Written for AST 313. Hope you enjoy this...
Sometimes the most important history lessons are hidden by teachers, school system, and history books. It being Black History Month, what better time is there to explore the hidden history of the Black struggle for literacy in the United States? While African Americans have been through many struggles in this country, none has been more taxing than the struggle for literacy. It is a history which has been internalized by those that fought for it. From slavery through the Civil War and beyond, literacy has had a unique meaning for Black Americans. A meaning perfectly summed up by Fredrick Douglass, one of the great literate men of the 19th century, when he discovered and first understood the importance of literacy. He spoke these words, “I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom” (Douglass, Narrative of the life of Fredrick Douglass, 34), and they have been repeated many times over by others that toiled for the right to read and hav ... more »
Posted: February 27, 2008 11:08 pm | 0 comments
Tags: african american, history, literacy, opinion
John is among the strongest human beings I know. Not in the physical sense, mind you, but in terms of will. If he wants it, if he needs it, if he thinks it's a good idea, then by God, this former pro boxer and World War II vet will bend the Earth and Time itself to make it happen.
That's why yesterday was so hard. I saw the strongest person I know in the frailest state, a man who is seen as a gigantic fall risk in the hospital, waiting to see what cards fate will deal him this time around. That's not say that he isn't still the same person; even with the limitations placed in front of him, he still wants to move the Earth and Time to make everything right again. If that means, in his mind, taking out his own catheter, than that's what he has to do. So he did it. If that means stating he'll consent to one surgery, but not two, that's what he'll do. So he did it.
His mind and insight is the same as it always has been. He declared, with deep conviction, while the nurse was getti ... more »
Posted: January 19, 2009 1:49 pm | 0 comments
Tags: family, history, nursing, reflection
Some online friends introduced me to Axis Powers: Hetalia at the end of winter break. It's a webcomic by a New York college student under a Japanese pseudonym that has since turned graphic novel and anime that satires the whole of history.
It's actually currently being battled against by Koreans who feel that they are treated poorly in the creation, though it is marketed as a satire of history and quite a few of the countries personified are treated with an exaggeration of their stereotypes.
I'm enjoying reading the side stories for the East Asian countries. Some of them I can recognize without being able to understand the characters in the text because of my studies in East Asian Studies over the past few years. I do have access to fan translations, but I like trying to read from the images too sometimes.
I also feel a lot more patriotic about America too, his personification is rather charming.
Posted: January 30, 2009 11:01 pm | 1 comment
Tags: history, japanese webcomics
Tomorrow is Patriot's Day. Thousands of people will come to Boston and watch the Boston Marathon. However, most of them will not celebrate the actual holiday for which it was named for. Here is some information about Patriot's Day just n case you forgot.
Patriot's Day is celebrated on the third Monday in April. It commemorates the Battle of Lexington and Concord.
On April 18th, 1175 there was an order to take Samuel Adams and John Hancock into custody.
Paul Revere rode from Olde North Church in Boston to Lexington. The British arrived in Lexington in the early dawn of April 19, 1775.
The British and Minutemen fought on the Lexington green and the "Shot heard around the world" was fired. Till this day no one knows who shot first.
Posted: April 19, 2009 2:54 pm | 0 comments
Tags: history, politics and facts
