To Protect and Serve

While reading Richardson's work, she speaks about the value of the african american mother and how she influences the younger generations. She should encourage the younger generations and tell them that they should be proud about their history and heritage. Instead, Richardson talks about the many names and the countless searches she has conducted internet-wide and the search matches that include pornography sites and names that are synonymous with Black Woman such as Mammies and Jezebels.
After reading it, I wished I had read this article earlier and use it in my argumentative paper for this English class. My paper was about the values of elders concerning african american teen pregnancy in this current generation.
I feel as though this problem needs to be solved, There are plenty of accomplished beautiful black women in the world that can advocate against the stereotype of the Black Woman. There is no reason at all as to why pornography sites and lude things pop up when searching "Black Women". When searching this topic pictures of doctors lawyers and CEO's should pop up just as to what would happen if white woman was searched.
This double standard is definitely playing with this generations mind and teaching them the wrong thing.

-CJR

To Protect and To Serve

Elaine Richardson’s To Protect and To Serve is a very provocative reading. When it targets some of the Black stereotypical labels I am offended, saddened, and upset by the Black women who actually embody these roles. Richardson speaks about how Black women are known as Mammies (usually the nanny and caretaker for white children), Jezebels, wenches (promiscuous women), and hyper-sexed beings. She even talks about how when she used a Yahoo search engine to search terms like “Black Women” and “young Black girls” the majority of the results were pornographic websites. This stood out to me because of the argumentative research paper that I have just recently completed. In my paper I discussed how Black women are viewed as sexual objects and highly degraded in media. To make it worst there are some Black women who do not care about the negative stereotypes associated with us as a group, and continue to portray themselves in a less than respectable way.
As the reading progresses I also appreciate the way that Richardson speaks about mothers. She shows how a mother is very important to the growth of her children. Regardless to how the world may see her, she is still of upmost importance to her children. Even though she may not be well educated, coming from a Black community, and somewhat unable to provide her children a formal education, she has a lot to contribute to their development and must help to shape them so that they may gain knowledge and know right from wrong. This can help to raise a generation that always does the right thing and help to change the negative perception of Black women. Even though some people object to this relationship because of the language of the traditional “mother tongue”, I believe that it is very important. A child must know their history as a minority and know all about their parent’s past struggles. They should be able to relate to the parent just as they should relate to the school teacher. Richardson’s writing helped me to consider the growth and progress of Black women.


Vernee Pelage

"To Protect and Serve": African American Female Literacies

After reading Elaine Richardson’s article “To Protect and Serve”: African American Female Literacies, the main quote that stood out to me was, “As the Black female is her child’s first teacher, mother tongue literacy must be factored in as a crucial element of theory and practice” (Richardson 700). Richardson describes the mothers tongue literacy as the ‘mothers transmit their language into their children’ and more importantly it makes us what we are. Growing up my mother was my first teacher. Her interactions with others showed me how to communicate with people on a daily basis. She taught me life lessons and instilled values in me that I hope to pass down to my own child. Even from the womb my mother has protected and cared for me. Without this first encounter of maternal literacy, children will often search for themselves through outside sources and often pick up bad habits on the way. This lack of a motherly influence and guidance will hinder the growth and development of African American daughter.

A mother’s tongue also stresses the importance of education. The article mentions Holtzclaw, an African American male who states how his mother played an influential role in his education. He states, “His mother used to protect his schooling, as she hoped schooling would guarantee him a life better than cotton picking”. When the landlord wanted him to quit school, his mother would not let that happen. Everyday she would sneak him off to school, to ensure that he continued his education. Black mothers are protective of their kin. Since they want to best for their children they will protect them at any means necessary. They will not let any danger stand in the way of their dream. Lastly, this maternal tongue teaches children that adversities will make one stronger. Living in a society where black women are viewed as sex objects and are devalued and disrespected, maternal literacies give one the strength to excel.

Transformative College Literacy of Literate Black Women Peer Counselors

A common perspective of learning is gaining knowledge through material that is taught by others through lessons. From an educational perspective, students learn through class material but limit their learning only by gaining an understanding of the material just for a class. In college, this type of perspective is prevalent. Many students take classes, gain knowledge from the class and are not liberated by this knowledge. They gain understanding just to pass the class and move on to higher classes. Their understanding is limited and so is their knowledge because it is not applicable to themselves and their overall learning. In this chapter, Robin Wisniewski gives a personal account of her own journey through her learning experiences in college. Wisniewski describes her journey as a transformative one because she experienced transformative learning. This learning is defined as gaining knowledge, gaining understanding through different strategies then gaining liberation in thoughts. Liberation in thought subsequently gives one a better sense of the knowledge learned by learning about oneself at the same time. Peer Counselors are conveyed as open-minded students who are willing to help their peers in ways educationally and mentally. These ways mostly include transformative learning. They guide their peers in learning more about their identities, their pasts, and orienting toward their futures through gaining knowledge. These peer counselors give a familial interaction by making their peers feel positive about their learning through support and encouragement. They give them a sense of belonging and encourage them to learn a lot about themselves. There are two individuals who were peer counselors named Lauryn and Vania mentioned in this chapter. These two students were empowered by the construction of knowledge and transformative learning. Their beliefs about literacy were changed from seeing literacy as learning content to a belief that literacy is the integration of this content and strategies. For example, Lauryn described her thoughts on literacy as not only helping her peers to master the subjects within the university but use different strategies within the subjects. This use of strategies further gives the student his/her own individuality. Wisniewski’s expressions and liberating thoughts on transformative learning led to her beliefs of development of personal identities within a peer counselor relationship through literacy. This liberation of thoughts also leads to the idea of using literacy and knowledge to have a better sense of oneself and one’s purpose

Star Parker - My Life as a Welfare Brat

After reading a portion of Star Parker’s book, A Star is Born, I am left with a “bad taste in my mouth”. I feel that Parker is dangerously hypocritical and isn’t aware of how offensive she is. She attacks two welfare recipients, Linda and Dellamarie on the Oprah show because they felt that as single mothers they were entitled to welfare benefits. Though I also disagree with their entitlement I also disagree with Parker’s attack on them. They are young women who must learn life lessons through their very own mistakes just as Parker did. Parker was previously a welfare recipient who admitted to abusing the system in ways such as selling her Medi-Cal stickers. Though she does not deny her past she tends to act as if she is now somehow above the Welfare system. I believe that the welfare system played a major role in shaping Parker into the person that she is today, yet rather than allow other women to learn from their mistakes, and come of age on their own, she’d rather impose her hypocritical beliefs upon them. As a person with experience she should have approached the women in a more understanding manner, rather than being judgmental about their situations.
I also disagree with the portion of the chapter My Life as a Welfare Brat in which Parker speaks about fathers. She says that fathers abandon their children because they are aware that the welfare system will pick up the slack. She states that welfare gives fathers the incentive to walk away from their families because they know that welfare is there as a cushion. I believe that if a father is careless enough to abandon their children they are not concerned with welfare or any other system that will take care of their family. If a man were concerned with how his family would survive he would not even consider walking out on them. It is wrong to blame the welfare system for the carelessness on the part of the many men whom do not understand what fatherhood is.

Mothers Away from Home

‘Beauboeuf-Lafontant (2002) reported the Black teachers view “mothering as a communal responsibility” (p. 76) and an act of service.’ – Sunny-Marie Birney

In her passage Voices of Our Foremothers: Celebrating the Legacy of African American Women Educators Sunny-Marie Birney credits her African American teachers and professors for bonding with her and providing her with the care that allowed her to find her identity as a young Black woman. Because she was adopted by a White family, Birney felt as if she were missing a part of her essence as an African American. This part of her article stood out to me because of my past experience with teachers whom I have built strong bonds with. However I do not believe that it is only Black teachers who have the ability to provide their students with a motherly bond because I have experienced otherwise.
Growing up I had a slight issue with authority. When being disciplined by teachers I was known for replying with the response “I don’t have to listen to you, you’re not my mother!” I would say this to Black and White teachers alike, never feeling any ties in either situation. Even as I grew older and grasped the fact that respect is not only to be given to parents but to anyone who you wish to receive it from, I still had very distant relationships with my teachers. It was not until I got into the 11th grade that I formed a special relationship with a teacher. I was able to talk to her about any and every thing and she eventually became my “mother away from home”, setting the same standards for me as her own children. The only difference between Birney’s relationship with her teachers and my relationship with mine was that my teacher was Italian. This is why I believe that these relationships can be formed where ever one happens to be looking. Birney happened to be looking for a connection to her culture and found it with her Black teachers, while I happened to be seeking guidance as a young woman in general and found it in a wise woman with perspective.

Voices of Our Foremothers: Celebrating the Legacy of African-American Women Educators

After reading the article, Voices of Our Foremothers: Celebrating the Legacy of African-American Women Educators, I began to reflect on my years in grade school. Similar to Birney, I too have had many influential black educators within my educational career. These black teachers cared about my success both in school and through out life. Black teachers serve as extended family that watch over you in school while your parents are at work. Birney states in her article, “Black teachers view ‘mothering as a communal responsibility’ and an act of service. Thus, the student -teacher relationship became imperative to the growth of a black student.
Through out grade school, I can recall three teachers that had a total impact on my life. My fifth grade math teacher, Mrs. Joyner, seventh grade, science teacher, Ms Maddrey, and high school counselor, Dr. Howard, all contributed to my growth as a student and overall woman. In the classroom they challenged my to do my best. They saw potential inside of me that I was unaware of. Mrs. Joyner helped me to develop my love for math and problem solving. Both Ms Maddrey and Dr. Howard served as mentors that I could go to for help. Their door was always open and I knew they had my best interest at heart.
As I look back on my childhood, I am truly grateful that I have these influential people in my life. Academically, they shaped me and prepared me for college. It’s because of Dr. Howard’s recommendation that I even chose to attend Spelman College. Though my community service and mentorship with young boys and girls, I hope to touch some child’s life in the same way my mentors did for me. By tutoring with Cool Girls, Inc and at B.E.S.T Academy, I am able to help meet student’s need in the classroom. When Birney mentions, “pass this torch of community service”, I feel that it is now my responsibility to be a blessing in some else’s life. My mentors have passed the torch on to me. Now through tutoring it is my turn to help children achieve academic excellence.