African Burial Ground

Going through my blogs, I realized that I never added an entry about the African Burial Ground. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot, so I don't know how I forgot. Before the trip to the African Burial Ground, I was upset that I had to wake up so early to go, but by the end of the day, I was happy that the trip was mandatory. It was so moving to be able to walk where my ancestors had walked. When we first arrived, my group was given a tour of the outside of the grounds while another group was inside. The architecture of the outside of the grounds was so beautiful in contrast to the horrible injustices it sat on top of. We learned a lot about the African symbology on the architecture. When we got inside, we watched a very moving video about how the Africans living in New York during the time lived. Inside the grounds, there were pictures and various objects to interact with. I would love to go back to the African Burial Grounds again in the future and I am thankful for the opportunity I got during freshman seminar.

Alcoholism

The first group to present in my class was the group who decided to give a presentation on underage drinking. It was a great opening to the group projects because it really grabbed the attention of the class. Howard is supposed to be a "dry campus" but I know plenty of people who know how to sneak alcohol in and I've even seen it done. I don't drink, but a lot of my friends do so this issue is very important to me. Just last weekend, my friend from Florida got blackout drunk (on Four Loko) and decided to drive. He ended up crashing his car and got picked up by the police. Overall, I think that the fact that drinking isn't allowed until a certain age, makes it seem like a forbidden fruit to a lot of people, so then they really want to try it.

PWIs Vs HBCU

One of the groups in my freshman seminar class gave a presentation about the differences between PWIs and HBCUs. This was one of the more interesting presentations to me because this was the decision I had to make before deciding to come to Howard. I've attended predominately white schools all of my life, so to me, it was really important to come to Howard for undergrad. One of the girls in the group made a good point that many undergrads at Howard and other HBCUs don't wish to attend an HBCU for grad school, as if attending an HBCU is a fun experience but in order to justify attending one, one must attend a white grad school. For med school, I do intend to go to a white school back home in Florida, but not for the reasons the group brought up. It simply would be cheaper for me to do so and after spending a large amount of money on Howard for undergrad, it would be nice to save money.

Self Reflection

During the course of this class, I have learned many things. Even though I'm not a freshman, I had a lot of fun in this class. My favorite professor had to be Dr. Carr and I even signed up to take one of his classes next semester. One of my favorite moments in this class was going to New York for the African Burial Ground trip. I learned a lot about my ancestors and what they went through just to survive in the beginnings of this country. I also loved the guest speakers. I wouldn't mind listening to any of them speak again.

Faculty Interview - Dr. Eleanor M. King

Why is gentrification such a big issue?

Gentrification is a big issue because when middle class owners start moving into an area, housing prices start going up, often forcing long-term residents out because they cannot afford the new property taxes. These residents will start moving into the city where the tax is lower creating an over population in the city, creating more issues.

Dr. King also provided us with a number of statistics as well as graphs for our research project.

HBCU's vs. PWI's - Jahna Carolina

The group Los Colores did a very informational research project on HBCU’s vs. PWI’s. An HBCU is a Historically Black College or Institution and a PWI is a Predominantly White Institution. They mainly highlighted the many stigmas’ that are related to HBCU’s. According to peers that do not attend HBCU’s, they feel that Black Institutions do not focus their attention on academic but instead on partying. I do not feel that this is true at all. Howard University is a very prestigious University that is very concerned with our grades. They stand as the most prestigious HBCU so that stereotype is far from the truth. Another concept they covered was that our peers at Howard University would not want to continue their education at another HBCU. They want to be able to say that they were a well-rounded student so most of them will further their education at a PWI. Although, I learned a great deal about stereotypes that come with HBCU’s, I felt that Los Colores went into too much detail when explaining their research topic. I feel that they could’ve slimmed down their presentation to ten minutes instead of 20.  I did enjoy the beginning part where they translated their purpose of the research in both Spanish and English. It added a nice touch to their presentation. 

Jahna Carolina

HBCU vs PWI

Over the years I've been spending time at a mostly white school, I have been hearing all sorts of stereo typoes about HBCUs, I knew that they werte wrong but after a while you start to think if they are right. When I came to howard I learned that most of the stereotypes about HBCUs were wrong. The presentation that was done about the HBCUs vs PWIs, was on point to me. Many of the people, white or black, who attend PWI look down upon HBCUs saying that our academics are weak and that we have no diversity. They were all wrong Howard is a fine academic establishment filled with some of the worlds brightest minds, and Howard is very diverse we have students from all parts of the United states and all over the world. One thing thats a testiment to that is that the Howard University Carribean Student Association or HUCSA is the biggest group on campus. The presentation was well done and it covered all of the negative stigmas alot of the people who dont go to HBCUs think aobut HBCUs. This was my favorite project out of all of the Projects that were done in out area.

Christian Nestor

Self Assesment

This year in freshman Seminar I have learned many things about african american culture. The presentation by Dr. Carr was the most memorable presentation for me because I was able to learn the reason why Africa was where all of the great civilizations came from. He explained that there were african influences on every single civilization including the greeks. Citing the fact that the greeks learned how to compute the pythagorean thorem from the ancient egypotians who ended up building the pyramids. Also another highlight from freshman seminar is the trip to new york when we went to new york I was able to learn about african barial grounds and why they were sacred. The sacredness of the site was truely moving. Also the fact that the staff allowed us to hang out in the Bronx for hours was great I visited Rucker park the site where famous basketball players like LeBron James and Ron Artest played. In the end I am very satisfied at with freshman seminar. Freshman Seminar was great for me beacuse I learned a great deal of information in the class.

Christian Nestor

Dion Robbins Self Assesment

Freshmen seminar as whole has defiantly been an experience. Coming into this I did not expect freshmen seminar to be the way it was. I thought freshmen seminar was just going to be a one credit class where you came in and talked about your freshmen experience and got tips on how to make it better. At some times I did feel as though we were doing to much for a one credit class, but in the end now that I think about it, it really wasn’t that bad. Overall I enjoyed freshmen seminar at times. Some of the lecturers were defiantly boring but in the end I could appreciate them for taking the time out to come and speak to us. Many of the speakers, if not all, came with a very good message for us freshmen to take away with us. They taught and spoke about many things that I never knew about. I feel as though after every speaker I left knowing something’s I didn’t know before I came in the auditorium. I think that the best part of freshmen seminar was the trip to New York to the African burial ground. I really enjoyed the place and learned about something I never knew about. I had never heard of the burial ground and never knew it existed. The entire exhibit was very interesting and educational. If you left there without more knowledge then you wasted your time. Traveling there was defiantly something that enlightened me a lot and something that I will always remember.

Presentation on PWI's & HBCU's

Today’s group really did it. I enjoyed what they talked about and it was something that I could really relate too. The group talked about the comparison of Historically black colleges and university to that of predominantly white institutions. I could relate to a lot that was being said in the presentation because for one, I am a student at a Historically black university and I plan on going to a predominantly white institution for graduate school. In the presentation they talked about the reasoning why many of the people at historically black colleges plan on going to predominantly white schools because they feel as though it will balance out there resumes. It will show that they are able to prosper in many different types of environments. I feel the same way. I’m attending Howard University coming from a predominantly white school in Williamstown, NJ by way of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The time spent in the majority white school in jersey made me want to go a Historically Black college or university But afterwards I do plan on going to a predominantly white school because I feel as thought it will make things easier for me when it comes time to look for a job. It’s not to say that I don’t feel a education at a historically black college or university will suffice but I feel as though in the “white” working world it will make things better for me and I will always have love for Howard University though.

Self-Reflection - Jahna Carolina

I have greatly enjoyed Freshman Seminar. I have learned many things that I will be able to take with me and apply for the rest of my life. I enjoyed the lectures given by all of the professors. I honestly did not think that I would learn as much as I did in Freshman Seminar. Each week was a new lesson that I was eager to learn. Each lecturer had their own way of captivating the audience. I appreciate the fact that these professors went out of their way to share their thoughts and ideas with the class. This class has also made me so proud to say that I go to Howard University. All the great people that attended this school truly make it an honor to even attend Howard. There are so many rich and cultural lessons that I have learned that would not have happened if I had chosen to go to any other school. This course has allowed me so many opportunities, like going to the African Burial Grounds in New York. That experience really helped me relate to my culture and I cannot thank you enough for allowing me that opportunity. This research project has allowed me to be a better researcher and has taught me more about different issues that affect the black community. I enjoyed listening to everyone else’s research projects and the topics they chose to research. I feel that I have a more understanding of myself as well as my school just by enrolling in this class.

Jahna Carolina 

Presentation On Underage Drinking - Jahna Carolina

Teen drinking has become a major epidemic within college communities. There is too much underage drinking behind closed doors on college campuses. This excess of drinking has led to at least 5,000 deaths per year as we learned in the presentation. Not only is it causing adolescent deaths but it is also causing an increase in risky behaviors. Many teens engage in activities that they normally would not do if they were sober. When drinking, you lose all inhibitions causing you to do unruly things. Some teens become angry when having had too much to drink. This can cause them to fight with others that could possibly severely injure the victim. Sometimes these fights can get out of hand and can result in possible jail time. I knew some of these effects of drinking prior to this presentation but I did not realize how serious this epidemic has become. I think that the group did a wonderful job engaging the audience. They provided many graphs and chart to give us a visual feel for how underage drinking has risen throughout the years. I appreciated the fact that the group took the time to make their presentation visually appealing. It forced the audience to pay attention and really listen to what they had to say. I also enjoyed that for each topic discussed regarding teenage drinking, they had a song that represented that topic. I found that very creative. After watching their presentation it motivated me to add more slides to my presentation to make it more visually appealing.

Jahna Carolina