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Patrick S. De Walt, M.B.A., Ph.D.

~ Communal Conversations for the Promotion of Active Critical Engagement

Patrick S. De Walt, M.B.A., Ph.D.

Category Archives: Blog

Victim Blaming Rationalization: Why Trayvon Martin is Symbolic for and of African American/Black Experiences in the United States.

30 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog, Racialization Impacts

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Blackness, Culture, Diversity, Education, expression, Florida, George Zimmerman, Identity, Inequity, Law(s), Race, Racial identity, racism, social critique, Trayvon Martin, victim blaming rationalization

Over the course of the many days, weeks, and months since the tragic death of a seventeen year old teen, much has been debated and said about what is justice in today’s United States. Color-lines have been drawn in many cases, as reactionary as they were during the Jim and Jane Crow Eras in this country. Sentiment remains mixed with an output of social consciousness and outrage. Protests in the streets and even a Presidential Address about race and its lingering effects on society have taken place. With all of this being said, there still seems to be something absent from the conversation. Something that is as systemic as the endemic racism that encapsulates this country even when many emphatically attempt to deny its existence.

“What is this item that I speak of?” you may now find yourself puzzlingly asking. It is the way that many of us have, due to the reality that “race” and “racism” are as “American” as “apple pie?” How dare I make such suggestions when we now have a “Black” president elected for not only one term, but two. Not when we post pictures of a “Black” First Lady and praise the couple’s two beautiful and charming “Black” daughters. We are in a post-racial society where we all need to be “color-blind” and just see each other as only human. Furthermore, we see only the “human race” as we are all “Americans,” so the story goes.

And let us not forget our Constitutional rights that are also at stake when we critically engage the tragedy that was not solely Trayvon Martin, but dare I say, George Zimmerman. For many who are of African descent and/or are starch allies, this utterance by one of their very own will seem outright blasphemous or a betrayal on the legacy of our shared struggle. Continuing to hide behind the scapegoat of the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms as some continue to champion. Since and even before 9/11, we remain fed heavy doses of fear through all forms of media. A land built on propaganda continues to manufacture reasons to shape and craft the thoughts of a society and the globe. What is this fear that I am now speaking of? The same fear that endured the antebellum plantations, the uprising of darker-skinned property, for at the time still not viewed as human. That task is still a work in progress; if you look hard enough you’ll still see measures of hatred and thoughts of superiority for no other reason than social dogma propagated for generations.

As history has told us, as it has been crafted within our educational textbooks, that the legacy of wrongdoing is still not ready to be fully addressed. We’ve had apologies and offered reparations for instances for select members of our Union yet we still find ways to avoid fully addressing the wrongs done to our Native community members. They, as the rest of “the minorities” must have done something wrong, right? They must not want to be successful? They don’t care about education? Why don’t they want to learn to speak proper English? Why don’t they… (I’ll let you fill in the blank). In each instance, one thing remains clear. We often will acknowledge there is a problem but how we perceive it beyond that is what I really want to address.

We call it, “victim blaming rationalization. A response to a social problem—such as injustice toward a minority group—that identifies the problem as a deficiency in the minority group and not a societal problem, as in ‘If poor people want to escape poverty they just have to be willing to work harder” (Koppelman & Goodhart, p. 42). In a similar vein, this is what often happens when race and racism are at the center of public debate. We don’t want to acknowledge the legacy that has driven the nation’s politics and social norms. We have short-term memories on who were discriminated against based on existing notions of privilege and whiteness within the society. Because by doing, so this often causes us to have to challenge or relinquish our own interests.

In a nation that politically and morally does what is in the best interest of itself– well, actually in the best interests of the wealthy and/or powerbrokers–in most that it does, we are confounded with fundamental issues. So when we see poverty, we blame the poor. When we see ignorance, we blame the uneducated. Yet we rarely make headway when we blame the system in which all of the social malfunctions are perpetuated and maintained. Because it will cause us to have to own the possibility that we have to sacrifice, have to struggle, have to actively become a part of the larger community without guarantee that we will get everything that our hearts desire. Interest theory explains why we discriminate and/or justify not supporting our community in the ways that we want the community to support us.

Why does any of this matter when it comes to victim-blaming rationalization and the tragedy that are the circumstances that envelope the death of Trayvon Martin and the public outcry about George Zimmerman’s acquittal? Simple, it is indicative of the legacy that is seamlessly embedded within the laws that govern this country. It is born out of the enterprise of Capitalism and globalization that fosters the extension of a set of cultural norms and values that some say only sees green. We see it in the manner in which a hoodie has become a symbol that, for some, can be likened to sad a day back in Mississippi when a young teen was kidnapped and killed for whistling at Carolyn Bryant outside of the Bryant Grocery and Meat Market. We see it in other cases that have been highlighted since the verdict across the country. Culturally, instances like these resonate with the past and current experiences people of African descent have within the United States.

We, as we’ve been socialized through the prism of racism, tend to dichotomize things to the simplest way possible. What do I mean by this statement? Well if you’ve ever said, “It’s as simple as black and white” then you’ve done it. What many don’t really know is what they’re implying with this question is that they are acknowledging their own limitations in the situation. They are acknowledging that they are limited in their ability to see the complexity, which is at the heart of this tragedy. The intellectual prison is on display in the form of either/or mentalities that many of our public schools promote as part of the greater enterprise. The ignorance of this and other aspects of injustice are running prevalent in this country, some would expect to be said. Yet all of this is exactly why our society will continue to work in a disjointed fashion. We, as a society, are fragmented, splintered, lacking cohesion in the saddest of ways. We are apathetic unless, sheepishly, we are moved to action by our twitter, facebook, and/or other social media feeds. We click buttons as opposed to working to shape lives beyond our own doorsteps. We impatiently wait for the next person to do what we ourselves need to accomplish. We do what’s easiest and most natural– we yell, we talk, we pray, and then we ultimately forget. Until we all recognize that injustice to any one of us is injustice to all of us, we will continue to be reminded of inconsequence of being othered in this othering space known as the United States of America…

To be continued…

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Crush-Hopper Presentation Video (Jan. 17, 2013)

24 Friday May 2013

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog, Identity Politics, Racialization Impacts, Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Blackness, Culture, Diversity, Education, expression, Florida, Higher Education, Multiracialism, Performance, Public Education, Race, Racial identity, social critique, South Africa, Streams of consciousness, Student Behavior, University of South Florida, World

Hello everyone,

I am including the video of both my lecture and the subsequent Question and Answer session with Ms. Mandisa Haarhoff about her one person play, Crush-Hopper. She was truly amazing as a performer but more importantly as a person.

De Walt Crush-Hopper Lecture

Crush-Hopper Question and Answer with Ms. Mandisa Haarhoff

Enjoy,

PSDW~

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Onward to the Next Chapter

13 Monday May 2013

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog, Educational Trenches, PSDW Reflective Journal

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Tags

Culture, differentiated instruction, Diversity, Education, expression, Florida, Higher Education, pedagogy, Public Education, Reflective Practice, Streams of consciousness, student centered approaches, Teacher Education

Hello everyone,

Today marks the start of a new and exciting semester (10 weeks). As I have taught over the years, I am reminded of all that makes teaching and learning so important to me. I see it in the responses that I get when I post here on the blog as well as through other social media sites https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patrick-S-De-Walt-MBA-PhD. As I became more aware of the ways in which my beliefs and passion for teaching was shared by others, I found that I was more concerned about everything that I was saying. I don’t take this privilege and honor lightly by any means. I thank each and everyone of you who have taken the time to read anything that I have ever posted online….

The Life of an Educator

It is a very interesting thing to learn from other educators about how they see and experience the life of an educator. Some find the joy in all that they do, others see the responsibilities that are inherent with the position, and others are still trying to figure their way through the process. In many ways, I find that I embody all of these components and feelings each and every time I nervously step in front of my students. While my exterior presents a self assured and somewhat confident person, the interior self is always wondering if he is “doing right by his students.” I find that to be one of the hardest things to come to terms with for me as an educator, I want to always help and prepare my students for all that they will face as they continue their pursuits within the field of education.

The answers that I seek are rarely found within the time that I have my students within my class, but I naively still wish to see any indication that my students get it! As I have discussed about my interactions with Jekyll & Hyde learners in my previous posts, my desires for my students’ success intensifies. I find that I am often fighting them when in comes to my undying belief that they have amazing yet untapped potentials that they seem to not even recognize. I find myself thinking back to my own educational experiences and realizing how fortunate I was to have educators who stayed the course with me even when I didn’t seem to care. From these intense feelings, my teaching philosophy and pedagogy were ultimately born. As a result, I work insane amounts of hours thinking about my lessons and, in the past, grading tons of student assignments.

My growth as an educator has resulted from these educational experiences that consisted of trial and error, long nights of anxiety, and many intense conversations with family, friends, colleagues and mentors. My ideology and integrity are at the center of all that I do and that gives me great pride. Pride in the fact that I am now seeing the seeds that I have helped to plant begin to blossom in multiple contexts as I hope that I have done for my own teachers.

Starting Anew Today

As I write this entry, I am less than an hour away from another exciting and unpredictable semester (Summer 2013). I have so much that I want to achieve with my students and hopefully they will ultimately achieve their own goals as well. I’m teaching my normal class on diversity. I’m also entering into a new area that partially resulted from all that I have done here which has motivated me to explore–a course that merges both student engagement and social media. For now, that’s all I have to say about it but in the coming months I hope that you stay around to see those finished products. So I write to all of the learners and educators out there. Continue to explore your own realities and the beauty found within them while still challenging them for their ultimate enhancement.

My excitement and anticipation have again returned to my core preparing me for a new group of learners who have all the potential in the world to achieve greatness. I just hope to be a small part of their journey as they continue to be a huge part of my own….

Until next time.

PSDW~

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Beautiful Liars and Bully Beatdowns

04 Saturday May 2013

Posted by Life With A Sense Of Humor in Blog, Educational Trenches, Guest Features

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Tags

bullying, Education, Educational Debate, expression, Higher Education, Inequity, K-12, Public Education, social critique, Streams of consciousness, Teacher Education

This weekend I am supposed to be speaking on a radio show in Dubai about the phenomenon of bullying. Of course, I’m nervous. I’m always nervous when it comes to these things. Bullying has been on my mind quite a bit this week as I prepare for my appearance. Although some may feel it is a great thing that bullying has become the fad of the moment, it actually makes me quite sad. It’s kind of like when the kid that no one likes all of a sudden becomes the popular kid of the moment. Everyone knows it won’t last and when it is over, the poor kid is left in an even worse place than before. Bullying has become a buzz word. It has infiltrated pop culture. Real Housewives are claiming that they are a victim, talk shows, commercials, plots in cartoons, etc are all focused on the topic of bullying. Unfortunately, there have been several important things that are always left for the viewer to figure out. What exactly is bullying? What would be considered bullying and what is not? Oh yea, and now that I have been told not to be a bystander, stand up, be brave, etc, etc, how exactly do I do that. This movement is under the misconception that schools, parents, school counselors, and teachers are gong to pick up the slack and fill in the blanks. Sadly, this is not happening. This campaign feels dangerously similar to the D.A.R.E campaign that research has indicated failed at accomplishing its goal of keeping kids off of drugs. Campaigns such as these will cause tons of people to rush into the field of bullying prevention bombarding our schools with here-for-the-minute interventions. Research has demonstrated that after these ‘momentary’ interventions leave, most often bullying spikes. There are many of us that have been working in the world of bullying prevention for some time. Researching it, working toward a way to prevent it, reduce it, and bring awareness. It feels as if pop culture has pushed its way into the conversation, will stomp around a bit, and leave us to pick up the pieces. For those of us that consider bullying prevention to be a life-long mission, I hope that bullying does not fall victim to the ‘fad of the moment’ syndrome by quickly rising to the peak of everyone’s attention and then quickly falling into obscurity. I fear all of this hype may leave the poor child trapped in the locker room being beat up for the umpteenth time without a word to use to describe his ordeal. I hope that saying the phrase ‘I’m being bullied’ does not become synonymous with the boy who cried wolf.

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The Unheralded Rewards of Teaching

19 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog, Educational Trenches, PSDW Reflective Journal

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Education, expression, Higher Education, K-12, pedagogy, Performance, Reflective Practice, Streams of consciousness, Student leadership, Teacher Education, Teacher influence, unheralded rewards of teaching

I have spent so much of my time lately on my blog devoting it to my poetic side. I have enjoyed sharing that part of me with those of you who have honored me by continuing to follow my blog. I really appreciate this, but I must admit that I have denied a bigger part of who I am in the process–me the teacher.

Recently, I have been reminded that the vocation of teaching is a profession that has been neglected on so many levels for all sorts of reasons. I originally wanted to talk with other educators who, I had coined were “in the educational trenches,” which essentially is the title of this part of my blog. But I have been reminded recently that by stating this, I am guilty of forgetting what I had hoped to impart with my students– that the language that we use shapes our reality as well as the realities of those who we engage. This reminder makes me rethink what I currently have described regarding this aspect of my thought.

As a result, I am brought to this moment when I am touched by those who I work tirelessly to reach, motivate, inspire, encourage, protect, and empower in order for them to become the women and men that I so passionately believe that can be. I am a hopeless romantic when it comes to my belief that my students are the most precious responsibilities I have beyond my own family. They make me work harder, think more critically, and endure let down after let down with the hopes that one day that the educational opportunities that I know they deserve will be the educational opportunities that they actually experience.

All of these thoughts have streamed through my mind as I have just completed my last class for the semester, here at the university. I have come in contact with students who inspire me by their sheer energy and passion for their respective beliefs when it comes to education and other aspects of the world. They may never know how much they truly mean to me beyond the hard lessons that I have them endure during my class in hopes that they’re better prepared for when those situations present themselves down the road. They are our future leaders and many are currently honing their skills to step into their important roles.

I feel as if they are my responsibilities and I can never let that feeling go because if I did, I would feel like a failure to my calling. My calling is not found in a script or set location. It is more likely as eclectic as my imagination allows me to be through the lives that I am fortunate to encounter each and every semester that I work within the academy.

And as long as I’m fortunate to have students who are willing and able to meet me somewhere in the middle, I will do all that I can to help them get wherever their dreams will take them…

I am honored to have been thought of in any significant way by any of my current or former students. I am glad that I have been, even to a small degree, a positive influence on the lives of such amazing young people. While the job is tough and the hours are often long and lonely, every once in a while something special happens and, for me, it happened when the words of a former student spoke of my influence on her as she presented me with the award below…

SAM_0321

While most of the rewards of teaching remain unheralded, I am glad for each and every opportunity that I have to give my best and my all. For all I know, at the time, is that the potentials found within the hearts, minds, and lives of our young people require such sacrifice and patience…

PSDW~

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Entitlement by “race”: What Abigail Fisher didn’t tell you…

20 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog

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Tags

Affirmative Action, Education, Educational Debate, Higher Education, Identity, Inequity, Policy, Politics & Education, Public Education, Race, Supreme Court

Entitlement by "race": What Abigail Fisher didn't tell you….

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[Un]Muting the Voices of Africana Woman Leadership: Highlighting Herstorical Narratives

27 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog, Identity Politics, Racialization Impacts

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

African American women, Africana woman leadership, Black women, Blackness, Keynote, leadership, Patriarchy, social justice, Student leadership, USF

Today I had the pleasure of speaking to student leaders at the University of South Florida in honor of Black Heritage Month. I have decided to include the speech below:

Black women are a prism through which the searing rays of race, class and sex are first focused, then refracted. The creative among us transform these rays into a spectrum of brilliant colors, a rainbow which illuminates the experience of all mankind (Margaret B. Wilkerson as cited by Hine & Thompson, 1998).

During this time of the season, Black Heritage Month, as we reflect and honor all of those who have and continue to advocate for our communities, I am reminded of the power of the human spirit and voice. The echoes of our ancestors who critiqued, endured, fought, strived, engaged and protested for this very opportunity for me to stand before you and articulate this message….

This message of leadership starts where most human life enters, the womb. While this acknowledgment may appear out of place when one thinks of leadership, it ironically is inherent in the messages many of us have heard and may be even restated ourselves. “Leaders are made and not born.” Again, the womb plays an important role in this perspective of many as a fertile ground where those uncompromising factors of a person are fused. Is this message to be tempered by current political and moral debates? I cannot answer that question. I only seek to link the humanity found in the process of birth to illustrate the historical power found in such a monumental aspect of human existence. And more importantly, to express the significant role that Africana women play in its occurrence.

Birth…

“The Birth of a Movement…”

This is how we often refer to Africana history’s pivotal moments in which levels of change were fought for: Abolition, the Harlem Renaissance, Negritude, Civil Rights, Black Power Period to just name a few. Each of these identified moments in history project images in which its champions held masculine voices while those who did not were often left in obscurity. What would Frederick Douglass be without Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth or W. E. B. Du Bois without Ida B. Wells-Barnett or Anna Julia Cooper? What would Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen be without such women as Jessie Redmon Fauset and Zora Neale Hurston? What would Dr. King be without the likes of Ella Baker, Septima P. Clark and Fannie Lou Hamer?

Each of these female counterparts held and maintained powerful voices and courage in spite of the ever present reach of patriarchy. Voices that, no matter how significant, have been somewhat muted.

An Example During Abolition…

The period of history that encapsulates the antebellum period where equality was not achieved for many members of our community due to racism and the institution of slavery is where I wish to start. The roles of Africana women and men were limited across the nation due to the unjust beliefs and dehumanizing practices that relegated many to that of solely the property of enslavers. During this period, as the recently released movie Lincoln failed to acknowledge, the roles that people of African descent, namely that of Frederick Douglass, played in fighting for their emancipation. Frederick Douglass represents for this period one of the main figures outside of Lincoln who is made the focus of any and most debates about the institution of slavery and the abolitionist movement. Yet, in a similar way to what Stephen Spielberg did with Douglass in his film, many of the heroines of this period we find that their voices are muted within history. The significance of both Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth seem to serve as mere backup singers to Douglass’s lead—their voices are muted. We do not fully engage the pivotal roles that both heroines played in a period where the masculinity of Africana males was under attack in very explicit ways. We also do not fully recognize the way in which both women disrupted the gendered roles of their time. They occupied leadership roles in many different forms within many dissimilar settings. We all know of Tubman’s roles in championing the Underground Railroad, but we may not all know of the many other roles of leadership she played throughout the Civil War, especially as a woman of African descent. She continuously disrupted the oppressive structure of the time, yet historically her voice remains muted.

Sojourner Truth’s voice represents another example of the power of Africana women: Sojourner Truth Photo

To advocate the cause of the enslaved at this period was both unpopular and unsafe. Their meetings were frequently disturbed or broken up by the pro-slavery mob, and their lives imperiled. At such times, Sojourner fearlessly maintained her ground, and by her dignified manner and opportune remarks would disperse the rabble and restore order (p. 98).

When recounting her meeting with Abraham Lincoln, Sojourner stated,

As I was taking my leave, he arose and took my hand, and said he would be pleased to have me call again. I felt that I was in the presence of a friend….I have always advocated his cause, and have done it openly and boldly. I shall feel still more in duty bound to do so in time to come (p. 132).

Sojourner Truth Photo2

Abraham Lincoln Photo2
Yet, in history we are exposed to a muted version of the power in which she channeled as an Africana woman activist. She, as with other Africana women, found ways in spite of the influence of patriarchy to “maintain [their] ground” for the uplift of a people in the face of injustice.

Ida B Wells Barnett PhotoA transcendent figure of this period was Ida B. Wells-Barnett. The significance of her anti-lynching campaign and work as an organizer must also be brought to center stage.  Author Linda McMurray, in To Keep the Waters Troubled : The Life of Ida B. Wells, discusses

For several years in the 1890s, no African American, except for Frederick Douglass, received more press attention than Ida B. Wells….When Douglass died in 1895, Wells was his logical heir apparent; they had closely collaborated on several projects. She was better known than Du Bois and more ideologically compatible with Douglass than Booker T. Washington – the two men who eventually became the main contenders to fill Douglass’s shoes. However, Wells had a major problem: She was a woman (p. xiv).

Du Bois Photo

Booker T Washington PhotoYet again, we find another’s voice muted…

A Harlem Renaissance example…

Author Carolyn Sylvander conveys  Jessie Redmon Fauset’s significance in the following: Jessie Fauset Photo

Fauset’s contribution to Black American literature includes the definable and the indefinable. It is possible to say from the extant evidence that she was central to the role palyed (sic) by The Crisis in the literature of the 1920s, and that she went beyond mere professional assistance to real personal encouragement to Hughes, Cullen, McKay and others (p. 84).

Sylvander continues by stating, Fauset’s “influence on Black art in the period of the Harlem Renaissance cannot be measured. It can be exposed as it has not been before, and it can be evaluated on the basis of that exposure” (p. 232)

In other words, her voice can longer be muted…

A Civil Rights example…

Nobody sang ‘This Little Light of Mine’ as Fannie Lou Hamer sang it. ‘I’m convinced she chose that song for a reason,’ [Eleanor Holmes] Norton said, ‘that she knew that summarized her life. All she was was a little light, and she fastened upon the notion that every little light could make a difference (p. 85).

Author Vicky Crawford conveys Annie Devine’s recollection of Mrs. Hamer’s speech on behalf of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party in front of the U.S. House of Representatives on September 17, 1965.

She said that no matter how the nation looked on this challenge, we weren’t there to play. We were there because we wanted the nation to know it was sick. Everything we testified to was true. ‘I hope,’ Mrs. Hamer said, ‘I live long enough to see some changes made, some hearts soften, some people begin to do some right things in Mississippi’ (p. 133).

Yet with all of her efforts, her voice still remains muted.

A Floridian example…

marymcleodbethune2Mary McLeod Bethune represents an important model for leadership as well. In her many roles, as an educator, activist and governmental administrator (with the National Youth Administration) among other duties, her impact can be felt in her influence of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. FDR

Mary Mcleod Bethune Eleanor Roosevelt
This influence is elegantly captured by author Catherine Owens Peare:

In many parts of the South the fifteen-dollar or twenty-dollar check each month means real salvation for thousands of Negro young people,”… “We are bringing life and spirit to these many thousands who for so long have been in darkness. I speak, Mr. President, not as Mrs. Bethune but as the voice of fourteen million Americans who seek to achieve full citizenship. We want to continue to open doors for these millions” (p. 155).

From these espoused words, Peare highlights the President’s emotional response with the following, “Tears were coursing down the President’s cheeks when she finished. He leaned across the table and grasped her hand in both of his” (p. 156).

“Mrs. Bethune,’ he said, ‘I am glad I am able to contribute something to help make a better life for your people. I want to assure you that I will continue to do my best for them in every way” (p. 156).

Even with her voice being clearly heard and felt by one of the most powerful people of the era, today her voice still remains muted in history.

Fusing contemporary approaches of leadership…

Within each narrative it must be made clear that the issue is not with the voices of the women highlighted but moreover the elements of society in which they are situated—patriarchal society. Implications from learning the valuable lessons of yesterday are important parts of developing a strong sense of self and key principles for demonstrating the ability to lead. In today’s world, you will be challenged in ways that are both new and reminiscent of some of the challenges faced within the periods that I have identified. With the new ways in which we, as a society, are engaging and/or disengaging each other through social media and person-to-person interactions, your challenge remains consistent. Who are you in this life’s journey? What does that person who you discover that you are facilitate the accomplishments of your life’s mission, whatever that may be? Do you embrace the difficulties associated with being a trailblazer or do you actively accept roles as a passive participant in your own life? Do you inspire others to pursue their dreams and passions to the fullest or do you personify complacency and apathy?

In rhetorically asking you all of these questions, I hope to redirect your thoughts back to the center, which is found in you and all that you hope to offer to your respective communities and the world. The task that lies before you is one that will potentially lead you along a very exciting path that will include many highs and lows. How you handle those moments without sacrificing the voice that you are continuously shaping here at USF and your respective communities becomes even more important in a time that more of us are following the paths of others instead of recognizing and following our own.

As I close, I gently remind you to, when those moments in your life become their most difficult, reflect on the legacies that I have attempted to capture here and beyond through the powerful narratives of Africana women in history. Their powerful voices, even in the midst of being muted through patriarchy and other forms of social injustices, provide invaluable inspiration for the tenacity that you will need and already possess as student leaders here at USF. Embrace that inner voice for all that it offers not only you along your journey, but all of those who will be within its range. Continue to use this time to develop the harmony in which your inner voice possesses, as we, citizens of the world, will need to hear its cadence; for our melody is not complete without you leading your part. As the student leaders of today, who will shape tomorrow, I wish you well and all the wisdom of our ancestors because we are eagerly waiting…

Bibliography

Hine, D. C. & Thompson, K. (1998). A shining thread of hope: The history of black women in America. New York: Broadway Books.

Kennedy, K., King, J., Lupi, D., Macosko, K., Skoll, J., Somner, A., & Spielberg, S. (Producers), & Spielberg, S. (Director). (2012). Lincoln [Motion Picture]. United States: DreamWorks Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Reliance Entertainment, Participant Media, Dune Entertainment, Amblin Entertainment & The Kennedy/Marshall Co.

McMurry, L. O. (2000). To keep the waters troubled: The life of Ida B. Wells. New York: Oxford University Press

Mills, K. (1993). This little light of mine: The life of Fannie Lou Hamer. New York: Dutton.

Peare, C. O. (1951). Mary McLeod Bethune. New York: The Vanguard Press, Inc.

Sylvander, C. W. (1981). Jessie Redmon Fauset, black American writer. Troy, New York: The Whitston Publishing Company.

Truth, S. (2005). Narrative of Sojourner Truth [with an introduction and notes by Imani Perry]. New York: Barnes & Nobles Classics.

PSDW~

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21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog, Identity Politics

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Within this video, taken prior to her performance, there is so much background information that sheds light on Ms. Haarhoff and her journey. Contextualizing the play by explaining some of the cultural and historical information pertaining to South Africa was and remains very important. The ways in which colonialism, through the manifestation of not only Whiteness but capitalism, needs to also be considered when listening to her reflection.

The way in which Ms. Haarhoff uses the innocence of a “crush” to capture such a complex phenomenon as identity shifts was very intriguing and clever. Through the means of narration, a greater connection can be had between the audience and Ms. Haarhoff. Notions of Blackness and in the case of Ms. Haarhoff, Xhosaness, a jarring journey through “a process of becoming black,” i.e, Nigrescence theorized by Dr. William E. Cross, Jr.

I will offer a follow-up entry in which I will discuss in more detail the theory and it’s application to Crush-Hopper.

PSDW~

Crush-Hopper

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Crush-Hopper: Exploring the Journey of Identity in Post-Apartheid, South Africa Update

03 Thursday Jan 2013

Tags

Art, Culture, Identity, Mandisa Roeleene Haarhoff, Nigrescence, Performance, Race, South Africa, University of South Florida

Hello All,

I wanted to share this speaking engagement with you. I have the honor and privilege to be a part of this one-person play performed by Ms. Mandisa Roeleene Haarhoff. I don’t want to give the play away but the message and richness of the performance is perfect for what I hope to engage with you, the community, here regarding notions of identity and culture. I will follow her amazing performance with a discussion on applications of Nigrescence, “the process of becoming black,” in which we will engage the complexities found within this process of self-identification and discovery.  It will be held in the Music Building’s Concert Hall on the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. For more information, please see the attached flyer and link.

UPDATED Link

Crush-Hopper

I will update this post later with a clip or two of an earlier performance.

Enjoy…

UPDATE

This performance I found to be amazing. Ms. Haarhoff’s lived experience resonated with me in ways that I had forgotten from on identity journey. To be on the stage with her was truly an honor that I will never forget. Within the coming days, I will post links and/or footage from the event with more commentary.

PSD~

11X17_CrushHopper-page-001Crush-Hopper

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Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD | Filed under Blog, Identity Politics, Racialization Impacts

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Link

Left of Black S3:E10 | Who is Black in Multiracial America? Courtesy of NewBlackMan (In Exile) Blog

22 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog, Identity Politics, Racialization Impacts

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Tags

Blackness, Identity, Multiracialism, Racial identity

I came across this episode of Left of Black which is a series on the NewBlackMan (In Exile) Blog. I found it very interesting as I think about the ways in which we self-identify along the lines of race, ethnicity and culture. I find it even more interesting as I think about my research around notions of identity for person of African descent (i.e., Africanity). As some many not agree with my interpretations of such identity framing, I wish to, after your viewing of this episode, further the dialogue around ideas of nomenclature (naming) and how those identity labels play out in our lives. Please engage in the conversation. I would love to hear what you think…

PSD~

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Supreme Court Hears Affirmative Action Case

15 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog

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Tags

Affirmative Action, Gender, Higher Education, Law(s), Policy, Politics & Education, Race, Reverse Racism, Supreme Court

The Juxtaposition of Race and Gender Within the Policy of Affirmative Action

The debate on affirmation action still continues and yet again, with the Supreme Court preparing to hear, in short, Abigail Noel Fisher, Petitioner vs. The University of Texas at Austin, et al.

What I find interesting about this case is that this time around, we see a juxtaposition between two of the central identities that are fought for in all affirmative action policy: gender and race. For now, I will just leave this video for you to begin drawing your own conclusions on this topic, if you haven’t already done so.

In the coming days, I will offer a more detailed post about three questions that come to my mind when engaging discussions on affirmative action in Higher Education: (1) What is affirmative action? (2) Who benefits from affirmative action? and (3) Why are these discussions on affirmative action viewing it solely on the basis of race?

So after watching the video, what are yours?

I look forward to reading your thoughts. More to follow…

PSD~

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Are We Further Repealing the Past in Our Efforts to Make Race Invisible?

10 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog, Identity Politics, Racialization Impacts

≈ 2 Comments

This conversation around the historical and common practice of “racialization” is something that my current undergraduate students often find challenging to grasp. As I read and hear about posts on social media that vehemently inject racialized hate about the re-election of POTUS Obama, I am left with that question which I have entitled this blog post. “Are we further repealing the past in our efforts to make race invisible?

What makes this question even more significant is that we are seeing more attacks on such policies as Affirmative Action and increased claims of “reverse racism” in many areas of society such as higher education. What makes this climate one that causes us to struggle so much with the past as we say that we are seeking to create a better one for our future generations? Now, post-election, with all the talk of voter suppression reported, the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear a new yet old attack. This attack is on a particular section (5) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. There are a host of other instances attempting to make ideas of race  invisible on the surface yet none offer ways to make the legacy which is racism disappear.

Without providing a long historical review of what racism has been in this country, I challenge you as a reader to engage your own thinking about these presented instances where race is central to the thrust of the action. Whether it be laws or social/cultural norms, we must continue to remind ourselves that race as abstract and uncomfortable a subject to discuss as it is is still a major thread within the fabric of this country. We are better served acknowledging the huge elephant in the china shop instead of acting like we don’t understand how the fine china was broken.

What are your thoughts?

PSD~

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White identity politics doomed 2012 Republican effort

10 Saturday Nov 2012

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Blog, Identity Politics, Racialization Impacts

≈ 2 Comments

Another example of the types of systemic identity politics engulfing the United States from the “Majority” populace’s desire to sustain cultural, linguistic, religious, political, and economic power which emerging diverse populations are viewed to have threatened.

What are your thoughts?

PSD~

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