This May, I will be graduating from Berea College. I will have two degrees, both B.A.s--one in German, one in Speech Communication. It has been such a quick four years for me. I remember the moment that I walked on Berea's campus.
It was March 2005, my father and I had made a trip up to Berea to have a campus visit and to turn in my application for the Bonner Scholars program. I remember the tour of the campus (although it looked very different then), the "oh so wonderful Food Service" (after four years, not so much), and the talk that I had with the staff at the Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service (CELTS). Little did I know, that that my visit to this tiny college in south-central Kentucky would take me on a journey that looking back, I could have never predicted.
See, it all began in November 2004. My guidance counselor at Karns High School in Knoxville, Tennessee had, unbeknownst to me, submitted a formal recommendation that Berea College send me an application for admission.
After I received my application to Berea, filled it out, and sent it off (the day before the deadline), I began a long process of waiting to hear back from the college as to whether or not I would be admitted. In the mean time, I received stacks of mail from other schools including USCLA, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Tennesse, and numerous other institutions. Every few days, I would pick up one of the applications and set it back down again, partially filled out as the deadlines continued to pass.
Finally, during the week of my Birthday, I received a very thick envelope. Its return address read "Berea College." The recipient, "Mr. Aaron Sachs." I held my breath as I gingerly opened the envelope and pulled out the packet of papers. The first page read, "Dear Mr. Sachs, congratulations on being admitted to Berea College." That first sentence would change my life forever.
Included in the packet was letter and application that invited me to apply for something called the Bonner Scholars program. As I read the letter, it gave details of the program, stating how the program was designed to give a select number of students the opportunity to have a labor position at the school where they would participate with various non-profit community partners in providing services such as after programs, environmental justice, and literacy advocacy to the Berea community.
I applied to the program and was invited to a preview weekend which would be held in Berea. My family decided to come up to Berea with me. To my chagrin, they were much like any other family--they embarrassed me every chance they had that weekend. Regardless, the weekend went well. I met other students like myself, students who were interested in community service. Throughout Friday and Saturday, we were interviewed by staff members in an attempt to determine which students would be the best candidates for being Bonner Scholars. Meanwhile, those of us who were not interviewed played games, engaged in dialog regarding community service, as well as a host of other activities...including walking to WalMart at midnight (my favorite).
Several weeks later, I received an envelope in the mail congratulating me on being accepted as a Bonner Scholar. Thus begins my Berea journey.
To be continued...
Monday, April 20, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Racism: Still alive in America?
TEXAS - On Tuesday, April 11th, Texas State Representative Betty Brown (R) made the following comment regarding Asian-American last names:
"Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it's a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?"
The comment was made during a House hearing on voter identification legislation. During the hearing, which was aired on Austin, Texas news station KXAN, Brown made several other inflammatory statements which could be considered racist. Here is a link to the footage of the hearing www.youtube.com/watch.
In reading the articles posted on the incident and watching the footage, I was amazed at the lack of education exhibited by Brown. It seemed as if she had no regard for Chinese or Asian culture.
In looking at the comments that various readers made, most of which called Brown a racist, I have to agree. However, I would add that I don't think it is flagrant racism. I think that what she is engaging in is something more sinister than overt racism--implicit racism. Now, you may say, "What's the difference? Racism is racism!" Allow me to briefly clarify the difference between overt and implicit racism. Overt racism is what everyone typically thinks of when the term "racist" comes up: Burning crosses, using derogatory terms to refer to someone of an ethnic group, etc. Implicit racism is racism that is systemic: Hiring preferences that favor white males versus black males, giving better funding to school systems that are not in an urban setting, etc.
To get back to the task at hand, yes, I believe that racism, in any form, is wrong. However, the difference is that for the most part, the US has put overt racism behind itself. Overt racism, to most people's beliefs, is a thing of the past. However, we live in a country where white males have significantly more earning power than white females, Black males, or Black females (see www.earningpower.org).
I believe that Representative Brown's comments are symptomatic of this larger systemic problem of implicit racism. Unfortunately for Brown, she is in a position of societal power. She is a white female and an elected official. Two characteristics that play to her ignorance.
Looking at the whole situation, I think to myself, "Why wouldn't she have made those comments?" She is removed from the reality of diversity in the US, she is in a position of societal power, and she does not have the cultural heritage that Asians or any other race has. Again, why would she have done anything different?
It is unfortunate that the United States, a country which has gone through a great deal in the areas of civil rights and racism, is still subject to ignorance. We have allowed language that perpetuates racism to still be in place, we still manage to somehow find an inherent flaw with someone who physical features are different, and we have a system which statistically favors white males. Has the US really moved forward? Has it really come all that far since the Civil Rights Era? Do we really have any hope for completely eliminating racism?
I think we do...but only by challenging the system in a way that will allow for TRUE education to take place, that still acknowledges the difference in culture (not race), and that will eliminate language which implicitly demeans others.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/09/brown-asian-names/
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/11/brown-apologize-asian/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9hdVUzMeDw
"Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it's a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?"
The comment was made during a House hearing on voter identification legislation. During the hearing, which was aired on Austin, Texas news station KXAN, Brown made several other inflammatory statements which could be considered racist. Here is a link to the footage of the hearing www.youtube.com/watch.
In reading the articles posted on the incident and watching the footage, I was amazed at the lack of education exhibited by Brown. It seemed as if she had no regard for Chinese or Asian culture.
In looking at the comments that various readers made, most of which called Brown a racist, I have to agree. However, I would add that I don't think it is flagrant racism. I think that what she is engaging in is something more sinister than overt racism--implicit racism. Now, you may say, "What's the difference? Racism is racism!" Allow me to briefly clarify the difference between overt and implicit racism. Overt racism is what everyone typically thinks of when the term "racist" comes up: Burning crosses, using derogatory terms to refer to someone of an ethnic group, etc. Implicit racism is racism that is systemic: Hiring preferences that favor white males versus black males, giving better funding to school systems that are not in an urban setting, etc.
To get back to the task at hand, yes, I believe that racism, in any form, is wrong. However, the difference is that for the most part, the US has put overt racism behind itself. Overt racism, to most people's beliefs, is a thing of the past. However, we live in a country where white males have significantly more earning power than white females, Black males, or Black females (see www.earningpower.org).
I believe that Representative Brown's comments are symptomatic of this larger systemic problem of implicit racism. Unfortunately for Brown, she is in a position of societal power. She is a white female and an elected official. Two characteristics that play to her ignorance.
Looking at the whole situation, I think to myself, "Why wouldn't she have made those comments?" She is removed from the reality of diversity in the US, she is in a position of societal power, and she does not have the cultural heritage that Asians or any other race has. Again, why would she have done anything different?
It is unfortunate that the United States, a country which has gone through a great deal in the areas of civil rights and racism, is still subject to ignorance. We have allowed language that perpetuates racism to still be in place, we still manage to somehow find an inherent flaw with someone who physical features are different, and we have a system which statistically favors white males. Has the US really moved forward? Has it really come all that far since the Civil Rights Era? Do we really have any hope for completely eliminating racism?
I think we do...but only by challenging the system in a way that will allow for TRUE education to take place, that still acknowledges the difference in culture (not race), and that will eliminate language which implicitly demeans others.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/09/brown-asian-names/
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/11/brown-apologize-asian/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9hdVUzMeDw
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Introduction
Dear Readers,
I would like to welcome you to my blog site. I figured that this first post would be an appropriate place in which I could provide you with a little bit of information about me. So here goes.
I am a senior at Berea College, preparing to finish my last year of undergraduate studies. My majors are in German and Speech Communication. I have a strong interest in learning new languages. I speak German fluently and am conversational in French and Spanish. This May, I will be graduating and moving on to do graduate studies in Communication Studies at the University of Tennessee. It is my hope, that after I go through the graduate program and receive my master's, that I will be accepted into a doctoral program.
In my spare time, I dabble in...oh, so many things. Let's see...I write and record music (recorded 3 albums), write poetry (allpoetry.com/wordwraith), do a little photography, web design, graphic design, draw, paint, and sculpt. I rarely have the time to devote to each of these things that they deserve, but nevertheless, I find a great amount of joy in creating a work of art.
To move a little bit deeper in letting you know who I am, I find that my passion lies in studying human communication. It is fascinating to me the myriad ways in which humans express themselves and how that changes depending on the culture. Right now, I am in the midst of investigating the transnational feminist movement as it pertains to Afghanistan and India. It is proving to be quite an undertaking, but very much worth the effort that I have put into it.
As to what you can expect from me, I will be blogging on a variety of things. Anything from life events to international news. I hope that you enjoy what I have to offer.
Until the sun sinks and rises again,
Aaron
I would like to welcome you to my blog site. I figured that this first post would be an appropriate place in which I could provide you with a little bit of information about me. So here goes.
I am a senior at Berea College, preparing to finish my last year of undergraduate studies. My majors are in German and Speech Communication. I have a strong interest in learning new languages. I speak German fluently and am conversational in French and Spanish. This May, I will be graduating and moving on to do graduate studies in Communication Studies at the University of Tennessee. It is my hope, that after I go through the graduate program and receive my master's, that I will be accepted into a doctoral program.
In my spare time, I dabble in...oh, so many things. Let's see...I write and record music (recorded 3 albums), write poetry (allpoetry.com/wordwraith), do a little photography, web design, graphic design, draw, paint, and sculpt. I rarely have the time to devote to each of these things that they deserve, but nevertheless, I find a great amount of joy in creating a work of art.
To move a little bit deeper in letting you know who I am, I find that my passion lies in studying human communication. It is fascinating to me the myriad ways in which humans express themselves and how that changes depending on the culture. Right now, I am in the midst of investigating the transnational feminist movement as it pertains to Afghanistan and India. It is proving to be quite an undertaking, but very much worth the effort that I have put into it.
As to what you can expect from me, I will be blogging on a variety of things. Anything from life events to international news. I hope that you enjoy what I have to offer.
Until the sun sinks and rises again,
Aaron
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