The African Burial Grounds

"You may bury me in the bottom of Manhattan, I will rise.

My people will get me. 

I will rise out of the huts of history's shame." 

- Maya Angelou

       I am writing this one directly from memory, because I took so long to write up about this trip. It was a mix of procrastination and the excitement from homecoming that I believe delayed this entry.

       I remember being extremely tired, in a rush and in a daze preparing to get on a bus to New York. I remember stepping outside of my dorm and turning right back inside to get another sweater. I thought to myself, "If it's that cold here in DC, it will be that much colder in New York." It wasn't my first time traveling to New York. I consider New York to be my home away from home- I have many friends who reside in the Bronx as well as Brooklyn and Manhattan. It wasn't too long of a ride, mostly because everyone slept through it. I remember waking up once and looking around: the whole bus was silent and sleeping. It was a precious sight, really it was. 

      When we arived at the site, it was as cold as I expected it to be. Dr. Carr began our adventure with a prayer and the removal of his sweater. He said that if we only knew how important this site was, we would not be cold. While some tried to understand, other's whispered if they could have his sweater. It was explained to us that in he process of building new buildings, construction workers came across bones, lots of bones. They discovered that this place, this part of New York was the burial grounds for African slaves only so long ago. 

"For all those who were lost

For all those who were stolen

For all those who were left behind

For all those who were not forgotten"

    When we were directed inside of the museum we learned that the slaves took burrying they're dead very seriously. We also learned many other customs that they'd shared.

    And then they let us free into Harlem where everyone shopped and ate. 

    Manhattan won't ever be the same for me. I've been to New York so many times, and it's a shame I'd never known that that was there. I wonder if my parents even know it's there. I wonder if my friends from New York even know it's there. I feel it's my unspoken duty to inform everyone I know, simply because I'm so frustrated with the fact I didn't know. Everyone should know: our ancestors died so that we could see a better day. They deserve more than many thanks. And they at least deserve the acknowledgement of where their bodies were laid to rest.

-Nicole McKinney

Learning, Wisdom and the African World Experience

   The speaker for this class was Dr. Carr. Now although I was originally supposed to be an Afro-American studies major- I had to change it for my minor- I was a huge fan of Dr. Carr. I had heard all about him from friends as well as random students in the Howard University facebook group. I had to hear a lecture from this guy!! And when he walked in and introduced himself as being the speaker for class, I was so excited. He spoke about the many things that originated in Africa, like how writing came from Africa. He also spoke about Egypt and the many discoveries the Egyptians had made, the Gods in which they had worshipped, and the kingdom they had created. Then he went on to show us examples of Egyptian symbols and signs until he ran out of time. There was one thing that stood out to me that Dr. Carr talked about in his speech and that’s the topic of diversity here at Howard. He said something about there being a few whites here and there, some scattered asians, and a few hispanics, but that anyone who stepped on this campus would easily be able to claim Howard as an HBCU. With me being white, I add diversity to the campus, and I feel like there’s a good number of white people here. Just last Friday I was at a party on campus, and there was another white girl there. I see around three or four in crossing each day, which may not seem like a lot, and there’s this one Indian guy that I see almost every day. I feel like as a whole, Howard is expanding its’ diversity and starting to add new races and people of different backgrounds to the campus, which makes the campus more appealing not to just parents with juniors in high school who are beginning their college search, but also to the students on Howard’s campus. With the diversity of the students, people are much more open to ideas and beliefs pertaining to each student, if that makes sense. But in conclusion, I loved hearing Dr. Carr’s intriguing lecture and hearing him talk.

-Rebecca Zoll

Abandonment, Dismemberment and Reawakening: The History and Legacy of Howard University

       Today, the speaker was Georgia M. Dunston and she was a very encouraging woman. She was so ecstatic about our arrival at Howard that she barely got to show us her power point slides! She called our generation the “problem solving generation.” She spoke on how the generation before us, which was her generation, messed everything up for us and left us with so many problems and unanswered questions. She said that we are part of the “knowledge revolution” and that knowledge by itself is definitely no guarantee of success, and that you also need wisdom. Her powerpoint began with, "Age of the Human Genome Knowledge." I learned that we have 23 chromosomes and trillions of cells. These cells contain very important information that concerns our appearance as well as some specific talents that we will inherit. She stated that a genome doesn't only tell us about our biology, but also about our history. She then went on to rhetorically ask us, "Who taught the DNA how to make the body?" She informed us that the genome study was the study of human kind. She told us that genomes are the language of God and that they’re also the language of life. I liked her lesson. It was somewhat inspiring and I definitely liked how excited she got about our first year here and how that almost completely distracted her from her presentation.

-Rebecca Zoll

The Eloquence of the Scribes: Initiation, Expectations and Mastery- Continuing the Legacy of Howard University

 I forgot the speakers’ name for this lecture, but she was a woman. She was very strict too because some of the students who were sitting in the front were talking, and the speaker stopped talking to ask the students if they were done with their conversation. She started off her lecture talking about scribes. A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand, or a representation of someone in writing. There were Scribes of Cattle and Scribes of the Field as well as scribes of Architecture, so there were many types of scribes. She then started talking about people like Geneeral Oliver Otis Howard, who Howard University was named after. She talked about Alaine Leroy Locke, Lulu Vere Childers, Frederick Douglass, Ira Aldride, Louis C. Cramton, George Washington Carver, Charles R. Drew, Harriet Tubman and more. She was naming all the people our buildings on campus are named after. She also gave us some background information about them.

I was confused as to why she started off talking about scribes and then she started naming people who our buildings are named after. They have nothing to do with each other. 

-Rebecca Zoll

      Dr. Benjamin S. Carson made a speech for Howard University’s 143rd Convocation. He spoke on these topics: the purpose of a university, the potential that is within each Howard University student, and how to measure success. He made different points about thinking outside of the box and how, individually, we control our own destiny. Along with that, he spoke about success.  He made me think when he asked the students that if we do everything that’s already been done, how do we progress? He advised us to take the talent that God has given us and to use it to help inspire and encourage others. When he stated this, I started thinking about how I could do that. My talent would be dancing and stepping, and my career goal is to run an after-school program in secondary schools teaching step and dance, so I understood what he was saying. He cleverly turned his speech into a story that all the students were able to relate to. He told us how his nickname used to be “dummy” and how he had a talent for getting other students kicked out of class, which was amusing. He spoke about how he was never really the smart one or the brainiac in class and how he didn’t like to listen to his teachers. When he said this, everyone in the audience was smiling and laughing. His speech was personal, but it was incredibly inspiring and encouraging. There was definitely a certain structure to his speech. It was as if he had written an outline for himself and tried to follow it. Nothing seemed very prepared or rehearsed but he still managed to deliver a fantastic speech. The delivery was great and he seemed happy wiht it. He had good eye contact and a clear voice. He even dropped a few papers in the middle of his speech and paused quickly to pick them up. He started talking about like nothing had happened. At the beginning of the speech he stated, “It’s so hard to talk to a large group of people now-a-days without offending someone.” To me, this quote meant that he was somewhat comfortable performing his speech. He told us that his speech wasn’t meant to offend anyone and that if any one happened to be offended in the while he was delivering his speech, it was just too bad. He then talked about the people who worked to have our generation be in the position it’s in. How we have so many more opportunities that our ancestors didn’t get, and how we need to take advantage of this fact. In conclusion, I loved his speech and his delivery. He made people in the audience think, laugh, smile, and maybe even cry. He was very inspiring and definitely made me feel like I’m in a great generation with multiple opportunities. 

-Rebecca Zoll

Omoluabi: Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility

  This speaker's name was Segun Gbdegesin. And he had a very VERY thick accent. As soon as he started to speak, everyone in class looked around at each other asking, “Can you understand him? Do you get what he’s saying?” I know I didn’t but it was good to know that I wasn’t the only one. He explained the term "Iwa,” which is basically like a personal identity or a character. If you lose Iwa, or your character, you lose everything. He continued to talk about Iwa as well as some other African terms and concepts that were hard to understand. That made me think about the African language and how different and interesting it is. Then out of nowhere he stood up and started chanting “Iwa, Iwa” while some other guy dressed in what looked like traditionally African tribal clothes started to beat on this drum he was holding. It was totally the wrong rhythm but it woke me up a little bit. It was kind of amusing seeing them up there. After the show was over, he began to talk about Socrates and Plato. As well as a Goddess named Ma'at and Vizier Ptahhotep and Pharaoh Amenemope, along with the Principles of Ma'at which are how the ancient Egyptians learned and practiced Truth, Justice, Order, Balance and Harmony. Living life following Ma'at made the Gods strong and powerful. After that I stopped paying attention because it wasn’t worth trying to understand his accent. I didn’t get much out of that lecture, just a fun show that lasted less than five minutes as well as what “Iwa” means. 

-Rebecca Zoll

Research and Methodology: Inscription as a Liberating Practice

    Today's speaker was Dr. Dana Williams.  For the majority of the class, she talked about the basic components of research. She most likely chose this topic because the groups in class are starting to work on their research questions and she was giving us options and pointers on how to get started. There were six different types of research that she addressed: statement of the problem/challenge, review, methodology, framework, development of thesis and conclusions. Methodology helps us with how we decide to approach the topic and Framework is how we decide to put the project together and how we show the data. Development of Thesis is the stage where we give a thesis. It's also the stage where we must start to provide clean details and structure our research. And as for the conclusion, it’s the step in which all questions that were asked at the beginning of the project have to be answered. The conclusion also has to answer, "What new insights has your research revealed?" and "What future study should this research undertake?" After discussing the methods of research, Dr. Williams then gave examples of each that were very helpful. She presented a case study of the Freshman Seminar class. How they made up the idea to teach the class the way they  do now. She used the word institutionalize a lot, which made me think deeper about what my project would be. As of now, I honestly have no idea, but I know that once my group and I come up with our project, Dr. Williams’ lecture which help us a great deal. I’m still not completely sure about what the actual Freshman Seminar class is, because we do something different every Monday and there’s a new guest speaker every Monday. I missed the first class on the first Monday of the first semester (my bad), so that’s probably why I’m still confused about the class, but either way, I just want to make it through the semester and pass the class so that I don’t have to take it again. 

-Rebecca Zoll 

Research and Methodology: Inscription as a Liberating Practice

     I was running late to my seminar class today- only about 5 minutes late. I've been running late all day. But I figure late is better than never. Maybe it's because of this depressing weather that I just can't seem to make my classes ontime. My math class is at 2:10- I'll make sure that I'm early for that class.
    Today's speaker was a familiar face. Her name is Dr. Dana Williams, and while I may not know her personally, I do see her all the time in this class. When I walked in, scrambling to find a seat, she was talking about the basic components of research. I assume she chose this topic in attempt to assist us with our research question. Again because I transferred late into this class, I have had a lot of questions go unanswered. I blame myself, naturally, because I could be more persistant. I'll figure it out eventually... Anyway, she addressed to us the six components of research: 1. Statement of the problem/ challenge, 2. Review, 3. Methodology, 4. Framework, 5. Development of Thesis and 6. Conclusions. Methodology determines how we decide to approach the topic and the Framework is how we decide to structure the project and how we decide to display the data. The Development of Thesis is the stage in which we must articulate a thesis. It's also the step in which we must begin to provide convinvincing details and structure the research. As for the conclusion, that is the step in which all questions prosed at the begining must be answered. The conclusion must also answer, "what new insights has your research revealed?" and "what future study should this research undertake?"
      She then went on to provide example for the six step research outline. She did a case study of the Freshman Seminar class. How they came up with the idea to teach the class the way they currently do. She used the word institutionalize a lot and I found out the official name for the class is "Freshman Seminar 2010: Cultivating a Commitment to Academic Excellence and Independent Discovery." Independent Discovery- I couldn't have worded it any differently. I've come to realize that's exactly what college is: Independent Discovery. You must teach yourself, the professors are really just there to answer questions. You're education is truely up to you in every way.

Nicole McKinney

Omoluabi: Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility

    The speaker's name was Segun Gbdegesin and he had a very thick accent. It was quite hard to make out what he was saying but I think I did just a fine job at taking notes. And maybe not. We'll see how this goes.
    He explained that "Iwa" is your character. If you loose you character you loose everything. He was talking a lot more about Iwa and some other concepts around that but I just couldnt understand him. Then he had his friend play the drums and stuff... That woke me up a little bit, but I still didnt understand what was going on. In fact, I believe that just dropped me even further into confusion.
    After that he went on to talk about, "Before Socratees and Plato and Jesus, there were..." The Goddess Ma'at and Vizier Ptahhotep and Pharaoh Amenemope. And the Principles of Ma'at; how ancient Egytians learned and practiced Truth, Justice, Order, Balance and Harmony. Living through Ma'at made the Gods strong.
    And then I think he tried to go on and compare Ancient Egypt and the African world, but he ran out of time. I really dont have any idea what he was talking about. I guess we need to remember to have good character and aspire to be a truely good person. That's all I could really extract out of that lecture.

Nicole McKinney

September 24: Opening Convocation

      On September 24^th, 2010 Dr. Benjamin S. Carson made a beautiful speech for Howard University’s 143^rd Convocation. To summarize the speech in a few words: he spoke about the purpose of a university, the amount of potential that lies within each Howard University student, and how we should measure success. He spoke about how we control our own destiny, and how we need to begin to think outside of the box. He asked us that if we do everything that’s already been done, how do we progress? He told us to take the talent God has given us and use it to elevate others. I found Mr. Carson to be very engaging. He weaved the purpose of his speech into a story that everyone could relate to. He told us how his nickname was “dummy,” and how he had a talent for getting other students kicked out of class. He spoke about he was never really the smart one, and how he didn’t like to listen during class. He made everyone smile and laugh (and I’m pretty sure he moved a couple of people onto the verge of tears).

      He made the speech personal, and it was simply inspiring. There was an evident structure to his speech. It was almost like he wrote an outline for himself and tried to follow it as best he could. Nothing seemed rehearsed and yet everything seemed so prepared. He delivered his speech very effectively. Clear voice, decent eye contact, and he seemed so comfortable with himself. He even dropped a couple of papers in the middle of his speech and, without awkward silence, paused to pick them up. He then returned to talking like nothing had happened. I believe he adjusted to his audience around the very beginning of his speech when he said, “ it’s so hard to talk to a large group of people now-a-days without offending someone.” He told us how one time, in some conversation he was holding, he compared the brain of a human to that of a dog and someone responded to him with, “don’t talk about dogs like that!” He told us that his speech was not intended to offend and that if any one was offended in the process of his speech, it was just too bad. Again, he made people laugh. He went on to say it’s too bad if people are offended with what he has to say because too many people hold back what needs to be said. He talked about the amazing people who worked to have our generation be in the position we’re in. How we have a life of opportunities our ancestors did not, and how we need to take advantage of this new day. 

      My favorite part of his speech was when he began to tell the story of the twins attached by the head and how it was one of the most risky procedures he’d ever been faced with. He asked himself, why had they chosen him when there are plenty of other more deserving surgeons. The procedure was long and complicated. He wanted to delay anymore operation until a later time, that was until he was informed they would not be able to keep the twin babies alive for that long. And so he continued the operation, asking God how he was going to make this impossible situation possible. He then went onto say the operation was successful and that the two twins are now 7 years old and beginning the 3^rd grade. All things through the Lord are possible, and that procedure was an example. Dr. Carson’s speech was one of the most inspiring speeches I’ve ever heard and I left the overflow auditorium thinking to myself, “I want to be just like this man.” All things through the Lord are possible and I control my own destiny… 

Welcome to Howard University’s 143^rd academic year.

Nicole McKinney

The Eloquence of the Scribes: Initiation, Expectations and Mastery- Continuing the Legacy of Howard University

      I forget who the speaker for this class was, but I do remember she was a woman. She was a woman who didn't play either- there were some kids in the front row talking to much. So she paused her whole presentation just to ask them if they were finished.
     A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand; a representation of someone in writing. There were Scribes of the Fields and Scribes of Cattle. There were scribes of Architecture... all types of scribes. The Egyptians wrote with papyrus scrolls.
      She then went on to name people like Geneeral Oliver Otis Howard. The man whom of which school is named after. She named Alaine Leroy Locke, Lulu Vere Childers, Frederick Douglass, Ira Aldride, Louis C. Cramton, George Washington Carver, Charles R. Drew, Harriet Tubman and so on. She was naming all the people our buildings are named after; Sojourner Truth, the woman whom after my hall is named.
     I'm not sure why she started with scribes and then went on to naming people. At first I figured maybe she was naming some famous black scribes, but when she started naming people who weren't really known for what they've written and or haven't been known to write at all.. I knew there had to be some other connection. So I figured she connected it like this instead: Scribes write things down, and in a sense record history. Our history, written by our scribes, concerns every single person she named that day. The scribes are responsible for why we will never forget. They'll live on through the scribes work, as will we.

Nicole McKinney

Abandonment, Dismemberment and Reawakening: The History and Legacy of Howard University

       Her name was Georgia M. Dunston and she had nothing but encouraging words to share with us. She was so excited for our arrival here at Howard University, she barely got into her power point slides! She called us the problem solving generation; how the generation before us, her generation, messed everything up for us. How they've left us with so many problems and unaswered questions. She said we are part of the knowledge revolution and that knowledge alone is no guarantee of success- that you also need wisdom.
       Her powerpoint began with, "Age of the Human Genome Knowledge." We have 23 chromosomes and trillions of cells. Cells that contain such important information concerning our appearance, and some concering specific talent's we'll inherit. She said that a genome doesn't just tell us about our biology, but it also tells us about our history.
       She asked rhetoricaly asked us: "Who taught the DNA how to make the body?"
       She told us the genome study was the study of human kind. She told us that genomes are the language of God and that theyre the language of life.
       I couldn't really grasp too much of what she was saying, but what I got out of it was- we are the next generation of cells. Our DNA, our cells, derive from our parents; the earlier generation. We are the generation to create the next cell generation. And that hopefully we will be able to fix the mess the past generation has created for the next generation to come.

Nicole McKinney

Learning, Wisdom and the African World Experience

        Because I transfered into my Freshman Seminar class late, I didnt really know what I was supposed to do the first time I got there. Was I just supposed to sit there and listen? Was I supposed to take notes? What is this paper they gave me? What is an e-portfolio.
        I am writing these next couple of posts completely from long term memory..
        I cannot remember the name of the man who spoke to the class that day. I think it might have been Dr. Carr? Well anyway, he spoke about the many things that originated in Africa. Like, for example, how writing came from Africa. He also spoke about Egypt and the many discoveries they'd made, the Gods whom they'd worshipped, and the kingdom they'd created. Then he went on to show us Egytian symbols and what not until he ran out of time.
       One thing he said that stood out to me, was when he said "Howard was originally an integrated school: black, white, native american, asian, etc." I walk around now and see at least a couple of white students, a couple of asians here and there... but hands down, anyone would say this a majority black school; An HBCU.
       And yet there is still so much diversity. While it may not look "integrated", looks could never be more decieving. We have a black student from Nigeria, a black student from Jamaica, a black student from England, a black Student from the US Virgin Islands.. Even the differences between the black students that reside in the different states of the US show great diversity. A black student from California is different than a black student from Nebraska. A black student from Florida is different than a black student from Maine. A black student from Texas is completely different than a black student from Massachusetts. I can say this with reassured confidence because I've recently made this one friend from Texas, and he is an utter and complete culture shock for me. I'm starting to believe that this is really going to be a very different college experience for me.

Nicole McKinney