My Big Homie, who is 15, put together a slide show presentation from his research on the Negro Act of 1740. Feel free to take this 5 minute trip through history and pass on to others that could use the knowledge.
Stay tuned for more vids from The Tribe, as Daddy-Teacher is quite behind on editing and grading their projects, but “I’m still learning” myself!
I want to give a big thank you this Veterans Day to every Black man and woman that served in the United States military. It is ironic that patriotism and racism go together like baseball and hot dogs in the good old USA, as those who scream the loudest saying, “Support our troops!”, often care little about the domestic polices and de facto racism that keeps their “heroes” from living the very American dream that they are told to fight for and export to nations around the world.
The Black soldier lined up to fight the British in 1775, even while they were being enslaved! To add insult to injury, many of the Black soldiers fought in the so-called Revolutionary War “in place of their masters, fighting for a freedom they would never see for themselves. (In many cases, their enlistment bonuses or even their pay went straight to their masters.)
At the time of the Civil War, Fredrick Douglass argued that the Black soldier could help the North win the war, but Abraham Lincoln did not want armed Black slaves (and you were taught in school that he wanted to free the slaves right?). He later gave in, but imagine the horrific torture that awaited a Black Union soldier that was captured by the Confederate army? The Black soldier did not receive equal pay for his fighting, and heroes like Robert Smalls proved that the Black soldier really was as smart as the White soldier, which was a common stereotype of the time as well as today (e.g. “IQ tests”). These Black soldiers would soon be placed back into second-class citizenship in the U.S., as the Union and Confederate states sought reconciliation with one another, not the men and women that it had enslaved for over 250 years. Those same Black soldiers, like other formerly enslaved Black Americans, didn’t receive their ”40 acres and a mule”. That land was given back to the very people they had just fought against just years prior.
Fast forward to WWI, right in the midst of the Nadir period for civil rights, as Black Americans were “free” but certainly not equal, so many Black men enlisted to fight, “the War Department had to stop accepting black volunteers because the quotas for African Americans were filled.” “African American men who owned their own farms and had families were often drafted before single white employees of large planters. Although comprising just ten percent of the entire United States population, blacks supplied thirteen percent of inductees.” They returned to a nation who’s cities erupted with race riots that stole black wealth (Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921) and lynchings and sundown towns.
By WWII, Black Americans still enlisted and desired to fight so-call fascism with pride. However, how embarrassing was it for the USA to be called out on its hypocrisy by none other than…Hitler. He noted that the USA’s treatment of the Negro set an example for how Germany must deal with “foreign Jews”. They returned home after WWII still subjected to Jim Crow segregation, more race riots, and once again, unequal pay, as 1.2 million soldiers were not able to take advantage of their GI Bill and be free to move into the newly formed suburbs which would soon create an even wider wealth gap through housing that remains firmly entrenched into the 21st century. The result, the Black soldier’s family could not benefit from sacrifice that he made for his country not just with housing, but because they were also unable to use the money for college tuitions or business loans. To add insult to atrocity, many were attacked by Whites as they were on their way home from the war.
How much changed by the Vietnam War for the Black soldier? I think you know the answer, as the 1960s are the one period of time most American’s did learn about in school as the “Civil Rights Era”, due to the assignation of Dr. Martin Luther King. Black Vietnam veterans, as after every other war, returned to segregated communities and “their place” in society. However, this time, the situation was in the process of changing. Some of these veterans returned home determined to now make this country live up to the promise it had been making to prior Black veterans for generations.
How will we look at the time of service for those who served in Desert Storm or the so-called Iraqi War and years of fighting the “War on Terror”? Fifty years from now, will we look back and note their time of service at the time when Black men and women were being shot and killed by police officers and the officers continuously get found “not guilty”? Will we see that they served at a time when “White Extremists” in their own country, are considered more dangerous than the terrorist they were fighting in the Middle East?
In my opinion, the Black veteran is the epitome of an American patriot. Perhaps they have never fought for what America actually was to them, but for what America always promised it would be to them and their offspring for their service.
For that, I sincerely say, thank you for your service.
Cool Pappa
Recently, I’ve been reading The Revolt Of The Black Athlete, by Dr. Harry Edwards. Early
in the first chapter, the term “Uncle Tom” was used often, which got me thinking. Do
people know the history of the term “Uncle Tom” and do they know why it should not be
used in the first place? So, in the following, I will be answering these questions and be
replacing “Uncle Tom” with another term that I suggest should be used.
The origins of “Uncle Tom” comes from the anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life
Among the Lowly (usually shortened to Uncle Tom’s Cabin). The novel is about Uncle Tom
and the characters around him, starting with Uncle Tom, a Black man enslaved on a farm
owned Arthur Shelby. Author faced the threat of losing his farm, so he and his wife,
Emily, decided to sell Tom and another slave, Harry, to a slave trader. Harry’s mother,
Eliza, who was Emily’s maid, overheard Arthur and Emily talking about selling Harry
and Tom. So she escaped with Harry before they could sell her son. Tom on the other
hand, was sold to the slave trader, much to the dislike of Arthur’s son, George, who will
show up in the
story later on. Tom is put on a riverboat and is traveling down the Mississippi River
when he saves a little white girl from drowning. The little girl, Evangeline St. Clare, who,
in my opinion, is the white savior in the story, convinces her father, Augustine, to buy
Tom from the slave trader. After two years with the St. Clares, Evangeline (or Eva) dies
from an illness, and her father vows to free Tom. Instead, he ends up being sold by
Augustine’s wife after he was stabbed outside a tavern. Tom is sold to a man named
Simon Legree, the main antagonist in the story. Simon Legree begins to hate Tom when
he refuses to whip his fellow slave. Legree beats Tom and sets his goal on crushing Tom’s
faith in God, but Tom keeps reading the Bible and comforting the other slaves. But after a
while on the plantation, Tom begins to question his faith in God, until he has two visions,
one of Jesus and the other of Evangeline, which resolves his faith in God. After this, he
encourages two slaves to escape, in which they do. Legree demands Tom tells him where
they went, but Tom doesn’t say anything. Therefore, Legree orders that his overseers,
Quimbo and Sambo, who went from slaves to overseers by betraying other slaves,
whip Tom to death. They both repent after seeing Tom’s character while he was dying.
Shortly before Tom dies, George Shelby, the son of Arthur Shelby earlier in the story,
comes to the plantation to free Tom but finds out it’s too late.
The characteristics of a so-called “Uncle Tom” does not match up with the one in the
story. Uncle Tom did not betray his race, instead, he did two main things that are against
what a so-called “Uncle Tom” would do. One: he refused to denounce something he
believed in, which was God, even while the white man was beating him, Second, he
unlike Quimbo and Sambo, refused to snitch on runaway slaves. So instead of using the
term “Uncle Tom” to describe someone who may be so-called “selling out their race”,
Sambo is a more accurate term. Sambo, like his counterpart, Quimbo, went from being a
slave to a Black overseer by betraying slaves. The term “Sambo” originally was used
for people that were mixed with Black and Native American ancestry, but then became a
term used for anyone that has Black and white ancestry. In the story Sambo was a part of
the wrongdoing committed by Legree. So when a Black person defends the wrongdoing of
a white person, the person is not an Uncle Tom, but actually a Sambo.
In my opinion, the term “Uncle Tom” should not be used any longer, and perhaps Dr.
Harry Edwards, and many other writers, use the term to convey the message
about someone who betrays or speaks out against, fellow Black people. I think the term
should be replaced with “Sambo”, a more accurate term. Some, if not most, have been
misinformed about the origins of “Uncle Tom”, and I hope we can be more accurate in our
terminology in the future when we discuss Black people who are considered to be
betrayers of other Black people, or who defend the unjust actions done to Black people by
other so-called racial groups.
Lexi had the opportunity to present to her college class this week and decided to talk about the Evolution of Blackface. Perfect timing, as we had just watched Spike Lee’s Bamboozled a few weeks prior, but this was going to be a particularly “interesting” topic before a majority white classroom.
She has allowed me to repost her presentation outline (so it does not read like an essay) here on our site. Actually, that is the whole point that I’m teaching her, it is HER work! We write so many papers and do so much research for teachers or our employers, but it is our work, and something in us that we should share for our own purposes and not the benefit of others.
I must also say CONGRATULATIONS to my girl. In one month, she graduates with her Associate’s degree right after clocking the odometer over to her 18th birthday. Since she’s is going to be an English guru, hopefully she can edit dad’s sloppy grammar here on the site (and get him to write more) as well.
Topic: The Evolution of Blackface
Specific Purpose: To Inform my COM 206 class on the evaluation of blackface.
Central Idea: Everyone believes that blackface ended in the 1980’s, but there are still many examples of its presence online and in the news. From its racial beginning, controversial middle, and still foreseeable future.
INTRODUCTION
Attention-getter: Lisa R. Pruitt looked at her 1985 yearbook she edited when she was an undergraduate at the University of Arkansas. She was looking to see if any of the students appeared in blackface. After everything that has been starting to surface from other people’s college years, Pruitt believed she would find some photos depicting the same thing. After some searching, she was surprised to see that there weren’t any, but wouldn’t be surprised if she would have some.
Relevance to audience: The controversy about blackface has been spreading in the news lately, and this issue is one that is important to understand. Not only to judge future politicians and clothing, but to understand history as a whole.
Preview of speech: So, I will give a quick overview of how blackface came to be, what was happening with college students in the 80s, and how it’s being used in the 21st century.
(Let’s first start with the quick history.)
BODY
(Now that we know some history, let’s jump to the 80s. Where blackface flared until it died, our so we thought.)
(Now after this time period of college rebellion, we enter the 21st century. This is when we start to see another rise of blackface, but in a different form.)
CONCLUSION
Summary Statement: To conclude, blackface is still very much alive and well. Even though we think that no one uses blackface anymore; brands still release clothing that are blatantly racist. Famous comedians today also have put on blackface, yet they seem to be surprisingly quite during this blackface controversy toward the Virginia governor.
Audience Response Statement: Staying on top of this situation is important to understand how your century thinks. Will you still feel the same way you did when you shopped at Gucci before the sweater outrage, or will you know feel disgusted to own their products?
WOW Statement: We can’t get to a world of no racism, it is virtually impossible. But things as blatant as Gucci’s sweater can be resolved with a little common sense and understanding of history.
This is America
Childish Gambino’s “This is America” music video has swept the nation with its poetic lyrics and its hidden messages. The song has only been out for a week (as of this writing) and the music video already has over 139 million views on YouTube. With its growing popularity, I have decided to compare this music video to Neely Fuller’s view of entertainment. Also, breakdown the contents and significance of his music video.
Background of the Music Video
The music video takes place in a warehouse, and starts out with a guitar on a chair as a black man comes, picks it up and sits in the chair. The camera moves and you see Childish Gambino standing and as the music plays, he starts to dance. He dances towards the man, who before was sitting down playing the guitar, but now has a bag over his head. When Childish Gambino is right behind him, he pulls out a pistol and shoots him. He then hands the gun over to a teenager in a school uniform and starts dancing again. While dancing, teens come and start dancing behind him. Also, while they dance, you can see that there is rioting going on in the background along with a police car.
After, the camera shifts and you are in a room, and a church choir is singing. Then Childish Gambino comes in and starts dancing while they sing. And while they sing, Childish Gambino stops and is tossed an automatic rifle and shoots the choir, which could refer to church shootings. He then hands the rifle to the same teen he handed the pistol to. He dances out of the room and in the background, there is more rioting. Then he dances some more while the rioting goes on around him, then the camera shifts and you see the teenage dancers start dancing again. After a while, the camera shifts again revealing teenagers with bandanas while holding their phones, appearing to be filming the riot. Then the camera moves to show Childish Gambino and the teenage dancers dancing again, and still in the background you can see that the rioting is still going on. Then you see a white horse pass by with a white guy riding it. Then the teenage dancers dance in a circle around Childish Gambino, seeming confused, but is shocked when Childish Gambino acts like he shoots a gun. Then while everyone is running you hear a faint scream. Then Gambino lights a cigar and walks away.
After, the scene changes to Gambino walking up a car and standing on top of it. Then starts dancing on it while the camera zooms out, and shows old cars surrounding him and the black man who got shot in the chair (earlier in the video) and a woman sitting on a car. Then the camera shifts to a scene where he’s running from white people.
Dancing in the Music Video
The dancing in the music video is very African centered. When Childish Gambino is about to shoot the Black man playing the guitar, he poses by putting his butt back and putting his right hand on his hip. I assume he got this pose from a Jim Crow poster of a Black man doing the same thing.
Lyrics in the Song
When the song begins, you hear what seems to be Africans singing, they may be singing to the Europeans that come to “colonize” them. Also, when they reveal Childish Gambino, he starts singing, “We just want to party, party just for you. We just want the money, money just for you.” The “you” may refer to America, and how Americans just want to party and want money all the time. Then when there was rioting going on behind him, he says, “Police be tripping now.” Very likely referring to the police killings and beatings on Black people. Also, while the rioting is going on behind him, he says, “Yeah, yeah, this is guerilla.” Meaning guerilla warfare, referring to the riot that was going on.
Does the Song Fit Neely Fuller’s View of Entertainment and Does It Promote Justice?
In Neely Fuller’s book The United Independent Compensatory Code/System/Concept: A Compensatory Counter-Racist Code, it says, “During the existence of White Supremacy, always expect most so-called “entertainment” for Non-White people to be, basically, pitiful, primitive, stupid, and/or silly.” So, the question is, does the song make Non-White (specifically so-called Black) people look pitiful, primitive, stupid, and/or silly?
It may be viewed a little silly (since during the music video, Childish Gambino has no shirt on), but I don’t view it as making Black people look pitiful, primitive, or stupid. Also in Neely Fuller’s book, he says, “Do not “dance,” or participate in so-called “group-dancing” unless all of the persons participating have a collective understanding of what the “dancing” is designed to produce, in regards to the result.” Since it seems that Childish Gambino (and his background dancers) meant for this song to point out all the disorder in America, I think the song fulfilled its purpose. Now for the important question, does the song promote and/or produce justice? I think that the song may promote justice, in the sense that it may get people to think about all the disorder in America.
The song itself is good (even though it does say one curse word). If the black (i.e. Non-White) people watching it were to look at the video in close detail, I think people will be shocked at what they find. All in all, I think the music video does produce justice and sends a wakeup call to the nation.
This has been my thoughts and observations of the “This is America” music video. I hope you enjoyed this blog post and learned something while reading it.
-Big Homie
ROCKLIN (CBS13) — A 12-year-old Rocklin boy is speaking out on issues of bullying and racism at his elementary school, CBS13 reports.
Daniel Pocklington addressed the Rocklin school board Wednesday night after his family says a number of incidents were not handled appropriately.
“I want there to be a policy where there’s no hate speech and bullying at Rocklin schools; it’s not fair,” he said.
Daniel bravely took to the podium Wednesday night begging the school board to listen.
“I’m here to talk about what it’s like to be an African American boy in your school. I’ve been hit, chased, thrown down, and called the N-word several times this year.”
“It’s hard for me to find a safe way to go to school and actually feel important. It keeps happening and I don’t feel safe, or that it will get better,” he said.
Daniel was adopted at birth and now at 12, he’s a fifth-grader at Rock Creek Elementary. His family says he gets good grades, is part of student council and on the school’s cross country track team. But his school life has been tough.
“Someone just left a note on my desk again with the N-word. And it makes me think, why does this keep happening to me, like what have I done to people to make them do this to me?” said Daniel.
He says on a number of occasions he’s been bullied, thrown down, kicked and called racial slurs.
“It felt really bad, it felt like you got shot right through the heart. It felt like you didn’t mean anything in the world,” he said.
“He said ‘This is what life is gonna be for me, Mom, and I can’t accept that,’” said Daniel’s mother Adrien Pocklington.
Pocklington says she’s tried speaking with the district and the school’s principal.
“He said he was handling it, that they were doing one-day in-school suspension and I said ‘that’s not enough, that’s not teaching my child that he matters and that the school isn’t gonna tolerate it,’” said Pocklington.
Daniel says he speaking up because it hurts more to hold it in and he knows there are other students feeling the same way but too afraid to speak up.
“I feel like my friends deserve a better way to go to school and feel safe,” he said.
And that strength earned him a standing ovation Wednesday night at the school board meeting.
“They’re not being held accountable, if your punishment isn’t working, change your punishment. If we don’t start now they’re not gonna have the confidence or strength to stand up for themselves,” said Daniels mother.
The Rocklin school district released this statement:
We are aware of instances regarding offensive behavior at one of our elementary schools. Each allegation was addressed immediately with an investigation and appropriate disciplinary actions taken when appropriate. Following the final instance, the principal met that day with all 5th grade students to speak seriously about a variety of related topics including tolerance and acceptance. The Rocklin Unified School District is a place where we build people up and celebrate each other, and embrace our diversity. We will continue to work together with all our families, students and staff to reach that aim.
Today’s Lesson: Tuesday is Black TV Dad Tuesday. So today, the kids take notes comparing episodes of Good Times (James Evans), Bill Cosby Show (Heathcliff Huxtable) Fresh Prince of Bel Air (Uncle Phil), and Everybody Hates Chris (Julius). They are analyzing the role the Black father has inside the home. How is he portrayed? How is he different than Dre on Blackish (one of the few Black dads currently on TV)? What is his role in the family? Does he fit or promote stereotypes the dominant society has about Black men?
I will be sure to share what the young superstars come up with here!
Cool Pappa
I get mad when someone says that a spider is poisonous, which they are not, they are venomous. I would like to show you the difference between poison (or poisonous) and venom (or venomous).
First off, let’s talk about poison. So, what exactly defines poison? Well, poison is something that you have to touch in order to get sick. Like, if you touch a poison dart frog, you are already infected. The poison goes through your skin and gets into your blood then travels around the body. There are different levels of poison, there are poisons that are harmless to humans and poison that will kill you. But either way, you might want to stay away from anything that’s poisonous, definitely if your allergic.
Ok, now we’re into the animals like snakes, spiders, and scorpions. Venom has to be injected into you for you to be in potential danger. Now, just like poison, there are different levels of venom. There’s venom from a honey bee sting (yes, if you didn’t know before, every bee, as far as I know, has venom), which isn’t that dangerous unless you are allergic. Then there’s venom like that of Inland Taipan, which is the most venomous snake in the world. One bite worth of venom is enough to kill 100 grown men (luckily, an antivenom was created in 1955). So, yeah stay away from South Australia if you don’t want to meet this snake.
Well, I hope you all learned something in this blog post and enjoyed it, and I also hope you learned the difference between poison (poisonous) and venom (venomous).
By Big Homie.
A two and a half years ago I decided I wanted to workout with my Dad at the gym. Not because I liked to workout, but because I wanted bigger biceps and I wanted to lose some body fat. I would occasionally go to the gym with him, but he would work me so hard it didn’t make working out fun. When we moved out to Arizona, my family and I were writing our goals for the next year, and I decided I wanted to get in shape.
I have made great improvements since the first day I walked into the gym, which my Dad calls the Iron Temple. When I went to the gym the first day, I went in with specific goals, but after a year my goals changed and I focused more on my muscle growth then my body fat. I now like to flex my biceps and calfs to see the muscles pop out. My best improvement by far is the Leg Press, I have gone from 90 lbs to 360 lbs. The pain has now become tolerable, and sometimes I welcome it. My Dad has helped a lot in making me not quit because there are days where I just don’t feel like moving. Mayoclinic.org says that exercising can improve your mood, boosts energy, promotes better sleep, and if you join a group or go with friends can be fun and social. About two years ago my mom and I went to two group workouts with some friends. I liked one class and my mom liked the other so we were usually split. Most of the time in the middle of the class I would want to rest or quit but I felt an obligation to keep going and being the youngest in the class, I didn’t want the older people to see me give up. So being in a group can really help with your motivation.
When most people think of working out they think of a very painful and time-consuming activity, but it doesn’t have to be. If you like keeping track of your improvements then you can keep track of the amount of weight you use. If you like getting rewards you can set goals for yourself. Like everytime you workout you can have some chocolate milk or a piece of candy. Working out doesn’t have to be boring, just find ways to make it fun and comfortable for you.
-Lexi
First I have to say, Happy New Year to you as we enter 2018. No way to not date a blog post as you can look right at the date of the post right?
After a long 2017, I’m very glad to at least have the opportunity for a new start. This year, I’m all about trying to get more content posted. One error I may have made in prior years was not posting in the midst of struggles as I want to help others through the hardships of homeschooling as well. Over the years, people have said, “It’s so easy for you all to do it, but for me…” and then the excuses start flowing. Well, let me tell you, it’s not so easy for us.
The 2017-2018 school year started with me taking over the role as the sole educator. My wife is focusing on building her career as a doula. Therefore, I started teaching my 13-year-old, 11-year-old and to a certain extent, my 16-year-old as well (much less work is required with her as she is in college full-time right now as well). This has been more challenging than I first anticipated for a number of reasons.
First, my “9 to 5” workload did not see the expected decrease. For over a year, I have been playing more of a significant role in our group after the loss of two veteran colleagues. That means more meetings (some useful, most not) and more responsibility to make sure money gets made and customers notice very little of our internal changes.
Second, my Big Homie and Boney have completely different learning styles (although I am hearing there is no such thing…more on that in a future post) from each other and different motivations than my oldest two. While this should be obvious, unlike society’s school, my job is to motivate, meet and lead them in their optimal learning sphere, not just from my learning sphere, a curriculum or other students sphere. Big Homie, once he focuses and if he’s engaged, is a tremendous problem solver. The struggle is to keep him focused. Of course, I’m so glad to be his teacher because if he were in society’s school, he’d likely be doped up on meds to make him “conform”, I mean…pay attention. Boney’s attention span is equally short as well, but she struggles with reading so more hands-on help is necessary for focus and explanation of lessons.
I’m going to be honest with all of you. I confess that there have been many nights I have felt like a failure.
As I have been focusing on work, other household challenges and my own health, there have been too many nights I have gone to bed feeling like I should have done more. I have been trying to at least get seven hours of sleep before starting my 6 A.M. workday in the home office, but that means I’ve gone to bed knowing I need to check work, but I’m exhausted and just don’t have much in me to push through.
I am a big goal person, so now this is one of my top priorities for 2018. I have a personal standard to do better because they deserve more and I know I can do much better. Don’t get me wrong, I think they have learned a ton over the last four months but I know we can do more and accomplish more.
So let me start this year by remembering one of my favorite Fredrick Douglas quotes,
“If there is no struggle there is no progress.“
I am standing on that quote right now. If you are homeschooling and struggling, or wondering if you can do this, I want you to stand on it as well. No, this is not easy financially; it takes time, resources, energy to bring it EVERY DAY. There are no days off in this game. But we focus on the payoff at the end of the race, knowing that the years will be gone before we know it. We will look back knowing we have left our footprints in the drying cement of their hearts and minds. My size 12s are there, flat-feet and all saying,
“You have been taught at an incredible price because you are a worthy investment. Live like one and carry our new tradition from generation to generation. A new family tree and legacy with minds filled by Dad.”
It is not easy, but thank God for the grace to keep striving to get it right and for seizing this new year he has given us.
Teach Them Right 