Activism cannot, and never will be, a passive pursuit. In order to be an activist, one must live it. Sitting idly, preaching about how “this needs to change” while never doing anything to change it isn’t activism. It’s raising awareness at best, and being a hypocrite at its worst. This is not a novel concept. The popular Bible verse, “Faith without works is dead,” is a powerful way to look at this. No matter what beliefs and values one holds, if they do not work towards these ideals, they might not believe in them at all. At the same time, it is important to find balance. Personal goals and aspirations do not need to fall to the wayside in one’s quest to make a difference.
I do not have a similar biography to either of the activists discussed in class. I grew up in an extremely well-to-do, supportive, loving family. My family has always wanted the best for me, unlike Dena Simmons. I don’t have the gumption to go to a third world country and die for something I believe in, like Rachel Corrie. I haven’t had any real hardships in my life. My college education is paid for. I worked full time in high school, but only because I wanted to. I’m very privileged. The issue I’m extremely passionate about, suicide prevention, does not put me in a place outside of my comfort zone. There would hardly be a situation as dire as Corrie’s. As a result, I cannot
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say I identify with either of them. However, Dena Simmons’s story really struck a nerve with me. If I could become half as influential as Simmons is, I would consider myself to be an extremely successful activist. Dena Simmons seems like the perfect combination of powerful, meaningful activism, and taking care of oneself and one’s aspirations. Simmons has dedicated her life to serving her students, but at the same time, knew when she had to leave to pursue higher education, an opportunity not offered to many. Her entire heart was invested in her students, but at the same time, she knew when it was time to leave. I can identify with her activism in the sense that she knew where her passions were, and considered to pursue them and work for them. Obviously, I’m not a great activist like Simmons – yet. While I’ve never gotten kids excited about learning, been a world class teacher, or helped children on such a big scale, I’ve had some awesome volunteer opportunities. My first semester of senior year, I was able to participate in a 90-hour internship at a non-profit store. Every month, the store sponsored a new non-profit organization, and donated all the profits they made that month to that specific charity. Because of this, I was able to work with multiple non-profits during that time. Charities included my mom’s nonprofit, human trafficking, Ronald McDonald House, and a few others. My favorite month was December, where we donated to the Adopt-A-Family Program. The store, and all the volunteers there, sponsored a family for Christmas. We bought them a Christmas Tree, ornaments, gifts, food, toiletries, and other necessities and got to drop them all off. It was so awesome to go to the warehouse, and see all the things that had been donated to all the different families in the Detroit area. Another one of my favorite volunteer things I’ve done is with Common Ground, a suicide crisis hotline. Suicide is an issue I care very deeply about. My grandmother committed suicide when I was in 2nd Grade, and my cousin took their own life when I was in 8th grade. My dad is active duty in the United States Army, and 22 Veterans a day commit suicide, and that’s just from the states that report. I was able to work as a stage technician for their Variety Show that they put on for their top donors. In addition to helping the show go smoothly, I was able to listen to incredible speakers, inspiring slam poems, and beautiful ballet dancing. It was so heartwarming to be in such a place of love and compassion surrounded by people who had been affected by the same thing I had, and who cares about suicide prevention as deeply as I do. As I begin my journey at the University of Kentucky, I’m extremely excited to get plugged into as much community service as possible. LexEngaged has already provided me with some incredible opportunities. I’m excited to get involved with my sorority’s philanthropy: Ronald McDonald House. Ronald McDonald House provides free food and housing for children and families while children are being treated at the hospital. My sorority not only offers opportunities to donate money to Ronald McDonald House, but also offers opportunities to go to the Ronald McDonald House and volunteer there and work directly with families. My SW 580 Class has given me a lot of cool opportunities as well. They encouraged me to go to the Pride Festival in Louisville, which was an incredible experience. I debated with protesters about homosexuality and the Bible, got information on how to get involved with LGBTQ groups on campus. In order to go outside my comfort zone even more, I went to the Lexington Gun Convention the very next day. College is a huge adventure, and every day I get to experience new things and help new people. I’m excited to see what the rest of the year has in store. Dena Simmons is African American, lower class, and a woman. She grew up in a terrible household. She was forced to wear uncomfortable clothes, clean her house constantly, and hide when visitors came. She pulled herself up from nothing and was able to become an influential teacher and activist. Truthfully, being abused and poor is in no way an advantage. It’s a terrible way to grow up. Simmons was denied many privileges and niceties that most people have. She grew up without a loving family. She lacked many of the privileges that most people have, However, because of this, she was able to reach her students in a way that most wouldn’t be able to. Her students loved and respected her. When she spoke, they listened feverishly. They took her compliments seriously, and her criticisms to heart. If she didn’t look like them and experience the same things they did, they might not take her as seriously. So while her experiences were awful, it made her activism that much more powerful. The quote in the acknowledgements is extremely applicable to Simmons.
In layman’s terms, the quote is telling readers, “we are torn between thinking we are better than we are, and underestimating ourselves,” which is exactly what Simmons did as a teacher. Simmons was concerned about making the deepest impact on her students. She feared not being able to help them. At the same time, when the opportunity for higher education arose, Simmons thought she could balance teaching and pursuing her degree. She loved her students so much that she thought she could do it all, while at the same time being afraid to let them
down. As I begin my life as both a college student and activist, I hope to make as great of an impact as possible. I hope to be a positive force for change in my classroom, my sorority, my college campus, and my new home in Lexington. Dena Simmons is a powerful role model. She served the people whom she loved, despite all the hardships she had in her way, and continued her pursuit of higher education. She is a driven, hardworking, and compassionate woman; all qualities I hope to possess. Hopefully as I grow as a college student, I will simultaneously grow as an activist.
Specifically, Cox argues that “ The many students who seriously doubted their ability to succeed, however, were anxiously waiting for their shortcomings to be exposed, at which point they would be stopped from pursuing their goals. Fragile and fearful, these students expressed their concern in several ways: in reference to college professors, particular courses or subject matter, and the entire notion of college itself-whether at the two- or the four- year level. At the core of different expressions of fear, however, were the same feelings of dread and the apprehension that success in college would prove to be an unrealizable dream.” ( 25-26). Although some believe that fear shouldn’t be an excuse to failure, whatever shape or form fear come in, the students who attend college should be grown enough to control it and not let
Various reform movements and revolutions occurred in the time period between the years 1825 through 1850. Justice, freedom, liberty, equality, and the purist of happiness are all democratic values considered to enforce the reform movements of this time period. The democratic ideals tried to cut the social separation and discordance present in America mainly between the south and north sections. Originating from the Second Great Awaking with vast religious reinforcement democratic ideals spread through the new reform movements. Main movements that supported the democratic views included the Second Great Awaking revival, antislavery reform and more equal rights movements for women and men.
Essentially students were afraid that the professor would irrevocably confirm their academic inadequacy.” She was speaking upon professors who have an “I am better than everyone” attitude. Students feel as if they cannot reach out for help because they will feel unintelligent. Students fear they are not meeting with the teachers wants for turning in assignments and as if their work is not good enough, feeling almost too embarrassed to submit assignments. They feel looked down upon by professors and are scared to speak up or ask questions about assignments. So instead they fall between the cracks and struggle their way through college. I was able to relate to that statement because there have been moments in college where I have had a fear to ask a teacher questions. A fear that they will tell me “I explained that topic in class already.” or “Were you not paying attention during the lecture?” I have heard teachers answer students with those exact words therefore I never wanted to ask questions about anything if I really did not understand the material. That alone can make a student feel as if they do not want to be a bother to the professor. A students own fear is what continuously inhibits them from college
Restraint and Activism Judicial activism is loosely defined as decisions or judgements handed down by judges that take a broad interpretation of the constitution. It is a decision that is more of a reflection of how the judge thinks the law should be interpreted, rather than how the law has or was intended to be interpreted. There are many examples of judicial activism; examples include the opinions of Sandra Day O'Connor in the Lynch v. Donnelly and the Wallace v. Jaffree trials. Sandra Day argues for the changing of the First Amendment's ban on "establishment" of religion into a ban on "endorsement" of religion. Others include the U.S. v. Kinder, where Congress passed legislation that would require a minimum sentence for persons caught distributing more than 10 grams of cocaine.
Action is inherent in the tasks of a social activist. Ideas alone are not enough. Though the development of philosophies and manifestos is the basis for every social movement and every stride toward social justice, without social action and the social activist, little can ever be accomplished. The great social activist must, by definition, be the great social action taker. Jane Addams was the epitome of such an action taker.
On May 24th 2016 DePaul University, a prominent and private university in Chicago, Illinois, garnered some negative media attention for what can only be described as a fiasco. A student organized event, by the university’s College Republicans group, was violently interrupted and brought to a halt when Black Lives Matter protesters barged into the room the event was being held in. The point of contention, speaker Milo Yiannopoulos had made DePaul a stop on his Dangerous Faggot Tour.
Rosa parks was a phenomenal woman whom played a tremendous part in our history. Rosa Parks was a woman who had changed our history for the best. She was a woman of authority and because of her, our world has changed from segregation to everyone was combined no matter your race, color, or the way you looked.
After President William McKinley’s death in September of 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt took upon the position as President.
In every society, there is conformity and nonconformity, although we may not notice it. Conformity is when someone is doing the same thing as others because they do not want to be the only one doing differently. Example, if there was a whole class raising their hands would you want to be the only one with your hand down, no so you would raise it with the rest of the class to not look like you don't know anything. This is called social pressures it when a large group is doing something and you're the only one not then you want to be doing whatever that large group is doing.
A lady of courage and strength, often described as shy in her earlier life, she was the one to raise her voice against racial discrimination. The hero of our lives, Rosa Parks. Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1913. She was a daughter to a carpenter James McCauley and a teacher Leona McCauley and also a granddaughter to an enslaved person (Rosa Parks Biography). “Rosa McCauley learned this "rectitude and race pride" from her grandfather, a supporter of Marcus Garvey” (Dunlap). She was two years old when she moved to her grandparent’s farm. Rosa attended “the Montgomery Industrial School for Girl” which was a private school “founded by a liberal minded women from the northern United States (Biography Rosa parks). She later grew up as an African American civil rights activists and a seamstress (Rosa Parks Biography).
The women’s suffrage movement was the struggle for the right of women to vote, run for office, and is part of the overall women’s rights movement. In the 19th century, women in several countries most recognizably the U.S. and england formed organizations to fight for suffrage. Beginning in the mid 19th century, several generations of woman suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and participated in civil strike to achieve what many Americans considered a revolutionary change in the Constitution.
Amnesty is a sovereign act of forgiveness for past offences (generally of a political nature that threatens the sovereignty of the Government), which is granted to a group of people as a whole (for individuals it is called pardon) and always through national law or governmental decree.
What people fight for differs from person to person, it might be something as simple as who makes the best muffins, or it could be something as complex as world peace. Whatever it is that people fight for, it is not very often that these people will ever give up until they accomplish their goals. This is the basis for this essay, the small things, the big things, and why. When asked what do you think is worth fighting for, different people will give different responses, and then when asked what would cause them to stop fighting for that, the answers further differentiate. Nevertheless, there is always something that people will fight for, regardless of length or how difficult it is to defend. This fighting may cause
What is ideology? How can it help us understand media? Use academic literature to support your argument.
“Learn to feel beyond yourself” (Earthlings). Oppression seems inevitable and is brought upon by your sex, race, or species. If only the human race could stop being selfish and feel beyond themselves, the world would be a better place. Oppression is not an ultramodern problem; it has been around since the Earth began to be inhabited. Oppression in India from foreign countries began centuries ago, now only the lasting impression sits. In Surat in 1612, the British built its first factory and founded the East India Company. As a result, many people of India encountered numerous hardships due to industrialization. Before the British conquered Indian lands, the Indians were farming and not technologically advanced. Until 1858, the East India Company quelled any Indian revolts and prolonged the rule of the British. The Indians were forced to acculturate to the English language, education system, religion, and controlling rules. A sepoy mutiny that broke out in 1857 to 1858 led the British to be directly in charge of the people. Sepoys were Indians with authority, but British puppets—meaning the Indian sepoys did anything the British demanded. India was granted self-rule and government in 1935 with the help of Gandhi, a peaceful leader who gained India’s independence, and his method of non-violence and non-cooperation. They did not gain their full independence until 1947 (Infoplease). The joy of the Indians did not linger long enough because the Muslims segregated and moved to their own country Pakistan (Infoplease). Seventeen million Muslims migrated to Pakistan—making it the largest migration ever. Two years later, India affirmed their ...