Arab American Presentations

I found the Arab American presentations interesting. It seems throughout this class that many times when racism is being addressed the minority groups do more to try and stop it, which seems backwards. In the presentations the Arab American singers were advocating peace and multiculturalism while in the white culture they advocate white superiority in the media.

Even in cartoons this is the case! Scooby Doo and Bugs Bunny both portrayed Arab Americans in a negative light. This surprised me. I was told in highschool history courses that Arab Americans teach their kids about violence when they are in school and are taught to grow up to defend their faith even if that results in violence. As we learned through the presentations though this is only in extreme cases. Most Muslims are peaceful. There are only a few that are violent, just like there are some white people that are violent. This once again reiterated to me the fact that so often there are misconceptions about minorities, and that as Loewen talks about over and over in his book history really does leave us ignorant of how the world really is.

The Dream Act- Extra Credit

The club Latino Student Union last week held an event named The Dream Act. This event was held after one of the seniors here at Whitworth had his story published in the Whitworthian. In his article Undocumented not Un-american. In his article he tells his story and lets us know why he is different from a lot of people here on campus. In the event we got a bigger insight of this. The Dream Act would allow undocumented students to apply for residency, if and only they were brought here at a young age and finished high school and is planning to attend a four or two year college. The process for this would take about six years. At the presentation we had a couple of guest speaker including two undocumented sisters who go to Eastern Washington university. They both told us their story. They told us that they were only five and three years old when they came to this country. They also told us about the different racial things people have told them. One of them mentioned "I'm sorry, but I did not chose to be brown, I did not chose to be this skin color". They told us thoughout their life they have been judged because of their race they always got stereotypical comments. She said that many people thought that only thing she ate were tacos and burritos. This brings me to point number three in Critical Theory: Race is social and not biological construction. As Americans we all do this. We tend to think that certain races do certain things.

Another of the speakers was Luis, the author of the article. He shared with us his struggles. He mentioned that he indeed will graduate from Whitworth but most likely will not be able to use his degree. The only thing he will be able to do is work at Mc Donalds or other low paying jobs. If the Dream Act does not get passed again he will not have a shot at completing the American dream. Everyday Luis lives with fear because he knows that in any minute or second he can be deported and all his hard work will be thrown out the window.

Ray- Extra Credit

I would have to say that the film Ray has been one of the best movies I have see. It all begins with Ray as a child in a poor neighborhood. Many things happen throughout his childhood. Many of them were tragic. One of them was when his brother dies from drowning. Ray never seemed to forget about this and he felt like he was responsible for the death of his brother. Another tragic thing thing that happen was the loss of his vision. His mom played a big role in his life. She made sure he independent. She many times repeated that she did not want him to be a cripple.

As we continue throughout the film, Ray travels to different places and soon is discovered. I really respect him for sticking to his roots when it came to racism. He was going to have a concert in Georgia but decided not to have it because of segregation rules. Because of this he was banned from Georgia. Many people during this era thought that segregation was good because they thought that blacks should not be in the same section as whites. They clearly missed point five of critical theory; Every individual has a complex and compound identity.Ray soon became a big sensation. Many people were amazed by the fact that he was blind and was an amazing pianist. As many artists do, he soon became a drug addict and a womanizer. He started to use drugs regularly and started to cheat on his wife. Soon Ray was found with drugs and was arrested. This soon became an issue. He did not think it was an issue because he was making great music and being very successful. He later had to go to rehab. Rehab was very difficult for him until one day he got a vision from his mother. His mother told him to get up and do it allover again and to stop messing up. After that Ray came out of rehab and never touched drugs again. In the end Ray is still a big icon for all Americans.

Ray - Extra Credit

Ray Charles lived through a lot. The film Ray (2004) makes that very clear. Loss defines most of his story. First, he loses his brother, then his eyesight, his mother, his girlfriend, his health, and almost his marriage. Only after counseling and rehab is Ray finally able to get back in control of his life and live it fully for the first time. In the middle of all of the sorrows and trials, Ray Charles launches into the national spotlight with a music career that he never dreamed was possible. One defining moment in Ray's career comes when he is about to play at a concert in Georgia, a concert that is for blacks only. A man in the crowd begins talking to Ray as he makes his way to the door of the building and convinces Ray not to perform. After this incident and Georgia officially closes its doors to Ray Charles and his band, Milt Shaw (Ray's agent from the record company) is furious and wants Ray to win Georgia back. Ray says that he can't do it, that it is not acceptable for him to play at a segregated concert. Shaw's frustration demonstrates the second tenet of Critical Race Theory: "Because of materialistic determinism, certain groups in society have no incentive to eradicate racism." Concerned only with record sales, discrimination did not phase Shaw when booking Ray's concerts. Ray himself had little incentive to stand up against Jim Crowe concerts because he was financially stable and famous. It took one of his own people pleading for support before Ray would finally recognize the racism that he was indirectly promoting. Another very powerful moment of the film showed a dream Ray had while in the rehab center. Both his mother and his brother were in the dream and they were all back at the house where he grew up. Ray's mother asks him why he let himself become a cripple. She is not referring to his eyesight, but his addiction to heroin. Then Ray's little brother George said, "It's not your fault. It's not your fault." The forgiveness and relief in this moment was extremely powerful. Tenet five of Critical Race Theory states, "Every individual has a complex and compound identity." Ray might have been a drug addict and a womanizer, but he was also a broken child who never learned to forgive himself for what happened. Understanding his own story led to the eventually reunion with his wife and children after kicking his heroin habits. Stories are the key to all kinds of healing. Knowing someone else's story removes the possibility of stereotyping and diminishes the power of racism.

Ray- Extra Credit

Ray was a very inspirational film. Ray witnessed his younger brother's death and went blind at the age of seven. He was encouraged and inspired by his mother to make his way in the world. He finally found that he was actually very talented at playing the piano, even though he was blind. Ray began touring and eventually thousands of people around the world knew about him. He has taken various forms of popular music and changed them in ways that people loved. He was able to overcome the racism and cruel prejudices against the blind. He fought segregation in the clubs that he performed in and tried to diminish the stereotypes against people of color and the blind. Even though Ray struggled throughout his life with things such as drugs, but he was able to influence and change the lives of those who heard his music.

The story of Ray Charles reminded me of the first tenet of the Critical Race Theory. This tenet states that race is ordinary and involves white-over-color ascendancy. Ray was often looked down upon and discriminated against because of his race, but he was able to overcome these issues with his hard work and determination to make something of himself. He used his music to help others see that these could change and did not always have to be like they were. Also, he tried to over the white-over-color ascendancy. He wanted others to know that whites should not be so high above everyone else just because they are white. Ray was able to bring people together and change how they thought about things.

People often thought that Ray couldn't amount to any thing because he was black, but showed that his race does not affect his talent. Within Lies My Teacher Told Me, Loewen declares "Almost no genre of our popular culture goes untouched by race"(136). This means that race is a major factor in our culture that will prevail above things that truly matter, like talent or effort. Because Ray is of color, he has to deal with a variety of issues. Even if he wanted to be a soccer player, he would still have to overcome obstacles because of his race.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child – Extra Credit

The Jean-Michel Basquiat documentary was fantastic! The film really captures Basquiat’s personality. There are clips that his friend filmed where you get to see him just being himself in a casual setting. He seemed to have a very fun-loving, chill, and innocent personality; yet he was a genius.

Basquiat was first noticed for his and a friend’s SAMO artwork on the streets. (At this point Basquiat was homeless, he had nothing.) After moving on from SAMO work, Diego Cortez helped him get entered in his first show. It was called the PS1 show, "I was just tired of seeing white walls with white people with white wine,” Cortez said. This show propelled Basquiat to the top of emerging artists.

The previous quote from Cortez highlights the third tenet of CRT, that race is a social not biological construct. Cortez recognized that the world only honored white people’s artwork as high class. He wanted to give other’s a chance. Although this show helped Basquiat immensely, his ethnicity still held the world back from recognizing him as they otherwise would have. Even when he became extremely famous. For example, some museums wouldn’t even accept his art if it was donated.

At one point, “a young graffiti artist, 25 yr old Michel Stewart, was arrested for scrawling on the wall of a subway station at three in the morning.” “He was beaten to death by five white police officers.” This news really affected Basquiat, because he knew it could have been him. “To go from being in a gallery where everyone knows you and wants to get with you, to walking down the street where everyone sees you as a bummy looking black guy.. it's a mind fogger.” To go from being treated with such high respect for his artwork, when people knew who he was, to being treated with racism when he was just an anonymous guy on the street was really hard for Basquiat. I imagine this experience would help one understand to the extreme how racist our country is.

Another example of the world’s view of Basquiat relates to Loewen. Loewen defines 'primitive' as having “only a crude understanding of the planet they live on, until aided by a forward-thinking European” (49). As America defined the Native American culture as ‘primitive,’ also an Interviewer seems to define Basquiat as such. Basquiat is not stupid though, he knows what this definition means, and humerously calls the interviewer on it, making the interviewer seem rather silly:

Interviewer: And you’re seen as some sort of primal expressionism, it that?
Basquiat: [Laughing].. Like an ape?
Interviewer: Well.. lets
Basquiat: A primate?
Interviewer: Well I don't know.. is that.. is
Basquiat: You said it, I don't know, you said it.
Iterviewer: Well, um.. y'er..

“Jean-Michel wasn't different. He was an artist just like most of the people at those scenes. But color makes you feel different. And you know people are looking at you a certain way. And all the comments you read about him had all that [primitive/primal] kind of encoded language in them, which never would have happened to a white guy.” Racism is ordinary. Famous or not, minority groups experience it on a regular basis. An example of this comes from a Newspaper clipping: “Basquiat is likened to the wild boy raised by wolves, corralled into Annina's basement and given nice clean canvases to work on instead of anonymous walls. A child of the streets gawked at...." And then again, when Basquiat is asked, "[Do] you like to be called The Black Picasso?” “Not so much,” he says, “It's flattering, but I think it is also demeaning."

At age 27 Basquiat died, leaving over 1,000 paintings and 1,000 drawings. “He is now recognized as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and exhibits in museums all over the world.”

The Reluctant Fundamentalist & Arab-American Presentations

The end of The Reluctant Fundamentalist frustrated me. I don't like not knowing for sure what happened. Did Changez die? Was he even a trustworthy narrator in the first place? The book was a surprise for me and something different than I had ever read before. It made me try to see just a little bit from the perspective of someone facing the ugly side of what America can stand for. I think that even though this was not my favorite Lit. book ever, more people should read Hamid's novel. It could start the discussion that needs to happen more often here in America.

The Arab-American presentations today were particularly enjoyable for me. I thought Claire and Andrea's teaching ideas presentation was very thorough and informative. I had not really realized how similar some Christian and Islamic beliefs and values are. I also really appreciated the interview Andrea did and how that applied so directly to our community. Sometimes, I think what we discuss in class is so generalized to our country that it never gets personal, but here is a 22 year old man living HERE in our community. Like the Loewen quote that was used multiple times today, it's the emotion that makes what we learn stick. My favorite part of the presentations was seeing, hearing and learning about musician, Kareem Salama. I was surprised at how much I genuinely enjoyed his music. I really do want to get some of his songs to put on my iPod. I seriously enjoy his style and message. I think what he and other artists are doing multiculturally is so cool. Taking such talent and pairing it with an emotional message could really make some people think and consider what others go through.

I found today's workshop presentations on Arab Americans very interesting. The first group that presented on teaching ideas gave a very thorough explanation of the similarities between the Muslim faith and Christian practices. Some of these I had not considered, but had in my own mind exaggerated the difference between the two faiths. Although I doubt that the percentage of Whitworth undergraduate students who are Muslim is very large, learning about another faith in relation to my own was very enlightening.

It made me think of a passage in The Reluctant Fundamentalist where Changez discusses the work ethic and attitude of his immediate supervisor, a vice president of the Underwood Samson firm, "I could not respect how he functioned so completely immersed in the structures of his professional micro-universe" (145). This valuation firm manager seems to be allegorical for the American public. We go about our days unaware of political happenings outside of our personal realm of the workplace or classroom and refuse to explore information on religions and cultures other than our own. An ignorant respect of "other beliefs" is not what is necessary for multicultural intellectual harmony. An informed interest and reverence must come first.

I missed the first half of the Saudi Arabian Women forum last week. I was walking to the gas station on division to break a twenty so I could do my laundry, and there at the gas station I saw my friend Stephan for the first time since Winter. Stephan is a homeless homie of almost fifty, and he’s still out living on the streets of Spokane. I hadn’t seen him since before Winter last year, so naturally I asked him if he wanted a smoke and then hung out with him for while. Even in his his predicament Stephan is full of stories and wisdom, and one of the stories he told me this time has just as much to do with CRT and our literature as that lecture with the Saudi women.

He told me about one encounter he had with some white supremecist teenage boys. Stephan is African-American, Haitian and Jamaican to be specific, and doesn’t appear to be all that physically powerful. He’s getting older, and how many teenagers pick fights with 49 year-olds? Well this group did. He says he was walking down Division at night when a group of teenage guys pulled over their truck, got out, and headed towards Stephan shouting about how racist they were and how they didn’t like “niggers out on the streets”. Stephan isn’t one for swearing, so he just says,” You all don’t need to be messing with me.” The boys didn’t heed his warning and one of the took a swing at Stephan’s head. Stephan’s quick even in his old age, so he was able to dodge the hit and trip his attacker. Then he dropped his pack right in the street and said something along the lines of,” Bring it”. The guy he had just laid out on the street got up and ran back to the others, who all retreated back to their truck. So 49 year-old Stephan scared those teenagers off singlehandedly. I am still appalled that there are people out there who would want to rough up such a cool guy as Stephan, and with the terrible reasoning that he’s black. CRT tenet no. 1: “Racism is ordinary” is surprising to me, and something that I don’t usually consider. Life is shielded in the pine cone curtain.

The Order of Myths: Racism and Traditionalism in Mardi Gras

My initial response to the film, “The Order of Myths,” was shock. I was almost incredulous to learn how much racism is involved in the events of Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama. I had no idea that Blacks and Whites held their own celebrations and parades, chose separate kings and queens, and that the two parties have only recently made motions to put aside their differences and integrate. As the movie stated, Mardi Gras is one of the last strongholds of segregation between Whites and Blacks. What has caused racism to persist to such a degree in the South even to this day?

Could it be for economic reasons? Perhaps the Bigwigs who make a profit off of Mardi Gras fear that integration will take a toll on revenues collected from the celebration. The film mentioned that in 2004, they brought in a total of $227 million. Perhaps the economic differences between the Black and White social classes is one reason causing a rift between the two sectors. I noticed that in the film, the portions featuring the White king and queen were all about expensive outfits and elaborate, ornate balls and festivities, while the portions portraying the Black king and queen often discussed how expensive it was for them to be involved and definitely seemed to imply that they did not have the financial means that the White party had.

I feel that the main element that has kept racism rooted in Mobile’s Mardi Gras for so long is traditionalism. Some of the film discussed that southerners are hard-core traditionalists. A large amount of what they do is tied to history or past events; for example, they like to dress up to the same degree that their ancestors did. In fact, they rarely even trim back trees whose roots grow through and mangle the sidewalk, because they value their “roots” (I think this pun was intended). In addition to these traditions, one elderly man interviewed in the film made quite clear his opinion that Mardi Gras should remain as it is. This reminds me of a parable in the Bible that Jesus tells in the book of Luke, comparing the pharisees to old wineskins. Just like new wine cannot be poured into old wineskins because the wine will ferment and expand causing the already stretched wineskin to burst, the pharisees held so tightly to their laws and traditions that they would not accept Jesus’ new message of salvation and freedom. I feel that southern traditionalists act the same way, in that they cling so tightly to tradition that they miss out on something new and better that is in store for them and the good of society – and that is a unified, integrated nation that actually puts into place the freedom and equality for which it supposedly stands.

The Order of Myths

This movie shocked me. I had no idea that there was somewhere that this much segregation still existed, and not just racism, but hierarchy. Honestly, I would be embarrassed to be part of the white party of Mardi Gras. One thing that really surprised me is how open they were about the segregation. Their excuse was that things had always been that way, but I think that is ignorant. I think instead of owning up to the fact that they are racist and looking bad they just say " This is how its always been."

One thing that really surprised me was how at the tea party the only people that were serving were the blacks. This in itself should be an obvious racial problem. It was the same way when the white queen needed help with her dress. The seamstress was black, but she of course would not be at the white queen's mardi gras party. This all seems so strange to me.

Then to add to it the only mardi gras party that was started to stop the segregation and include whites and blacks was put on by blacks. If we go back in history it was the whites that first "segregated" against the blacks so it seems to me that they should put out an effort to stop it now, but clearly they are not. However, the blacks are, which does not seem very fair or make sense.

Ray -> Extra Credit

In the film Ray we see an African American boy that has gone blind grow up to be a successful musician and overcome adversity and tough life events. Through watching this movie it taught me that music can be very influential. Music can be a great way of bringing people together and facing racism.

In the clubs that Ray played in he would incorporate all different types of music, which included orchestra, country, jazz, and gospel. While playing this music he fought against segregation. This reminded me a lot of what Brianna and I found when we were doing research for Arab American music for our presentations. Both of the artists that we researched focused on incorporating different music, and the lyrics focused on peace, global unity, and acceptance. Their goal is to bring people together. This kind of reminded me of how Ray is remembered in the movie. Even though he dealt with drugs and other problems through his hard work and life story he has been remembered as a great musician that also strived to make a difference against segregation.

This can be tied into CRT number 5. CRT number 5 says that each individual has a different background and different story to contribute to history. I think with Ray's story he obviously has a unique background, but also with how he incorporated orchestra, country, jazz, and gospel it shows that he respected all different types of music and knew that they all had a place. I think this is how it is when it comes to different races too. They have all contributed to history and all have a story. It seems like people like Ray and the Arab American artists recognize this more than others.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid is my favorite book that we have read this semester. Not only is it a very interesting and compelling book, but it is also very uniquely written. The Brooklyn Rail describes it as "Fascinating, haunting...what makes this novel such an absorbing read is the unsettling dialogue it creates within the reader. its minimalism, which leaves room for argument, also renders our complicity, forcing us to actively talk back." This novel forced me to form my own opinions and challenged me to think more critically on certain issues. It also gives readers a sense of what it is like to be a Pakistan living in America. For example,e Changez declares "being of a suspect race, I was quarantined and subjected to additional inspection"(Hamid 157). Personally, I have never had this problem, because I am white, but I have friends who have undergone situations like Changez experienced. It is not fair to be discriminated against because of race, but I see where people think more inspection is necessary in order to maintain security and safety. However, this has led to many stereotypes. Changez is often looked down upon or treated differently because of his race. He states "you should not imagine that we Pakistanis are all potential terrorists, just as we should not imagine that you Americans are all undercover assassins"(Hamid 183). People often make the assumption that because someone if Pakistani, then they could be a terrorist. Loewen frequently talks about these sort of stereotypes throughout Lies My Teacher Told Me. Loewen believes that teachers and textbooks do not teach about this sort of thing and instead spend time on issues that are less relevant.
I was shocked when I read the part about Changez's reaction to 9/11. After watching the twin towers collapse on television, he smiled and said "Yes, despicable as it may sound, my initial reaction was to be remarkably pleased"(Hamid 72). This is because he was "caught up in the symbolism of it all, the fact that someone had so visibly brought America to her knees" (Hamid 73). His reaction is surprising to us, but Americans are often not so innocent themselves. For example, U.S. troops killed Osama this past week and millions of Americans are rejoicing and celebrating his death. Newspaper headlines range from "Burn in Hell" to "The Bastard id Dead." People are reacting to this situation just as bad or even worse than Changez reacted to 9/11. The reason that these topics are so interesting to us is because "Emotion is the glue that causes history to stick"(Loewen 342). When things in history affect us emotionally, we are more intrigued by it. We want to learn more about it and we become very emotionally when the topic comes up.

Twilight LA Presentations

Urban art is an incredibly fascinating subject. Previous to the presentation that explored urban art, I knew graffiti as only the illegal acts of defiance by disgruntled gang members attempting to "stick it to the man". My definition could not have been more off base. Art in itself is a difficult thing to define, its beauty is often in the eye of the beholder and that makes the judgement of "good" or "bad" art a task for the well-trained eye. Yet I would never have dreamed that even trained eyes would look towards the walls of urban buildings at what I deem to be unintelligible scribbles in order to find great works of art. Symbols and messages leap through what cannot be simply labeled vandalism and the artist brings insight to the everyday world by choosing a gallery open to all at all times: walls. Bringing art to the audience for which it was intended seems like such an obvious idea, but graffiti and street art are really the most effective in presenting a meaningful gallery to the masses. The "Do Not Enter Project" done by Dan Witz was especially fascinating to me. Altering an everyday and even common place object in order to present a message is perhaps the cleverest of ways to develop art. It was all very interesting and exciting to learn about.

The presentation on social concerns including gang violence and class structure also destroyed a few of my stereotypical presuppositions. Specifically the data relating poverty and low income to rural and urban areas was most powerful. Whether I was conscious of this or not, I realized through this presentation that I had always associated gang members with the lowest possible economic class and families trapped in poverty. However, as demonstrated by the data shown, both poverty and low income families are more prominent in rural areas rather than the urban centers that so often house gang activity. I also realize that I had always assumed that gang members, who were often school drop-outs, were not only poor but less intelligent people as well. In Deavere's book, the interview with Twilight Bey completely disintegrated that idea. Twilight describes himself as having "twice the knowledge of those my age and twice the understanding of those my age"(254). Knowledge that does not come from textbooks or standardized testing is no less valuable. The kids involved with gangs are learning to survive and that skill is more needed to them than being able to write a superb essay. Coming from my privileged background, at least it is in comparison to most others, this kind of survivor mentality is completely foreign to me and I am glad that I am now better able to understand it, however inadequate and small that understanding may be.