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"Why Representation Matters",,"The sixth grade stands out for me as one of those important milestones in life. As an adult, I have numerous precise moments of recollection where a memory is so vivid it feels as if I can recall every word and emotion. Our school was a small neighborhood Catholic school with a tragic past. In the late 1950s, the school burned down, and ninety-five people lost their lives.
My experience as one of the few kids in the neighborhood who did not attend public school was nuanced. I never thought much about my identity outside of being the girl who went to Catholic school. My neighborhood was majority Latino and Black, and Chicago was and remains a largely segregated city. I saw white people at school and on television and Brown and Black people in my everyday life. I never noticed that the people I watched on tv shows and working in my small Catholic school did not represent my life or the lives of the people I knew.
That all changed when Mrs. Maureen Hart started her teaching career in my sixth-grade class. I could share countless stories about Mrs. Hart's dedication to teaching and her desire to really make a difference in the lives of her students. Still, this particular moment is about our sixth-grade production of A Raisin in the Sun. We spent weeks preparing. We watched the 1961 movie adaptation, we read the script, and we designed the set. We learned all about Lorraine Hansberry and her groundbreaking accomplishments. We learned that the original play was set in Chicago and that Hansberry herself was a Chicagoan. The information made our production even more important. After all, we had to do justice to Chicago's own playwright.
Studying and preparing for that play brought a profound sense of pride and ownership. I fell in love with the characters and all of their imperfections. It was the first time I experienced black characters who were flawed and proud on paper and in film. The struggles of the world around them were not the focus of the story. Family and kinship were central to the plot. When I finished the play, I clearly remembered a profound sense of knowing that I had a place in the world. My stories, although not heroic or regal, mattered and was worthy of praise and notoriety.","Lorraine Hansberry","A Raisin in the Sun",,1988-1992,"Bridget H., Ph.D. student",,,,,,why-representation-matters,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"2021 NHC Summer Graduate Student Residency ","A Raisin in the Sun,African American Authors,African American Literature,African American Women Authors,Chicago, IL,Family,Hansberry, Lorraine,Kinship,Representation,Teachers & Teaching,Theater and Drama",http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/18/479/sunset-2180346_640.jpg,Text,"Graduate Student Residents 2021",1,0
"Still I Rise",,"I have so many fond childhood memories of the Black church in which I grew up. My mother was a founding member of the church, and she was responsible for producing the annual Black History Program every February; this program showcased youth and adult members while also offering rich and detailed information about African American history.
Every year a participant was chosen to recite the Maya Angelou poem, ""Still I Rise."" Thus, from my early years, I heard this poem regularly during rehearsals and recited beautifully during the annual program. As I reflect back on my personal Humanities Moment, this poem deeply resonates with me. In my youth, I was completely unaware of the impact that this poem would make on the rest of my life. Nevertheless, Angelou’s words have shaped me in ways that I had not even realized until I contemplated my personal humanities moment.
As a Black woman, I have encountered numerous moments that caused me to question my abilities, my worth, and my place in the academy. Yet, the words of this poem constantly remind me that I can, and I will rise above any obstacle that is presented because I possess all the gifts that my ancestors gave.
I read and re-read this poem often and each time that I do, I find such a sense of comfort. The power of Angelou’s words are an ongoing source of strength. The opening words of the piece set a tone of resilience despite unwarranted abuse. Angelou follows by questioning the unexplainable mistreatment of Black women based on the unspoken confidence we hold.
The comparison of herself to celestial beings such as the moon and the sun invoke within me a sense of power and inherent greatness. This has bolstered me in so many situations in which I was made to feel inherently less than those around me. The poem continues to affirm that no matter the shooting of words and the cutting of eyes that I may be forced to endure, I, like air, will always rise. This poem confirms to me that I carry with me a deep-rooted past that holds so much blood, so many tears, and an innumerable number of sacrifices – yet, still I rise.
I stand on the shoulders of giants that have never received their rightful praise. Hence, I am the living and ongoing extension of their legacy I am the hope and dream of the slave; I am living my ancestors’ wildest dreams, therefore still I rise.
","Maya Angelou","""Still I Rise""",,,"Nauff Zakaria, 37, Ph.D. Candidate",,,,,,still-i-rise,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"As a Summer Residency Participant","African American History,African American Literature,Angelou, Maya,Black History,Poetry,Resilience",http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/18/452/sunset-2297961_640.jpg,Text,"Graduate Student Residents 2021",1,0
"The Courage that You Gave Me ",,"The day that I recited an Angie Thomas poem at the St. Petersburg College’s auditorium was my humanities moment since this author is an inspiration for me. First, it was hard to speak and be there in front of so many classmates and professors because I am shy, so I hate to do presentations. Despite my insecurities, I participated in the open mic since everyone deserved to know this beautiful poem “A right to happiness.”
Angie Thomas is a Black American writer who wrote The Hate U Give, a book that tackles all the oppression and injustice that black people suffer from police violence. Since I read this book, I follow every work of Angie Thomas such as books, poems, and more. For that reason, I know this poem could motive myself to do infinite things and never keep silent.
This is a brief part of the poem, “Well, I am not one of those,
who will bow down to their woes.
I will stand up and fight,
fight for what I think I have the right…. Happiness….” This poem reminds me that no matter what, I need to make heard my voice, and be my own hero because no one else can save me.
",,"Angie Thomas's poem ""A right to happiness""",,2019,"I am Geraldine Galindo, I am 28 years old, and I am student at the St. Peterburg College",,,,,,courage-you-gave-me,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"At my humanities class ","African American Literature,African American Women Authors,Poetry,Public Speaking,Thomas, Angie,Young Adult Literature",http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/365/20170704_141527.jpg,Text,,1,0
"Inspirational Literature",,"In this video Marlene Daut describes how teaching literature to college students enables them to both understand their lives and history better, as well as be inspired regarding their possible futures. ",,,,,"Marlene Daut, Associate Professor of African Diaspora Studies, University of Virginia",,,,,,marlene-daut-inspirational-literature,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"African American Authors,African American History,African American Literature,Books & Reading,Coral Gables, Florida,History,Inspiration,Professors,Teachers & Teaching,United States History,University of Miami,Wheatley, Phillis,Women's History","http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/10/47/hm-daut-360.mp4,http://humanitiesmoments.org/files/original/8/28/Phillis_Wheatley.jpg","Moving Image","National Humanities Center Fellows",1,0