Unearthing Hidden Literacy

In the reading, Unearthing Hidden Literacy, Lyillie Gayle Smith stated, “… the journey of discovery has led me to a deeper appreciation and understanding of past experiences and present perspectives.” I can identify with this statement on a personal level. I am a product of a single parent household. While growing up in this environment I did not realize its significance until I was much older. My experience is very much similar to that of Smith’s. She explores her Black Women’s Literacy’s class as her basis of her truly understanding what it meant to pick cotton as a child. Since, I have been in college just like Smith I am now able to take a bad situation and realize all the good out of it. I can now say that it was a blessing in disguise. I am now humbled and I don’t take anything for granted. The freshman dorm that I stay in has no air. While others were complaining during the adjustment, I reminisced on the times when growing up I was without air a few times due to hardship. But, I survived and I can now say in my current home it feels good to have air in the summer and heat in the winter. I am able to identify and empathize with people much easier due to the struggle I endured growing up.
I realize that single parent-hood is not the way to go and I don’t want my children to struggle the way that I did but, I also realize it was a part of making me who I am today and I have a great appreciation for that. Just as Smith realized how much she truly learned from a negative experience, so did I. Looking back on the experience it was one of the best experiences of my life.
-Erica Paige

The "Reel" Story: "Reel Women: Black Women and Literacy in Feature Films"

Dowdy’s account of Black women’s literacy as it relates to the film industry is very eye opening. Through the use of a graduate class that focused on “Black Women and Literacy”, Dowdy honed in on the utility provided by book sense and common sense. In movies such as “Sarafina” and “The Color Purple”, Dowdy along with her students examines the ways in which Black women are depicted in movies. The identities taken on by Black actresses are that of low socioeconomic stature, and illiteracy. Furthermore, the characters that are depicted as literate do not possess enough clout to be noticed for her important role. This piece opened my eyes to the underlying messages that are sent out through these movies. Mainstream production companies often recycle the same demeaning portrayals of Black women. This fact is stated by Dowdy in the beginning of her essay. “There is no ‘material difference’ (Brown, 2002) in the lives of Black people in the United States in the last 100 years” (Pg 163). Dowdy encourages her students to analyze videos critically. As a result, her students are no longer ignorant to the subliminal images and messages being conveyed in movies that depict Black women in a particular light. I find Dowdy’s cross-case analysis to be the most jaw dropping portion of her essay. She shines light on the characters played in all nine movies she examines, “They serve White people in some capacity and are rewarded according to the sacrifices they make to earn a living under existing socioeconomic structures” (Pg 174). After reading this, and mentally examining each movie I had viewed, I was left in awe at my obliviousness to such a key factor in the way I viewed Black films. After reading Dowdy’s essay, I will now view films with a critical eye and an open mind. Today, there is an emerging image of Black women that speaks of success, intelligence and not of oppression and ignorance. Actresses such as Sanaa Lathan and Gabrielle Union have aided in creating this image of an intellectual and dominant woman. I praise them for their choice of roles to play. I find their roles to be empowering and uplifting. In movies they star in, downfalls and shortcoming are still examined; however, they are not overtaken by them. Rather, they overcome them. I am enlightened by Dowdy’s essay. I am empowered.
-Aminta Parker

While reading the article "She was Workin like Foreal" by Elaine Richardson, I found the topic to be very recurrent. Prior to reading this article, I’ve had discussion about this same topic: Do rap videos degrade Black women? This topic is brought up a lot in the black community however and it has brought much controversy. I was about 12 or 13 and in eighth grade when the song came out. I heard the song before I saw the video and I liked the song even though, back then, I didn’t know what the lyrics were about or really cared. All I knew was that it was a popular song at the time. I remember when the video came out and how kids in my eighth grade class, mostly the boys, would talk about the video was cool and how they liked it. I also remember so of my girl classmates talking about how they know how to do the dance that the women in the video were doing. About a year ago I saw the video for the first time and I thought it was very lude and distasteful. But the lyrics of the song were basically portrayed out in the video, but I don’t say that to condone the actions of the video, I just feel that most rappers rap about money, cars, and girls and all three were in video. But looking back on the time when I was 13, and listening to my peers say they enjoy s images like that at such a young age it troubles me because those images are not positive and the youth are inspired but what they see on television. Richardson does point this out in her article, basically saying how the images in the media can be the most influential things to young children. More specifically rappers and the “models” that are in the video. If a young sees that image of a black man in nice clothing and with women surrounding him, the boy is going to think if he (someday) has the same clothes or same car women will be all over him, which is not true. Also if a young girl sees an image of a woman in a video dancing and is surrounded by men and getting the attention, she’ll think that if she dresses like the video model or if she dances like the video model she’ll get the same attention which is not positive attention. If more positive images of black people were put into the media kids would what to aspire to be more than rappers and video dancers.
-Candice Frazier

While reading the chapter "Going Against the Grain", there was a lot of information making it hard to single in on one thing, but one thing that stood out to me was during slavery, the white leaders and politicians such as Thomas Jefferson, John Locke, and Adam Smith who wanted equal treatment and rights that "were based on being human , rather than on being rich or poor, royal or common even inherently good or evil."(117) However they owed very large slave plantations and when they died, specifically Jefferson's death, he did not allow is slave to be free instead his family member inherited the slaves. I find it to be very hypocritical to not believe in something yet still actively participate in it. Another president who disliked slavery was John Adam. He disliked slavery but "made no attempt...to bring about any change to the system."(119). In order to abolish slavery there had to be a white leader who had an impact on other leader to gain enough support from them, to show them the harm that slavery was doing to the African American peoples. In some parts of the south, African-Americans outnumbered their white counter parts, and I do believe that if blacks rose up to the challenge of equal rights and disregarded their master’s commands and started a revolution, slavery would not have last as long as it did. But factors of oppression and the teachings of "lesser than" was put into the minds of the slaves, therefore making them actually believe that they were incapable of getting respect in the nation and achieving greatness. Also while reading this chapter I noticed that the white leaders and politicians who didn't support slavery were glorified in text books. Thinking back to grade school, only the well know leaders in the white society didn't support slavery but there were some " average joes" who were against slavery and they protected slaves from the more aggressive and abusive slave owners, but they are hardly mentioned, but it is probably because they are unknown or purposely left out of history in order o give glory to the more famous people.
-Candice Frazier

Going Against the Grain

Going Against the Grain
By: Erica Paige

Going Against the Grain talks about the historical aspect of African-American women and their use of literacy in history. African American women are still today using the same literacies to further themselves in society. At the beginning of the piece, Maria Stewarts piece suggest African American women have understood the power of language and learning. That has carried from the 19th century to now in the 21st century. African American women are going against the grain of society and the oppressor. In the slave days African American women were used for and looked at as the only thing they could do with expertise is bare children. A lot of people still associate African American women with the issue of child bearing. As if she does not have the ability to do or be anything else of value.
African American women have also gone against the grain in relation to activism, which by the way can be considered literacy in itself. African American as a race has always been at the fore front of activism and advocacy, but especially the African American woman. Going Against the Grain talks about the beginning of activism with the obvious women: Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth but also women that came before them, Ellen Watkins Harper, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and many more. Just as they begin it, African American women have continued to be activist through the centuries. African American women continue the fight to be literate and have a place in this world. They have worked “against the grain” in more ways than one. Today, black women are using the same spirit as their ancestors to fight for justice and equality. They continue to know the importance of literacy and activism and “Going Against the Grain.”

Adaptations of the African-American Woman

“Going Against the Grain: The Acquisition and Use of Literacy”, written by Royster, reflects upon the common adaptations made by African-American women. Although the circumstances may differ, the ability of African-American women to survive and thrive has amazed me. “African-American women have been encumbered by racist, sexist, class-bound ideologies (Royster 109)”. Rather than proving themselves as capable individuals, African-American women have had to establish themselves as human beings. Viewed as animals, they were faced with the task of proving themselves deserving of humanity. So bluntly stated, it comes as a shock to me that African-American women could ever be viewed as undeserving of life. However, the women that faced such harsh judgment did not lie down and take the title they had been so undeservingly handed. Head down, braced for impact, they treaded steadily toward goals such as literacy, activism and leadership. Although discredited countless times, African-American women took a stand and paved a road whose foundation would be unshakable. As the battle for respect raged on, African-American women met doubt with triumph. Their ability to adapt is awe-inspiring. I find inspiration in the words of this essay. Reading this has inspired me to reach higher than the standard forms of literacy. In my educational future I will seek to create a form of literacy that will further distinguish African-American women from others. The key to adaptability is the acceptance of something greater. No longer can we accept things just as they are; we must accept things for how they will be in the future. African-American women are capable of great feats, as is apparent in this reading; therefore, we must continue the great legacy our foremothers lay the foundation for so many years ago. This essay has opened my eyes greatly to the achievements made by African-American women in the past. I look optimistically toward the future.
-Aminta Parker