"Voices of Our Foremothers" by Sunny-Marie Birney

               In “Voices of Our Foremother,” the author discusses how she always felt like a motherless child because she was adopted at the age of two by some European American parents. She felt distant from her culture and left out of the black community until she went to college. Once in college, she states, “I began my journey home.” (Birney 49) She began to learn about African American culture and history and she was able to learn about her people, from her own people’s perspective, or from their perspective. “The fact that black women were teaching… from a black woman’s perspective touched me.” (Birney 50) She felt connected to what she was learning.

` Another point that she discussed was how her teachers cared about her. She says, “they were concerned with my mind, body and spirit, past, present and future.” She describes these African American teachers as “other mothers”, who know that raising a child is a community effort; one which they willingly embrace.

One thing that I really appreciate about the atmosphere here at Spelman is all of the African American teachers. Because they are caring and nurturing, there is that sense of a mother away from home; someone whom is genuinely concerned about you and your well being and your grades and your health. I appreciate that because in a certain aspect, because of that relation I tend to learn more and listen more and take heed of what I’m being told because the familiarity of the relationship. I also appreciate that our teachers are allowed to teach from they own individual perspectives as African American women. So not only do I gain knowledge, but I gain perspective as well; not only perspective, but the peculiar, unknown, seemingly unheard of perspective of the minority,  something that is thought to be myth, but indeed does exist.

Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats

            In Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats the author discussed how the government and African Americans both have contributed to the corruption of the welfare system and the African American community. Throughout the text the author shared her point of view on the welfare system and how it came to be.

            In this text the author called the government the pimps, the black leaders the whores, and the recipients of welfare the welfare brats. She accused the government of being the pimps because she feels as though the government is pimping out lower class African Americans through the use of government aid. The author then goes on to explain that we as African Americans encourage this type of behavior by either promoting government aid or by abusing the system. “Plenty of black leaders, inspired by everything from a desire for change to retribution, were more than happy to join in as foot soldiers” (27).

            Although, I think that the author was a little harsh throughout the text, I did agree with her on some issues. For example, when she talked about the welfare brats and their attitudes towards the system, I agreed with her. I felt that the statement she made about the welfare brats was very valid, because I know individuals who feel like the government owes them money and being on welfare is how they feel that they are being done justice. Personally, I feel that if you are not in dire need of government assistance then you should not be on welfare, because it is bringing the African American community down. It is bringing our community down because when we get on welfare we are as the author states not, “sticking by the principles of hard work and self-reliance that brought black Americans up from slavery…” (128).This essay left me with one question. When will we as African Americans stop abusing the system?

           

Unearthing Hidden Literacy: Seven Lessons I Learned in a Cotton Field by Lillie Gayle Smith

In “Unearthing Hidden Literacy: Seven Lessons I Learned in a Cotton Field” by Lillie Gayle Smith, Smith recalled that “it took over 40 years before [she] discovered and began to value the lessons [she] learned from the inglorious job of picking cotton during the summers of [her] childhood”. Smith was one of the many people who cringed at the thought of such memories of the past. At an earlier point in Smith’s life, the constant reminder of the time she’d spent picking cotton in the field, reminded her of her family’s ancient history. Knowing that her family members who came before her were slaves, did not sit well with Smith. It wasn’t until the fall of 2003 when Smith took a graduate class called “Black Women’s Literacy”, that she came to accept and even appreciate the time she’d spent in the cotton field. The class introduced Smith to different definitions, theories and constructs of literacy. This in turn led to Smith’s realization that the cotton field in Alabama’s Black Belt was responsible for “how [she] had come to know and apply certain truths about life”. In example, Smith was able to understand and even compare the act of resistance by her female classmates, after feelings of discrimination. At first, Smith believed the women were giving up on the male professor, but she quickly came to realize that the act of no longer participating in the class, was the women’s’ way of resisting.

This particular story reminded me of my childhood memories. I can still remember getting in trouble for doing something I thought was perfectly fine, but in my parents’ eyes, was completely unacceptable.  Each and every time I would get in trouble I would be in the worst mood and think of how unfair and mean my parents were. At the time, I was completely unaware of my actions. I never understood why my parents chastised me, until now. Since I am older and more mature, I understand that my parents were only trying to raise a wonderful young lady. Now, I am grateful for the disciplinary action that my parents took. As a result, I am more aware and knowledgeable of my actions as well as others. 

Lessons From Down Under: Reflections on Meanings of Literacy and Knowledge From an African -American Female Growing Up in Rural Alabama by Bessie House-Soremekun

            In “Lessons From Down Under: Reflections on Meanings of Literacy and Knowledge Form an African-American Female Growing Up in Rural Alabama” by Bessie House-Soremekun, the author discussed the importance of both formal and informal literacy. The author begins the essay by giving a historical perspective on the acquisition of knowledge and then continues to give a personal account of how she acquired her literacy skills.

            House-Soremekun discussed how African Americans have heavily depended on various oral traditions of literacy throughout history (starting from slavery to present day).  For instance, she mentioned how she and her grandmother discussed numerous topics that she was not able to learn from her textbooks. “My grandmother and I discussed many topics, including religion, philosophy, the nature of human existence, politics, health issues, and economics” (pg.62).

This quote reminded me of how I have been able to learn about topics that I was not taught about through my formal education from my family members. I, like the author, came from a middle class family who placed a great amount of value on obtaining my education. While my parents wanted to make sure that I obtained a formal education, they also knew that there were some things about life and how to understand the world that I live in that the textbooks would not be able to teach me. My parents taught me about such things through the use of several techniques such as storytelling and old phrases. These techniques helped me to acquire my informal literacy. This essay left me with two questions.

While I agreed with her argument that oral traditions have been used to help African Americans to become literate, I disagreed with the statement that argument that she made about the lack of written texts about and by African Americans affecting black people’s self- esteem. I disagreed with this statement because I feel that it was too general. How does she know that every African American’s self- esteem was affected by the lack of written texts about and by black people.

My Life as a Welfare Brat by Parker

In the essay “My Life as a Welfare Brat”, by Parker, the author introduces the piece with her experience on the Oprah show. There are two mothers on there that feel entitled to welfare as if the government owes them this money. The author talks about how she used to do the same thing and how the welfare system is a crutch and it discourages and enables people from finding jobs and supporting themselves. Parker then goes on to discuss her own experiences on welfare. She talks about how she lived a reckless life have casual sex and got pregnant three times in one year. She also talked about how she quit her job and was supported on welfare and how others as well as she sold Medi-cal stickers.

This part was the most interesting o me because I have never heard of anyone using their welfare benefits by selling them to others and actually being able to live off of this illegal activity. I didn’t even know that that was possible. And the idea that there are clinics that don’t even ask for id and that will let you use someone else Medi-cal sticker is unheard of. This is what’s wrong with the welfare system and the government. How can you allow this illegal activity to be going on, this abuse of the system, while there are all these people who need these benefits but can’t get them? Can you not clearly decipher between who needs welfare and who doesn’t? Is it that hard? And if so, can you not find people who are capable of doing this job? These are serious questions that I have. I know when my mom was a case workers she would actually do her job and research to see who was lying on their application, this is what all government employees need to be doing.

Black and on Welfare: What You Don’t Know About Single-Parent Women by Sandra Golden

            In “Black and on Welfare: What You Don’t Know About Single-Parent Women”, Sarah Golden makes the argument that "women on welfare [are] affected by discriminatory practices." I agree with this statement because in some ways I feel that this is true. For instance, Golden states that, "Dominating system such as welfare do not recognize Black women's social literacy skills." I believe that this is a form of discrimination, because a system that ignores part of its population's abilities is cheating itself. Black women on welfare have a lot to offer the economy and society, but as long as the government continues to discriminate against Black women's "social literacy skills" then the good that they have to offer will go unheard.

While I agree with Golden's argument that "women on welfare [are] affected by discriminatory practices within the welfare system" (28), I also disagree with this statement. This is because I feel that her argument is to general. How does she know that every "women on welfare [is] affected by discriminatory practices within the welfare system" (28)? For instance, she holds a focus group of twelve women who are on welfare. A focus group made up of only twelve women out of the total amount of women on welfare, is one that in my opinion is to general and not a good representation of the whole group. Also, I feel that Golden's argument is a little bias, because she used to be on welfare. "Even today, over 20 years after my encounter with the welfare system, many young Black females carry the assumed burdened of being uneducated or undereducated, unskilled, and unmotivated because they receive public assistance" (28).

Literacies and the World

In Dysfunctional Literacies of Exclusion: An Exploration of the Burdens of Literacy in Tisiti Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions by Mandi Chikombero, Chikombero analyses Dangarembga’s novel and its literary references. The novel, which is about “black people’s struggle for resolution among the challenges presented by the conflicting literacies”, the different types of literacies bring about burdens and “Dangarembga offers counsel regarding the need to find the middle ground, which becomes a path to inclusion of all literacies”. Chikombero notes the fact that “the book makes significant contributions to the understanding of Black women’s literacy”. Also, according to Chikombero “classroom literacy is but one kind of literacy, but it is not the only literacy”. She breaks down Dagarembga’s novel to explain that traditional literacy and colonial/modern literacy is included within the text. Also, Dagarembga notes that both forms of literacy are dysfunctional in that they have the same goal; to exclude.

When Chikombero spoke about the different types of literacy in her essay, it reminded me of my own personal life. Upon enrolling in this English Composition course, I was unaware that one’s literate abilities are sometimes a result of their home lives. I have always believed that the only type of literacy was the literacy that came from schools, books and teachers. However, I have learned that literacy has many different definitions as it also results from many different factors. For example, one’s culture, values and beliefs, may determine their literate capabilities.  Personally, I believe that my literacy stems from educational institutions as well as family factors. My teachers and their lessons have taught me educational fundamentals while my family has taught me the fundamentals of the world. On a broader spectrum, my family has taught me the ways of the world and most importantly, how to survive and excel in the world.  

Going Against the Grain by Jacqueline Royster

In “Going Against the Grain,” Jacqueline Royster also discussed the importance of education. In the essay she talked about how, “African Americans understood the implications of literacy and learning in political, economic, and social progress” (123). Royster discussed how African Americans knew that if they were ever to have a bright future in the United States then they would have to get their education. African Americans viewed education as a tool that was absolutely necessary in life in order to be successful.

            I found this part of the essay particularly interesting, because I think that urgency to receive an education has been lost in the African American community today. Royster also talked about how African American’s were denied education. She discussed that by being denied to education African Americans were able to see the importance of it, “They could see clearly – from the extent to which they were denied access to it- that education could make a difference for individuals and for whole communities” (123). I think that today we do not value education as much as African Americans did during that time period, because we are not denied access to it. Unlike African Americans during Emancipation, we have numerous opportunities to receive an education. The problem today is not, “How am I going to get my education?”, but rather the lack of motivation that has overwhelmed our society.

            Our generation has been spoiled, because we have never really had to overcome any obstacles in order to obtain an education. This part of the essay made me ask myself two questions. First, should our generation have all of the privileges that we have taken away in order for us to appreciate them? Second, will our generation ever return to the mindset that our ancestors had in terms of our views towards education.

Going Against the Grain by Jacqueline Royster

In “Going Against the Grain”, the author also discussed slavery. Jacqueline Royster talked about slave owners such as Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, and their views on slavery. Both Adams and Jefferson disliked slavery, however Adams “…made no attempt during his presidency to bring about any change to the system” (119). In the essay the reader is able to see that Jefferson clearly did not agree with slavery, and the inhumane conditions that many slaves experienced.

            Although, Jefferson disliked slavery, I believe that he was not fully opposed to the issue. This is because in the essay Royster states, “Jefferson’s distaste for slavery was shared by others whose opposition was in some cases like his own, that is, against the system but not necessarily in support of the equality of people of African descent” (119).

Personally, I felt that this statement had many contradictions, because how can you be against slavery, but you do not view African’s as equals to Caucasians? I feel that that is absolutely absurd, because I think that either you are for slavery and against the equal treatment of Africans, or you are not for slavery and you are for the equal treatment of Africans. I do not believe that one can straddle the fence, that is take Jefferson’s view, on an issue this serious. I believe that Jefferson was sincere in his views on slavery, but I do not think that he was ready to view people of African descent as his equal counterparts. I believe that Jefferson was too afraid of what other individuals in society would say and think about him if he said that he thought Africans should be viewed as equals to Caucasians. Also, I think that Jefferson did not want to compromise his position in society because of his views.

Reel Women: Black Women and Literacy in Feature Films

The essay by Joanne Kilgore Dowdy discusses black women in films and books and the roles they play. It focuses on analyzing the role that literacy plays in the lives of the black women in the films. The author discusses how you can learn a lot about the time period, the society and the culture from these black films. Dowdy talks about how you can experience and observe women of different literacy levels as well as how these women are depicted by black actresses.

Dowdy also discusses the importance of location or as she calls it, “the politics of location.” (Dowdy 155) She talks about how depending on where you are, people will treat you differently concerning whether or not they respect you. Then she goes on to address the issue of what it means to be black. This particularly stood out to me because the color of your skin really does matter in the black community. Whether or not you are light skinned or dark skinned determines how you will be treated in the black community.  In some parts of the black community you will be respected or better treated if you are darker and in some parts because you are lighter.

Thinking back, I realize that people have treated me differently because I’m lighter skinned. Guys tell me I’m beautiful or they call me “yellow bone” which insinuates that it is better to have lighter skin than darker skin. It also insinuats that light skin is equated with beautiful while darker skin is not. However, if you go to a part of the black community where Africans are prevalent, darker skin will be embraced, appreciated probably even preferred over lighter skin. Therefore it depends on where you are in the black community.

Women and Literacy in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple by E. Yvette Walters

            In “Women and Literacy in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple” Yvette Walters discussed the five categories “….from which women view reality and themselves and draw conclusions about truth, knowledge, and authority” (138). In this essay, Walters performed a critical analysis of the character Celie from The Color Purple.

            The author begins by giving a brief synopsis of The Color Purple. Then, she goes on to explain how Celie falls into each one of the five categories that she has previously described. Throughout the essay, the reader is able to see the transformation of Celie’s character from a timid, quiet young lady to one who develops a good sense of self. In Celie’s silent stage, Walters emphasized how she acquired her literacy from “…more in-depth ways of knowing that extend beyond basic reading and writing skills” (139). 

            I found this statement very interesting, because it never occurred to me that literacy could be viewed beyond the traditional definition of the word. This statement also made me wonder if the situations that we go through in life are considered as different forms of literacy. I also found it interesting in the essay the strategy that the author used to point out the different ways that women view themselves and the world around them, and what situations in life shape these views. The way the author connected the development of Celie in The Color Purple to the different ways that women view the world and themselves really allowed to me understand what she was trying to explain.

            After reading this essay I had two important questions. The first question is, what category would I fall under? The second question is, what events in my life have shaped my view of myself and the world, in order for me to fall into that category.

"Going Against The Grain The Aquistion and Use of Literacy" by Jacqueline Royster

            In “Going Against the Grain: The Acquisition and Use of Literacy” the author discussed how and why African American women attained their literacy. The author shows the reader the various forms in which African American women have used literacy in both a traditional and nontraditional manner.

            She begins the chapter by talking about the numerous images that have been given to African American women dating back to slavery, “Since the beginning of Africans’ lives in the Americas, African American women have been encumbered by racist, sexist, class-bound ideologies” (pg.109). The author then goes on to explain that these various forms of oppression acted as the stimulus that help motivate African American females to gain their literacy. These women recognized that literacy was a powerful tool to acquire in order to overcome the negative stereotypes. Royster also talked about how African American women used literacy not only as a form of resistance, but also as a way to help preserve their culture.

         On the other hand, the author takes note of some institutions such as Atlanta University and Spelman College, which have served the black community. The essay mentions the fact that whites have indeed contributed to the education of blacks. For example, Spelman College was actually founded by two white woman missionaries. Also, during the time of slavery, many white slave owners would pay for their black children to earn an education.

         Conclusively, the educating of black females is indeed important. Even today, black women are portrayed as sex symbols, low class, child bearers etc. Therefore it is beyond important that as a whole, black women rise above the stereotypes. Education will serve as one of the major stepping-stones towards becoming successful in the world. By becoming educated, we as a race and a gender will eventually rise above the glass ceiling.  

" Transformative College Literacy of Literate Black Women Peer Counselors" by Robin Wisniewski

The article by Robin Wisniewski started off discussing the importance of literacy in black woman from a quote from a third semester which basically says that literacy is your agent of change and influence because without it you are ignorant and in ignorance you can't cause change. If you are knowledgeable about what's going on around you in the world, then you can't change it and that is why it's important to be literate. The author then goes on to discuss the peer counseling program which "provides literacy support for college students with disabilities." ( 70 Wisniewski) She discusses the growth of the program and analyzes how much it helped the students as well as her and the peer counselors and introduces her own journey.

What stood out to me was when she discusses the process of schema construction that is the construction of your own knowledge based off of what you know and what someone else teaches you. This was interesting to me because I had learned about the construction of knowledge in ADW and this is exactly what happens when you go to college. You take everything you know, challenge it with what you are being taught and find what is real and what isn't thus controlling your own literacy.

Construction of knowledge is especially important in contributing to your own personal literacy because your literacy is yours and you solely are responsible for it. Meaning that you can’t just accept anything that someone tells you is truth or knowledge but you having the right, for you literacy’s sake, to examine and research and determine on your own whether or not the information is valuable or necessary. As Wisniewski further discusses construction of knowledge she talks about the classroom being a democratic setting and everyone contributing but even then, don’t just rely on others for your literacy.

“Literacy and the Black Woman”

by Sharon M. Darlings

              The essay entitled “Literacy and the Black Woman”, by Sharon M. Darlings, spoke of the well-known gap between Black women and literacy. In her essay Darlings was sure to note the fact that this “vicious cycle of illiteracy” has been around as early as the period of slavery and is as current now as it was then. According to Darlings, illiterate women outnumber illiterate men [on account of] reproduction issues, social position, and inadequate formal schooling (Lim, 1966; Safman, 1986)” (pg. 19). In addition, Darlings noted that “Lim (1996) reported that 25% of the world’s population is illiterate. Women compromise 60% of this group, and Black women compromise 44% of all illiterate women (Safman, 1986). Illiteracy, therefore, is a woman’s issue” (pg. 19).

While reading this article I thought a lot about my mother, my grandmothers and my great-grandmothers. My mother and the rest of the women in my life have always had influential roles in my life. I have always known them to be very strong and intelligent women. However, I have also known them to be misfortunate women. My mother and my grandmothers have only had the chance to acquire a limited education. None of these women attended college because of their teenage pregnancies. As a result, I have watched them suffer at times. In accordance, I have watched others, such as the white mothers and fathers of my high school peers, live with the upper hand. My peers came from mothers and fathers who have long had social and economic advantages. Based on my experiences as a first generation college student, I was able to understand Darlings’ ideas and opinions on literacy and the Black woman. Personally, I feel that it is very important for the Black woman to attain literacy. Black woman are already at a disadvantage, as we are the subordinate race as well as the subordinate gender. Without literacy, a Black woman will become lost in the world, over looked and stepped on, by those that surround her.

Interview with a Black Literature Professor

In Black Women/Black Literature Joanne Kilgour Dowdy interviews Christina McVay about her experiences as a professor of “Black women and Black literature” (pg. 87). Throughout their interview, the reader is able to gain insight about McVay’s thoughts on the richness of Black Language.

            The interview begins with McVay explaining to Dowdy how she “stumbled” (88) into the Pan-African division of the English Department. McVay explains that this opportunity came while she was at a bar one night talking to one of the professors from the English Department. She explained to him her desire to teach Black students about Black Literature, “It’s White me standing in front of a White classroom” (pg. 88). Towards the end of the conversation, the professor invited her to teach in the Pan-African division when an opening became available.

            The statement that McVay made about her being White and teaching White students about Black Literature as if it were some foreign subject, reminded me of the Spanish classes I used to take in high school. This statement reminded me of my high school Spanish classes because, all of my teachers, except for my last teacher, were either White or Black. When they taught us the language and the culture they spoke as if it were completely different from American culture and language. However, when my last Spanish teacher, who was Puerto Rican, taught the language she was more personable.

McVay’s statement left me with one question. When teaching a subject, should one of the parties involved (either the students or the teacher) have a personal experience with that subject? I asked this question because it was not until she began teaching Black students about Black Literature that she really discovered the richness of Black language thus realizing that the black community is, “One of the communities that has the greatest oral dexterity is the Black Community” (pg.89).

“To Protect and Serve”: African American Female Literacies

“To be successful in environments where White middle class values dominate, Black females must learn the language and literacy practice of style shifting/codeswitching” (Richardson 691). Style shifting or codeswitching is an important concept in this passage. “Codeshifting has been defined as ‘a shift between different language systems. It refers to the change between overall dialect systems, such as that between a standard and vernacular dialect’” (Richardson 691).

This particular passage is important because I have found myself in various situations where I too have had to “codeshift.” I have realized that I "codeshift" quite often. I had to do it when I interviewed for a paid internship with Fears Nachawati Law Firm (where I am the only black employee), and I also have to "codeshift" at church. My pastor taught us about “codeshifting.” At the time I did not know the name for it, or that there was a name for it. He taught us not to use “slang” or vernacular language in the pulpit, but to use proper English and to pronounce our words. I believe that this is important because it is a major focus of all black parents for their children not to feed into any of the black stereotypes that whites have for us, but to exceed and excel and to break the stereotypes.

This passage was compelling as well because in the reading by Leoni C. R. Smith she discusses how in an all white environment while she was getting her bachelor’s degree her white peers could not understand her either because of her vernacular or her accent. This reiterates why it is importance to be able to switch between the two so that people can understand you and so that you can better communicate.

Storytelling and It's Effects

In Storytelling, the authors present to the reader the various reasons for why stories are told in African American culture. In this essay Franklin and Dowdy show the impact that storytelling has had on them. Through the stories that are told in this essay and the explanations that follow, I was able to see the purpose of storytelling.

            The authors begin the essay with a section entitled The Timeless Nature of Stories. In this section a story called Tongue Brought Me Here is told, first from the perspective of Franklin’s father and then from her childhood pastor’s perspective. Tongue Brought Me Here allows the reader to see one reason why storytelling is used. This story is told to teach children the importance of talking excessively. “The theme was a cautionary tale about the consequences of talking too much” (Franklin and Dowdy pg. 120). This story made me wonder if any of the stories that we have been told have subconsciously affected us in some way similar to the way that the “mother tongue” (Elaine Richardson pg.677) shapes a child’s perspective.

            Dowdy’s story about her stress as a result of her sister’s illness, stood out to me. This story impacted me because I, like Dowdy often times do not deal with my stress properly. After reading Dowdy’s story I discovered that the body aches that I experience sometimes (such as tension in my neck) may be due to stress and not handling it in a healthy manner. Her story allowed me to better understand myself by forcing me to look at the source of my stress and the effects that it has had on me.

            Overall the essay left me with two very important questions.  First, should we integrate storytelling into our daily lives? Second, is storytelling a better stress reliever than exercise?

“To Be Black, Female, and Literate: A Personal Journey in Education and Alienation” by Leonie C. R. Smith

    “Education, we are told, is the key that opens the imaginary door to success…is supposed to uplift us from misery – to improve our economic situation in life. However, the path to acquiring an education and advanced academic literacy is fraught with difficulty, and opening the door to success comes with a price.” (Smith 183)

   The quote mentioned above is one which sums up, “To Be Black, Female, and Literate: A Personal Journey in Education and Alienation”, by Leonie C. R. Smith. In her short story, Leonie Smith gave readers a personal insight on her life growing up and the role that education played within her life. As a young girl, Smith grew up in Antigua. Education was of much importance to her family after her grandparents fell victim to an “obeah woman”, due to their illiteracy. After the horrible events that followed her family, Smith began to excel in education. However, Smith’s academic excellence came with a price, as she had to live her new life in the United States, with strong feelings of alienation and the ill-mannered attitudes of the surrounding majority.

   This short story reminded me of the idea that immigrants who come from a less fortunate background, tend to value education a little more than the average person. Moreover, it gave me more of an understanding of the importance of a woman such as Smith, gaining an education. Women are forced to face the “glass ceiling” and education is often the key to overcoming this said “ceiling”. I have two female best friends, one of which is from Ethiopia while the other is from Sudan. Both of my best friends exhibit a distinctive work ethic. Similar to Smith, their drive comes from their family expectations and the current situations in their homeland. As African American females we understand that literacy and education is the key to success. On account of the three of us attending a majority White high school, we’ve experienced the feeling of being different and feeling out of place. However, we have always encouraged each other and as a result, we continue to work towards becoming successful African American women.