It is hard to believe that I am already concluding my blog. It seems like only last week I timidly walked into the Multi Cultural Center to start my weekly service. Now I feel like a regular since the kids know me and the other volunteers know me too. The experiences I have had at the center have opened my eyes on the issue of racism and how apparent it is in our society. I wrote in one blog about how I am the minority when I go to the MFC and how the children there are aware of racism around them. I continued to think about racism throughout the semester because it came up all the time. The presidential election, reading Invisible Man, and volunteering regularly always exposed to some context of racism. I also wrote that I always knew racism was existent but I never knew to what extent; this experience opened my eyes to how apparent racism really is. Now I don’t want to sit back and just let racism happen, but I want to stand up to my friends and family who do make racist comments. This is going to be very tough for me because many of my good friends from home are racist and I know if I do stand up there will be lots of controversy which could possibly hurt relationships. But yet I feel that I must stand up for the kids at the center because no child deserves to be discriminated against.
This service semester has also taught me a lot about how much I have changed in the last four years. I think my liberal arts education has had a huge impact on the way I think and analyze the world. I also think that service was the perfect way to really use and challenge my liberal arts education. There were many times throughout my service that I had to use an open mind to respond to a child. One such time was when a child called me “whitey” and I had to politely tell him that was not my name and explain why it was not my name. Now I am confident when I leave Loras that I will be able to make decisions with an open mind so that the best decision can be made. I am not saying that I am good at making these decisions but having this education will definitely help. It will take lots of experience and time before I will become that wise old timer with all the right answers.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Community Change
In order to change something for the better in a community, people are going to have to work hard, and many people are going to have to step outside of their comfort zone. This is extremely scary for many people in society, and they would rather not go through all the work and just live with their problem. With the issue of racism, I believe that a lot of people know that racism occurs but they don’t do anything about it because it would be difficult. It seems difficult because they don’t know where to begin. That’s the way I always use to feel and in some ways I still feel like that. I think we must realize that it is hard for people to step outside their comfort zone to accept change, and it is also difficult for people to give up on their traditional style of thinking they learned from their parents. I have learned that the best way to change a community is education about the issue. Again looking at racism, if everybody spent time with someone of a different race or spent time where they were the minority then maybe stereotypes could be broken and racism could end. Since I have spent significant time with people of a different race, I can see that racism is very evident and now, more than ever, I want to do something to change that. But, yet, I still don’t know exactly how to go about this. I guess this is evidence that change within a community is very difficult.
In the novel Invisible Man, Ellison makes it seem impossible for an “invisible man” to promote change. He makes it seem impossible because none of the narrator’s followers had the same idea of change that the narrator did. They did not see his idea of change, and therefore, they did not see him. It is very tough for anyone to promote change and the only way an “invisible man” can promote change is by making his change visible to everyone else. He must find people who desire the same change and organize and educate these people about the change so that progress can be made. The only way to succeed at change is with numbers, and the only way to get numbers is to have a common goal. If a man is invisible to everyone else, than his message is not going to get across and his idea of change will not be promoted.
In the novel Invisible Man, Ellison makes it seem impossible for an “invisible man” to promote change. He makes it seem impossible because none of the narrator’s followers had the same idea of change that the narrator did. They did not see his idea of change, and therefore, they did not see him. It is very tough for anyone to promote change and the only way an “invisible man” can promote change is by making his change visible to everyone else. He must find people who desire the same change and organize and educate these people about the change so that progress can be made. The only way to succeed at change is with numbers, and the only way to get numbers is to have a common goal. If a man is invisible to everyone else, than his message is not going to get across and his idea of change will not be promoted.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Everyone has a Story
It is true that everybody in the world has a story to tell and many of those stories have the power to teach or change others. I believe the stories that include hardship, struggle, and pain have the most power to teach because they often include how that individual overcame their problems. Although it hurts me to say and think about this, but many kids from the Multi-Cultural Center do fight a lot of hardships. Everyone needs to hear the family and racial hardships these kids face as well as the potential and intelligence they have in spite of these hardships. Even the stories from young kids can teach everyone how to deal with major problems in one’s life or what problems actually exist in society. It might even inspire some people to reject stereotypes or to go out a try to make a difference via volunteering or donating money.
Nussbaum argues that literature and stories have an essential role in teaching students. But she also says that people can interpret literature in totally different ways. For example, an article from a child who had to steal bread in order to eat might bring up two different opinions: the child is a delinquent, or the child is in need of help. No matter how one views the story, Nussbaum believes these tragic stories should be told because they do have the power to change someone’s opinion or view. Even if they don’t break down stereotypes at least the reader would get an inside look at how the child felt and the hardships he or she is facing.
Nussbaum argues that literature and stories have an essential role in teaching students. But she also says that people can interpret literature in totally different ways. For example, an article from a child who had to steal bread in order to eat might bring up two different opinions: the child is a delinquent, or the child is in need of help. No matter how one views the story, Nussbaum believes these tragic stories should be told because they do have the power to change someone’s opinion or view. Even if they don’t break down stereotypes at least the reader would get an inside look at how the child felt and the hardships he or she is facing.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Service Update
My service site has been going very well fortunately. Working with kids down at the Multi-Cultural Center is very rewarding, but yet challenging in so many ways. It is rewarding because I have made bonds with the kids and they recognize me and get excited when I walk through the door. I am known as the “tall” one, and some of them always want me to pick them up so they can touch the ceiling. To save my back I tell them they only get one ‘pick-up’ a day which led to one little girl trying to bribe me with a piece of candy to pick her up twice. I must admit that at the beginning I felt stressed about having to go volunteer. I felt stressed because I thought of all the things that I have to get done and that I just don’t have time for this. Now, I look at my time spent volunteering as stress relief. It doesn’t matter how much I have to do or what’s on my mind about next year and grad school etc.; as soon as I enter the MFC, I forget about all that and I am there to have fun with the kids. This does not mean that the kids get a little rowdy sometimes, which can be stressful, but that is a different kind of stress. I think this means that I am getting a lot out of my service in ways that are often surprising and unexpected.
I don’t think that all of my service is stress relief though; a large portion of it is challenging on many levels. Since I am working with mostly inner city African American children, I am challenged with racism, which I have talked about in previous blogs. I am definitely not ready to answer those questions that have troubled me before, and I don’t know if I ever will, but I do think about them a lot, and not just when I am volunteering. The impact of this service has far extended the Multi-Cultural Center in the way I view the social world. Now I am constantly aware of how people treat people of a different race or social background, and especially how I treat them. I’ve always believed that not all people start out on the same level in life, some started lower than others because of factors such as race, socio-economic class, etc. However, I didn’t understand the full implications of this injustice in society until I was able to work with the kids at the MFC. It’s almost impossible to say that a child is the cause of their own suffering so it brings up questions about why they are treated differently when they are just like any other innocent kid. The only difference between these kids and my childhood is 1. My family had more money and 2. I am white. These two factors automatically judge how people would look at me as a child and how they would look at a child from the MFC. I believe that the kids at the MFC have just as much potential as I did, and, sadly, they have to work twice as hard for society to see that potential.
I don’t think that all of my service is stress relief though; a large portion of it is challenging on many levels. Since I am working with mostly inner city African American children, I am challenged with racism, which I have talked about in previous blogs. I am definitely not ready to answer those questions that have troubled me before, and I don’t know if I ever will, but I do think about them a lot, and not just when I am volunteering. The impact of this service has far extended the Multi-Cultural Center in the way I view the social world. Now I am constantly aware of how people treat people of a different race or social background, and especially how I treat them. I’ve always believed that not all people start out on the same level in life, some started lower than others because of factors such as race, socio-economic class, etc. However, I didn’t understand the full implications of this injustice in society until I was able to work with the kids at the MFC. It’s almost impossible to say that a child is the cause of their own suffering so it brings up questions about why they are treated differently when they are just like any other innocent kid. The only difference between these kids and my childhood is 1. My family had more money and 2. I am white. These two factors automatically judge how people would look at me as a child and how they would look at a child from the MFC. I believe that the kids at the MFC have just as much potential as I did, and, sadly, they have to work twice as hard for society to see that potential.
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