Reflection Paper

Trying to achieve your dreams and reach your full potential in a town that has little to no guidance for youth, especially African American men, is a daunting task. Too often, young men from my hometown are given limited options for their future. The education system made us feel as if we were only created to work in trade career fields, or sign our lives away for four to six years to the various branches of the United States Military. College was a luxury that many, including myself, thought would never be an option.

On the very first day of the class, Introduction to the Black Experience, we learned that people are defined by their culture and geography. We are also defined by the gaze of others and our own gaze. This realization led me to contemplate what the “black experience” means to me. As a first generation Haitian-American woman at Wellesley College, it has become clearer to me how important the language and culture of parents has been in shaping my identity. I have also begun to think more critically about how my identity as a woman of color separates me from black brothers as well as my white peers at Wellesley.

Gregory, Perry and Rankin also explains that In 1907, African Americans infrequently had different choices for advanced education aside from a general (HBCU) .Furthermore, Gregory, Perry and Rankin states that In 2008, HBCUs are still transcendently African American and flourishing in light of the fact that these organizations are effectively teaching and graduating African-American understudies more so than ever before. According to Gregory, Perry, and Rankin Notwithstanding and now and again ignored, HBCUs are an imperative choice for secondary school African-American understudies look into attending more so today than any other secondary institution. Lastly, Gregory, Perry and Rankin explain how (HBCUs) secondary schools offer advantages minority understudies may some way or another not get if they were to attend a non HBCU; which is why minorities and African American understudies choose to attend HBCUs solely over the option of advantages offered at these HBCUs.

Society has made it so hard for blacks to become successful, but for the great minds of the students at CAU; it’s so easy for them to succeed and not for them to fall into what society calls the “system”. This too, is a reason as why some African Americans feel like they just don’t have to try. The harder they try; they may still get nowhere being limited to so many great opportunities. Although there are no excuses to be made for the African American communities, this reasoning’s will leave some people to think they will never be good enough for society. “Eliminate what’s distracting you and keep it moving in order to succeed” are words that I will always remember Helen Smith Price saying before the closing of Founders Convocation 2017. In life not everyone will support you nor help you get to where you want to be and those are the people you leave behind in order to succeed. As a graduating senior of Clark Atlanta University I will always “Find a Way or Make

The keynote speaker, Dr. Anthony Graham, is a professor and dean of the College of Education at North Carolina A&T. As a scholar, Dr. Graham presented his research on African American adolescents and more at various international, national and state conferences. During his tenure as a professor at North Carolina A&T, Dr. Graham has published a variety of book chapters and co-authored a book. The great speaker has written grants totaling approximately $10 million. He has also created numerous initiatives to increase the number of racial and minority students. He was recently recognized by the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club Inc. Dr. Graham’s messages share optimism, critical consciousness and more that inspire the minority mindset to be successful.

Living in Chicago in the 21st century is not a necessarily easy thing. Everyday, I live with the fear that a loved one of mines could be taken away from me at any moment. Or the fact that my life could be taken away just from walking out of my front door. I dream of going to college and making something of myself. Often, other students tell me I can not achieve my dreams because I am an African American student. I pushed and struggle so hard to prove these students wrong. Because I am African American, many people view me as just a number. And that number is 33.1%; which is the college graduation rate for Black males. I would like to be one of the many people that will increase this percent. Recently, I was given the opportunity to take part

Growing up in Baltimore, I was exposed to a variety of educational experiences. From walking gang infest hallways to taking advance placement classes, each school year was diverse with its own set of challenges. As I look back on educational journey, one experience stayed consistent: the lack of African American men in my classrooms. It was not until high school, that I met the only two African American male STEM educators I would have during my public school career. Seeing these men in the classroom had a profound effect on me and my peers because we idolized them, seeking them for both academic and moral guidance. For some students, these men were the only direct male influence in their lives, and for others, including myself, these men provided

Although I was flourishing in school, I still could not picture myself at UCLA, the number two public school in the nation, without an athletic scholarship. The stereotype of black students earning a spot in a “most selective” because of their athletic abilities instead of their intellectual abilities was holding me back. I do not know of any blacks from my school being accepted into the school, but instead of letting this fact deter me, I used it as inspiration. I want to be the black student that enables younger black students to picture themselves at selective schools like UCLA. Black students need individuals that are breaking down racial barriers and succeeding in occupations that they previously weren’t exploring. In order for the younger generation to succeed, we need the advice of the more experienced, more knowledgeable older generation. By receiving their guidance, we will be able to progress the success that they have already

The city of Philadelphia holds a unique and permanent place in my heart. As an African American male, I appreciate opportunities that the city of Philadelphia provided me in contrast to my father’s experience up growing in the North Carolina. He attended segregated schools through high school and when he posed the possibility of attending the University of Syracuse for college to his guidance counselor, she told him he was “too dark-skinned” to apply to there. As a result he attended all black institutions for college and law school. While society has changed significantly, I credit the rich and rigorous opportunities the city has provided me. My teachers at Meredith elementary recognized my potential at a young age and pushed me to achieve that potential. Central High School provided me with a public education that allowed me to compete with any student in the country. The University of Pennsylvania developed the critical thinking skills that provided a foundation for my legal education. In addition to the excellent educational opportunities,

In addition to the clinical, academic, and professional experience I bring to Blackstone Valley Prep, I share an abiding belief in the mission of the school. By creating an intentionally diverse school community, Blackstone Valley Prep not only improves access to high quality education for students from historically marginalized groups (e.g., students of color, low SES), but establishes a model that promotes equity and access to high quality education for all Rhode Island students. Improving access and equity in education are professional and personal goals, as I believe they are critical to the health and success of our citizenry. If selected, I will be honored to be part of Blackstone Valley Prep and will work enthusiastically towards achieving

The opportunities to make a difference and shape a different future for students of color is possible. Breaking the cycle of a negative start on education, gives children a substantial head-start early in development years. Providing students with specialized subject matter teachers and linking home and school are ways to start to close the gap on education. One amazing fact that I learned is currently in my daughter’s high school 14 percent of African-American student have D’s and

As an African American born and raised on the south-side of Chicago, I witnessed first hand what the lack of education, cultural identity, and community development can leads to without the presence of community centers, leaders, activism, etc. From this, over the years, I’ve consciously involved myself within works that focuses on uplifting underrepresented groups through cultural activism, the humanities, and educational programming.

I was interested in the individual experiences of African American students who persevered from areas replete with resources and limited educational opportunities. In considering each individual case narrative, I used “narrative reasoning” which “operates by noticing the differences and diversity of people’s behavior”. As such, the overall effect of narrative reasoning was maintained as I developed “a collection of individual cases in which thought moves from case to case instead of from case to generalization.” I outline the participant sample, data generation, and data analysis methods below.

Over the course of the semester, there has been numerous amount of areas where I believe I have improved in comparison to high school. What has helped me in my writing is the writing class and the in-class writing workshop. The writing class that is located in the Kremen education building has helped me with my writing greatly because in the writing center the person in charge teach us lenses and we apply those lenses to the writing, draft, or reading that someone brings in. The in-class writing workshop has helped me because other students get to read my writing. This is helpful because I get feedback from many students and they let me know what needs to be fixed. A new tool I have been using is They Say I Say. The book is very helpful because of the information and examples it provides such as the templates. I have been applying the templates into my essays and I have seen a significant difference.

“Real education means to inspire people to live more abundantly, to learn to begin with life as they find it and make it better” (Woodson, The Mis-Education of the Negro). To leave or to stay? This is the question that many African - American students have to answer. When one leaves to go to college, they are presented with an enormous amount of options. To go off and leave home to get a higher education, then when that degree is achieved, to go off into the world and be that shining light in the community and their family, or come back to their community and use the knowledge that one has gained to make one 's’ community better and vibrant. What is the greater good? As one approaches the end of higher education matriculation, one has to put into consideration the question of “Now What” should one go off and take that job from an internship to hopefully succeed in the corporate world, so that mama can brag to all her friends. Or does one come back home to the ills of the community and try to make it a better place for mama and the family? These are the questions that will be confronted in this paper. This paper will argue the pros and cons of going out in the world and shooting for the stars, by being valuable intellectual commodity for a different community from which one comes from? Or being that example for the community and using the education that was received to make it better for the community from which that has supported and nurtured one from the beginning? The