On this Independence Day, I poise a question on what it means to be an American. Does an American dress a particular way? Do they speak in a certain manner? Do they even have to be born in the country? I raise these questions after watching a special put out by ABC News Prime Time Special: What Would You Do? Muslim Discrimination (2008). This was a staged event wear an actor played a store clerk who would make anti-Muslim and anti-Arab comments to a Muslim woman actor in order to see how bystanders would react. They did this 18 times. Of the 18 times, only six bystanders reacted by defending the woman while the other six times, people commended the store clerk and offered their view on the right to not serve Muslim individuals. Sadly, six other bystanders did not even react to the situation and were passive. Though I have not witnessed this intense amount of "Islamophobia", I believe that it is important to react in an intelligent manner by being an advocate not and agitator in defending people who cannot defend themselves. People have the right to live their life without getting berated by racist comments just because they don't dress "American". This video was a turning point in the voice project, because for the first time, I was able to see what is going on around the country happening in the daily lives of Muslim Americans.
Where do I go from here, from my in-class readings, I found that the field's next great challenge is working with the "global community" and becoming an advocate for social justice. From beginning to end, the profession has been about collaboration with faculty. It is not an unreasonable offer to re-connect with faculty in order to work with them to become leaders of anti-discrimination and intolerance for racism in the classroom. Why should faculty and staff do this? The classroom and college environment is suppose to be a safe place. Without this safe place, students will report dissatisfaction with classes and eventually will have an impact on revenue. Indefinitely its starts with myself. It is in the actions I take and the words that I say so I am able to create a environment where people feel safe.
In order to get better acquainted with my adult learner identity, I created a list of questions that dealt with going back into higher education. I've been largely intrigued with the religious side of the identity and how through questioning, I am able to synthesize the two better. Through this I hope to search for these answers through reading, investigating and looking through higher education programs and what they do to cater to the adult learner and what I can do to be of assistance.
Will I have a separate orientation program that other freshmen?
Will my professors and classmates respect my life experiences?
Where will I go to get computer help?
Will my writing skills be up to par with other students?
How will I deal with a husband, work, and school?
My friends and husband won't understand my problems, who do I go to?
What kind of support group will I have?
How do I relate to my classmates who could be my kid's ages?
How will my prayer schedule effect my schoolwork and classroom performance?
Video Link
Resources:
Hays, J.N., & Sorkowitz, A. (2008). Witness to discrimination: What would you do? [Video]. Retrieved July 4, 2008 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1UFEzqOZso
No comments:
Post a Comment