I take for granted and inspired me to contribute great things to the world because my ancestors died for me to be able to do so. I think that this class was really a learning experience and equipped me with tools that I will use for the rest of my stay at Howard.

Peer Evaluation Berryman-Johnson

One topic I found interesting especially being at Howard was how blacks are portrayed to middle school students through history, media, etc. (by the group Berryman-Johnson). This group wanted to research if and or how students are taught about Black history and important black figures.
They discussed how when surveyed 90% of African American children said that their goal is to be rich and famous. There was also a statistic that showed that 80% of black children aspire to be in the NBA. While these are glamorous professions, it is concerning that more children don’t aspire to be doctors or lawyers. They went on to explain that learning about their history and having historical figures and leaders who look just like them can encourage black students to aspire to do something other than just be famous. The problem however is that since schools have a set curriculum of things they are supposed to discuss and learn (with a focus on things such as European history) there is very little time to learn about black history. The other dilemma is that the history that children are taught about blacks begins and often ends with slavery. This along with books such as To Kill a Mockingbird which show blacks as being ignorant casts a shadow over our rich history. What surprised me is that even at the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics there isn’t a specific focus on black history. I would have assumed that this would be a major focus.
The group suggested that black history be given more priority in schools as a way to combat the issue of students only aspiring to have jobs in entertainment. I thought that this presentation was both interesting and informational.

Self Reflection

Self Reflection

Freshman Seminar has taught me more than I ever would have known about the history of Howard as a whole and being African American. The lectures were amazing and something I would cherish in my heart forever. The lectures taught me in depth how unique and important we are as African Americans. It allowed me to "wake up" like Spike Lee stressed in his critically acclaimed movie "School Daze".

I did not have the privilege of taking Freshman seminar as a freshman so I had a unique experience being an upperclassman. At first I felt like this class was pointless and a review of my freshman year. However, I quickly learned that Freshman seminar is good for any student at Howard. I was instantly a group leader due to my age and worked with the 2014 class. The 2014 class is an exceptional group and I had no problems with my group. I made colleagues that I would have not made if it was not for Freshman Seminar. Also I enjoyed Dr. Carr's lecture so much that I registered for every class he taught at Howard.

Peer Reflection 2

The Berryman-Johnson group did an exceptional presentation on how African Americans are portrayed to middle school aged students through various fields especially history and important African American historical figures. I found their survey numbers to be very interesting. The group claimed when middle school aged students were surveyed 90 percent of Black youth goal was to be wealthy and famous. Also a whooping 80 percent of middle school aged African Americans wanted to play a professional sport. Even though these findings look harmless it is detrimental to our youth. To tie in their presentation the group explained how having historical African American figures in history can encourage African American student to dream of pursing something other than sports and entertainment.

The group explained this would not be easy due to the set curriculum Middle School students are excepted to learn. Middle School students are stressed the importance of European history while black history is usually stopped after learning about the basics of slavery. This in turns keep the Blacks ignorant and oblivious to the accomplishments African Americans have made outside of the entertainment and sports world. Even more concerning is the curriculum is cutting history more and more until one day slavery may be forgotten. Attending my first African American history class at Howard University opened up my eyes to the accomplishments I could make as an African American male. I feel like this topic should not be taken out of schools instead be mandatory for all students. The only way we can assure this happen is have scholars back up the teachings of these topics.

Interview Dr. Quinto

I did the interview with my group member Lauren Bolden and it was perceptional. Our group were researching whether driving while black still occurs in society. Beginning the project we were very excited to research more about it because we all have been racially profiled in some shape or form throughout the years. Dr. Quito was very animated. When we asked him if he ever ever been racially profiled he answered with a very loud and animated yes! He stated that racial profiling is “an extension of the surveillance blacks were placed under by slavery, the state, and colonialism since we were first enslaved in the west by the Europeans”. This was something that I debated with my friends and we came to the conclusion that this is a way to keep black people "down".

Interview with Dr. Swann Quito

I thoroughly enjoyed y interview with Doctor Swan Quito. My group was researching whether or not racial profiling is a relevant issue in the black community. We were prompted to research this because we felt as though racial profiling was something that we had all had to deal with at some point, and we wanted to see if it is more of a perceived issue or something that police are actually taught to use. We initially started our research we focused on racial profiling in motorists, but went on to include its use in any situation dealing with the police.

Doctor Quito was very passionate on this issue. When we asked him if he ever felt like he had ever been racially profiled he answered with a very passionate yes. He went on to explain that he felt as if police were using racial profiling every time they approached him while he was driving his car or just trying to get through an airport. He also went on to say that he felt that racial profiling is “an extension of the surveillance blacks were placed under by slavery, the state, and colonialism since we were first enslaved in the west by the Europeans”. This was very interesting to me because I realized that this really could be a tool that is used to keep blacks beneath whites in power, as it is a proven fact that black are sent to jail at a much higher rate than whites because of racial profiling. Through our research we were able to conclude that racial profiling is used by the police although it has been found to be an ineffective tool. Doctor Quito’s interview was definitely an enlightening part of this project.

Omulabi 2010 peer review- Lauren Bolden

One of the presentations that I found very interesting was done by the group Omulabi 2010 on the misdiagnosis of ADHD is adolescent black males. This topic influenced me personally because I have multiple cousins who have been diagnosed with ADHD. It has always been a concern to me because although they might have a lot of energy and act out at times, I never thought that was something that required medical intervention and medication. I have seen the effects of the medication which is supposed to calm patients down. To me the only thing that the medication does is make them patient seem more like a zombie. I was very interested to see this groups take on this important issue.

They mentioned the very things that I had been interested in, the use of ritatlin, the social problems that these children experience, and whether or not children are being misdiagnosed. They described how since black children grow up in a different environment and under different circumstances than many white children, doctors may not understand that there is just a difference in culture and the way that black children may act. This in turn could lead to the child’s misdiagnoses. They also discussed how since blacks generally know less about what ADHD is, they can blindly follow a doctor’s diagnosis. The problem of misdiagnoses can be limited if doctors took time to understand the cultural differences between blacks and whites and were not as quick to prescribe medicine that may not be necessary. This group did a great job ofPost Options presenting their information in a way that was enlightening and interesting.