One of my biggest concerns deals with black graduate students not wanting to share their thoughts or opinions while in class,meetings and or conferences. One of the responsibilities as a black scholar is to educate others about who we are, what we stand for and challenge them to respect our culture. As a criminology major I am very concerned about the literature, theories and empirical tests that have been used to define our black youth of today, past and present. Our communities are constantly being labeled as "marginalized" or "high risk." We must be conscious of the impact that it has on students lives, black and white. We are the fortunate ones to be in school, we owe those in less fortunate situations to highlight the assets of our communities.
To not give a voice or be a voice for those unrepresented, allows others to think their positions, assumptions and even research is valid. It has been my experience that those that stand up and be heard are the ones that are respected. I understand that the backlash can be detrimental to careers but what is a career not built upon the right foundation. I feel that the "fear of a backlash" is what keeps us from sharing. The best opportunity is one that is created out of respect not fear. Open your mouth and be fed and witness the real opportunities come your way.
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You can make a difference! You may be only one person, but one is all it takes to bring change. We call this the Power of One. When you have zeros you have nothing, but when you put the number one before the zeros, you have millions and billions. It is always the inspiration of one person that starts great movements of change in this world, whether these changes are social, political, or spiritual."
ReplyDeleteChrissie & Gary Blaze
"highlight the assets of our communities"....most of us represent by default and never take on the responsibility, but who is to say that we should take that responsibility? Is that what I choose when I decided to go to medical school?
ReplyDeleteMDSqrd
SC1--Very well said. That is exactly what I hope this communicative outlet will provide for people. Inspiration!!!
ReplyDeleteMDSqrd--I will agree that most never take on the responsibility. Yet,I am saying that the responsibility is not an option it is an obligation that was bestowed upon you at birth.
ReplyDeleteI do not know the statistics, but I am confident in saying that black medical students are not the majority in medical schools. If we are concerned with having more black doctors, it only makes sense to "highlight the assets of our communities" so that everyone can witness your success as being a product of the black community. Hopefully this will begin a mental paradigm shift that will bridge gaps between opportunities and black communities. This approach will not only shyne light on you but for black people overall. There are too many stereotypes that plague black communities that hinder others from recognizing its greatness. Your decision to attend medical school has led you in the direction of being responsible for your community. You (if you have not already) need to embrace it and accept that your presence in medical school puts you in the front of the responsibility line.
I am constantly hearing, "you go girl!", "we need more black doctors", "wow, that's awesome", "i'm going to look for you", "pretty and smart,"..words from my black community who don't even know my name, non-church members, no relations,or past acquantences...what they know is my color with the MD gives them assurance, confidence that "our" people are going to be ok and they did not even have to ask me to do it...that to me is awesome...
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful when we can elicit those positive responses to our efforts to move forward in our achievements. Unfortunatetly, I've also run into a few naysayers in and out of "our" community. Their doubt just fuels my determination to achieve great things in my life.
ReplyDeleteIt also shows me that there should be an urgency to pave the way for others to achieve the same greatness. Those negative attitudes have the potential to hinder great, young minds. This just confirms to me that I have to step up my game to pull up anyone that I am able to help and to change the way we think about education and the value of knowledge.