Convocation

The president of UNCF- Michael Lomax was a very motivational keynote speaker. His convocation addressed how we must financially and academically preserve our historical black colleges. As the president of UNCF, he understands the importance of giving back towards Black education, however we must almost make this a priority. He brought up a great point about how alumni should want to preserve and give back to their alma mater. It’s our duty to make sure the next generation of black students has the same opportunity towards education as we did. In addition to securing education financially, we were also urged to preserve it academically and make it academically progressive. We have to keep historically black colleges competitive academically and make sure we continue to produce great thinkers and elite scholars. Mr. Lomax in essence challenged us to an ideal that was inspired decades ago during segregation as Dr. Wright said in his class lecture. He challenged us to be constantly reaching for a higher academic standard and securing education as a source for liberation for anyone following behind us.

Convocation

What is Convocation? Thats what I remember thinking when I first heard that we had to go to this event that was suppose to be so special. I believe it was important because it was Howard's 144th convocation. I thought it was going to be something like the welcomeing cerermony that we went to during the first week we arrived here at Howard. I really didn't understand why it was mandatory for us to go.
The first thing I thought when I walked into Cramton was that I must of had the wrong building because I had seen all these people up on stage and in the center isle in caps and gowns. It made me feel like I was at a graduation. The president gave his opening speech and the band played a great opening piece. The main speaker and the president on the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Dr. Lomax, was very compelling to me. I had seen this man before on HBO's The Black List. He then, as he did now, stress the importance of education espeasially for blacks. It reaffirmed what was talked about in the Wednesday lecture about how young people should get an education and use it to help their community. I believe this is true because if you don't use the education you've aquired to do good for those around you then it is totally pointless.    

Convocation

  Friday was Howard University’s 144^th opening convocation. What is convocation by the way? I don’t even know. Never the less, it is a Howard University tradition that you could not miss out on. There was beautiful music, an inspiring message, and a collegiate atmosphere that made me feel honored to be in the same room as the productive individuals before me.  Before the convocational address was given, we were entertained by Orchestras and processional music, which in my opinion sounded phenomenal. After a few more speakers and music, President Ribeau introduced our convocation orator, Michael L. Lomax. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of the United Negro College Fund. In his convocation address he talked about the importance and the duty, as an alumnus, to donate to the school. Simply because it will help the school to be able to better funds its students. I thought this was a valid point because our school needs help as far as funding is concerned. Dr. Lomax also mentioned African Americans are more of the muscle behind the labor force, rather than the brain power. This statement I believe is true because I have observed this mindset from the experiences of my father and especially my uncle. I thought it quite the coincidence that he should mention something like that. All in all, I thought convocation was a very interesting ceremony. I did love to see all those people in their cap and gowns as well. It just added that extra professionalism to the ceremony.   

Convocation

This past Friday, Howard University invited us to celebrate its 144^th Opening Convocation. The day’s program began with the entrance of Howard’s influential figures, a presentation from the color guard, the singing of both our national anthems and a powerful selection from the chorus. At first I did not know what to expect of the convocation but it soon became clear to me its importance to the university and students.

The convocation speech was given by Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of UNCF, or the United Negro College Fund. Dr. Lomax’s speech pinpointed Historically Black Colleges and Universities, education, and the need for change in the black community.

The given speech was insightful and made it evident that education is essential to the progression of black people. Someone asked Dr. Lomax if the country still needed HBCU’s and he replied, “Yes, we still need HBCU’s because they continue to outperform the rest of higher education for African Americans.” Every year two million African Americans receive a college degree; and those that attend HBCU’s are more likely to obtain professional degrees, view themselves as leaders, be physically engaged and earn success in their careers. In this knowledge based economy we must produce more intellects than labor workers; and instead of being the “muscle” behind labor we need to be the “brain- power.” In his own experience, Dr. Lomax said middle school offered such courses as metal shop and wood shop and it was not until high school that he was able to take more college based courses that would better prepare him for a career.

Another point mentioned was black male enrollment in college and its importance to the community. Dr. Lomax said that it was his hope of the 130,000 graduate degrees awarded, in the years to come they would be doubled; and of those half a million people half would be black males.

In addition to black males becoming more accomplished in their college and career choices the alumni’s must become more involved as well. Only 11 percent of Howard’s alumni have contributed to the university and if this number could increase it would make a tremendous difference in our education. With their help Howard could offer more programs and degrees for future generations.

Howard University is no longer a member of UNCF but they were one of the founders. Of the degrees offered by Howard to its students there is 1400 bachelor, 500 graduate and 415 professional degrees.

 Hopefully, in return for what Howard has to offer us we will go far in our own successes. Dr. Lomax’s speech was very inspirational and I hope convocation will continue to inspire others in the years to come.

Segregation and Desegregation

This week’s lecture was spoken by Dr. Richard Wright and he came to talk to us about segregation and desegregation. Dr. Wright’s lecture, in my opinion, was the best we’ve had so far. I felt that his lecture really broadened my perspective of segregation and what it meant for the black community as a whole, which leads me to my first point. Dr. Wright stated that in segregation, it was the first time blacks would work together, share, and build communities to protect one another and look out for each other. Because of segregation in was instinctively imposed in blacks to have each other’s back. To overcome the oppression of the whites blacks had to join forces, and that was a big underlying topic in Dr. Wrights lecture. Contrary to the idea of segregation bringing togetherness, the partition of black people commenced with desegregation. Once African Americans achieved what they had been fighting for, it seemed as though there was no need to remain united. Blacks were losing their connectivity and harbored a sense of individuality.  Not only that, black education had gradually declined, which then leads me to my last point. Educating black children, before desegregation, was taken with the utmost seriousness. Dr. Wright told us that, during that time period, education was viewed as a weapon to use against the struggle for liberation. The goal was to be the most powerful intellect and not be an irrelevant intellectual. However, the rises of liberation lead to a decline in connectivity and education. An idea I thought to be quite ironic and unfortunate.  

Education and Black Liberation

In this week’s Freshmen Seminar we were introduced to Dr. Richard L. Wright, a professor in the Department of Speech Communication and Culture here at Howard. In his lecture he shared his experiences as an African American during the civil rights movement; and spoke of black liberation and Howard’s involvement, the importance of education in the black community and the need for continued student activism.

In 1960, Dr. Wright began attending Howard University. Howard started off very conservative; but, after an inspirational speech delivered by Malcolm X in our very own Cramton Auditorium, Howard took a turn for the best. Howard’s student body knew that change began with them and quickly became involved in the civil rights struggle for black liberation. Before liberation, laws segregated blacks from whites in order to deny them their resources, isolate them, and prevent them from becoming political figures. Regardless of having these odds against them, Howard students began organizing organizations, protests and Black Studies programs; those of which continue today. Undoubtedly, Howard made an incredible difference in the nation.

Another key concept mentioned was education as an essential part of liberation. Dr. Wright explained, “You have to be twice as good to get half as much—you can’t be black and ignorant” when you are an African American. During the civil rights movement education was a powerful weapon that had to be used energetically and wisely. He said a person can not be an irrelevant intellectual and as an intellectual you have to be energized in order to be liberated.

Fifty years later student activism, as mentioned by Dr. Wright, has been on a steady decline. He made the eye opening point that education in the black community has gone down with the increase of desegregation. Instead of us as a people doing more with our accomplishments we are doing less.

Dr. Wright’s lecture in this week’s session was moving and I hope it will inspire our generation to continue the legacy that has been established by Howard students before us.

Not Losing Ground

Going to Convocation, I had no idea what it was about. I only knew that it was a “tradition”. I arrived early as I was told by several and got a desired seat. The introduction and processional was respectful and the orchestra was remarkable. First, the President of Howard University spoke and described convocation as the “calling together of a community” (Dr. Sidney A Ribeau). This was the 144^th convocation held at Howard University. Imagine all the history that is held in those years, and that we as class of 2015 are just becoming a part of it. We are making a difference coming to Howard University. As illustrated by the president of the institution, we made the difference for our family and the difference for the world; we must cease to be the change we want to see. This statement correlates to my favorite quote “Be the change you want to see in the world” (Gandhi).

The main speaker of the morning was the President of UNCF, Dr. Michael L. Lomax. His speech corresponded with this past weeks lecture with Dr. Wright. Dr. Lomax demonstrated several ideas that Dr. Wright had a few days earlier. One expression that had me reflecting after the Convocation was many African-Americans are seen as the “muscle of the labor force, but not brain power behind the economy” (Dr. Lomax). This directly correlates with Dr. Wright’s illustration that blacks were thought so little of during segregation. It dawned on me that this is an issue that still exists today. Another example Dr. Lomax used that supports this is, “college is seen for most, but not for most African-Americans”. Dr. Lomax hit on the idea that education is declining when he stated that colleges in the past have “done more with less”. Colleges today are more concentrated on what they accomplished in the past rather than what they need to do for their students now. (Dr. Lomax)

Only a small percent of the freshman class here at Howard are males. Why is this? Society views African-American high school graduates as crucial parts of the labor force, but not as knowledgeable college student. We must push the effort that college is for all. Education is a powerful tool for liberation, as stated by Dr. Wright.

Dr. Lomax’s idea of leadership and community engagement was parallel to that of Dr. Wright’s. He emphasized that we have to “struggle and have determination to be better” (Dr. Lomax). We have to live up to the legacy of Howard and build upon it. “Even sacred grounds can lose ground if not properly cared for or supported” (Dr. Lomax). It is our assignment as present students to restrengthen the university. “For Howard; the best is yet to come” (Dr. Lomax). We must use our knowledge to engage in obstacles, modernize past ideas, and manage education to better ourselves ,as well as, the university as a whole. We must be consistent in our approach to produce results. When we graduate this historic university, we should not only leave our legacy behind, but also leave a trail to our destiny. Give back to the university that helped mold your character and put you on your path to success. “We have made progress, but there is much more to do” (Dr. Lomax)

Nothing Yields Nothing

One statement that left me contemplating well after the lecture was “As things get better, people tend to do less.” I realized that this expression is accurate because I find myself doing it sometimes. For example, if I have a good grade I might not work as hard as if I was trying to get a good grade. It surprised me when Dr. Richard Wright came in the room and he did not have a PowerPoint presentation. I did not know what to expect without the visual, but it turned out he did not need one. His lecture kept my attention without a PowerPoint and left a lasting effect. This was my favorite lecture so far.

Dr. Wright did not only describe what segregation was, but why it came up to par. Black people were thought so little of. When, where, who, how and what blacks did was monitored. The white society felt that if they isolated blacks together it would keep them out of the way. They felt that “nothing with nothing yields nothing.” (Dr. Wright) What they didn't realize was that sealing them off together was more deadly than splitting them. The isolation only promoted unity and perseverance.

I did not realize that “everybody” tried to get educated in the "Black Community" during the times of segregation. They knew the purpose of going to school was to become an effective learner and they became just that. It became necessary to guide and prepare the young while ensuring education for them. “Education was for liberation.” I became aware that education for "blacks" was really the only way to soar from the ashes of circumstance and not become ignorant. Suppression is a struggle that one has to be prepared for and the best way is through education. Education was viewed as a weapon against the oppressor and if you had poor education you "aligned yourself with your oppressor"(Dr. Wright). Being black in a white supreme society meant one had to “be twice as good to get half as much”(Dr. Wright).

African-Americans have to recognize that we don’t use knowledge for personal use, but for the people around us. “You can not be an irrelevant intellectual that is not dedicated to the liberation of our people” (Dr. Wright). Howard Students of this generation especially need to make their voices heard and become students with purpose. Today Black education is steady declining and weakening. We,as students, must be the ones to make the changes and let the universities know what we want from the institution. “We must lead the character of our institution” (Dr. Wright).

People are not working as hard; making the struggle that the "Black Community" went through during segregation less worth it. There are many today that do not recognize education as a privilege and the power it holds. People cannot go into the endeavor without the power of the mind because they would not get anywhere without it. Therefore, as students we need to be more than knowledge, but intellectuals that are engaged in the community and the struggle of the black race. We are not completely free from struggle, there are still issues that exist today. The effort is forever existing and through it all we must always remember “We deserve better” (Dr. Wright)

Putting our mark in American history

During the lecture Dr. Beatty discussed cultural repercussions of displacing Africans from Africa. Some key points he explored were Dismemberment, changes to both American culture, and culture of African diasporas.

When Dr. Beatty talked about dismemberment he addressed not just the physical displacement of Africans from their homeland and social communities, but more-so from their ideologies. European thought was introduced to Africans during slavery in an attempt to not only create the economical, and political domination of Europeans in the New World, but also to culturally dominate and separate Africans from their history and culture. Because of this, American history is more reflective of European culture than African culture. Dr. Beatty acknowledged this unfortunate point but also continued to discuss the perseverance of African culture and ideology. Africans were being taught to give primacy to European culture, however, certain aspects in our culture always remained. Speaking patterns, importance of music and dance, and social structures of African peoples generally follow the same pattern. Scholars like Gomez have transformed academic knowledge by identifying the flaws in current American history and addressing the need to rewrite history to be more inclusive of African culture to more accurately depict African impact in America.

When considering this, I realized how much we have been mis-educated throughout the learning process. I think about our forms of religion and education and how they reveal more European patterns than Africans. We have a white depiction of Christ in our religion and education favors Greco-Roman culture yet when the New World was just beginning Blacks represented about 80% of the population. This lecture really has opened my eyes to the importance of making American culture acknowledge African presence. African culture has not been abandoned nor have we been dismembered as a unit. We just need to force our mark in history and be recognized more deservingly.

Abandonment & Dismemberment

In the past session with Freshman Seminar we met with Dr. Mario Beatty the Associate Professor for Afro-American Studies. Dr. Beatty talked about Abandonment and Dismemberment. Africans became dismembered from Africa when they were sold as slaves to the Americas. The Middle Passage took them overseas and between 1492 and 1776 there were 6.5 million people in the New World. Of those 6.5 million 5/6 were African or of African descent. During this time was also the beginning of the Black Diaspora in America.

Dr. Beatty spoke about abandonment and dismemberment, and about how African culture is still prominent in today’s society. Scholars say Africa has many influences can still be seen through our music, fashion, food, behaviors, values, views, beliefs, and clothing. The lecture emphasized Black Diaspora and self continuity.

As a part of self-continuity, Afro- Americans have created Maroon societies, which are communities created by blacks outside of the master’s property. There are Maroon societies that range throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and New Orleans.

Abandonment and Dismemberment

In our most recent lecture, Associate Professor Mario Beatty came to talk to us about abandonment and dismemberment. Africans were forcibly taken from their homes and brought to the Americas. In the process they lost nearly all of their possessions. Africans brought with them, their religious beliefs, their language, and their culture. Dr. Beatty explained to us that Africans had to assimilate to their new surroundings, and their slave masters views became their views. For example, slaves were taught about Christianity and they turned the traditional white version of Christianity into “Black Christianity”. Not only that, but, African influences in voodoo and sangria stemmed from their religion as well. I thought this was interesting because I hadn’t thought about the difference between a more white church and a black church. He continued on and explained that in a black church people get possessed by the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues, something that came from African religion. I was at this point griped in to his lecture because what he was saying made a lot of sense and allowed me to connect pieces of information. Dr. Beatty made an interesting point about “Black” Language. He said that in black language there isn’t always a verb that connects a noun and an adjective. As an example, he compared two sentences to each other, “She is bad” and “she bad”. This really shocked me because it was so true; I had never that about language in such a way. During his elaboration, I began to think about Ebonics and its concord to this topic. In the American subjugation of Africa, some of African culture became a part of American culture. One example that he gave that stuck with me was a book that was about natural working cures from Africa. I really liked the idea of using natural cures in today’s society. It is also something I want to keep in mind for my aspiration to become a medical scientist.

Surviving Traditions

Dr. Beatty's lecture encouraged me to think greatly about the dismemberment of Africans. I knew that during the enslavement of Africans and their importation into the Americas many were dispersed throughout the Americas and the Latin countries.

However, I have never much considered all of what was lost by the African people.

I know that they were taken away from their homeland and forced to live in another country,  but an aspect that I never really considered were the cultural traditions they were at risk of loosing. Dr. Beatty clarified to me that the colonials, the ones that enslaved the Africans, tried to impose their ideas and believes upon them in order to make them forget about where they come from. They wanted them to have no ties to their native land. However, contrary to their efforts, the colonials were not able to completely detach the Africans from their culture. You see aspects of African culture throughout American tradition and many other nations. Over the generations the Africans have not lost their traditions because the passed them down through their families in this never ending exchange of culture and traditions and customs.They kept their traditions of music, religion, dance, much more. It made me think of all the traditions of my family that are rooted in African customs.

So in the dismemberment, Africans were not really dismembered. they were able to stay unified through the customs that they would not relent to those that enslaved them.

More or Less

One statement from Dr. Beatty that generated deep thought well after the lecture was: “out of the New World 5 out of 6 were African.” This statement made me think wow; a lot of Africans were dispersed in the diaspora. They were not just scattered in the Americas, but in Brazil and the Caribbean. I knew that a lot of Africans were dispersed in the New World, but hearing the ratio of African to other was astounding. The views and beliefs were from the colonizers perspective even though the African population was more dominant. (Dr. Beatty)

Physical Abandonment?

The connotation I receive from the word abandonment is choosing to leave. So how can the African Diaspora be considered abandonment? The actual denotation of abandonment is to leave a place with no intent of returning. Many scholars believe that when Africans were brought into the new world, that they lost everything. Africans lost their names, social ideas and historical concepts. More or less, they lost anything of meaning. Thus, as Dr. Beatty explained, becoming culturally empty.

Culturally Empty?

Dr. Beatty introduced the question, “If you are culturally empty, what are you filled up with?” One is filled up with the colonizers view of the world: their beliefs, morals, and way of life. I connected this with the concept of the “seasoning process” (brainwashing). I realized the reason that Colonizers filled Africans with only their ideas. The reason was that they didn’t want Africans to feel in any kind of way that they were worth something. Moreover, to make sure the Africans knew their culture was irrelevant. Furthermore, many colonizers thought that because of African’s unique culture and language that Africans were uncivilized and not intelligent.

Remembrance?

You can’t assume that Africans lost everything. African culture is still everywhere. It lives in Music, family values, stories, oral tradition, dances, religion, and food. “Ideas of culture have to transcend rigid African Culture. “ For instance, Africans brought with them: social structure, ways of knowing/spirituality, and science and technology. Against the slave masters resistance, Maroon societies existed in several secluded places in Jamaica, Brazil, even the United States. In these communities African Culture was prominent. They brought their medicine men and women, values, attitudes, religion and rituals.

Spirituality is an important in Africa. As seen in “Sundiata: An old Epic of Mali” by Niane, D.T, a narrative epic that I have read in another class, Africans believed in fate and destiny. If it was in God’s plan, nothing could stop it. African religion and spirituality still exists today. In Haiti and New Orleans, they practice an African religion called Vodun. In Cuba, they practice Santeria. In the U.S., the idea of a reAfricanized Christianity has taken a rise and an Africana bible was released last year. Some religious rituals that transcended into the diaspora include: speaking in tongues, baptism, and funerary rites. (Dr. Beatty)

In conclusion, was there dismemberment due to the Middle Passage? Not at all, physical abandonment does not equal cultural abandonment.

Omoluabi

            Dr. Segun Gbadegesin, came to talk to us in our second lecture about Omoluabi, self-actualization and communal responsibility. Dr. Gbadesgesin stated that Omoluabi means child begotten of the chief (or source) of Iwa. It is a person of good character and of good upbringing, also, a person “putting knowledge acquired through education to the service of the community, and not shying away from personal sacrifices when needed.” A point he made was that we should all be Omoluabis to achieve self-actualization and to aid in enduring the problems of the human condition. I think that I could be an Omoluabi and help solve the problems of the human condition.  

            The Human Condition was another point Dr.Gbadegesin established. He described the human condition as the way we are as people in the world, for example the poor and sick. He also gave a rationale for solving our research question, if we acknowledge the human condition and its enduring problems, the role of various fields of study, and so on, it could lead to the transformation of academic knowledge. Prior to this discussion, I did not know what the human condition was or that it had problems that needed to be addressed. This part of the lecture was eye-opening to me.

            In his talk about academic Knowledge, Dr.Gbadegesin gave three distinctions; knowledge, wisdom, and the Intellectual. “Knowledge is the acquisition of factual information without insight into their supporting reasons. Wisdom-‖the wise (person) is skilled in turning (his/her humanly oriented knowledge) to serve the process of human relations. The Intellectual has knowledge and appreciates its relevance to the broader needs of society, but he/she does not necessarily have the skill for ordering personal relations harmoniously.” Clarifying the difference between the three helped me to better understand academic knowledge.

Omoluabi

Dr. Segun Gbadegesin presented the lecture on Omoluabi: Self- Actualization and Communal Responsibility. Dr. Gbadegesin approached the topic by addressing the idea of Omoluabi as somewhat of a guideline to living. He discussed the actual meaning of omoluabi, the first written principles that people used as guidelines for living, and how Iwa (good character) relates to our seminar research question.

Dr. Gbadegesin literally defined Omoluabi for us as: a child begotten of the source of Iwa. Iwa means character. Therefore, Omoluabi translates to having good character and everything that character encompasses such as: knowledge, wisdom, principles, and community service. He showed the first guidelines for living, which were: The principles of Ma’at, Coffin texts, and Pyramid texts. These obviously existed before Sharia law, Greek governing laws, or even Christianity. However, the same principles of harmony, justice, order, and good character transcended throughout all of these texts. Some of the principles of Ma’at seemed identical to some of our Ten Commandments in the Bible. After presenting how Africans were the first to create character guidelines for civilized culture, Dr. Gbadegesin proceeded to address the seminar research question in relation to Iwa. He basically explained that Iwa- good character is what would be remembered in society about a person. Therefore what you did to benefit yourself through education and your community through service would be what people remembered long after you die. In relation to the research question, Iwa is how you use your knowledge to end enduring problems.

My overall impression of the lecture could have been better. It was kind of hard to stay interested and connect to the wide array of topics that Dr. Gbadegesin addressed. However, from what I did understand about the lecture, I agreed with and found interesting. One thing in particular that I found interesting was how similar the principles of ma’at were to the Ten Commandments. This idea that Africans were the first to create an idea of laws, principles, and ways to govern themselves related to Dr. Carr’s lecture when he also showed that Africans were the first innovators in terms of academia. Both Dr. Carr and Dr. Gbadegesin helped to show the relationship that philosophically and academically, Africans were the first to think of everything. Egyptians created the concepts of how to live life (Omoluabi) and make it easier by innovating. Africans have always naturally answered the seminar research question- how have scholars across the various fields of study advanced and transformed academic knowledge related to enduring problems of the human condition? It actually seems that it is an African tradition to live by answering this question. Hopefully this seminar continues to reveal the pre-existing nature we all have to be educated and use our college experiences to become innovators to stop world issues and create redefining world philosophies.

Defining the Omoluabi

In the most recent session, Freshman Seminar welcomed Dr. Segun Gbadegesin, the Dean of the Humanities. Dr. Gbadegesin, or Dr. G received a doctorate in Philosophy and is highly regarded in the fields of African Philosophy, Yoruba Philosophy, and Ethics.

Dr. G spoke about the Omolabi meaning Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility. We began the session by repeating after Dr. G, the word Ijuba meaning homage. Ijuba is similar to an ‘Amen’ in which one pays homage to the creator, our ancestors, our elders and such.

Throughout the seminar, Dr. G provided information that would essentially help to answer the question, “How have scholars across the various fields of study advanced and transformed academic knowledge related to enduring problems of the human condition?”

Another concept we learned about was the word Omoluabi and how it came to be. Omo Olu Iwa Bi means “a child begotten of the chief of Iwa.” Orunmila was the Yoruba God of Wisdom and his wife was Iwa, Existence and Character. Orunmila mistreated Iwa and therefore she left him. Subsequently, he lost everything when he lost her, and spent the rest of his days in search of her. What I got from this story is without existence and character a person has nothing, and it is hard to find.

Lastly, Dr. G broke down the difference between knowledge, wisdom and intellect. Knowledge is factual info, while wisdom is applying that knowledge to human relations. Intellect is the ultimate knowledge in which one has learned to appreciate society’s broader needs.

In my opinion, Dr. G and Dr. Carr’s were dissimilar in their key concepts. I think Dr. G’s spoke more about knowledge and Dr. Carr’s discussed having a voice in the community.

Human Condition

“There is no one person in the world” (Dr. G) is a statement that seems so logical. Yet, at the same time the declaration describes our relationship as humans, which leads to one of the main points I obtained from Dr. G’s lecture. He came very forward with the overall purpose of the lecture: the Human Condition.

I could only think what is the human condition?

The human condition is the way we socialize; the way we are as people in the world. We as a society have to realize what is relevant in helping the human condition. After leaving the lecture I looked up the word socialize in the New Oxford Dictionary and it stated to make (someone ) behave in a way that is acceptable to their society.

Why we must transform the human condition?

Wrongs of socialization and affects of the human condition include racism, politics, and selfishness. (Dr. G) Thinking about one of the definitions from the New Oxford Dictionary, it made me wonder are these really issues that society finds acceptable. We have to become aware that these subjects are unfitting in society and take the initiative to change them. Dr. G not only stated the research question but he also told us the relevance of the question: the reason we are researching. The relevance of the research question is to seek how scholars have transformed scholarship that have marginalized us (Dr. G).

How do we solve the human condition?

From the lecture I grasped that we as a people must lead in society. We must advance our knowledge, and know the knowledge of the conditions, and understand the relationship to ourselves. In order to remove the wrongs of the human condition we must realize that “There is only one race in the world..and that is the human race” (Dr. G) Everything that we do has to relate to the human stipulation. After knowing the knowledge of the conditions we must become intellectual and gain wisdom. "Wisdom is using the knowledge we gain to serve a process in human relations." (Dr. G) I registered that if we gain wisdom we not only improve the human condition, we improve ourselves. “We become a people of good character that are disciplined, self-improving, and earning respect from peers.” (Dr. G) Our Iwa is what Dr. G called it.

Relating Dr. G’s to Dr. Carr’s lecture is the relationship between Ancient Egypt and Africa. “Scholars have said that Africans have no history”. Yet, before Mohammad, Plato, Socrates, Moses and even Jesus there were Egyptians. There was the Goddess Ma’at, Vizier Ptahhotep, and Pharaoh Rameses the Great.

“Once you leave a place you have created history,” was one statement that left me pondering long after the lecture. The literal denotation that I received was that all you have to do is exist and you would have created history. The connotation I received was that you have to do something in your life to better yourself and the human condition to make history. You can’t just exist on Earth and not want to better it.

My task is to inform my self and not fall victim to ignorance, while going the extra mile to place wisdom into my own personal career goal as a Pediatrician to better the human circumstance.

The First Lecture

               In the first lecture, Dr.Carr brought about the concept of Mbongi, a “common shelter” where many traditional functions take place. For example, education, conflict resolution, or maintenance of social life can take place in an Mbongi. Dr.Carr mentioned that Mbongis can be places such as barber shops, churches, or front porches, which had certain rules that needed to be followed for entry and exit. His statement was a surprise to me because after further deliberation, what he was saying made complete sense.

                At the start of the lecture, Dr.Carr displayed a picture of a man with a bird for a head. The bird was called Ibis and was a symbol of intelligence because of a certain technique it could do with its beak. It was this subject that hooked us into my second topic about human brilliance and excellence. Dr.Carr gave us three key statements. The first, human brilliance must be connected to African brilliance. Second, human excellence must be connected to African excellence. Finally, to be African is to be brilliant and excellent. After Dr. Carr discussed these three statements, I felt a sense of self-confidence and honor knowing that my ancestors had such a developed and creative intellect to be the pioneers of today’s writing and mathematics.

                Dr.Carr made a statement, “To be beautiful is not how you talk, but how you behave”. This statement really spoke to me because it made me rethink the idea of beauty. Is it beautiful to look like Miss Universe and talk articulately, or be a normal person who cannot speak “proper” American English, but knows how to carry themselves? It’s these kinds of questions I asked myself after hearing that remark.

Defining the "Mbongi"

In the most recent session of freshman seminar, my class had the honor of meeting with Dr. Greg Carr, the head of the African American studies department for Howard University. In Dr. Carr’s lecture, he spoke of the Mbongi and its role in the African American community. His speech was profoundly engaging and offered a different viewpoint of Blacks as a rich culture of people.

The term Mbongi, or “common shelter,” circumscribes a space in which every individual has a voice; and this voice is an intellectual power, that serves as a continuum of knowledge and tradition. Along with the Mbongi, we learned about such terms like Boko, Yemba, Lusanga, and Kioto, meaning to break, create shelter, mix and inhale. Unbeknownst to me before the Mbongi can be found in everyday life, from the campus, to the salons, to our neighbors front porch and so on.

Another concept Dr. Carr discussed was African Brilliance in relation to Human Brilliance. One of the sayings mentioned in the lecture, “To be African is to be Brilliant and Excellent,” gave me a stronger sense of pride in being an African American female. He spoke of the, “Mistress of Measurement” an African woman who was considered to be one of the earliest mathematicians, and Albert Cassell, a prominent architect from the south. Almost seventy years ago, Cassell was given a task to build a library for Howard University. Howard asked that the building look similar to Independence Hall and till this day the Founder’s Library stands tall and gratifying.

A point that I also learned about was African’s view on education. They believe in order to learn one must excel in reading, writing, counting, measuring, reflecting and service. In addition to, Africans have been excelling in education since ancient times. An example of this mentioned, is the alphabet which is said to be derived from earlier African hieroglyphics.

All in all, I thought Dr. Carr’s lecture was enlightening. Seeing myself as the heir to the African thinking has shown me it is my duty to uphold the doctrines set before me by our ancestors. And through education and ambition I have a voice in my community, one that will essentially contribute to the overall mission of the Mbongi.

Following African Traditions

The three key points of the Learning, Wisdom and the African World Experience lecture were: 1) Human brilliance must be connected to African brilliance, 2) Human excellence must be connected to African excellence, 3) To be African is to be Brilliant and Excellent. The first point of Dr. Carr’s lecture connected the origin of knowledge and education to Egypt. His second point illustrated how Africans were the first creators, innovators, scientists, philosophers, and educators. His last point discussed how we have been disconnected from our roots and must find our way back to the traditions of education and using that education to creatively enhance the world as our ancestors did before us.

Dr. Carr spoke on the misconception that Africans were uneducated. He used the most common misconception of being illiterate in his lecture to start it off. When we think of reading and writing most people think of the Greco-Roman world as being the place of origin. We more often than not over look and forget that Egyptians used hieroglyphs and created the first language. Egyptians had the first forms of science, math, and astronomy to grace the planet. This idea of Blacks being uneducated is so far from true. Human brilliance, the first seen dialogues of the human mind, is credited to Egyptians- our African forefathers. Brilliance refers more to knowledge, while excellence relates more to the idea of using brilliance. Excellence, however, was also an African tradition. The tradition of creativity and inventing was also rooted in Egypt. Africans were the first to use knowledge to make life easier for themselves, architect, problem-solve, and create civilized culture. This confirms the idea that excellence, in the form of actual “doing” was first done by OUR ancestors.

The last point Dr. Carr spoke on was more of a challenge to us as individuals. Africans before us have laid out a fundamental tradition of excellence and brilliance. He made an important note, “We have not only been disconnected from Africa physically, but we have also been mentally disconnected from our traditions”. We have been miseducated to think there is a limitation on our success and that historically we are inferior. However, we have the responsibility and chance to reconnect mentally to these traditions of excellence and brilliance and aspire to follow the path laid before us since the beginning of human (African) civilization.

How to Behave

"Human brilliance and excellence must be connected to African brilliance and excellence".(Dr. Carr) This concept left me thinking well after the lecture. It made me conscious of everything that really originate from the motherland. Africans created writing, counting, sciences, arts, school, and religion well before the Greeks and other civilizations. We as a people were just as smart as any of our oppressors.

When Dr. Carr walked into the room, he had the presence of a great leader. I knew that he was going to say something worth listening to. With his clear and powerful voice, it was no doubt that he kept my attention. It made me very curious when the title came upon the projector: Learning, Wisdom and the African World Experience: An Mbongi. I wondered how all of those convictions could add up to be "An Mbongi". When I said the word Mbongi in my head, it left a ring to it and I knew it held momentum. I really had no clue of what it meant and I was interested in the topic. Three questions came up that I wanted answered: where does it come from?, what exactly is it?, and how does it related to our generation and society?

Mbongi is an African tradition that is a "common shelter"(Dr. Carr); a place where things are worked out. It could be in search of a healing or solution. Mbongi brings unity and empowerment. It is how the community functions properly, giving everyone a way to have a voice. While I was critically thinking about the concept, it registered that any place could be a Mbongi: a church, school, barbershop, or home. Mbongis are everywhere, meaning that the African culture is all around us. I realized that a Mbongi does not have to be an actual place. For example, praying over someone. It brings shelter and healing without having to be an actual structure. Learning several other words relating to Mbongi made this even more evident.

A third major concept was learning and wisdom. There is a definite connection between the two. Wisdom is "fruitful learning", as stated by Dr. Carr. What I got out of the statement was that learning is receiving knowledge and wisdom is what you do with the knowledge

(Dr. Carr). Dr. Carr said we had to identify our own personal pathways. I took recognition that in our path we must bring forth deep thought to renew and engage. The best way of identifying your path is learning and the best way of learning is to do what you see, as described in African culture.

To be beautiful is not how you talk but how you behave (Dr. Carr). To live with excellence and brilliance is how I strive to behave.

For Public Use

"What you think belongs to you, what you say belongs to the public."(Carr)- This is the statement that stayed with me after Dr. Carr's lecture. this statement sums up the basic concept that was presented that day, and that was the concept of learning and the Mbongi. Upon first hearing this word I was struck with the curiosity of what it meant. By definition, a Mbongi is "both a physical and intellectual space or common shelter which constitutes many traditional African functions law and order, cultural education, maintenance of social and political life, conflict resolution, the council of elders, and more". (Carr)

So after thinking more about more, I realized that most of the groups that we congregate in and the activities that we participate in involve us also partaking in a Mbongi. After reviewing the different activates i do, it amazed me the many different Mbongis that are around us everyday. Everywhere you go there are Mbongis, from the groups of men and women that congregate in barbershops and hair salons to young people that gather together for study groups to just coming together to have a family talk, they all embody what Mbongi is. All of Howard University is a Mbongi! A Mbongi  "cuts" through problems to the solution, it provides shelter and protection, it puts together, and it heals.

All this is great, but I still wondered, "Why are Mbongis important?"

I realizes they're important because the provide for a central space for intellectual thought and work. Only when we begin to work and to generate intellectual thoughts together as a people do we really do we really achieve great heights. It then builds an institution which is important to have because then you have a foundation, and without a strong foundation your works will crumble.

After listening to Dr. Carr's lecture I see that I am in a position to learn more everyday and also to learn more about my roots to Africa. Learning more about my roots will, in turn, connect me with my African brilliance.