Income Inequality

http://video.pbs.org/video/2160792049

Really interesting video on income inequality.

AWESOME video "A Call to Men"

In case you guys have never heard of TedTalks, this site shows lectures of all kinds. Since last week and this week's lessons focus on "gender," I thought I'd share this great video on "masculinity" and what is expected of men. It's a bit long, but it's great!

Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td1PbsV6B80&feature=player_embedded

Let me know what yall think!

Service Learning this week - Opening up a new world!

Each week, my service learning experience gets more and more exciting! This week, my students have been working on how to navigate the internet, but more particularly, how to use sites like google and bing in order to use other sites and gain valuable information. You guys should have seen the glow on their faces! It’s like they were introduced to a new world! It was amazing. Many of them had never heard of google or bing. (Of course, I assumed that everyone at least knew about the sites.) Taking it slowly, I showed them that sites like google and bing will open up new horizons. I explained to them that using these sites was like going to the grocery store, going to the produce section, and having the opportunity to choose your favorite tomato (out of 100 of them). Thank God it made sense to them because when I explained it to my friends, they seemed confused. Haha.

Another thing that we focused on was using online maps—i.e.: google maps and mapquest. When I explained what these sites do, again, they were so excited. Apparently some were still using the maps you buy in stores. This, of course, makes it easier on them as they can go from A directly to B (by using search engines and what not). One student mentioned that she would use this for her weekend trip. I was thrilled.

I’m not sure if I told you guys what site we use to learn the material. We are using a program called LearnerWeb (www.neworleans.learnerweb.org). You won’t be able to look at it without signing in, but if this might be something that interests you, let me know and I will give you my log in information so that you can play with it!

Again, each week gets more interesting. This week, by seeing the excitement in my students’ faces, the fact that I am making a true difference in someone’s life was reconfirmed yet again.

Until next time,

J.C.

Peace.

Defining Race

Hey guys! Check this out. This highlights the fact that race is a social construct!

http://www.good.is/post/defining-race-has-never-been-easy/

Heartbreaking Story

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/25/141672992/native-foster-care-lost-children-shattered-families

LISTEN TO THIS STORY! It is a little long but worth it. A heartbreaking story about institutionalized racism against Native Americans. Makes me sad to be a part of a country where we still can't manage to learn our lessons after hundreds of years.

Service learning update 10/17- 10/21

This past week of service learning was by far the most enjoyable yet. It gets easier each day. I now feel completely a part of the Anna’s Arts program; the kids expect to see me on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the directors and teachers of the program rely on me those days. I feel like I really am contributing, and it feels awesome.

On Thursday I had an experience with one of the students that I will never forget. I had been working with this particular third grade boy on his homework since he got to our program directly after school that day. At his school the teachers give out packets every Monday and the entire packet is due by that Friday, so we were working our way through, as usual, trying to finish everything up. The last thing we do is to go over spelling words, his least favorite area of study. It was about 6:40 by that time, and the kids leave at 7. I called out his first word, and he was very hesitant to spell it, as usual; however, that day was worse than most, and he actually started crying. I asked what was wrong and he told me, “What about my project?” It was then I found out that he had a major project due the next day that counted as 25% of his reading grade; it required him to make a display board of a favorite family recipe and write a paragraph of why it was his favorite. With his current grades, failure to complete the assignment would lead to him failing reading. I had to get the director of the program, and together we walked the student home, and talked with him and his grandmother (his primary caretaker). He was hysterical by this point, and we found out that he couldn’t do the project because his grandmother not only could not afford the materials required to make it, but also could not read; therefore, she was unable to help him with his “family recipe” project. The grandmother did not seem phased by this at all as she stood there with a 40 oz. in her hand; it was really heartbreaking. Luckily, the director of our program was able to contact his school, get him an extension, and he will finish the project with us at Anna’s Arts next week. So many of these kids are so victimized by their circumstances, and at Anna’s Arts we are trying to teach them to break the cycle.

Week of Oct 19th

Over the fall break my roommate and I went to Wendy's to have a quick dinner before going out. We drove over from school and parked in the parking lot around 7:30pm. Starving, we raced to get inside Wendy's to order first. We walked in, got right in to the queue, which was empty, ordered and proceeded to wait for our food. I noticed two guys coming in (black guys) through the front door. They weren't particularly intimidating, nor threatening but something very odd happened. We heard a voice come across their microphone system:

"WE ARE RECORDING AUDIO AND VIDEO FROM THIS WENDY'S AT ALL TIMES. ACTIVE MONITORING OF THIS WENDY'S LOCATION IS 24/7." Or something to that effect...

Having heard the announcement, the girl at the cash register hit a button and responded, "No baby, we good."

The two guys looked at each other and responded "What the f*ck? I guess we some real gangsta ass (n bomb)'s"

The two guys ordered their food, at which time one of them got a call from a girlfriend/girl who seemed upset that he had to work late tonight. They ate their food, and left.

This was easily one of the most racist things I've ever seen, my roommate and I could have walked in with the intention of suicide bombing Wendy's and there would've been no announcement. The two guys walk in and INSTANTLY, as if a panic button was pressed, there was an alert from the security company.

Update on SL

Hey guys!

My service learning is going pretty well, though it's not exactly what I expected. I truly enjoy being one of the computer literacy coordinators and love working with the people I help regularly. Going into this service learning project I kind of had assumed what I was going to expect: I thought that I would be working with middle-aged African Americans who are wanting to learn how to use a computer for leisure purposes and to have that back them up professionally (The reason I assumed African Americans is because of the New Orleans population and I viewed data that included drop out rates and what not.

This, by far, is not the turn out. Thus far I have 4 white students (3 of which are over the age of 70 and 1 of which is in between 60-70 years old), 3 African Americans (1 of which is in his 50s and two of which are above 65 years of age) and one Latina who is in her late 30s. Each of these individuals have their own specific reasons as to why they are taking computer literacy courses. Some are in the class to gain more knowledge on the use of internet, some are wanting to learn everything from using a mouse to navigating the internet, and others (like two of my older white ladies) use this time to interact with others, well because they don't have much to do. (They seem to not necessarily have a keen interest on ACTUALLY using a computer-- they enjoy talking to me! Haha!)

It's crazy that I assumed that I would be interacting with people who have had little to no educational background, and again, that isn't the case. 7 of the 8 students have college degrees, some including master's degrees.

I am actually really excited to continue working with them and learning why, in fact, they're participating in the classes (besides learning to use a computer). It seems to me that many of them are here to socialize with others who might have had the same learning experiences as them when younger. I don't know... I guess we'll see what happens! There's always something new at Incarnate Word Community Center!

Until next time,

J.C.

PS - This is my update for last week. I won't be doing SL this week since I'll be going out of town.

Peace.

10/12

Yesterday, the US government thwarted a plan by a group of Iranian special forces in conjunction with Mexican gangs to assassinate the ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The terrorist had plotted to use a "WMD" to blow up the Saudi embassy in Washington, thus killing the Ambassador and all in the building.

If it comes out that the Iranian government, in particular the higher ups, planned this assassination, what do you think will happen in the coming months? What will the US do in response is there is conclusive evidence of this? Had the plot been successful would that (like 9/11) be grounds for a Just War, in regard to that theory?

Class and Race: Video in New Orleans post-Katrina

I happened to find this sequence of videos today that correlates with our reading on Class, Race, and Hurricane Katrina. Here's the link if you guys would like to check it out.

http://www.vice.com/vice-news/new-orleans-totally-fixed-1

http://www.vice.com/vice-news/new-orleans-totally-fixed-2

Children with troubled pasts, and the adults in their lives

After a few weeks working with Girls Hope, I have gotten to know a little bit about the children, their families, and the women living in the home with these girls. The 8 girls living in the home are being raised and taken care of by just a handful of 20 something year old women, not very unlike myself. It has lead me to take a step back and wonder what kind of impact that has on these girls who are in a vital stage of their lives for growing and maturing. I was able to talk to one of the "house moms" about this and was really a great help for me to understand this odd and unconventional home life. The children accepted into Boys Hope Girls Hope go through a rigorous application period, lasting months, which prepares them mentally for what they are about to take part in. She explained to me that, although there are definfetly sometime problems within the home, the children and young adults in the program all understand that they were chosen to be here because they have something special about them. These boys and girls were chosen because their situations at home were not permitting them to fully exercise their intellectual abilities.

Being a part of Boys Hope Girls Hope calls for a lot of committment from the children and young adults in the program. They are away from their families for the majority of their week and are living with people who were once strangers to them, but in an odd way, now their family. This family model of the organization is what makes it so special. The house moms have expressed to me how hard it sometimes to be the authority figure when they are not so far passed childhood themselves, but that it is a challenging and rewarding role.

NOLA Green Roots Zoning problem

In my urban politics class yesterday we were talking about the number one thing a city has control over- land use. Favorable zoning and land use laws bring businesses into the city, which provide a tax base and jobs. New Orleans is currently working on revamping the zoning all over the city, and NOLA Green Roots might be in trouble. We have a compost center, and under the new zoning laws, unless the land is zoned industrial, we might not be able to have it anymore. Yesterday I wrote a letter to the city asking for consideration when changing the zoning laws as related to urban gardens and farms. I thought about the fact that if we were a business, paying big taxes and created jobs, that we would easily have the ear of someone important in the city. As a non-profit, who doesn't pay taxes and serves a virtually invisible population (low-income people), we might not get the attention we deserve. But I think in New Orleans right now there is a upsurge in awareness about social problems and all the non-profits have been acknowledged as a vital part of the city's rebuilding and renewal process. I have been so proud to be a part of the non-profit world for the last few years!

When Bad Things Happen to Good People

I've often talked about how working at the Hope Lodge keeps you grounded. As you meet all of these people, who are so resilient and are fighting for their lives, you realize how blessed you are to just be alive. I see them every day, but the ones that break my heart the most are the children. They come in each day after their treatment, and all I can think is that no one deserves to suffer through cancer, but for these children, cancer is almost all they've known for most of their lives. Today a little girl walked out of the elevator with her dad, with her mask over her mouth, and even through all that she goes through she was so excited to walk across the street to play on the levee. That little girl (and her parents) are stronger than I'll ever be. I know this is kind of a depressing thing to talk about, but that's all I could think about today during my service work. It's discouraging, and yet encouraging at the same time to keep me volunteering.

Night Out Against Crime

Today at Anna's Arts for my service learning, we set up a booth for this event at the corner of Rampart and Elysian Fields. The turn out was disappointingly small, but those who did show up were students of Anna's Arts and their relatives. We had a good time!

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2011/07/in_new_orleans_area_at_least_n.html

Donor Relations

Elizabeth is right: raising money is REALLY important in non-profit work. The last time I was at NOLA Green Roots I helped draft donor letters. Thank you letters to donors, letters asking donors to give another donation, letters to businesses asking for donations of goods. It might not seem like this is rewarding like working with the client population might be, but in a weird way it is. I went to a development workshop once and the woman leading it said the main reason people support non-profits is to feel like they are part of something. Donor relations is very important therefore- you have to do a lot to make the donor feel like your non-profit is the right one, and then after they donate you have to maintain that relationship so they feel like they are a part of a good thing. The letters I wrote asking for donations were for a store NOLA Green Roots is trying to open up that will sell plants and homemade goods made by members from garden products (like herb infused olive oils yumm!). I agonized over those letters, to make just the right impression, to insure that our real message came across, and I really feel responsible for if the store can open or not. When I do see the store up and running one day, I can't imagine how proud I will feel!!!

Giving Hope

I learn something new every time I do my service work, and this is what I learned yesterday: At the Hope Lodge, and pretty much any place that does work for those in need, raising money is a huge deal. I've learned that you have to be a pretty creative person when you work at a nonprofit because you're always thinking about new fundraisers, ways to get the word out there, getting the people you help more encouraged, and so many other things. You are a man/woman of all trades, as opposed to doing one job each day. Every day is something new, and you never really know what is going to be demanded of you, but you have to be up for it and willing to give it your best whether you like it or not. For example, yesterday instead of visiting with the patients and doing my normal work I was asked to laminate a bunch of papers and tape them on signs for a the Walk for Life. Normally that job seems like it would be super boring, but because I knew what I was doing it for, and because the energy was so positive around me, it was pretty fun. When I was at the Hope Lodge yesterday the directors were all discussing how much their job keeps them grounded; it is a constant reminder to always be grateful for what you have, life can always be worse. There is always something to be thankful for, and there are always people who can use your gifts for something good.

CourtWatchers Observations

Over the past couple internships, and more so in this current service learning project, I have noticed something that has bugged me, and as this is a social justice class, don't just it's just what I've seen.

Male African American lawyers dress way better that Caucasian lawyers.

The actual order of "best dressed" goes
1. Black Male
2. White Female
3. Black Female
4. White Male

I first noticed this having seen an African-American's really friggin' nice 3 piece suit, and I thought to myself "Damn. I want to tell him that's a nice suit." Then I kind've backed up and was thought is it wrong to tell him that he's wearing a nice suit? I realized what I had said to myself originally was "Damn, that black dude's wearing a really nice suit." From that point on there was no coming back from being, maybe not racist, but definitely stereotyping.

I noticed it having seen all these white guys suits being rumpled or having tons of creases in them, and since the black lawyers stand together and the white lawyers tend to stand together, the difference was very apparent.

But, my compliment to the man would've come off racially to myself, having subconsciously led in with "that black dude's...." even though he would've never known, I felt like I couldn't say anything since I felt already "outted?"

Then I started thinking what might be the underlying implications of this?

The obvious answers came up:
1. White men assume that they will be taken seriously as opposed to blacks who feel they must have to "dress the part" in order to have the same respect.
2. White women are generally seen as "less strong willed" than Black women, so they have to dress to the look the part as well. Which leads White women to come in at #2 and Black women at #3.

So what do you think? Am I wrong? Am I a racist?
What I observed was definitely obvious, my fellow intern independently noticed the same thing.
Black guys wearing 3 piece pressed suits, white guys walking in with the same jacket they'd been wearing for the past 2 years without it being dry cleaned.

Claire Lavergne- Anna's Arts- week 10/3-10/9

Work at Anna's Arts is going well. I feel relieved and excited each time I finish a day of work there because it is fun and tiring, and I feel like its an accomplishment to have made it through another day. The kids are starting to all know my name and respect me more than at first. We had a new volunteer today and the kids just knew they were going to be able to get away with anything around her and walk all over her. It made me feel really good not to be the new teacher anymore. The more days you put in working with the kids, and the more you stand up to them and discipline them, the more they grow to respect you. I'm really glad I am beginning to figure that out because the kids are more well behaved around me now, and they know that I won't let them do whatever they want.