Blog entries must be 200-400 words in length and must be submitted as comments to the main thread before the next class period.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Diversity Training with Cody Charles
Can't wait to hear what you thought of Cody's presentation. In your post, please try to connect the presentation with your own break and the issues you'll encounter.
I have always looked at myself as a person accepting and encouraging of diversity. Still, Cody’s presentation caused me to challenge the way I think. His delivery was so well done, hitting directly on issues that we tend to overlook. Several times I caught myself wondering: “what do I take for granted?”
What Cody said about the Beer commercial was something I directly related to my alternative break working with Rainbow Health Initiative. I have always been supportive of equality for LGBTQ communities, trying to appreciate their struggle without being able to live it. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of the beer-drinking, game-watching, no-emotions man commercials try to sell, but since it did not directly affect me I have been able to laugh about it or ignore it. I had never thought about what sort of affect it would have on, for example, men who choose a different perspective on life. As Cody mentioned, the message is loud and clear: conform to your gender role or you will be crushed. It’s not that I chose to ignore the message, it simply was not part of my reality.
What Cody said with regards to what is and is not part of our reality really made me understand one of the major purposes for the Alternative Breaks. If we expose our reality to the truth that others face every day, we will have a larger perspective on what is wrong with the world. Through those eyes, we will be able to really create change, even if it’s a small step at a time. The weeklong break alone will not change much in the world, but it will change the way we see things. After we are able to see issues important to us without the rose-tinted glasses on, we will be more suited to inspire a difference. The Alternative Break experience is not just about the week, it is about creating individuals who crave social justice and volunteerism for the rest of their lives.
Since I come from a multicultural home, I have always found the topic of diversity an important aspect of society. While some may think that it is over hyped, it instead focuses on all the liberations that come from some preexisting struggle. With diversity, there is always going to be someone who is oppressed. With so many differences and only a few making key decisions, someone is always going to be left out. Something that I specifically liked about Cody's presentation was that he said that diversity is not just race, but what someone might identify with. Though the site where I am going is dealing with mainly African American children, diversity is relevant for practically anywhere or anything we do.
I look forward to helping at the Peter Paul Development Center this spring break, so I can be more aware of the struggles that these kids might suffer from. I definitely agreed with Cody when he stated that it may be hard to see oppression because of all the privileges that we have had. Our privileges are usually unearned, unasked for, and often invisible. Many times, it's not that we don't want to make a difference and help these kids, it's just that we didn't know because it didn't specifically involve us in some way. Though I have been through difficult situations like many of these kids, my experience is completely different than theirs. It is all about understanding the mentality and until we do that or can do that, it is impossible to really understand what they are going through.
With this being said, I also see that while we are there for one week, we are not going to be able to completely change their world. Though we can help out as much as we can, we need to see that we are the ones that truly need to be changed. What we do isn't about us anymore. It's a part of a much larger picture. I am excited to go on this trip and truly allow myself to be changed.
I think that the most important thing that Cody presented for us to think about was the discussion of privilege. As he said, privilege is not something we often think about, nor have we earned or asked for it. Because of this, the privileges we have are often taken for granted, or at least I certainly take many of the privileges and opportunities I have for granted, and don’t appreciate them as much as I should. When on our break to the Peter Paul Development Center, I think one of the most important privileges for us to be considering is that of a good education and going to college. One of the primary focuses of Peter Paul’s after school program is emphasizing staying in school and getting to college to the students they serve in elementary, middle, and high school, and one of our jobs while there will be to help spread that message while tutoring and working with kids in small groups to help keep them on that path. For several of the people in my group, including myself, staying in school and going to college is one of those privileges we don’t think about. I took advanced classes in high school, yet another educational privilege that I rarely think about others not having, and almost every one of my friends went to college. Going to college was not something that most in my school had to earn, but something that was expected, just the next logical step in life. Sure, we had to do well in school to get there, maybe take out a few loans to pay for it, but the resources were always there steering us in that direction without us needing to give it much thought. I think that realizing this privilege and others that we have and being aware that the children we will be working with don’t come from the same background as us, but that most of them still do have the drive and skills to go to college when given the right support and resources is extremely important. As Cody explained to us, social justice and diversity involve appreciating social differences without power dynamics or letting these differences lead to perceived inequality. This is something important to keep in mind while on our break, and in everyday life, because every person we meet will have a story of their own for us to appreciate.
One of the themes that Cody discussed last Friday was things people take for granted. The example he gave us was the fact that there is only one accessible door for people who are in wheelchairs. I think a lot of people tend to put down handicapped people, even if they don't mean to, because they don't understand what those people go through on a daily basis. I am sure the builders of Strong Hall unintentionally didn’t consider that people in wheelchairs would have a harder time getting into the building. Cody also told us if you put yourself in a wheelchair for a week, we still wouldn’t understand what it’s like because we always have the option to get up.
I think people take things for granted when it comes to autism. A couple of symptoms of autism include a difficulty with communication and a lack of understanding for social norms. An example would be if someone realizes that they are standing too close to you, they would understand that they should back off. An autistic person would have a harder time registering that. The fact that "ordinary" people don't understand what autistic kids go through makes them unintentionally put them down or ignore them, and this often makes autistic kids feel like outcasts.
I sure learned a lot from Cody and his presentation over diversity and multiculturalism. Even though I’ll be working with animals at Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation during my break, I still find that his presentation had relevance to me and my group. He talked about the students speaking about how the Multicultural Resource Center needed to be in a better building and how it was an important issue. It was so cool to hear about students speaking up for something they believed in and the impact they had on the university. They united, reacted, spoke up, and the university listened. I know that I can use that story and maybe be influenced to make a difference in the lives of the animals on my break. I can encourage people to speak up and be passionate about this topic.
I really enjoyed listening about privilege as well. It is crazy he talked about this because my sociology teacher touched on this briefly in class too. However, his presentation made me more aware of how invisible privilege really is. I never truly thought about how to get into Strong Hall with a wheelchair. I was also amazed at his story about how he asked for a haircut and they denied him service while on campus. It was an eye-opener, and did teach me about how invisible, unasked for, and unearned privilege is.
I also liked how he mentioned our founding fathers and how they were white, male, Christians, wealthy, and probably heterosexual. When they wrote the Constitution, it was obvious that they would leave out important issues for many of the American people because the founding fathers did not see what did not directly concern them. They were also privileged and I was astounded again. I did not even think of the Constitution, our rules, and our government setup in this way. Learning about privilege was one of my favorite parts of the night.
Cody did a great job on talking about oppression, privilege, and social justice. I know that I will take every bit of this lesson and use it in my alternative break and beyond.
I thoroughly enjoyed Cody Charles’ speech last Thursday. He was such an energetic speaker and really engaged all of us into his presentation. What I especially enjoyed, was the way he really opened my eyes to multiculturalism and social justice. Like many others in the crowd, I had really only thought of multiculturalism in regards to race, but wow, I sure was wrong. Multiculturalism has to deal with so many other factors I had never considered like social class, mobility, and other slight differences among people that can be overlooked. One of my favorite parts of his speech was when he talked about Strong Hall. When the photograph first appeared on the projection screen, I was baffled as to how that had anything to do with any kind of social justice issue—it was just a building, right? As he continued to speak about how people in wheel chairs were not allowed access to the building in the front entrance due to mobility and structural issues, this made me very sympathetic and almost guilty feeling. I had never once realized this issue even existed, being Cody’s main point of this argument—we do not realize things are a problem until we directly face contact with the issue. This taught me that I really should be more aware of problems existing outside of my own life. I will remember this especially when I am on my break in March. Cody brought up the good point of how you can sympathize with someone else’s problems, but you cannot truly know how they feel unless you are that person, constantly facing the problem day by day. He made the example of an able bodied person using a wheelchair for a few hours to see how difficult it would be. Though challenging, this person could simply stand up and continue a normal life after these few challenging hours were over, concluding a lack of full understanding to how difficult that person’s life actually is every day. Though I know I cannot truly understand what the people have gone through and are going through on my break, I will try my absolute hardest to be as caring and helpful as I possibly can, and try to make any positive effect come out of it in my short time there.
I appreciated Cody’s speech because he talked about things that I’m sure most of us think that we are aware of but really don’t notice as often. I have heard the terms “diversity,” “oppression,” and “privilege” thrown around time after time while growing up and even in college. It was interesting to hear the actual definitions of these words then to learn their place in our society.
I will be working with my group at the Mid South Center for Peace and Justice in Memphis, Tennessee and specifically working in the Grow Memphis program, which focuses on Urban Gardening. We will be interacting with people from the Mid South Center who work on projects like this everyday. Not only will our actions affect the people who will use the services at the Mid South Center but also those who work or volunteer in this environment all of the time.
The concept from Cody’s speech that stuck out to me the most was how things affect us due to what is in our own “reality.” A person may not notice something like Strong Hall not having a handicapped entrance in the front because it has not directly affected them or someone close to them. Even if someone did notice that there wasn’t a handicapped entrance they probably wouldn’t make an effort into fixing this problem. While working with Grow Memphis, we will learn a lot more about urban gardening than we knew before. I’ve worked in a garden store for the past four years and only recently had I learned very much about the concept of urban gardening. It will be our duty to come back to our community to educate others about what exactly urban gardening is and how important it can be to communities that need fresh vegetables and fruits. My own “reality” is that I drive my car to Dillon’s, walk into the store, and buy fresh produce with my own money. A person who utilizes the Grow Memphis program is someone who may not be able to afford fresh fruits and veggies or someone who can’t make it to a grocery store to buy these things. We will have to go in each day putting our greatest effort forward because any amount of progress that we make will certainly benefit those who will use the urban gardens in the future.
I thought that Cody Charles’ presentation was crucial for college students to hear. Most of us really don’t appreciate how amazing of an opportunity we have in being able to attend college. After all, about one third of the US population has a college degree and the percentages are even lower for minorities.
I will be working for Teach for America in Chicago so this presentation was easily relatable to what we will be doing since we will be trying to help people who may have had disadvantages throughout their entire lives with regards to gaining a good education. It will be essential for our group to understand that these students probably did not have as much resources and expectations to attain good grades like what we grew up with. We must be able to put ourselves in their shoes as much as possible and show to them that we are trying to be their resources and help them in any way possible.
When he pointed out the fact that Strong Hall forces handicapped people to go through the back and how the Constitution was written by the most privileged people in the US, I really tried to start noticing these kinds of things in my everyday life. While I was walking in the snow today and seeing other people having fun, I thought about the difficulties of being handicapped and how they are able to cope. I had enough trouble as it was just not slipping and falling in the snow. Overall, I really enjoyed how he was able to get us to try and relate with people who are really different from us.
Cody Charles did such a great job speaking to all of us before we go on our Alternative Break. I like how he started off very general, and then built on those concepts. Cody spoke to us as a group of individuals just learning from one another rather than a formal lecture format. I feel like everyone got much more out of the class because of the laid back format. Cody did a great job speaking about privilege, and relating it to all of us. He spoke about how oftentimes privilege is unearned, unasked for, and often has advantages not available to other members of out community. He touched on how many of us do have areas of privilege that we need to understand, and recognize before we leave for our trip. There were any areas of privilege that I have never thought about until class. Like the Strong Hall example, last semester I had class in Strong almost everyday, and never thought about the accessibility of the building to some individuals. I never once thought about how individuals in wheelchairs have to enter from the back of the building. This does not sound like a huge deal, but once you start to think about how it must make those individuals feel, you start to notice some of the obstacles that they have to overcome. When we go on out Alternative Breaks we must keep this example in mind, because we must listen to the individuals we are helping rater than just going through our normal strides without their input.
Cody Charles specifically came into the class in order to teach us about the relevancy of social justice on our trips. I am attending the Mid-South Center for Peace and Justice, and learning about how to handle the situations for my trip is very useful in order to be completely aware of my surroundings. As Cody Charles said, “social justice education focuses on understanding the social power dymanics that result in some social groups having privileges…[and others] are disadvantaged…[and] denied access.” This idea relates really well to every volunteer experience, but really helps with my trip. Gardening in this urban area won’t necessarily be a direct form of social justice, but it clearly helps the environment and promotes the ideals of helping our environment. Cody Charles put us in a position that we didn’t want to be in, meaning we were forced to hear how those who are handicapped have to take the back entrance that leads to the basement in the building that is for the entire community of The University of Kansas. This hard reality places an emphasis on social ignorance and how we, on our breaks, need to be aware of how our actions affect the entire community. Then, we can learn from the entire experience, leading us to promote ideals of social justice. In conclusion, the discussion this week was very helpful and interesting—and most importantly relevant to our trips, coming sooner and sooner every week.
I found Cody’s diversity training presentation to be extremely eye-opening, to say the least. I am, for the most part, the average American white male, so in many ways, I fell under Cody’s category of “I didn’t think about that because it doesn’t affect me”. Especially surprising to me were the handicapped entrance at the back of Strong Hall, and the old, dilapidated Multicultural Resource Center. It never even occurred to me that those buildings were sending negative messages to the community about diversity on our campus, as the issues never had any effect on me.
At the same time, however, there are some points Cody made that were not quite as profound, as I felt they were not well supported. For example, his argument over Strong Hall’s lack of handicapped-access front doors was inadequate. Although the building sends a negative message to those who notice, it is important to remember that Strong Hall was constructed long before such things as wheelchair ramps were added to building codes. Ergo, nobody at KU today had any doing in the ramp’s exclusion. Further, the architecture of the front of the building is designed such that an access ramp would be a very awkward addition, and would deter from the aesthetic look of our iconic Strong Hall. I feel that this situation is somewhat analogous to the Ivan Illich article we read, in that trying to help may actually frustrate and anger those we are helping more than actually help them. In this case, I almost feel that those who are handicapped would be somewhat offended if the front entrance of Strong were, in a sense, “butchered up” with the addition of an access ramp. They’re KU students too, and just because they are handicapped does not mean that they don’t appreciate the history and beautiful architecture of the building.
Unfortunately, it was rather difficult to tie Cody’s presentation in with the Zion National Park break, as our group will not be interacting with diverse groups of people as much as other groups will. Sure, we will encounter park rangers, tourists, campers, and maybe other volunteers, but we will not be helping any of them directly.
I found Cody’s speech to be very inspiring. His closing statements about our trips as being an introduction to social justice gave me a sense of purpose. It has been difficult for me to explain why I want the experience of alternative breaks or any other type of volunteer service but Cody’s lecture provided me with a better understanding of why I want to volunteer. I want to volunteer not just to help but to be a part of something greater than me, something that would allow me to feel like I played a part in affecting social change. His lecture helped me to better understand my reasoning for being involved. I also found some of his images interesting. I was not that drawn to the fact that strong hall has a handicap entrance in the back; I actually already knew it was there and I never thought about what it says about the university because the lack of handicap entrances is more of a societal issue. Many buildings either don’t have handicap entrances or they are through the back of the building because building codes including handicap needs are a fairly recent idea. I thought the purpose of that example was to show that people can make a difference. Handicap accessibility started with advocates that fought for there to be easier ways for people with disabilities to live in society. There are still people who fight for the rights of disabled individuals. It was similar to his example of the multicultural building that was initially held in a shack at the university. He argued that students are who fought for a better building and more support which for me was his most important message; the idea that students can affect change. Cody’s own personal story was the one that stood out to me the most. It was the one that made me really question what I understand and what I’m not always aware of. The fact that he couldn’t get a haircut at the union was something I had not ever really thought about. It’s those little details that effect peoples day to day lives that I am not always aware. For me this was one of the most significant images that made me question what I really understand about oppression. For the midterm I’ve been working on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and I think Cody’s personal example will help me to see that for the people of New Orleans the difficulty of recovery isn’t just in the major losses but also the minor details they face every day in life. I think on the trip being aware of these minor everyday challenges and keeping an eye out for where they might exist is going to be what will open my mind. Allowing myself to be aware of the minor things in life will help me see and understand the social issues that exist in New Orleans and make life difficult. While at the same time I think it is important to notice what good has been done. Not just good that volunteers have done for New Orleans but what the people there are doing every day to better their lives and overcome the disaster that destroyed their home.
Cody's speech really opened my eyes. I went to a small high school where everyone knew everyone, we had absolutely NO diversity, so I had never really thought what it would be like to not have the privileges that I do. It made me realize that I am the person that would not understand the obstacles that others must deal with on a regular basis that I would have never though to accommodate. When I came to KU I really started to learn about diversity and what comes along with having lots of people with lots of experience and different background come together. I have learned how important it is to think of others and their needs to help make their experiences enjoyable and easy for them.
When I got accepted into my major I had to start my practicum, where I work hands on with typically and no typically developing children daily. This is where I really started to realize how privileged I am, as well as the children without the developmental disabilities. The non typically developing children have issues with daily routines that most people do not usually see as a problem. Brushing teeth, eating, getting hair cuts, and even simple transitions are very disruptive to these children and they require constant attention and supervision during these activities. Most people have the freedom to do these things alone, when they want, and how they want. This relates to my break because I will be seeing the care that is provided to these children and will need to be aware of how uncomfortable these "simple" routines are.
After class last Thursday, I was very pleased to have had Cody come speak with us about social justice. Just this evening, my SLC group had Reuben Perez come and speak with us about the same topic, and after hearing both mean speaking about the topic, I have almost wrapped my head around social justice. However, just as Cody said, I will not be able to fully understand it, unless I completely place myself in another’s shoes, and not just be there for the positive things in life, but also understand the hardships. Cody said that privileges are comprised of three situations; they are unearned, unasked for, and invisible advantages. As he was saying this, I thought of all the things I am privileged to have including vision, mobility, auditory capabilities, independence, born in to a cohesive family, roof over my head, and a means of education. All of these things I have not asked for, I have definitely not been worthy to earn any of them, and until recently have been invisible to me. I start to place myself into the shoes of Joplin Missouri residents. Most occupants of Joplin, had a privileged life like myself, until a tornado last year came and took that all away from them. After the tornado the citizens became rather aware of how privileged they are. To have all these things suddenly taken
away from you, is definitely a site of oppression, as the Joplin residents find themselves at a systematic disadvantage then the rest of the world. While I am in Joplin, I will always be reminded of the great privileges I have, and I cannot wait to help restore Joplin to the beautiful city it used to be.
One week after Cody Charles’s lecture and I am still moved. I had seen Cody around my scholarship hall eating with my SHD, but I had never got to know him. He was a smart and calm presenter and he knew how to use silence to emphasize points and to let the listeners sink in the knowledge he was giving. The statement that really hit me near the end of his presentation was “once you learn it, you cannot unlearn it”. This statement really is at the heart of the Alternative Breaks mission. Going on our break should not be just a way for us to build up some volunteer hours. We are interviewed to make sure we have interest (if not passion) for the site we will potentially visit and hopefully after our experience we will be inspired to continue to support the social issue throughout our lives.
The ability to buy local, organic food is a social justice issue. Often times, local food is not as available to get to and can be more expensive. For family’s living on a very tight budget it is hard to justify eating right and healthy for getting more for your dollar, even if the food is less healthy. Our major food sources in the US are heavily controlled by government agencies or corporations and these organizations emphasis is often more, more, more and the food becomes less healthy from external sources like pesticides and fertilizers. This is a social justice issue for the health of individuals. When people have the finances or desire to buy local and organic food another social justice issue may be that they do not have the ability to get to farmers market or other location to buy the food. JBG as an organization tries to overcome some of the food social justice issues that their community faces. First they have grown in sizes so they are able to produce more. Second you get a lower price of food if you volunteer regularly at JBG. JBG also has a delivery system where community members can buy a weekly box of seasonal vegetables and have them delivered.
Thinking back to Cody's presentation, I feel the issues he spoke of connect directly to the ones we will be dealing with in New Orleans. Right after his talk, I kept thinking of all the blessings in my life I take for granted, like being able to see, hear, walk and talk. These seem so basic when really a good portion of people can't do at least one of those things. But as Cody said, we never think of those people because that's not our reality. There are invisible privileges most of us have, and so it's hard not to keep things the way there are instead of transforming societies to get those out of oppression.
This was a very similar idea to the one I learned about in the movie 'When the Levees Broke' directed by Spike Lee. So many people didn't think about the hardships the people in New Orleans had to face because it wasn't part of their reality at all. Although the hurricane didn't affect most of the country, it should have brought more to action. Instead the survivors were unaided for too long. Even after learning so much about the circumstances, I will still never understand what these people went through because I didn't go through it. Most haven't been through the conditions the citizens of New Orleans went through, including being in a crammed space with little to no food or water for 4 hot summer days. As Cody described however, the way to bring justice to such situations is to do service, take action and use critical thinking. We are fortunate enough to try to think critically about this issue because we go to do service, and by acknowledging the problem and going to do service I believe we are taking the first step to action.
I liked the Diversity 101 and Multiculturalism presentation given by Cody Charles. The most important point I took away from his speech is that there is a distinct difference between acknowledging multiculturalism and actually practicing it. I think it’s passively detrimental for people to acknowledge and appreciate multicultural differences in public, but then be multiculturally insensitive behind closed doors with their friends or family. His discussion about privilege was extremely pertinent to my group’s break with TFA in Chicago. It reminded me somewhat of the Illich article in the sense that even us just being there—before even say anything, no matter how hard we try to put ourselves in their shoes, and regardless of how much humility we exude—will be an automatic unintentional demonstration of us exercising our privilege. One thing that I wish Charles could have discussed with us (because I think it would have been extremely helpful) is how to acknowledge diversity and be sensitive to it without coming off as condescending or offensive. I’ve seen it many times, where someone is trying their hardest to be nice and understanding of a different culture, and in doing so unintentionally says something incredibly offensive. I wish he could have shown some sort of video or roll play situation where an attempt at multicultural sensitivity backfires…if not only to know what we should NOT do or say. Pierre Mondon
I enjoyed learning about all the knowledge that Cody Charles had about Multiculturalism. He wasn't an ordinary speaker. Everything that he was saying seemed to absolutely genuine and honest. It also really opened my eyes to how important being diverse and being proud of your heritage is. If diversity and being proud about one's heritage wasn't important to many people, then they wouldn't have an office or take the time out of their day to talk to us students about it. He also passed onto us some important wisdom. He told us anecdote about how Strong Hall didn't use to have a wheelchair entrance. There weren't very many students at KU that had wheelchairs so naturally there wasn't a huge movement to build one. But today, there is a wheelchair entrance. I feel like Cody told us this story to inspire us. As mere college students, often we feel that society looks slightly down upon us and that our voices aren't as important. But Cody taught us that no matter how unlikely it may seem, all it takes is one person to make a change, and the wheelchair accessibility at Strong Hall is a perfect example of this. Another important aspect from Cody's speech was his discussion about diversity and how just because someone may not look the same or may not have the same heritage, they're still just like everyone else. This was perfect because for my trip to Texas, there will be much diversity there. But the necessary thing for all of my fellow travelers and myself to do is to understand all their culture, to partake in their culture and try and embrace it and see from their point of view as to why they love their heritage. Cody is someone who has experienced many different aspects of diversity, in both positive and negative manners, and because of that, his advice and knowledge that he gave to us will be very beneficial and we'll be able to count on it during our trip.
I have always looked at myself as a person accepting and encouraging of diversity. Still, Cody’s presentation caused me to challenge the way I think. His delivery was so well done, hitting directly on issues that we tend to overlook. Several times I caught myself wondering: “what do I take for granted?”
ReplyDeleteWhat Cody said about the Beer commercial was something I directly related to my alternative break working with Rainbow Health Initiative. I have always been supportive of equality for LGBTQ communities, trying to appreciate their struggle without being able to live it. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of the beer-drinking, game-watching, no-emotions man commercials try to sell, but since it did not directly affect me I have been able to laugh about it or ignore it. I had never thought about what sort of affect it would have on, for example, men who choose a different perspective on life. As Cody mentioned, the message is loud and clear: conform to your gender role or you will be crushed. It’s not that I chose to ignore the message, it simply was not part of my reality.
What Cody said with regards to what is and is not part of our reality really made me understand one of the major purposes for the Alternative Breaks. If we expose our reality to the truth that others face every day, we will have a larger perspective on what is wrong with the world. Through those eyes, we will be able to really create change, even if it’s a small step at a time. The weeklong break alone will not change much in the world, but it will change the way we see things. After we are able to see issues important to us without the rose-tinted glasses on, we will be more suited to inspire a difference. The Alternative Break experience is not just about the week, it is about creating individuals who crave social justice and volunteerism for the rest of their lives.
Since I come from a multicultural home, I have always found the topic of diversity an important aspect of society. While some may think that it is over hyped, it instead focuses on all the liberations that come from some preexisting struggle. With diversity, there is always going to be someone who is oppressed. With so many differences and only a few making key decisions, someone is always going to be left out. Something that I specifically liked about Cody's presentation was that he said that diversity is not just race, but what someone might identify with. Though the site where I am going is dealing with mainly African American children, diversity is relevant for practically anywhere or anything we do.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to helping at the Peter Paul Development Center this spring break, so I can be more aware of the struggles that these kids might suffer from. I definitely agreed with Cody when he stated that it may be hard to see oppression because of all the privileges that we have had. Our privileges are usually unearned, unasked for, and often invisible. Many times, it's not that we don't want to make a difference and help these kids, it's just that we didn't know because it didn't specifically involve us in some way. Though I have been through difficult situations like many of these kids, my experience is completely different than theirs. It is all about understanding the mentality and until we do that or can do that, it is impossible to really understand what they are going through.
With this being said, I also see that while we are there for one week, we are not going to be able to completely change their world. Though we can help out as much as we can, we need to see that we are the ones that truly need to be changed. What we do isn't about us anymore. It's a part of a much larger picture. I am excited to go on this trip and truly allow myself to be changed.
I think that the most important thing that Cody presented for us to think about was the discussion of privilege. As he said, privilege is not something we often think about, nor have we earned or asked for it. Because of this, the privileges we have are often taken for granted, or at least I certainly take many of the privileges and opportunities I have for granted, and don’t appreciate them as much as I should.
ReplyDeleteWhen on our break to the Peter Paul Development Center, I think one of the most important privileges for us to be considering is that of a good education and going to college. One of the primary focuses of Peter Paul’s after school program is emphasizing staying in school and getting to college to the students they serve in elementary, middle, and high school, and one of our jobs while there will be to help spread that message while tutoring and working with kids in small groups to help keep them on that path. For several of the people in my group, including myself, staying in school and going to college is one of those privileges we don’t think about. I took advanced classes in high school, yet another educational privilege that I rarely think about others not having, and almost every one of my friends went to college. Going to college was not something that most in my school had to earn, but something that was expected, just the next logical step in life. Sure, we had to do well in school to get there, maybe take out a few loans to pay for it, but the resources were always there steering us in that direction without us needing to give it much thought.
I think that realizing this privilege and others that we have and being aware that the children we will be working with don’t come from the same background as us, but that most of them still do have the drive and skills to go to college when given the right support and resources is extremely important. As Cody explained to us, social justice and diversity involve appreciating social differences without power dynamics or letting these differences lead to perceived inequality. This is something important to keep in mind while on our break, and in everyday life, because every person we meet will have a story of their own for us to appreciate.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the themes that Cody discussed last Friday was things people take for granted. The example he gave us was the fact that there is only one accessible door for people who are in wheelchairs. I think a lot of people tend to put down handicapped people, even if they don't mean to, because they don't understand what those people go through on a daily basis. I am sure the builders of Strong Hall unintentionally didn’t consider that people in wheelchairs would have a harder time getting into the building. Cody also told us if you put yourself in a wheelchair for a week, we still wouldn’t understand what it’s like because we always have the option to get up.
ReplyDeleteI think people take things for granted when it comes to autism. A couple of symptoms of autism include a difficulty with communication and a lack of understanding for social norms. An example would be if someone realizes that they are standing too close to you, they would understand that they should back off. An autistic person would have a harder time registering that. The fact that "ordinary" people don't understand what autistic kids go through makes them unintentionally put them down or ignore them, and this often makes autistic kids feel like outcasts.
I sure learned a lot from Cody and his presentation over diversity and multiculturalism. Even though I’ll be working with animals at Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation during my break, I still find that his presentation had relevance to me and my group. He talked about the students speaking about how the Multicultural Resource Center needed to be in a better building and how it was an important issue. It was so cool to hear about students speaking up for something they believed in and the impact they had on the university. They united, reacted, spoke up, and the university listened. I know that I can use that story and maybe be influenced to make a difference in the lives of the animals on my break. I can encourage people to speak up and be passionate about this topic.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed listening about privilege as well. It is crazy he talked about this because my sociology teacher touched on this briefly in class too. However, his presentation made me more aware of how invisible privilege really is. I never truly thought about how to get into Strong Hall with a wheelchair. I was also amazed at his story about how he asked for a haircut and they denied him service while on campus. It was an eye-opener, and did teach me about how invisible, unasked for, and unearned privilege is.
I also liked how he mentioned our founding fathers and how they were white, male, Christians, wealthy, and probably heterosexual. When they wrote the Constitution, it was obvious that they would leave out important issues for many of the American people because the founding fathers did not see what did not directly concern them. They were also privileged and I was astounded again. I did not even think of the Constitution, our rules, and our government setup in this way. Learning about privilege was one of my favorite parts of the night.
Cody did a great job on talking about oppression, privilege, and social justice. I know that I will take every bit of this lesson and use it in my alternative break and beyond.
I thoroughly enjoyed Cody Charles’ speech last Thursday. He was such an energetic speaker and really engaged all of us into his presentation. What I especially enjoyed, was the way he really opened my eyes to multiculturalism and social justice. Like many others in the crowd, I had really only thought of multiculturalism in regards to race, but wow, I sure was wrong. Multiculturalism has to deal with so many other factors I had never considered like social class, mobility, and other slight differences among people that can be overlooked. One of my favorite parts of his speech was when he talked about Strong Hall. When the photograph first appeared on the projection screen, I was baffled as to how that had anything to do with any kind of social justice issue—it was just a building, right? As he continued to speak about how people in wheel chairs were not allowed access to the building in the front entrance due to mobility and structural issues, this made me very sympathetic and almost guilty feeling. I had never once realized this issue even existed, being Cody’s main point of this argument—we do not realize things are a problem until we directly face contact with the issue. This taught me that I really should be more aware of problems existing outside of my own life. I will remember this especially when I am on my break in March.
ReplyDeleteCody brought up the good point of how you can sympathize with someone else’s problems, but you cannot truly know how they feel unless you are that person, constantly facing the problem day by day. He made the example of an able bodied person using a wheelchair for a few hours to see how difficult it would be. Though challenging, this person could simply stand up and continue a normal life after these few challenging hours were over, concluding a lack of full understanding to how difficult that person’s life actually is every day. Though I know I cannot truly understand what the people have gone through and are going through on my break, I will try my absolute hardest to be as caring and helpful as I possibly can, and try to make any positive effect come out of it in my short time there.
I appreciated Cody’s speech because he talked about things that I’m sure most of us think that we are aware of but really don’t notice as often. I have heard the terms “diversity,” “oppression,” and “privilege” thrown around time after time while growing up and even in college. It was interesting to hear the actual definitions of these words then to learn their place in our society.
ReplyDeleteI will be working with my group at the Mid South Center for Peace and Justice in Memphis, Tennessee and specifically working in the Grow Memphis program, which focuses on Urban Gardening. We will be interacting with people from the Mid South Center who work on projects like this everyday. Not only will our actions affect the people who will use the services at the Mid South Center but also those who work or volunteer in this environment all of the time.
The concept from Cody’s speech that stuck out to me the most was how things affect us due to what is in our own “reality.” A person may not notice something like Strong Hall not having a handicapped entrance in the front because it has not directly affected them or someone close to them. Even if someone did notice that there wasn’t a handicapped entrance they probably wouldn’t make an effort into fixing this problem. While working with Grow Memphis, we will learn a lot more about urban gardening than we knew before. I’ve worked in a garden store for the past four years and only recently had I learned very much about the concept of urban gardening. It will be our duty to come back to our community to educate others about what exactly urban gardening is and how important it can be to communities that need fresh vegetables and fruits. My own “reality” is that I drive my car to Dillon’s, walk into the store, and buy fresh produce with my own money. A person who utilizes the Grow Memphis program is someone who may not be able to afford fresh fruits and veggies or someone who can’t make it to a grocery store to buy these things. We will have to go in each day putting our greatest effort forward because any amount of progress that we make will certainly benefit those who will use the urban gardens in the future.
I thought that Cody Charles’ presentation was crucial for college students to hear. Most of us really don’t appreciate how amazing of an opportunity we have in being able to attend college. After all, about one third of the US population has a college degree and the percentages are even lower for minorities.
ReplyDeleteI will be working for Teach for America in Chicago so this presentation was easily relatable to what we will be doing since we will be trying to help people who may have had disadvantages throughout their entire lives with regards to gaining a good education. It will be essential for our group to understand that these students probably did not have as much resources and expectations to attain good grades like what we grew up with. We must be able to put ourselves in their shoes as much as possible and show to them that we are trying to be their resources and help them in any way possible.
When he pointed out the fact that Strong Hall forces handicapped people to go through the back and how the Constitution was written by the most privileged people in the US, I really tried to start noticing these kinds of things in my everyday life. While I was walking in the snow today and seeing other people having fun, I thought about the difficulties of being handicapped and how they are able to cope. I had enough trouble as it was just not slipping and falling in the snow. Overall, I really enjoyed how he was able to get us to try and relate with people who are really different from us.
Cody Charles did such a great job speaking to all of us before we go on our Alternative Break. I like how he started off very general, and then built on those concepts. Cody spoke to us as a group of individuals just learning from one another rather than a formal lecture format. I feel like everyone got much more out of the class because of the laid back format. Cody did a great job speaking about privilege, and relating it to all of us. He spoke about how oftentimes privilege is unearned, unasked for, and often has advantages not available to other members of out community. He touched on how many of us do have areas of privilege that we need to understand, and recognize before we leave for our trip. There were any areas of privilege that I have never thought about until class. Like the Strong Hall example, last semester I had class in Strong almost everyday, and never thought about the accessibility of the building to some individuals. I never once thought about how individuals in wheelchairs have to enter from the back of the building. This does not sound like a huge deal, but once you start to think about how it must make those individuals feel, you start to notice some of the obstacles that they have to overcome. When we go on out Alternative Breaks we must keep this example in mind, because we must listen to the individuals we are helping rater than just going through our normal strides without their input.
ReplyDeleteCody Charles specifically came into the class in order to teach us about the relevancy of social justice on our trips. I am attending the Mid-South Center for Peace and Justice, and learning about how to handle the situations for my trip is very useful in order to be completely aware of my surroundings. As Cody Charles said, “social justice education focuses on understanding the social power dymanics that result in some social groups having privileges…[and others] are disadvantaged…[and] denied access.” This idea relates really well to every volunteer experience, but really helps with my trip. Gardening in this urban area won’t necessarily be a direct form of social justice, but it clearly helps the environment and promotes the ideals of helping our environment. Cody Charles put us in a position that we didn’t want to be in, meaning we were forced to hear how those who are handicapped have to take the back entrance that leads to the basement in the building that is for the entire community of The University of Kansas. This hard reality places an emphasis on social ignorance and how we, on our breaks, need to be aware of how our actions affect the entire community. Then, we can learn from the entire experience, leading us to promote ideals of social justice. In conclusion, the discussion this week was very helpful and interesting—and most importantly relevant to our trips, coming sooner and sooner every week.
ReplyDeleteI found Cody’s diversity training presentation to be extremely eye-opening, to say the least. I am, for the most part, the average American white male, so in many ways, I fell under Cody’s category of “I didn’t think about that because it doesn’t affect me”. Especially surprising to me were the handicapped entrance at the back of Strong Hall, and the old, dilapidated Multicultural Resource Center. It never even occurred to me that those buildings were sending negative messages to the community about diversity on our campus, as the issues never had any effect on me.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, however, there are some points Cody made that were not quite as profound, as I felt they were not well supported. For example, his argument over Strong Hall’s lack of handicapped-access front doors was inadequate. Although the building sends a negative message to those who notice, it is important to remember that Strong Hall was constructed long before such things as wheelchair ramps were added to building codes. Ergo, nobody at KU today had any doing in the ramp’s exclusion. Further, the architecture of the front of the building is designed such that an access ramp would be a very awkward addition, and would deter from the aesthetic look of our iconic Strong Hall. I feel that this situation is somewhat analogous to the Ivan Illich article we read, in that trying to help may actually frustrate and anger those we are helping more than actually help them. In this case, I almost feel that those who are handicapped would be somewhat offended if the front entrance of Strong were, in a sense, “butchered up” with the addition of an access ramp. They’re KU students too, and just because they are handicapped does not mean that they don’t appreciate the history and beautiful architecture of the building.
Unfortunately, it was rather difficult to tie Cody’s presentation in with the Zion National Park break, as our group will not be interacting with diverse groups of people as much as other groups will. Sure, we will encounter park rangers, tourists, campers, and maybe other volunteers, but we will not be helping any of them directly.
I found Cody’s speech to be very inspiring. His closing statements about our trips as being an introduction to social justice gave me a sense of purpose. It has been difficult for me to explain why I want the experience of alternative breaks or any other type of volunteer service but Cody’s lecture provided me with a better understanding of why I want to volunteer. I want to volunteer not just to help but to be a part of something greater than me, something that would allow me to feel like I played a part in affecting social change. His lecture helped me to better understand my reasoning for being involved.
ReplyDeleteI also found some of his images interesting. I was not that drawn to the fact that strong hall has a handicap entrance in the back; I actually already knew it was there and I never thought about what it says about the university because the lack of handicap entrances is more of a societal issue. Many buildings either don’t have handicap entrances or they are through the back of the building because building codes including handicap needs are a fairly recent idea. I thought the purpose of that example was to show that people can make a difference. Handicap accessibility started with advocates that fought for there to be easier ways for people with disabilities to live in society. There are still people who fight for the rights of disabled individuals. It was similar to his example of the multicultural building that was initially held in a shack at the university. He argued that students are who fought for a better building and more support which for me was his most important message; the idea that students can affect change. Cody’s own personal story was the one that stood out to me the most. It was the one that made me really question what I understand and what I’m not always aware of. The fact that he couldn’t get a haircut at the union was something I had not ever really thought about. It’s those little details that effect peoples day to day lives that I am not always aware. For me this was one of the most significant images that made me question what I really understand about oppression.
For the midterm I’ve been working on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and I think Cody’s personal example will help me to see that for the people of New Orleans the difficulty of recovery isn’t just in the major losses but also the minor details they face every day in life. I think on the trip being aware of these minor everyday challenges and keeping an eye out for where they might exist is going to be what will open my mind. Allowing myself to be aware of the minor things in life will help me see and understand the social issues that exist in New Orleans and make life difficult. While at the same time I think it is important to notice what good has been done. Not just good that volunteers have done for New Orleans but what the people there are doing every day to better their lives and overcome the disaster that destroyed their home.
Cody's speech really opened my eyes. I went to a small high school where everyone knew everyone, we had absolutely NO diversity, so I had never really thought what it would be like to not have the privileges that I do. It made me realize that I am the person that would not understand the obstacles that others must deal with on a regular basis that I would have never though to accommodate. When I came to KU I really started to learn about diversity and what comes along with having lots of people with lots of experience and different background come together. I have learned how important it is to think of others and their needs to help make their experiences enjoyable and easy for them.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got accepted into my major I had to start my practicum, where I work hands on with typically and no typically developing children daily. This is where I really started to realize how privileged I am, as well as the children without the developmental disabilities. The non typically developing children have issues with daily routines that most people do not usually see as a problem. Brushing teeth, eating, getting hair cuts, and even simple transitions are very disruptive to these children and they require constant attention and supervision during these activities. Most people have the freedom to do these things alone, when they want, and how they want. This relates to my break because I will be seeing the care that is provided to these children and will need to be aware of how uncomfortable these "simple" routines are.
After class last Thursday, I was very pleased to have had Cody come speak with us about social justice. Just this evening, my SLC group had Reuben Perez come and speak with us about the same topic, and after hearing both mean speaking about the topic, I have almost wrapped my head around social justice. However, just as Cody said, I will not be able to fully understand it, unless I completely place myself in another’s shoes, and not just be there for the positive things in life, but also understand the hardships.
ReplyDeleteCody said that privileges are comprised of three situations; they are unearned, unasked for, and invisible advantages. As he was saying this, I thought of all the things I am privileged to have including vision, mobility, auditory capabilities, independence, born in to a cohesive family, roof over my head, and a means of education. All of these things I have not asked for, I have definitely not been worthy to earn any of them, and until recently have been invisible to me. I start to place myself into the shoes of Joplin Missouri residents. Most occupants of Joplin, had a privileged life like myself, until a tornado last year came and took that all away from them. After the tornado the citizens became rather aware of how privileged they are. To have all these things suddenly taken
away from you, is definitely a site of oppression, as the Joplin residents find themselves at a systematic disadvantage then the rest of the world. While I am in Joplin, I will always be reminded of the great privileges I have, and I cannot wait to help restore Joplin to the beautiful city it used to be.
ReplyDeleteOne week after Cody Charles’s lecture and I am still moved. I had seen Cody around my scholarship hall eating with my SHD, but I had never got to know him. He was a smart and calm presenter and he knew how to use silence to emphasize points and to let the listeners sink in the knowledge he was giving. The statement that really hit me near the end of his presentation was “once you learn it, you cannot unlearn it”. This statement really is at the heart of the Alternative Breaks mission. Going on our break should not be just a way for us to build up some volunteer hours. We are interviewed to make sure we have interest (if not passion) for the site we will potentially visit and hopefully after our experience we will be inspired to continue to support the social issue throughout our lives.
ReplyDeleteThe ability to buy local, organic food is a social justice issue. Often times, local food is not as available to get to and can be more expensive. For family’s living on a very tight budget it is hard to justify eating right and healthy for getting more for your dollar, even if the food is less healthy. Our major food sources in the US are heavily controlled by government agencies or corporations and these organizations emphasis is often more, more, more and the food becomes less healthy from external sources like pesticides and fertilizers. This is a social justice issue for the health of individuals. When people have the finances or desire to buy local and organic food another social justice issue may be that they do not have the ability to get to farmers market or other location to buy the food. JBG as an organization tries to overcome some of the food social justice issues that their community faces. First they have grown in sizes so they are able to produce more. Second you get a lower price of food if you volunteer regularly at JBG. JBG also has a delivery system where community members can buy a weekly box of seasonal vegetables and have them delivered.
Thinking back to Cody's presentation, I feel the issues he spoke of connect directly to the ones we will be dealing with in New Orleans. Right after his talk, I kept thinking of all the blessings in my life I take for granted, like being able to see, hear, walk and talk. These seem so basic when really a good portion of people can't do at least one of those things. But as Cody said, we never think of those people because that's not our reality. There are invisible privileges most of us have, and so it's hard not to keep things the way there are instead of transforming societies to get those out of oppression.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very similar idea to the one I learned about in the movie 'When the Levees Broke' directed by Spike Lee. So many people didn't think about the hardships the people in New Orleans had to face because it wasn't part of their reality at all. Although the hurricane didn't affect most of the country, it should have brought more to action. Instead the survivors were unaided for too long. Even after learning so much about the circumstances, I will still never understand what these people went through because I didn't go through it. Most haven't been through the conditions the citizens of New Orleans went through, including being in a crammed space with little to no food or water for 4 hot summer days. As Cody described however, the way to bring justice to such situations is to do service, take action and use critical thinking. We are fortunate enough to try to think critically about this issue because we go to do service, and by acknowledging the problem and going to do service I believe we are taking the first step to action.
I liked the Diversity 101 and Multiculturalism presentation given by Cody Charles. The most important point I took away from his speech is that there is a distinct difference between acknowledging multiculturalism and actually practicing it. I think it’s passively detrimental for people to acknowledge and appreciate multicultural differences in public, but then be multiculturally insensitive behind closed doors with their friends or family. His discussion about privilege was extremely pertinent to my group’s break with TFA in Chicago. It reminded me somewhat of the Illich article in the sense that even us just being there—before even say anything, no matter how hard we try to put ourselves in their shoes, and regardless of how much humility we exude—will be an automatic unintentional demonstration of us exercising our privilege. One thing that I wish Charles could have discussed with us (because I think it would have been extremely helpful) is how to acknowledge diversity and be sensitive to it without coming off as condescending or offensive. I’ve seen it many times, where someone is trying their hardest to be nice and understanding of a different culture, and in doing so unintentionally says something incredibly offensive. I wish he could have shown some sort of video or roll play situation where an attempt at multicultural sensitivity backfires…if not only to know what we should NOT do or say.
ReplyDeletePierre Mondon
I enjoyed learning about all the knowledge that Cody Charles had about Multiculturalism. He wasn't an ordinary speaker. Everything that he was saying seemed to absolutely genuine and honest. It also really opened my eyes to how important being diverse and being proud of your heritage is. If diversity and being proud about one's heritage wasn't important to many people, then they wouldn't have an office or take the time out of their day to talk to us students about it. He also passed onto us some important wisdom. He told us anecdote about how Strong Hall didn't use to have a wheelchair entrance. There weren't very many students at KU that had wheelchairs so naturally there wasn't a huge movement to build one. But today, there is a wheelchair entrance. I feel like Cody told us this story to inspire us. As mere college students, often we feel that society looks slightly down upon us and that our voices aren't as important. But Cody taught us that no matter how unlikely it may seem, all it takes is one person to make a change, and the wheelchair accessibility at Strong Hall is a perfect example of this.
ReplyDeleteAnother important aspect from Cody's speech was his discussion about diversity and how just because someone may not look the same or may not have the same heritage, they're still just like everyone else. This was perfect because for my trip to Texas, there will be much diversity there. But the necessary thing for all of my fellow travelers and myself to do is to understand all their culture, to partake in their culture and try and embrace it and see from their point of view as to why they love their heritage. Cody is someone who has experienced many different aspects of diversity, in both positive and negative manners, and because of that, his advice and knowledge that he gave to us will be very beneficial and we'll be able to count on it during our trip.