I learned from my "Other-mother"

In "Voices of Our Foremothers," author Sunny-Marie Birney tells us of her personal literacy journey.

       Birney begins to tell us, the reader of how her love and appreciation for education had grown to be.  Adopted at the age of 2 by parents she called Euro-Americans, Binery just felt as if she never completely fitted in.  It wouldn't be until her college years that she would begin her "journey home," and acknowledge the many women who have indeed helped her, both directly and indirectly.

       It was with the help of 4 distinctive professors at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, that allowed Binery to fully understand her own purpose for her life; of becoming an educator.  It was through these four nurturing, African-American, women professors that Binery received the proper care and teachings she, as a lost young black African-American needed.

 

                 "[T]hey were concerned overall with my mind,
                  body, and spirit, past present and future.
                  These women teachers cared about me and
                  held the same expectations for me as they had
                  for their own children... [they] 
             understood the power of caring"

       It is through the women educators commitments and cultural uplifting that we as young African-Americans should be inspired, as Sunny-Marie Binery had been.

~ A. Foster

Voices of Our Foremothers

Sunny-Marie Birney was adoped at the age of 2 by two Euro-Americnas. They provieded her with a good life and prevent her from being a "motherless child" any longer. She felt as if she was a long way from home until she attended College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. There she had black proffesors that that helped her become in touch with her African-American roots and had a major impact on her life. Her proffesors inspired her to become a teacher. Now there are more and more black teachers who are inspiring those who feel they don't belong anywhere else. Birney also made a point, that is the job of every generation to do its part and pass it on, so that the next generation can do great things.

Lessons From Down Under

In Lessons From Down Under: Reflections on Meanings of Literacy and Knowledge From an African-American Female Growing Up in Rural Alabama by Bessie House-Soremekun is about growing up in Alabama during the civil rights movement. House-Soremekun starts by talking about slaves and developing their literacy. She then goes on to describe her upbringing, which consisted of a large extended family. The family was strongly centered around gaining education as well as religion. As I got deeper into the reading I started to realize how much this sounded like my fathers upbringing. My dad was born in Alabama in 1950's and he also faced some similar experiences. House-Soremekun talked about the formal and informal literacies that were displayed during this time. The stories her great-grandmother told was one of the ways that many African-Americans learned due to the terrible education system. There was also a section about the race rules that were institutionalize. The institutionalization of "separate but equal" was a major part of her life. 
Growing up during the 1960's and 1970's was not easy. Being treated as second class citizens and receiving terrible treatment form not only the people in your community but the government as well is not right. In today's society we often take many things for granted. Some people have everything handed to them and never work for  anything and don't realize what it is like to experience this. Having a father that grew up during this time and being constantly reminded about what he went through has mad me appreciate everything I have.

-Takiyah Thomas

My Life As A Welfare Brat

Welfare is by far one of the most controversial issues among the American people, dealing with its government. I believe welfare is a needed benefit for some who actually need it. But what sets the standards of how bad or if some even need welfare check from the government? For those who need it; going through significant hard times, unemployment, health in jeopardy for children and themselves, then yes welfare should be provided. But how Larstella describes the abuse of welfare, and how some take it as a right to be given to them, is simply wrong. However, I do enjoy the journey and story that she shares about how she grew up and how she become somewhat a superstar of welfare. As i first began to read the blog, I was appalled at how Larstella approached these women, and held back nothing. She told of her opinion, and whatever excuse they could give of them being on welfare, she had a reason of how this wrong. When it tells the biography of her life, I can really respect how she came on to these women it getting them to realize the seriousness of what they were doing. It was amazing to me to learn of how some people abuse the welfare and government system. I can not say, welfare needs to be stopped, because I believe it is unfair to punish the whole for a few people's mistakes; however, some efficient plan has to began to stop the abuse of welfare.

- Socoya Douglas