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my experience in this class has been nothing but great, I have learnt a lot of things from this class but the best thing I learnt from this class is being me, like the confidence I got from the fist time I wrote something in this class, and my professor encouraged me to write in my own voice and commended me for being original and myself on my paper really encouraged me to write more, because I lack self confidence in my writing, like I hate writing because I feel like I dont know how to write, but the first time I wrote and got the feedback that I got it really encouraged me to write more and feel more comfortable in the class. another thing I learnt from this class is how to respect women, prior to this class I wanted to treat women like the way rappers treat or say they treat their women in songs, but in the course of this class, especially in the 3rd chapter I learned that am supposed to respect women the way I respect my mom, so the way I view and respect women is different now from when I first started in this class, so thats one of the great things I learned from this class. I enjoyed the way everyone felt comfortable and the people I met in this class, I really never thought of a class like this, like this class always mad me feel happy, sad and mad to America, I really enjoyed the feeling where sometimes I would feel like I wanted to change the world, because we uncovered a lot of things in this class that I dint know about before and it made me feel like I wanted to do something to change it all the time. I enjoyed the part of the class where we would just come in and talk about all the things that was going on in the world and America, it made me feel more aware of whats going on in the world and America. and I be so happy to come to class and talk about it, I would really miss that because am not sure I would ever experience that in a class ever again.
I wouldn't really change anything from the way this class went through, cause I really enjoyed the way this class went.
i have really grew in this class as a student, just coming in to talk about whats going on in the world made me feel more ready or prepared as a student like I had to feel the same way (prepared) in my other classes before I went to class, the way I grew as a thinker is that I became more of a deep thinker form the cause of this class, as a writer ive grown by like knowing where to put commas and periods in my writing which I dint know how to do before.
am walking away with being a better person  and a great student and also a great man . and I appreciate dr r for that

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What I got out of khan-cullors about the power and the strength of the black community was that despite the oppressions, years of slavery, police brutality, the justice system, the education system and all the things wrong with the black community, they still dare to believe that they lives matter. To me that’s the greatest power and strength of the black community, that they believe that they matter, like under normal circumstances right if a person is all ways treated like he/she doesn’t matter the kind off grow up stuck with that belief but that’s not the case with the black community, they believe that they lives matter and fight for it and have been fighting for it from the beginning of time. For example the life of khan-cullors is a good example of how strong the black community can be she grew up watching her brothers get harassed and molested by the police from a very young age, she always saw the way the police all ways treated her brothers and manhandled them and made them feel like they don’t matter, she saw the way the police is always in her neighborhood and was already programed to think that they are danger to the society and themselves but despite all this she still got to believe her life matters. Despite the fact that her mom was always working 16 hours a day and not having to be there with her and love her like a normal parent would get to love their kids, she still got to understand that it wasn’t really her mother’s fault and got to appreciate her mother the more and understand that despite all the efforts her mom puts in to give her and her other siblings a better life that the America system wasn’t designed for them to have a good life, but despite these her and her mother still got to believe that their life do matter and I would believe that that was the reason or what drives her mom to still be going to work every day, I also understood something different that maybe what made her mother to keep going out every day, working three jobs just to provide for her kids want only because she loved her kids but also because she believed that the life of her kids mattered because I would believe that her mom was well aware about the struggle of black kids or black people in America and she could have just given up on her kids but that hope and believe that the life of her and kids was the reason why she was working so hard to give her kids that hope. Even though her father did not get to be in her life as much as he wanted to, he was always going in and out of jail, that only could have just made khan-cullors be mad or just hate America but that’s where the power of black people come in, they turn their pains into strength, like instead of her to stay hating America for always showing her she doesn’t matter she turns the hate to strength to fight back to America and tell it that black lives really matter and I think that it really is a strong thing for the black community to do, like get all this attention to this movement, instead of them to stay scared or sad about how bad America treats them they decide to fight it and say that they really matter that without them there would really be no America.

All through the book she talks about different pains and struggles, like her they struggled to live everyday even though her mom was working 3 jobs and like 16 hours a day they still was struggling. Another of her pain would be when her brother was treated like a terrorist when he was supposed to be treated like a patient and shown love, so I think that that really hurt and also like how brother who was already going through his own problems was also molested in jail and there was really nothing she could do about it. Also how she was treated in her two schools and also how she was locked up at the age of 12 and her having to go to prison at that young age would be a huge part of her pain and struggle as a youth, but I also think it also helped add to her power as a strong black woman right now who doesn’t only believe that her lives matter but also lives her life now trying to help others know and believe that their lives also matter

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The American dream means a lot of things to different people, to some people it means that regardless of where ever they are from that if they come to

America, they could attain their own version

of success. To me the American dream meant that it doesn’t matter where am from or how I look that ones I made it to America that I had made it in life, that there was nothing like failure or poverty in America. That what was I thought is the American dream because everyone I knew from my country that came to America came back really successful (like with a degree or

is a professional in something) or with a lot of money (probably from drug dealing or scamming people) so I had that mindset that it would be really impossible to set your foot in America and end up a failure.

But I really got to under stand that to attain or achieve the American dream it

requires a lot of sacrifice, a lot of risk taking and hard work, and that it is not the same for everyone. The American dream is not accessible for everyone because if you don’t have a permanent residency, a green card or a work permit, or if you not with your right papers America will really be hell for you and the American dream is definitely not for you because without your

ability to work or move freely without being scared of the DHS, without being able to get healthcare there’s no American dream because the real American

dream is being able to go to work and earn your own money, be able to take care of yourself and your family, being independent and having healthcare to me is really what is the American dream and sadly not every immigrant or people that come to America are able to experience the

American

dream

because maybe they don’t have there right papers or don’t have a social security number which

really hinder

s them from doing a lot of things.

so it’s definitely not attainable to everyone.

My experience with immigration was really scary, so my grandmother filled for my whole

family to come to

America

in 200

6

I could remember then when we got the letter from

immi

gration to start the process me and my younger brother started practicing on how to speak

American

thinking that we would leave like very soon we stopped paying attention in school and

was always disturbing everyone that we was going to

America

, we both wa

nted to be

astronauts

because my grandmother brought this book back about

astronauts

and we both were s

o

hooked to

the book that we wanted to be like those

astronauts

and we thought that coming to

America

was

already a straight ticket to becoming

astronaut

s

but that wasn’t the case, years and years pass by

we would ask our parents when we would be going to America and they would always tell us

that they still processing it, it came to a point where we literally forgot about it and already

moved on with our

lives

till this faithful day in 2015 we received an email from the immigration

to start processing our papers again, , so I had to give up going forward to a college or university

because I was just

focused on coming to

America

, I almost regretted it because there were a lot

of delays on our papers and it took us two years to finish the process, at this time my mates were

at

their

second year in college and I was sitting down at home all that time, so it made depressed

and reall

y drew me closer to God then because I only just had one prayer point which was just to

come to

America

and God finally answered.

I feel like without immigrants there would be no

American

dream, because I believe that it really

is the immigrants

that

do

re

ally

believe in the

American

dream and make it work for them

because people born here already kind of have everything given to them but immigrant really be

the ones that work for the

American

dream or get

motivated

off of the

American

dream because

they al

ready have that feeling at the back of there mind that they cannot be failure no matter

what.

Also,

immigrants have a huge role to play in making

America

because they the ones who

would accept to do what ever job that

Americans

call dirty to survive and it

s those dirty jobs that

America

is built on and for them to do those jobs to survive to me is the real

American

dream

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The American dream means a lot of things to different people, to some people it means that regardless of where ever they are from that if they come to

America, they could attain their own version of success. To me the American dream meant that it doesn’t matter where am from or how I look that ones I made it to America that I had made it in life, that there was nothing like failure or poverty in America. That what was I thought is the American dream because everyone I knew from my country that came to America came back really successful (like with a degree or is a professional in something) or with a lot of money (probably from drug dealing or scamming people) so I had that mindset that it would be really impossible to set your foot in America and

end up a failure. But I really got to under stand that to attain or achieve the  American dream it requires a lot of sacrifice, a lot of risk taking and hard work, and that it is not the same for everyone. The American dream is not accessible for everyone because if you don’t have a permanent residency, a green card or a work permit, or if you not with your right papers America

will really be hell for you and the American dream is definitely not for you because without your ability to work or move freely without being scared

of the DHS, without being able to get healthcare there’s no American dream because the real American dream is being able to go to work and earn your own money, be able to take care of yourself and your family, being independent and having healthcare to me is really what is the American dream and sadly not every immigrant or people that come to America are able to experience the American dream because maybe they don’t have there right papers or don’t have a social security number which really hinders them from doing a lot of things. so it’s definitely not attainable to everyone.

My experience with immigration was really scary, so my grandmother filled for my whole family to come to America in 2006 I could remember then when we got the letter from immigration to start the process me and my younger brother started practicing on how to speak American

thinking that we would leave like very soon we stopped paying attention in school and was always disturbing everyone that we was going to America, we both wanted to be astronauts because my grandmother brought this book back about astronauts and we both were so hooked to the book that we wanted to be like those astronauts and we thought that coming to America was already a straight ticket to becoming astronauts but that wasn’t the case, years and years pass by we would ask our parents when we would be going to America and they would always tell us that they still processing it, it came to a point where we literally forgot about it and already moved on with our lives

till this faithful day in 2015 we received an email from the immigration

to start processing our papers again, , so I had to give up going forward to a college or university because I was just focused on coming to America, I almost regretted it because there were a lot of delays on our papers and it took us two years to finish the process, at this time my mates were at their

second year in college and I was sitting down at home all that time, so it made depressed and really drew me closer to God then because I only just had one prayer point which was just to come to America and God finally answered.

I feel like without immigrants there would be no American dream, because I believe that it really is the immigrants that do really believe in the American

dream and make it work for them because people born here already kind of have everything given to them but immigrant really be the ones that work for the American dream or get motivated off of the American dream because

they already have that feeling at the back of there mind that they cannot be failure no matter what. Also, immigrants have a huge role to play in making

America because they the ones who would accept to do what ever job that

Americans call dirty to survive and its those dirty jobs that

America is built on and for them to do those jobs to survive to me is the real American dream

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Dear America

America you really have changed my life for real, you have made me mature more than my peers back home, like every day I keep trying to imagine my life if I was still in Nigeria, I know for sure that if I was still in Nigeria right now I might not even be in school because where would my parents get the money to put me through college, I probably be in a market in a village learning how to trade goods or worst just sit at home being a nuisance and a head ache to my parents or even join a cult and become a problem to my community but every day I thank God for the opportunity of coming to America and having the opportunity to make my own decisions, my own mistakes and take care of myself and even my friends and family back home. Am also really grateful for the education system you got here because you obviously gave me the opportunity to make the decision to go to college and be able to be here writing this with the help of financial aid, if not for this I would probably be working my ass off at a retail store trying to make a living but you gave me an opportunity to come to college and try to better my life and am really great for it.

I don’t really like America like that for real, it’s really not all I expected it to be or how most people from Africa or outside America thinks about it, because like back home people portray America like a stress free land that’s flowing with milk and honey, and most people risk their lives and even kill to just try to come here, I used to believe that, I remember being like really religious when I was told about coming here, I used to go to church like literally every day and be praying  so hard that it works out which finally did work and am grateful for. I had to realize that America is really a do it yourself kind of society and very selfish, which am not saying is a bad thing, in America from like age 15 or 16 a kid could get a job and start taking care of themselves which I don’t think is a bad thing because it makes America a really independent place compared to my country where teenagers even adults too are almost totally dependent on their parents even youths that are 25 which is not really they faults because there’s no job even for people that graduated from college talk more of kids that are 15 or 16, I remember when I was 16 the only money I had was the ones my parents gave me and the only clothes I could wear was the ones my mom got me, I remember having to literally cry and act really hurt before my mom got me my first phone which was trash but I did enjoy it then though compared to now I have the ability to go get a job and buy whatever I want to buy, wear whatever I want to wear and really have whatever phone I want to have as long as am ready to work. But on the contrary life is more fun and less stressful at my country compared to America, America is a really lonely and sad country, like when I was still in Nigeria I dint know what depression was because like I lived in an extended family so there was always someone around to talk to or talk to you because we was all together and it was fun but now in America I barely see my mom and that’s your fault America.

I would forever be grateful to America because it made me who I am today, I just want America to be nice to me, my friends and family and that it changes the justice system because it’s really bad the way the justice system treats black people for real. Also that it finds a different way to handle drug addicts, that it should treat them as patients and not as prisoners and lastly that marijuana is not a harmful drug and it should make it legal to use it in all its states and free all my brothers locked up for it.

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jaden smith is an environmental activist. his focus was on bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, and entertainers to promote positive change in the environment, and it even has an "innovator challenge" for college students solving some of the toughest environmental challenges on the planet.

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Alicia Garza gifted Black millennials the rallying cry #BlackLivesMatter in the aftermath of George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. She unleashed the power of digital activism to create a movement and revealed to us that a hashtag, a post, an image, and a video shared online could change the course of history.
This is the work that she does behind the scenes: encouraging the next leaders coming up to lean on her as a resource, believe in themselves, and remember that they aren’t carrying the load in isolation.
Garza describes herself as a queer social justice activist and a Marxist.

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what surprised me most about the video was that when they was trying to build the houses they never thought of black people, like how in the video it said that the suburban areas was basically created for white people and it gave another meaning to being white, that if you white you live in the suburban areas. another thing I found crazy was when the black man from the military tried to get a house and he was denied because he was black, it made me think about how American's stay using black people, so you going to let a black man fight for your country but not give him the same thing a regular white American would have and it was crazy for me to think about.

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what inspires me to say that my black life matters

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what inspires me to say that my black life matters

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jay z and diddy are probably the black men that I see that are really successful in America, and because am influenced by a lot of hip hop culture they like role models to me, but looking at their lives, it just teaches me that black lives are strong and are great not necessarily that the black life matters because in America its really very hard to say that black lives matter cause they always killing and arresting black people unjustly. but in their music especially jay zs music you always hear how he talks about how he survived poverty and all the racism in America to the point where he got white people working for him. like jayz always talks about how black people have to work harder than others just to prove that they matter

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am just a normal kid from Nigeria who was blessed with the opportunity to come to America, and with that being said i got a lot of expectations on my head, so like a lot people want me to be this and be that but i always try to be, so i guess my identity is original for real

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so the make America great again hat means a lot of things to different people, but to most people it means white supremacist and to me personally i don't really believe in what it stands for. so i feel like it shouldn't worn at ball because some people see it as a form of hate crime and a lot of people find it offensive

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"police be tripping now" - I think what he meant by that lyrics is how the police usually just shot black or Mexican people just because they already see them as dangerous people even before they get to do anything, how he has to carry a gun to feel protected when he said "I got the strap", how people get murdered in churches, police brutality, how he's telling black men to get they money, and how the black man is kind of always chased by the police in America. I think he's also talking about black on black crimes which is whack. and when he says "we just want the money" I think he's talking about people that steal or rob you not because they are bad people or want to hurt you but just because they poor or just need money. the dancing - like jim crows,

-America is police brutality
America hates one another
the video is tryna show how American white culture hates black people like in the scene where the choir was shot
the video is also tryna show how bad police brutality is in America
the video is tryna show black