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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.

Tag Archives: World

Timorous Island

29 Sunday Jan 2017

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

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Art, Community, Culture, expression, humanity, injustice, law, Performance, poetry, police state, Politics, power, Purpose, Revolution, social awareness, social critique, social justice, society, Streams of consciousness, voice, World

Fixed in an outdated past
Where sheeted figures assailed the night
Burning lumber at the entries of those deemed inferior
A time fallacy was accepted truth to preserve a stunted status quo
One that could find a charred figure extended from a tree
We are supposedly beyond those moments within our history
Yet, as much as most continue to deny, as a nation, we have not healed
A legacy of contempt and hatred for those who are systematically “othered”
Made to disavow their identity and personhood to stay or enter
By the embodiment of a misguided arrogance
of a figurehead whose political stances should upset most’s sensibilities.
We are hoarders of a figmented freedom and truth as espoused.
We are fragmented factions of individuals who are forever works-in-progress towards ideals that were more exclusionary than collectivizing.
Internment camps, reservations, plantations, and forced institutionalization mark a history that is often absconded by revisionists.
As the rights of women continue to be decided by those who seek to objectify and posses them while not listening
oil continues to be placed at a premium in respect to the lives and traditions of Native Peoples.
Black lives are forever contemplated whether or not they matter.
Theoretical boarders are being replaced by executive orders and cowardly Congressional puppets.
Reclamation of antebellum doctrines and ideologies reignite divisions reminiscent of the North vs. South.
Those who love the same sex are denied all or many aspects of their civility because of debatable rules and rationales.
Allies are being made into enemies.
Neighbors are disrespected while simultaneously depended upon for their labor.
The continued poaching of a fragile morality is what remains.
Silence and pre-war isolationism didn’t work then and won’t work now.
While an audacity of hope was an idealistic battlecry
we are left with an undeniable truth on this metaphorical timorous island…

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The Legacy of Forgiveness and Conviction (Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela July 18, 1918-December 5, 2013)

07 Saturday Dec 2013

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

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

activism, Art, Blackness, Conviction, Culture, expression, Forgiveness, Historical Figures, Identity, in memoriam, Inequity, Legacy, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, Performance, poetry, Race, Reflective Practice, social critique, social justice, South Africa, Streams of consciousness, World

With the passing of yet another of our important historical figures
I am left to give both pause and thanks
Pause to remember a person who I never had the pleasure of meeting
yet feel as though their vision for social justice, equality, and freedom were envisioned for the journey that I’m currently engaged
Well before I was born,
the legacy against oppression was begun
The mantle has been passed amongst the worthiest candidates of all genders and abilities
Yet again, I am given pause to reflect on yet another figure whose life
as we currently conceive it on Earth has ended
Another figure who engaged in the good fight
Sacrificed and endured for all that he believed in beyond his own needs
Instead for those of his beloved people
Never to be placed on some iconic pedestal that allows for those who deem it necessary
to attempt to unseat him
He was in fact very human and had his flaws as all humans do
Yet I must give thanks
for what he has offered me
is another model
of why my journey is to be as challenging
as it has been
and will be
Yet I must endure
I must recognize that I may also exist in my own form of exile, for not as long, 27 years
Separated from my loved ones and community beyond the limitations of select and sanctioned visitations
The human memory
and the wishes of those who chose to enact revisionist history
should be called into question
as those who are viewed as deviant and/or misguided
are often those who we later realize
we were just unable to comprehend the beauty
of their gift, vision, and/or passion
at the time of our encounter
We must not let ourselves and others
off the hook
for our misguided and/or misplaced deeds and thoughts
We must also hold ourselves
as well as other
accountable
not in the current sense
but one of humanism
The legacy of forgiveness and conviction
calls us to task each and every day
we must consciously seek out our truths, passions, and obligatory destinies
Revelations don’t guarantee change
Our conscious and proactive actions regarding them do
Today, work to become better than you were yesterday
in order to build on that reality tomorrow
with a legacy of forgiveness and conviction as its essence…

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Amid A Changing Landscape

13 Sunday Oct 2013

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

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Tags

Advocacy, Art, children, communities, Culture, Diversity, elderly, expression, Identity, Inequity, marginalized groups, oppression, Performance, poetry, Politics, Poverty, social critique, social justice, Streams of consciousness, underrepresented groups, World

Language, both constructive and damaging, is often used without thought of consequence
Impacting the thoughts and minds of all those within reach
Challenging is the nature of life’s path
Causing us to reflect on what has been as we seek to make things anew
Laws are passed with the expectations that they will
in some form or fashion
Provide a livable framework that we, the people, will experience the benefits
Our worlds are based on this idea
Whether it’s accurate or inaccurate is not often what we wish to ask ourselves
Anarchy is not an option, as it requires things from us that we are more inclined not to:
Demand
Sacrifice
Persevere
Fail
Resist
Become ostracized
These sets of circumstances are foreign to those who seek the comforts and the spoils of a system that historically and habitually negates those who are most vulnerable
And then blames them for all that these influences result
Echoing words or images of “Che” or El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz
on commercialized t-shirts does little to represent the struggles and ideals
resulting in their martyrdoms
Instead they further alienate us from key principles that should acknowledge the complexities that exist within our figured worlds
We are a collection of beings that range an array of beliefs, sizes, and histories
All of which only capture a glimpse of who we really are
As each are vulnerable to the limited interpretations of all who come in contact with us
As if we were a painting from one of the great artists over time
Yet, we don’t get the luxury of intense and time demanding reflection and understanding that is often afforded these inanimate objects
We are passed over as if we never existed in the first place
And then society wonders why those who are marginalized dare to:
Resist
Rise
Yell
Revolt
As if the world has gone deaf to their calls and cries
To remind all of us that they are
Still here
Still human
Still belong

Amid a changing landscape
one thing remains constant
The world can be a cold and uninviting space
for those who do not fit within the acceptable box
A box that is too rigid and constraining for many of us
Yet, we operate as if we are willing participants
of a pathological social experience that
Destroys more than it helps
Devalues more than it promotes
Hates more than it loves
Constrains more than it frees

Freedom is what we were sold
Yet, how many of us actually reviewed the bill of sale as we do when buying our favorite pair of jeans in our favorite store?
How many of us ask for a refund or exchange when our purchase doesn’t suit our needs?
Why does freedom not receive the same level of critique, if not more?
A self-proclaimed “land of the free, home of the brave”
could at least not default on its promises to all of those who it has depended on since before its inception like it’s currently attempting to do
during this present-day
Debt Limit Ideological coup d’état
that’s ultimately affecting those same persons who often go nameless
until we want to blame them for their perceived deficiencies
The members of our society who are poor, uneducated, ill, unemployed, disabled, elderly, and/or children are on our economic and social frontlines
These lines are invisible to most of us until life’s challenges place us there
To toil, linger, or bounce back
Welcome to the new age
Which is actually an evolved representation of a segregated past that maintains our separation from each other and more importantly to any meaningful and life sustaining form of an inclusive humanity

Amid a changing landscape what will your role be?
What will your actions amount to?
Amid a changing landscape…
Will you represent the change that it truly needs?
Or will you represent what’s already represented?

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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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Outside of All Comfort Zones

09 Tuesday Apr 2013

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

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Tags

Culture, Diversity, Education, Higher Education, pedagogy, Politics & Education, Reflective Practice, social critique, Streams of consciousness, Student Behavior, student centered approaches, Student leadership, Teacher Education, World

The most important aspect of being an educator is often overlooked by educators everywhere: the education one receives from one’s students. Nothing can make the importance of THIS type of education more apparent than embarking upon a teaching assignment outside of your home country. I think a key term to reiterate is “home”. I didn’t understand how much I considered the US ‘home’ until I stepped my foot outside of it to work. Vacation is different. When we are on vacation, we can almost always find surroundings that remind us of home. We are not forced to step beyond our ‘comfort zone’. When you are working, however, in a university that is attended only by locals, you find your way of thinking, teaching, responding, reacting, learning, speaking, grading, and living all being forced outside of a box you didn’t even know existed. You find that you are floundering, yes I said floundering. Yes, a person with a degree (a Ph.D.), years of teaching university level students, and grand amounts of knowledge (at least I thought so, lol) was FLOUNDERING! I learned very quickly that all I had learned in my ‘home’ country, worked best (drumroll please) at home!

In order to set some semblance of organization after I arrived, I swooped in set up a syllabus, developed assignments, set up Blackboard, and started to teach. My course schedule had finals set for December. I arrived in October. I was ready to go. One of my students quietly approached me after what I thought to be a FABULOUS class. She quietly told me that although there was a break in December, the semester did not actually end until the final week in January. Also, one of the assignments I created could not be completed by many students because most unmarried, Muslim, girls did not feel comfortable interviewing males, even if they were professional, male, psychologists.

I had to take a step back. A HUGE step back. I felt like a ‘Stranger in Moscow”. I was lucky to have students who were willing to teach me and walk me through the process of getting acclimated. I found myself having to lean on and learn from my students. Of course, the start of a new semester brought sturdier footing, a new sense of self. and a somewhat increased knowledge of culture as it pertains to the psychological field. However, I did not forget the importance and necessity of constantly consulting my students.

Consulting our students, making them a part of the process rather than a mere consumer, and valuing their input are often touted as important parts of the educational process. How many of you actually do this? Most of the time? Some of the time?

How have you been educated by your students?

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Musical Representations of Culture

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by Patrick S. De Walt, MBA, PhD in Culture & Music

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Tags

Culture, Diversity, Music, World

The significance of culture is clearly found within the types of music created throughout the world. Within this section of my blog, an exploration of various types of music will be presented. I look forward to hearing what you think about the beautiful ways culture is presented and shared for us all to appreciate…

Enjoy…

PSD~

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Contact Email

dewalt@patricksdewaltmbaphd.com

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Mandisa R. Haarhoff

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