Choose an MLK symposium event to attend:
Write a blog post that describes your experience at the event. You may choose to discuss the impact it had on you, any realizations you had, etc.
Feel free to include any pictures or videos of the event (if you have them)
Be sure to include the name/date of the event you attended
The symposium I chose to attend was "Black History 101: Mobile Museum" in the Union. I took a few pictures but I couldn't figure out how to upload them with this comment. Basically, the symposium showcased a variety of historical items that aged back to the time where segregation and racism were extremely prevalent in society. It wasn't uncommon to see the "N-word" sprawled across book covers or posters or blatant references to white supremacy. A couple of notable items were segregation signs that instructed "white only" or signs showing arrows pointing to separate directions for whites and blacks.
ReplyDeleteGoing to the symposium gave me a new perspective on the history that I've been lectured so much in middle and high school. It's one thing to hear about segregation, but it's another to see the actual signs that divided people and to know that at one point, blacks were obligated to obey the ridiculous orders plastered on the signs. Any black living in that time was surrounded by hate and discrimination each day, from directions on which water fountains they could use, to where they could eat. While the showcase gave off a depressing mood, it's also a nice reminder on how far the United States has come in trying to abolish these feelings and behaviors that we used to swear by.
The MLK symposium event I chose to attend was the "Black History 101: Mobile Museum" display at the Union on 1/21/2013. This event featured a wide array of historical items that pertained to the segregation and the civil rights movement, as well as items from more recent times, like pictures and posters from President Obama's 2008 campaign. Old records, magazine covers, books, photos and articles were displayed all over the room chronologically. One thing that really caught my eye was all the extremely offensive language and signs that were published and publicly accepted back in the mid-1900's. While I was aware of the typical "white only" signs and other segregated posters, I don't think I realized the full extent of all of this until I saw things like a book entitled "Ten Little Nigger Boys". Seeing the blatant, and accepted, use of the n-word like this really made me stop and think about how awful life must've been for African Americans during the mid-1900's and earlier. I couldn't believe that anyone would ever let that book be published, and seeing that book helped me gain a better perspective on what life was like back then and how awful African Americans were treated. This event also helped me gain a better perspective on Martin Luther King Jr. For example, I saw an article at the museum that quoted Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) saying, "Like anybody, I would like to live a long life...but I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will." This quote truly opened my eyes to how devoted, self-less, and passionate MLK was about his work, the people, and God. I gained a lot more respect for Martin Luther King Jr. after I saw this quote because it made me realize just what he did. He sacrificed his life in order to carry out God's intentions and make the world a better place, and that is no easy task to do, especially at a fairly young age like MLK. Overall, this event provided me with more knowledge and insight than I had expected, and I am glad I chose to go to this event.
ReplyDeleteIt baffles me too! I remember my grandmother telling me stories about the KKK (she's from Mississippi), and how she used be treated by white folks growing up. It's scary to me because this happened only a few decades ago; my GRANDMOTHER'S generation! It's not really that long of a time. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like in the 1900's.
DeleteI attended a symposium event that related Native American history to African American history in, what is now, the United States. The event was located on North Campus and was set up as information presented on stands around the room. In walking around and exploring the different stands, I realized how similar the backgrounds of both groups are. One quote that stood out to me was the following: "Stolen People on Stolen Land". This alone shows the similarities relating and tying together the history and struggles of both oppressed groups. Although I am not defined by either of these ethnicities, I sometimes struggle with my identity as a female with a Japanese background. I sometimes find that I will be excluded, not intentionally, because I am female. This is a huge struggle for me, personally, because a lot of my friends are male. I am very glad that I chose to attend this event because I had the experience of gaining a new perspective on African American culture.
ReplyDeleteI attended the symposium "HIV in the global"in the school of public Health building. This symposium was about HIV in the third world countries. This meeting was to talk about the effects of HIV and how to reduce the risks of it in third world countries. Countries like Somalia, India, South Africa and Brazil was brought into the discussion. South Africa has the most infected people in the world which is closely followed by Ivory Coast. At average about 400,000 people die of HIV each year. The idea was to discuss what people outside the third world countries can do to help these people. There were great ideas like teaching sex education in schools, advertising the use of condoms, and also promoting abstinence. The abstinence was meant for teenagers because the amount of teenagers with HIV as doubled in the past 4 years.Also most third world countries are uneducated when it comes to the virus. People in the third world countries also don't normally go to the doctor's for check up, so promotion of going to the clinic can make a drastic difference. This will help people who are infected know they have the virus and not infect other people. Overall I learned that the number one reason why HIV is growing is due to the lack of the infected person knowing he/she is infected and starting to spread it around.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is extremely interesting. Although I'm not completely sure what field I am going into yet, I do find public health interesting. It amazes me that the United States has so much knowledge about diseases such as HIV, yet other countries lack this knowledge and are unknowingly creating a global catastrophe.
DeleteI attended the MLK symposium event "Black History 101: Mobile Museum" in the Union on January 21, 13. Reading about racism in school is one thing, but to actually see the "n word" so openly pasted on every piece of literature and object was a shock. Seeing the actual signs that spelled out "White" and "Colored" was definitely an eye opener as well.
ReplyDeleteSomething I found particularly sickening were a pair of rusted shackles. Just to think that there were once people restricted in those, and treated like vermin, is appalling. I also saw a sign with slaves for sale. The descriptions ranged from housework and cooking to fieldwork. At the top of the sign, in big bold letters, was the word "SLAVES". Signs like these were most likely very common in public places, such ads are completely non-existed today. To have such a blatant advertisement for another human being seems so dehumanizing. Overall, the experience at the "Black History 101: Mobile Museum" was very eye opening, and definitely made me realize the scope of racism in the early-mid 1900's.
I also went to the mobile museum and I totally agree with you about the difference between reading about discrimination and actually seeing examples of it through artifacts. All throughout school I have learned about racism and discrimination, especially relating back to the civil rights movement, but I don't think I really appreciated all the hard times discriminated groups went through until I saw the actual signs, artifacts, etc... I think that while reading about it helps enlighten our understanding of the events that transpired during the early 1900's and before, I don't think we can fully understand what it was like until we are physically put i that situation. The physical evidence that was displayed at the mobile museum made me realize how much I didn't understand what that time must've been like and it helped me to better appreciate the hardships that were endured during the civil rights movement.
DeleteI attended the Sweetland Write-in for the Dream symposium on January 31st. Originally, I had wanted to go to another event, but unfortunately, I had work. However, this activity really engaged me mentally and emotionally. I expected to see lots of posts, but there were only a few, so I was proud to post something in regards to MLK's dream (normally, I hate writing). To see others thoughts was so empowering. For example, someone posted a picture of "flesh" crayons (representing all different skin tones), and mentioned how we all need to keep MLK's dream alive for the next generations to come. I, personally, didn't write very much, but I tried to write something sincere. I do not believe in going on and on to make yourself look good or "deep" and what not. But here is what I wrote.
ReplyDelete"ALL I WANT TO SAY IS THANK YOU
MLK was a blessing to the world because of what he did and how he handled himself. He was very powerful and assertive. Being an African American young women, I can go anywhere I want and not have to think twice about it; I am very content and happy living my life. With that being said, we must all pitch in like MLK did in making this world a better place, and this is what I intend to do when I find my ultimate passion in life.
“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
Thank you Dr. King, and may you rest in peace!"
MLK fought for individuals like me so I could not ONLY just go to school, but also make a difference. I know it sounds cliche, but I just feel as though people have forgotten that you are not just living for yourself. The world is not constantly revolving around your life. A lot of people have this "it's all about me" attitude, but in the end, no one is entitled to anything. What I mean is, people who think they're superior do not have a right to feel entitled. Growing up, I had everything easy. My dad and mom busted their humps so my brother and I could have a better life. For me to look down on someone else because of who they are, where they come from, or what they look like DOES NOT make me a better person. People need to stop acting selfish. Dr. King could have been selfish (after all he KNEW his life was at stake), but at the same, your life didn't really matter to anyone else if you were a black man (especially down south). For him, it was all or nothing. We all need to find our passion and put our hearts and souls into the things we yearn for. Not just for us, but for others so we can continue making kids' dreams be a reality. But anyway, I am finished (sorry for rambling).
This is a really inspiring post. I like the passion you write about this topic and I can see through your words that this is a sensitive topic for you. I think that writing is a great way to express your feelings without having someone to interrupt or scare you, so you should practice it more often and learn to like it. I think a great example to inspire you of doing this is MLK's Letter from Birmingham Jail. Through this letter he inspired all the African Americans to fight for their civil rights and made possible the start of a civil movement for the equality of all blacks. All those events made me learn a lot about this amazing person who loved equality and peace. This week made me reflect in my country (Albania). There live no African Americans, but the other minorities have always been in a continuous work to be equal with the native people. I think that it takes a really special person, like MLK to lead people in a civil revolution.
DeleteAnnual MLK Lecture at SNRE was held on January 21, 2013 and the speaker's name was Prof. Dorceta Taylor. This was part of the Dean's Speaker Series and Taylor is a Professor of Environmental Justice. Her speech was titled "Race, Poverty and Access to Food in America". Mrs. Taylor started by talking about her personal heroes and they were MLK and Harriet Tubman. She focused a lot how Harriet was one of the few women who escaped and latter she helped a lot of other slaves to leave the plantations. It was very interesting the point that she made about the importance of black slaves in development of agriculture in the USA. She pointed out that slave traders choose always people whom had good farming abilities and then they sold them oversees. This meant that slaves were not stupid and ignorant as many of Americans think. Actually they were the ones who brought a lot of products like rice and watermelon in the Americas and took care to cultivate them in here. This I found interesting because in a lot of cases we think that people who live in the poor countries don’t know a lot of things, but actually they know a lot from their experience and the need they have to be friendly to the nature in order to survive. Slaves who escaped had to go through a lot, so they had to know how to get oriented and think about time during long trips to join free slave groups, so they used trees, rivers, and the sun to find their location. MLK and many other people continued the war to free all the slaves. Today people are fighting to create equal opportunities for all people of all races and all social ranks. Her research was to create the opportunity for people with low population or poor cities to have their own huge grocery stores. The perfect example is Detroit where has a lot of gas stations but not a lot of supermarkets. Also the organization that Prof. Taylor leads wants to inspire people in building their own gardens to grow vegetables. I think those are great ways to make the food affordable. People also get to enjoy the feeling of growing their safe, fresh and healthy food. They also will be able to access it anytime without having to travel far or pay high prices.
ReplyDelete"Intellectually, Spiritually, Philosophically, unequivocally committed to nonviolence"
ReplyDeleteI attended a speech by Dr. Clarence B. Jones. This quote from Dr. Jones sums up what Martin Luther King Jr. stood for. He said that MLK would never support violence and that in fact, he preached, “nonviolence, or nonexistence.” This notion of a world free of violence is a beautiful idea, however improbable it is. Dr. Jones was appalled by the fact that the NRA held a gun appreciation day the same week that commemorates MLK. He said that he could not believe that people were saying MLK would support the right to own guns. I too cannot believe that some members of the NRA would stand up on television and say that MLK would support the right to bear arms. This right is a very touchy subject and I’m not totally sure where I stand on it but MLK’s stringent view of, “nonviolence or nonexistence,” really moves me to be anti gun. Moving away from that subject however, Dr. Jones’s speech also was about who MLK was as a person. Something that struck me, because I had never heard it before was that MLK first and foremost was a man of god, a reverend. He embraced that role more close to his heart than he did his role as a civil rights leader. When someone in the audience asked him to sum up MLK he said that Dr. King had an, “unshakable commitment to the pursuit of self excellence.” I think that he was one of the greatest men to ever live. I wish I had had the opportunity to hear him speak myself. I think everyone should honor MLK by committing themselves to his two most important values, nonviolence and self-excellence. Leaving the speech that was all I could think about. If everyone were as great of a man as MLK then everyone would vow to make themselves the best they could be while simultaneously promoting equality and eviscerating violence. We would live in a world of happy wonderful people who didn’t hurt one another. That is the kind of world I want to live in.
“It’s non-violence or non existence”
ReplyDeleteFor our MLK symposium event assignment, I attended Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation on Monday, January 21st. Clarence B. Jones, a former advisor, lawyer and speechwriter for Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was the key speaker at this event. In this speech, Mr. Jones discussed the impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s impact on non-violence in the United States. I chose to attend this event with the though (and hope) that he would mainly discuss the writing of the infamous “I have a Dream” speech, and although this was only brought up briefly, I was very inspired and affected by what he had to say.
The recent gun violence events occurring within our country, the most shocking of which was the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in December, brought up many interesting points and questions during the speech and in the question and answer portion at the end. He argued that violence is a “health issue”, some sort of social disease that has impact on the business and economy of our country. In relation to youth, he said, “What the world gives today's youth is violence” and that it is in our homes and schools. He was angered by the fact that the not only NRA chose to hold a gun appreciation event on the week that commemorates MLK, but also claimed that MLK would support them in their cause.
I chose to title my blog post with this quote because it speaks highly to me, and forced me to consider my personal standpoint on the violence that takes place within Ann Arbor, in Detroit, in our hometowns, and within the USA as a whole. “We have reached an unavoidable historic crossroads where our choice is between nonviolence and nonexistence”, said Jones, and I could not agree more, and it is unfortunate that we, as a nation, needed another reminder of this with the Sandy Hook shooting. I believe, especially after hearing this speech, that it is more important than ever to reconsider and reevaluate our views on non-violence, and how we are going to overcome this disease. I don’t think that any of us disagree with MLK’s views on non-violence, but, if so, why is it taking so long to do something about it? And why is it such a taboo topic to discuss?
Have a great week,
Anjali
I found it interesting how you linked modern the current gun debate with MLK's nonviolent approach. I never saw the connection, this is a very interesting post.
DeleteThe exhibit, Indivisible: African- Native American lives really left an impression on me. For the first time, I did not feel so alone. I am a person of both African- Native ancestry but often I feel confused on claiming what I am. The idea of being multi-racial in the present United States does not address people like me. Most African- Natives have Native ancestry that is not recent, for example many of us have a Native great-grandparent. When I look around the exhibit, I see my history and all its intricacy as clear as day. Finally, there is no condemnation just acceptance as who I am. The most interesting part of the exhibit was the video interviewing different modern day African-Natives. Hearing their perspectives soothed my own insecurities, I realize we are what we are. I think there are far more African- Natives in the United States than we know, many just don’t know their heritage. Equally as true, according to the exhibit, many black Americans do not have Native blood. However, even with no Native blood a person can have a strong cultural connection. For African- Natives, our two spirits are inseparable, no matter how we identify.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of identity is less troubling for me due to this exhibit. I am a black woman with Native ancestry. My love and pride for Black American heroes, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will never fade. I am one with the history of slaves in America. My favorite quote from this exhibit is from Zoa Neal Hurston in which she stated, “My mixed ancestry brings me neither shame nor pride.” This history of Native and Black cooperation and love has shaped a large amount of black history. American history links many different groups not only by actions but also by blood. We are all interconnected. One thing I believe everyone can learn from this exhibit is how deep the connections between groups go. Our nation is bound together by blood, hardships, and triumphs. As a black woman with Native ancestry, I will strive to look at people not by their exterior but through their hearts and fulfill the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Nia Johnson
I really like how you related this whole topic and even the event you attended to your life. This was a very inspiring and interesting post to read.
DeleteNia, I really enjoyed reading your post. I am also multi racial- half Indian, half Caucasian- and I too find it hard sometimes to identify myself among the greater population. It was great how you related what you learned in the symposium event to your own life, and how much you took away from it. One of the best opportunities I think UMich gives it's undergrads is events like these which open our eyes to interpreting and analyzing our personal lives with greater social events in the present day and in history. I always enjoy talking to other people who are multi racial and asking them which 'side' they identify with more. "Finding yourself", as some people tend to call it, I believe is more difficult when you have more than one ethnicity to consider. I had the opportunity to grow up in India, after being born in the States, and was able to get a better understanding of that part of my family background. I think it is great to use events, symposiums or clubs on campus to help with the process of identifying who you are, especially in the spirit of MLK when he wanted equality.
DeleteFor our MLK symposium event assignment, I attended The S.A.F.E mass meeting and film screening on Five Broken Cameras on January 30th from 8-10 pm. The movie was about a small farming village which used non-violent protest in an attempt to stuff the encroachment of Israeli Settlements of the west bank in there village. In particular they protested the fence that was built in their village. the mistreatment by the IDF of the soldiers on civilian protesters the movie was filmed by a villager, he used his own camera to document the protest and his life after the birth of his youngest son, Jibreil.
ReplyDeleteI gained knowledge about human rights groups that use boycotting and non-violent protesting methods similar to those of the Civil Rights Movement. This helped me realize that the struggle for equality is still going on in the world today.
That sounds like a very interesting movie. I'm going to try and see if I can find it online. I think that the idea of non-violent protest is the best means of getting your voice heard. Especially because the ones protesting are always outnumbered and outgunned so nonviolence is also the safest and most reasonable means of protest. It is easy sometimes to fall into the fallacy of equality when it is not in front of your face every day. I too fall into this mirage from time to time that because I live in a very free fairly equal society the rest of the world must too. It is terribly unfortunate however that that is not the way of the world. There are innumerable cases of inequality throughout the world. Thanks for sharing your take on it.
DeleteI attended the event entitled "Your Role in Social Change" on January 21st at the League. This was a very interesting even, because it was driven by student discussion after the keynote address. To me, the most surprising part of the entire event was the amount of people saying that there is just as much social change going on right now in the United States as there was back in the days of Martin Luther King and the Women's Rights movement. Though there are obvious disparities that still remain in between race and gender today, I've never felt that they are as large as they once were or that as much was going on to change them. I always thought of it as more of a slow, gradual equalization occurring between all sides as the US grows older. Apparently, however, activism is more active than ever. With the somewhat recently accepted idea that everybody should be treated equally, more and more people are willing to help further this goal. With this augmented population, awareness is spread more quickly and actions can taken to correct social problems much more quickly than in the past.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite nice that the atmosphere of the talk was optimistic, more about things were currently changing, than pessimistic. However; I think it was unfortunate that it didn't touch on disparities in foreign countries more than it did, since I believe that to be the biggest problem standing in the way of worldwide equality, and it will take a lot of work to make any progress.
At any rate, it was a nice chat and I was able to hear some incredibly well formulated opinions.