Self Reflection

The Freshman Seminar course has actually informed me on several topics that I was unformed with. I've learned about African history all the way to Egyptian scribe writing and so forth. This has been a tremendous experience for me because this added to the foundation of the legacy not only for Howard but also for African Americans as well. I thought it was very interesting and an excellent for each lecture to come from different perspectives such: history, science, and religion. I felt because the professors attacked the subject of legacy from a variety of fields of study that it kept me, as well my peers, interested in what was needed to be said during that 50 minute session. One of the most exciting experiences in Freshman Seminar for was the African Burial Ground trip. As I stated before I've never heard the establishment an African Burial Ground in the United States until this class. I thought that the trip was fun and filled new facts and information about life for Africans and our traditions. Some traditions, I've learned has been passed on to the present. Another interesting and impressive part of Freshman Seminar was our group presentations. Wow, I was amazed at the different topics chosen for discussion and of so much research that was dedicated towards each presentation many topics such as child soldiers, cloning, and images of black marriage was very intriguing because I've only heard the surface of these topics prior to these groups’ presentations. Overall this has been an enriching experience intellectually and socially. This course helped build the foundation of research and legacy. Due to the enrichment of this course I will never forget the importance of legacy and research. Even though I'm not a freshman, as a sophomore I've learned plenty that could be beneficial to my future studies as well as presentations. Thank you staff of this year’s Freshman Seminar for utilizing so much time and research trying to emphasize our legacy and culture. I think that you guys have been successful. I'm appreciative of this experience and will cherish it. Thank you.

-Ramona Williams

A Self Reflection

We were asked to do a self-reflection of the entire Freshman Seminar course thus far. Reflecting on the course allows us to evaluate what we learned from the class that we did not know prior to attending Howard, and what new experiences and life lessons we can now attribute to this class. Overall, my experience in freshman seminar was a very enriching as I learned a great deal about my people. Attending an all black school and taking several African-American history classes, I assumed that I knew everything there was to know about African American culture. However this class taught me more. Not only did we learn about African-Americans, but blacks all around the world of all cultures. We learned about African and Carribean cultures practiced by blacks across the globe and I enjoyed this since I previously knew only about my culture in America. We discussed the roots of our history, traced back to ancient Africa. We even took a trip to an African Burial Ground museum in NYC to learn more about the life of slaves in New York, and how they were buried within the grounds. I enjoyed this part of the class the most because not only had I never visited New York, but to know that I was standing on the very grounds were my ancestors were buried was very moving indeed. This course also helped me learn about the history of Howard and the story behind the names of various buildings around campus. I thought this information was very pertinent because as students here, it is imperative that we know not only the history of our culture, but our school as well. I learned about the African genome, the music and language of ancient African culure, and Ancient Egyptians, jus to name a few. Each session was filled with enriching information that I think helped me understand my culture better. Most of all, I think this course inspired me. It was inspiring to learn about the many illustrious black leaders and innovators of my culture. This made me feel like I could do anything and being a black woman is not a hindrance in society like many may think, but indeed a benefit. This class made me feel proud to be black and made me feel as though my skin color was a source of power in this world. I thank all the TAs and presenters that contributed to my experience and Freshman Seminar was a wonderful class to take, I will certainly never forget it!!! =)

Homosexual Suicide

Another group whose whose presentation I found interesting was the group who discussed homesexuality and suicide. The group introduced the presentation with a member voicing a speech in the words of Billy, a victim of homosexual harrassment who took his life as a result. He explained the story of Billy and how he was harrassed by his community and peers at school, and how he couldnt come to understand why everyone hated him just because he was different. This story almost brought tears to my eyes as I imagined the little boy enduring so much homophobia to the extent that would cause him to take his own life. The group then discussed the percentage of suicidal rates. Without a doubt, members of the LGBT community were more found to be prone to committ suicide than any other group. I found these results shocking. They also showed how based on student surveys, more people were accepting of lesbians than gay males. They also discussed how more people are found to frown upon homosexuals who committ suicide than those who kill themselves due to stress, depression, grief, etc. Moreover, hate crimes where someone is victimized because of their sexuality is often given a lesser sentence. I found all of this information to be absolutely disgusting. To think that people are treated as second class citizens, all on the basis of their sexuality really bothered me. This presentation really opened up my eyes to the hate thats still in this world and the progress we need to make as a society to ensure that everyone has equal rights and opportunities, and no one feels so excluded that they opt to take their own life. A permanent fix to a temporary issue, how shameful.

Child Soldiers

One of the group presentations that stood out the most to me was the presentation on child soldiers. This group immediately grabbed my attention by showing the class a video introducing what a child soldier was, and showing real footage of the faces behind the violent acts committed by child soldier. A child soldier is a child taken away from their home and family and forced to join a militant group for various purposes including lookouts, cooks, slaves, sexual objects, army men, etc. Child soldiers are most frequent in Africa. These children are often brainwashed into believing that they are serving a purpose for the greater good, or sometimes are scared into believing that if they try to run away or go against orders, their familys will be killed or they themselves. Most child soldiers are young boys. To protect their children from being captured by the militia, many families would hide their children in huts and small villages to ensure their safety. The group also provided a first hand account from a rescued child soldier, who described the ordeal as traumatizing and demoralizing. The group then began a discussion of what we can do to help stop this crisis, like donating to funds such as UNICEF and child-soldiers.org. They also gave a list of celebrity names who frequently donate to try and help stop the crisis. These people include celebrities such as actors Leonardo Di Caprio, George Clooney, and Nicholas Cage. Overall, I thought the presentation by the group was excellent and it really touched my heart. In the future, I definitely plan to help educate others about this child soldier crisis and i will certainly donate to organizations dedicated to improving this problem.

A Teachers Perspective: Ms. Ayu

For our group presentations, one of the requirements was to have a faculty interview about our question of choice. Our question was ‘How do Student Activities and Student Groups impact social relations at Howard?’ to answer this question, I interviewed my psychology teacher Ms. Ayu who is a 5^th year graduate student here at Howard. I thought that her input would offer a unique way of viewing student life since she is both a student and a teacher. In the interview, Ms. Ayu exclaimed the importance of getting involved on campus and how it really does make or break your experience. She explained that getting involved allows you to build relationships with your fellow student body, and a chance to get to them while doing something you’re passionate about. It can give you a sense of being and a sense of belonging to something. Ms. Ayu also talked about how Greek Life is something that more people should look to be a part of. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and believes that becoming a member of her organization made her collegiate worthwhile.  She was able to do community service on and off campus also while gaining a bond with girls who had similar interest as her. In all Ms. Ayu expressed that student involvement on campus is extremely important to having memorable college years and is something that more people should start to take advantage of. The more involved you are on campus, the stronger bonds you will build with your peers, along with a stronger pride you will have for your college experience.

Safisha Seifullah

Self Reflection

As Freshmen Seminar starts to draw to a close, we have all been asked to do a “self-reflection” so that we can recap on our experiences this semester. Recapping on our experiences allows us to see how we have changed since the start of the semester and what we have learned from the class. I would have to say that my experience in Freshmen Seminar was a good one. I was able to learn a lot about black people, culture, Howard, our professors, their beliefs, and values. I was able to grow as a black person in the world by gaining the knowledge of my history. We learned about ancient Egyptians, and writing. We learned of music and how it has changed and shaped black people through the generations. We learned of Howard, and the history behind this school and the great leaders who came from this school. Each session was beneficial and intriguing. I believe because of the course I am more knowledgeable of my past and what my future can possibly hold. I understand even more so now that I am in control of my future, and that I must make wise decisions each day in order to produce favorable outcomes. As I continue through my college career I struggle with right and wrong, like everyone else. The important thing for me to remember is that though it is my future to create, it is the future of my people that is at stake. From our group presentations I learned a lot as well. I was able to hear about different issues facing today’s world, from the decline in black marriages to the war born children in Africa. Each of these issues impact our lives in different ways each day. This class has overall been a truly engaging experience and I am grateful for what I have learned.          

Safisha Seifullah                                                                                                                                                           

Clones

The further we get into these presentations the deeper each topic gets. This past week’s group presented on the topic of cloning and whether or not we should be for it. They researched several laws and studies concerning the topic of cloning humans. I thought this was a peculiar topic because I never really thought about whether or not, we, as human beings, would consider accepting the practice of cloning. However based on this groups presentation there were attempts to get laws to approve of cloning but this have yet to happen. This topic was a wake-up call to me because sometimes I forget how much technology has advanced and how much more it will advance in the future. I never thought that there were would be a day, at least any time soon, where I would have to think about the possibilities of myself or others being cloned. This to me is very disturbing and I would agree with the faculty member they interviewed, who said that it was an act of God in a sense. I just think that this should be where the line is crossed. What’s the purpose of us being able to reproduce if scientists are just going to take a copy of our DNA and try to reproduce humans themselves? As our professor said after their presentation was given, this is something that we really should think about because technology is advancing rapidly and it’s only a matter when we will be faced with this issue.

-Ramona Williams

The Image of the Present Black Marriages

During the first week of group presentations there were several research topics that were very interesting. I chose to discuss the group presentation with the topic of the image of black marriages. This presentation focused specifically on how we could change the image of black marriages. With some statistics of the number of successful marriages and divorces amongst the black race, this group also entailed some interviews from our peers asking whether or not they had the desire to get married in the future. Surprisingly there were a few that had stated that they did not wish to get married because they have yet to see a successful marriage. Granting the fact that I’m studying to become a family and marriage counselor I found this group presentation very interesting and exciting because I wasn’t quite sure whether or not if marriage was a major concern within our student body. I feel like one way that we could change the image of black marriages or marriages regardless of race is to understand the value of family and the meaning behind marriage. Many of us fail to realize it was the support of family that helped our ancestors push through slavery and survive it. I think that if people had a foundation before deciding to get married it could possibly increase the number of successful marriages. I personally believe that the image of black marriages and family is a major concern, especially in this generation because many of us are not fortunate to having a two parent household. I think if the image of our family and marriages improved maybe our children of the present and future would have some sense of hope and success.

-Ramona Williams

Child Soldiers

As we continue our group projects in Freshmen Seminar, I am finding them more intriguing. Today a group presented on the topic of “Child Soldiers” and what we can do to help them. Child Soldiers are displaced children who are brainwashed by radical groups in order to make them kill and fight in their wars. The Child Soldiers that this group focused on African children. The group’s visual aid was a video of a documentary done on Child Soldiers entitled “Invisible Children”. The video was shot by three young American boys, who went to Sudan in order to capture what was taking place during the genocide. In their video they were able to capture the heart ache, pain, and fear that each child went through while struggling to survive during genocide. There were small huts, and tents set up so that the children could sleep at night, sometimes hundreds in one tent alone. The children had to eat what they could, and had to move forward on their own. Most had lost their entire families to the genocide. The documentary was very touching and profound. It shows the truly reality of what is taking place over seas and the necessity of their need. The group who presented also showed celebrities who are doing their part to donate to the cause such as George Clooney. I believe that of all the issues that have been discussed in Freshmen Seminar this one is the most serious and needs the most attention. I say this because this is the most difficult issue to stop, and one that has hundreds of children’s lives in danger. The documentary that was shown in their presentation, I have seen it in high school and I would recommend anyone that is truly interested in the cause to watch it. Once again I really believe that this was a good topic to present to our class to make us aware of the issue, as well as a good way to bring this issue to our HBCU so that we can help our people.

Safisha Seifullah

Black Marriages Today

We just recently started our group presentations in Freshmen Seminar. Each group has picked a topic/question to research that relates to the broad question of the class. One of the presentations that I really liked was one on black marriages. The presentation was about the decline in black marriages and how it is affecting women and men. The group that presented this also compared black marriages to white marriages, showing that white marriages usually last longer than black marriages do. Through research this group was able to show the affect that the decline in black marriages is causing. They were also able to show how significantly the number of black marriages has changed since the 1950’s to the present day. I found this presentation to very interesting and informative because today the black family is rarely seen. Though “black marriage” is not typically seen as a controversial issue that needs attention, it is in reality. The institution of marriage is a necessity in today’s world because it was what forms a true family which many young black people are lacking. In a family there is someone there to protect, to love, and to look up to. For many black people most have only had one parent to do all those jobs. I think that more black people should come together and try to understand each other so that the possibility of an increase in black marriages could seem possible. Overall the group presentation on ‘Black Marriage’ was really good, and I thought that they had a great question, however I feel that the group could have had more energy when presenting because it would have made the presentation more engaging.

Safisha Seifullah

African Burial Ground Trip

The first thing that I thought when I heard about the African Burial Ground was, “I never heard anyone talk about an African burial site here in America before, and this is new to my ears." I found the location of the African Burial Ground interesting because of the current geographical settings; you wouldn't guess that something so ancient and sacred would found in lower Manhattan of New York. It’s ironic how the African Burial site is located in the same area of the economic trade center of the world.

When we arrived in New York at the African Burial Ground National Monument, Dr. Carr led us into an African ceremony called libation. The term libation refers to the pouring of liquid as a religious offering or in honor of those who are deceased. In urban areas it is common for people to pour out liquor in remembrance of a family member who has passed away or been killed. I was not aware that this practice was an African tradition.

After the libation had taken place we watched a dramatic document on the history of the African Burial Ground and the ceremony that the Africans held for the deceased. During the efforts of citizens, politicians, anthropologists, scientists and historians, there were many people who did respect the rediscovery of the African Burial site and looked at it as if it had no value. I found that it was ignorant of people to not see any value in this African burial site because the ancestors who buried were slaves and struggled for many years to gain their freedom and rights during this time period. It’s bad enough that our ancestors had to deal with the struggles of being discriminated against, prohibited from education, and not gaining civil rights when they were alive, for them not receive the respect and acknowledgment now is just ludicrous.

The trip to the African Burial Ground has helped me furthermore understand the hardships that our ancestors had experienced. As African Americans we take for granted the advantage to bury our loved ones in a proper manner. With that being said, as African Americans it is necessary for us to understand who we are, where we come from, what we’ve become, how did we did get to where we are , and why haven’t we progressed any further as a people?

-Ramona Williams

African Burial Ground

This past weekend, all Freshman Seminar classes were given the opportunity to visit the African Burial Ground Museum located in New York City. This was a special field trip for me, as I had never visited any kind of museum of this sort, and I found the fact that actual slaves were buried within the grounds of the museum quite fascinating. The trip began with us being led into a screening room and viewing a docudrama about the rituals slaves would practice beforing burying a loved one. They would prepare the bodies for burial by wrapping them in linen shrouds with their most prized-posessions. Africans were not able to bury their people in churches with proper memorial services however. Within the museum I viewed a great number of ancient artifacts, the most interesting to me being the cuffs used to enslave Africans and force them on slave ships. This was particularly heartwrenching, as I could not fatham my wrist being bound by the small metal cuffs, and being forced to work strenous labor in a land foreign to me. I also had the opportunity to view historical documents that were ratified during slavery, such as the Runaway Slave Act. The biggest artifact in the museum however, was hanging on a long wall. On the wall was a list of hundreds of buried slaves, and details about their nature of their body and bones during the time of death, age, and gender. What puzzled me the most was the amount of children and babies I saw buried next to their mothers or fathers. The innocence of a child being taken away by the monstrous reigns of slavery deeply saddened me. A lot of the bones also had missing body parts or objects brutally pierced between them. It was crazy to try and understand how people could treat an entire race of people so cruelly merely on the basis of their ethnicity. I was also confounded how these Africans buried here long ago were given no kind of credit or recognition for their feats in helping build many of the monuments and buildings we see in New York today. The trip to the museum saddened me a great deal, but I think that it was a much needed tour for me to realize how far we have come as a race and the journey and struggles my ancestors before me had to endure. I most certainly am grateful for this fact and since visiting the African Burial Ground, I will make sure that I never forget how the bodies that lay beneath me that day helped establish who I am today. I would like to thank Dr. Carr and all the other teachers and assistants who participated in the organizing of this field trip and giving students the opportunity to get a first hand look of their cultural background.

Research & Methodology... As presented by Dr. Dana Williams

This past week's presentation by Dr. Dana Williams was basically a summary of everything we've done in Freshman Seminar thus far. She explained the purpose of Freshman Seminar as being a guide to help students become more independent and realize their true-self and potential to achieve great things not only at Howard, but elsewhere. She explained the purpose of the research we are to be doing in class with the Mbongi forms as a method to help us become more self-aware and informed on issues regarding our ancestors, our community, and our culture. The blogs we write every week are also used as a tool to measure how well retain the information being given to us. Dr. Williams then went on to discuss the research we will begin to conduct now that all lectures have been presented. She informed us on the various research methods we can use to assist us in developing a research question for our group, and creating a research design for our upcoming group projects. This lecture session was very informative because it outlined the course of Freshman Seminar and what we can expect out of it, as well as what is expected of us as students. This lecture session helped me gain a great deal of information regarding the research my group will need to begin and served as a guide to research methods I can use not only for this class, but for any other projects I have in other classes. Concisely, I thought Dr. Williams did an excellent job preparing the class for the weeks ahead, during which we will have to use the information she gave us to present our group projects to the class.

Research and Methodology - by Dr. Dana Williams

The last session of Freshmen Seminar saw the close of lectures, with the last one being presented by Dr. Dana Williams. Looking back, I have to say that I have really enjoyed the lectures that were presented each week. Every presentation was different, and unique. With each lecture, we were taught new ways of thinking, new ways to view the world, and what the “black experience” really meant. We were taught to become stronger. Now that all the lectures have been presented, I realize just how important this class truly is. I am going to try to retain the information that I have learned from our guest speakers and use them in my everyday life.

Dr. Williams’s presentation was very engaging. She explained the importance of research and how to utilize it in our lives. Through research, knowledge is gained, and knowledge is power. From the research that we will be doing in our projects we will not only gain more information for our brains but also for ourselves. Through research we will better ourselves. Dr. Williams also presented many tools that will also aide us in our research.

This week was also the week that my Freshmen Seminar class took the trip to New York to view the African burial ground. This is the site where many Africans who were brought to New York as slaves would bury their dead when they were allowed to. The site was forgotten about for hundreds of years and in the early 1990’s when the construction of a new building was to take place, the burial ground was found. The site was very moving, profound, and touching. It is a very small area, with a large number of Africans buried there. Inside the museum we watched a video that was a reenactment of a slave family’s possible situation in which the mother and daughter had to now burry the father. There were many photographs and historical information posted all over the walls. What stood out the most to me was the screen was that was able to tell you how some of the people were killed from the cracks and bruises in their bones. After the museum we were taken into a memorial outside that had beautifully printed symbols on its walls that everyone could relate to. I found the trip to be very informative and profound.

Overall I truly enjoyed my time in Freshmen Seminar, and I feel as if I really learned a lot in this class. The lectures taught me a lot about myself, my past, and my future.

Safisha Seifullah

Research and Methodology with Dr. Williams

For this past week’s freshman seminar session, Dr. Dana Williams gave a power point on Research and Methodology. In the initial part of the power point reminded students that the purpose of the freshman seminar course is for each student to pursue a lifetime of independent discovery, including the appreciation of research. The primary objectives Dr. Williams’ lecture session was to identify the principle components of research and relate these components to the group project. Dr. Williams informed on the many research methods and approaches we can use while developing our group projects. She underlined the importance of conceptualizing a research design which could be a before/after, longitudinal research design or a research design focusing on a reference period such as retrospective, prospective, or blend. This lecture session was very helpful and informal for me because it gave me a better outlook and idea on how to develop our group projects. I like how Dr. Williams incorporated the freshman seminar course with her lecture session. She used the process of how the students would fill out the Mbongi forms and blogs to help the professors of the freshman seminar course to determine if the goals of fostering independent discovery and of cultivating a commitment to academic excellence were being met. This example was very effective for me because of the fact that in a way I was participating in a research project. I like how Dr. Williams reflected on the course of freshman seminar by showing some of the blog postings from during the course of this class. This was a good way of showing how the student’s thoughts and ideas of the course changed from the beginning of the course until now, and also a good example of how to engage with your audience during a presentation. Overall, this lecture was very helpful and useful for many future researches I may need to engage in.

-Ramona Williams