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Julie Rapino
Watching the Merritt college home of the Black Panthers, what stuck out is the pushed for the first black studies classes.  The entire 60's and 70's were a time of Civil rights, however do not agree with violence and force use and I do not find it unacceptable for people of any colors or race to engage in violent action. I knew  the Black Panthers were deep in the words and teachings of Malcolm X and Malcolm X was a man who spoke several times against the peaceful protests of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I plan to engage in more reading about Malcolm X. However, the transcripts I have read I can understand the anger though I don't agree with his methods.

I also watched the anger of the Vietnam war coming back and being the veterans being disrespected. That hate for our service men was not specifically directed to people of color, however they were treated worse. Most of the American Soldiers came home to be spit on and were not accepted. My uncle did 4 tours in Vietnam, came home with a metal of valor, and was spit on more than once. As I understood the protest, and the message, none of our men were respected and all they were guilty of was serving their country.

Dr. King wrote an interesting perspective on education.  This was after sitting down with "We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate. The broad education will, therefore, transmit to one not only the accumulated knowledge of the race but also the accumulated experience of social living." Martin L King Jr. ( https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/purpose-education)

A  quote that stood out "The suggestion that the Ferguson protestors use voting rather than violence to advance
their aims has an especially cynical intent and effect. Instead of seeing the routine
abuse of Blacks in a city that is two-thirds Black as the fault of its virtually all-white city council, police force, and court system officials, this charge blames Blacks for their own powerlessness." Martin Luther King Jr.

I can say i did not agree with the jurors on this case, however, I also did not sit in a court room and did not hear the evidence or lack of evidence to support a not guilty verdict. I have worked in a crisis settings my entire career where restraints were used (not guns of course) We worked as a team to assure we were not pressing on body parts and if someone needed tapped out we would take over for them. It is a difficult thing to keep yourself in check when your adrenaline is high. That is no excuse if you choose to do a job. I am not sure if anyone could have prevented the gun fire. However we need to stay in check.

I have never been an officer and I do not pretend to understand the dangers they face. I am also not a black man and do not understand the dangers they face.

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The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute

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1. Something that really stood out to me were the strides that African Americans took in the fight for equality in the educational system. I focused on the establishment of independent black institutions and how important these were towards the education African Americans were receiving. This provided an opportunity for these individuals to learn through a system that did not discriminate against them, while also providing job opportunities for educators and administrators whom of which took the largest hit during desegregation of schools.
2. Another important ideal that I want to highlight is the notion for Arican American children to not just follow and serve, but rather lead and make their own path. History highlights assimilation and how black children in many cases were told to try to fit or blend in through the discrimination and inequality they endured, however this points out that teaching children young they have the opportunity to change their path and the path of others is imperative.
3. Finally, how the media displayed and portrayed history is something to be noted. Although this is far too common in the past and even more so today, I believe the media's account affected not just those living during the time but also the way history is accounted and those learning about this subject must be made aware of the truth and full truth of the situation.

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1. When watching the Merritt College: Home of the Black Panthers video, I found myself very alert while listening to the action that was taken to protect a community. It concerns me why there is nothing implemented to police the police. I sometimes feel the police does not always do the right thing, however they are important. If there were training programs/quality control implemented, more lives could be saved. It seems like that is what the Black Panthers did for their community. They were intelligent and most of all they were not afraid.

2. A quote that stood out to me from the Lunch & Learn with Dr. Russell Rickford was, "Schools are expressions of the basic values of the larger society." The statement reflects the importance of education and how it connects to the society we live in. Education has such an impact to provide for future generations with innovators, health care workers, government officials, human rights activists and all members of our society to move forward with ease, peace and equality.

3. Amilacar Cabral stated, " keep in mind that people are not fighting for ideas, for things in anyone's head. They are willing to fight for material benefits, to live a better and peaceful life. National liberation will remain meaningless for the people unless it brings a real improvement in conditions of life." This is highly significant and powerful, especially during an era of CRT fear-mongering.

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From this week's core materials, I have the following take aways:
1. The Merritt College-home of the Black Panthers video make me learn that the police could use violence for no reason. Previously I thought the police were just more harsh with the black criminals, but now I know that they could even use violence (both verbally and physically) when the black didn't do anything wrong. The color was the crime.
2. It's desperate to know that the Black people were falling into a vicious cycle- the are expelled from higher education so that they have lower amount of knowledge, which leads to lower position at work. As a result, lower income limits their social resources to expand their power...
3. Why things didn't change for so many years? We can see from the materials that the black people kept rebelling. Perhaps no matter which group has priory over others, people in the group would try their best to keep their power and suppress others.

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1. As Rickford describes in the introduction, the 1970s is a lost time for politics and culture. Reflecting on that statement, I tend to agree. It does seem to be a time of decline.
2. I found the video about the Black Panther party to be very intriguing. Something that stood out to me when watching the video was that what the party was doing with guns and firearms was legal as they were using the guns for self-defense. I appreciated the people who shared and discussed their stories and experiences in the video but will always find it to be very sad and upsetting that people have to fight for rights like education and to be treated equally.
3. After reading and listening to the material this week, I started to wonder. I hope that at some point in my lifetime that everyone will have access to the same, great education and are treated equally with love and care no matter where they come from or the color of their skin.

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1. Pan-African Nationalist Schools as mentioned in the 'Introduction' were very intentional in making sure black students were feeling comfortable and confident. The "freedom schools" also helped to prepare black students to look at their self-determination and who they identified as. This is so important in a school setting.

2. Harlemites had every right in being upset about the building style of the new school in its way of being windowless (trying to keep others from looking in and seeing segregation as well as making sure kids didn't see Harlem). I find it to be crazy that the "integration" the Board of Education was referring to 50-50 black and Puerto Rican students. (Chapter 1)

3. Evelyn Wesley talks about how people all around the community would come and take black courses that were provided because it was "access to information" and "access to history they had not learned" (9:57). Evelyn said she experienced the Civil Rights era on campus and I just think that is so incredible. It is inspiring that movement of 'Black Panthers' was able to provide others with valuable information.

4. How would a movement like the 'Black Panthers' operate today and what would that look like in our society?

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1. Have things changed more within the last decade or more prior to the last decade?

2. The readings and videos largely related to and built on Brown V. Board of Education core materials. After reading this week's core materials, it is solidified that it is crucially important to have role models for black students. This encourages their consciousness of their blackness, and increases the confidence individuals have in their education.

3. It is extremely sad to me that there are people out there that have to fight for basic human rights, simply due to their skin color. I am so happy I am a part of a generation that is more educated, and strives to be more educated and understanding than previous generations.

4. I appreciate the Black Panther Party for starting a movement at Merritt college. It gave a new hope to this group of individuals that so far, had been and still is severely limited by whitewashed educational systems and legal systems.

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1. Black groups challenge the public education system for better quality and more reasonable allocation of education, promote educational fairness, and hope to maintain a unique culture and history.

2. The Brown case is not over. In fact, in certain regions and cases, people prefer apartheid schools, which implies many contradictions and conflicts of ideas that cannot be resolved by superficial laws and slogans.

3.The most damaging thing a people in a colonial situation can do is to allow their children to attend any educational facility organized by the dominant enemy culture.

—George Jackson, Soledad Brother, 1970

Cultural assimilation is the last line of defense. Although the United States, as a multi-ethnic immigrant country, in order to consolidate the unity of the Union, it is an inevitable result to cultivate a unified culture. However, as non-European white Americans, their native culture and language face the dilemma of not being taught or used.

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This week's core materials are really thought-provoking.
1).The videos and the articles included many activists' tremendous work and movements on promoting education equity between blacks and whites, blacks' citizenship, etc; stated out problems the system has against racial justice.
2).I also appreciate the Scholar-activist W. E. B. DuBois work as a Pan-Africanist. He was well known as one of the foremost Black intellectuals of his era. On 23−25 July 1900,  the First Pan-African Conference, he asked European leaders to struggle against racism, to grant colonies in Africa and the West Indies the right to self-government and to demand political and other rights for African Americans.
3)."The most damaging thing a people in a colonial situation can do is to allow their children to attend any educational facility organized by the dominant enemy culture."
We are all connected in many ways, globally and internationally, globalization of education is no exception either. Practically all post-colonial countries have school systems that diverges from their original European sources, either they are converging toward a single model. English as a global language, it is often seen as elitist, lots of countries encourages their kids to study English, and its influence does stop here, through book, movies, songs, commercials, people are drawn into "western culture" by this soft-power. Which makes me wonder, how can we protect our culture identity and diversity while we have similar education constructivism?

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This weeks’ core material had me questioning many things. When watching the Merritt College: Home of the Black Panthers video, I found myself on the edge of my seat listening to the action that was taken to protect a community. It makes me wonder why there is nothing being implemented to police the police. The justice system is not always just. In my opinion, the police are essential but often do not always do the right thing. If training programs and quality control was implemented lives could be saved. It sounds like that’s what the Black Panthers did for their community. They were smart, moved with intention, but most of all they were not afraid. The instance with the police officer in Oakland really stood out. It was vital that their focus was educating other black people on what their rights were and what they could do to make a difference for themselves and others in the community.

This content also made me question the empowerment of these actions. Why did the white people conform to this idea that an entire race was not deserving of the same human rights. I could not help but think of Hitler. He convinced a nation that a group of people did not deserve to live because of one characteristic. It is genuinely frightening how a people can be convinced of such things and it happens all the time in history and in places around the world. Humans are human. Why is that not a universal thought? They should not be treated as anything else.

It is extremely disheartening to think that over time and now an entire group of people, my black peers, friends, and even family have to walk around in constant defense mode. They can never truly put their guard down. The Black Panthers were always at war just like many others during that time and many are right now. These videos put into perspective how important these groups are for the black revolution. It is so apparent how much is whitewashed in education system. The way I learned about these topics looked so differently than from what I have learned in this course. How can we trust what we learn and what will be taught going forward? I want my son to know about this country’s history, good and bad. I have a hard time trusting his education will do that in a way that tells the real truth. I know I will do my best to paint a holistic picture of history. This course’s core material has definitely helped me in that area.

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·         A quote that stood out to me in the Chapter 1 of We Are An African People was, “What made the late 1960s extraordinary was the intense confluence of these ideas and the fact that they inspired so many black people to seek out meaningful autonomy, whether this meant forming black caucuses within largely white educational organizations, agitating for black studies and community control of public schools, or establishing independent black institutions.” This quote and information around it focus on the notion: knowledge is power. This makes me think through history that the first thing always stripped from people from their controllers is education. This speaks volumes as going through the 1960s, the fight for equality in rights, respect, education, and the vast other items that were withheld due to policies show the importance of earning a fair education system.

·         In viewing the Lunch & Learn with Dr. Russell Rickford, the quote that really stuck with me was, “Schools are expressions of the basic values of the larger society.” Thinking about this course, everything we have learned, and everything we have discussed as a learning community, this statement truly sheds light on the importance and influence of education and how it connects to the society we live in. Education has such a responsibility to provide future generations with innovators, healthcare workers, engineers, human rights activists, government officials, and all of the other members of our society to move forward in peace, equality, and hopefully a better world than what we had.

·         One of the most important aspect of the Merritt College: Home of the Black Panthers video was the reference to learning the law and following the law with their actions of carrying firearms. When talking about equality, this would be a perfect example of showing that they were following the law that was designed for all citizens, especially in a time of racial tension. Although it received a negative view in the media, the video mentions what they were doing was legal and they could not be enforced to remove their guns. The video goes on to mention that they provided “Survival Programs” to assist those in need within their community and that the Black Panthers were more than just self-defense, but also food, healthcare, education, and much more needed to survive. This portrays a view that does not often get shared about in some media about the Black Panthers.

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1) Several points throughout the reading and video reiterated lessons from Brown v. BOE, namely that integration was not executed in a way that pleased very many black people. The reading for this week pointed out that many black communities felt their all black schools were a source of pride and rich culture. Some simply preferred all black schools on ideological grounds, as well.
2) The notion that schools were more homogeneous in 1970 than they were in 1954 came as no surprise. The reading likened neighborhood schools in the north to protecting segregation in the south. Just in my short adult life, living in three different cities, I encounter situations all the time where the demographic makeup of a school reflects housing segregation in seemingly "liberal" north eastern cities. I see others who have already posted grappling with the question of whether things have changed much since the civil rights movement, and I think the fact that there is still a white washed curriculum and modern school segregation indicate the gloomy reality that change has been stymied.
3) I was intrigued by the 10 point platform they showed briefly in the Black Panther video. I can only imagine how radical these ideas must have been at the time, but I am encouraged that some of their stances are growing in popularity today (although they are certainly still contentious). For example, they demanded equitable employment, and accurate education which examines the problematic history of this country. Items like CRT, pay equity, and reparations are popping up more in our day to day political discourse.

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1) "What linked black Americans and African was not simply race or cultural heritage but the fact that their oppressions sprang from the same global structures of exploitation" Dr. Russell Rickford.

2) A Luta continua: "What were the implications of viewing black American communities not sImply as colonies awaiting national liberation but as zones awaiting of insurgent democracy" Dr. Russell Rickford.

3) Merritt College: Home of the Blank Panther video was very entertaining and I enjoyed the information and stories shared by people who were members of the Blank Panther. One line that stood out to me was the from a women. It was when African studies began at Merritt College and she was sitting in a class with a white professor who was teaching the history and she stood up and said when did this happen? She used her voice to address the wrongful history that was mentioned in the curriculum.

4) My biggest takeaway is how activist groups have been fighting for the same thing for many centuries. Fighting for the lives of the African Americans to have equal opportunities in all aspects of life and break from presences of historical mistreatment.

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1. I was born in 1968 and reading about the Black Power movement and thinking of myself as a tiny white, baby – adopted by a middle-class white family and thinking of my parents watching the news and looking at me and wondering what the future held – just as I listen to news now and look to my three daughters wondering – reaching through the time worm hole of worry.

2. I am inspired and warmed by the civic society built by the Black Power leaders.  They used the language of the colonizer to fight the colonizer and built a village of pride, carving out a safe and empowering space.  Their creation of “community survival programs” was beautiful.  I never learned about those programs.  I was told “radical” not “Revolutionary Intercommunalism.”  I learned about the anger, not the schools and health care programs.  My primary education was not only lacking, it contained false information.

3. I graduated high school and college between 1980 and 1990 and I can remember the creep of conservativism – I was not sophisticated enough to understand, but I felt the shift toward money and individualism, and away from community and the greater good.  “Self-centeredness leads to lack of self-awareness.”

4. My grandfather and other older white men in my life used to tell me they wouldn’t have children if they were me, because the world was so terrible now.  It made me sad.  I felt like things were getting better, but they felt the good old days were gone. The good old days weren’t good for everyone.  Now I look to the next generation for knowledge - they are so much more informed and ready than I was.  I am so proud of Millennials - they give me hope.

5. Have things changed more than they have stayed the same?

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1) A quote from this week’s reading that stood out to me was, “the critical divide was not the American South versus the North, but rather, the colonizer versus the colonized.”  This stood out to me because the quote recognizes a more broad need for liberation than what is going on in the US alone.

2) Rickford discusses in chapter 1 (second paragraph on page 18) that “demeaning implications of integrationist practice intensified Black alienation.” The paragraph goes on to discuss how Black kids (not white kids) bear the burden of integration.  For me, this reinforced what we learned in Module 2C which focused on Brown v. Board of Education.

3) I thought it was important that the video about the Black Panthers emphasized that the actions of the Panthers were legal. The media blew up the fact that the Panthers had guns and overlooked the way that the Black Panthers were supporting their community and defending their community against massive unemployment, lack of healthcare, and a broken education system.  Listening to what the Black Panthers were fighting to defend decades ago are things that still need to be fought for today.

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1.) Prior to the Black Panther movement, police had all the authority. Black people could not verbalize a negative towards a white person or white institution, in front of white people. The case is still true today, right?

2.) Merritt College offered a new way of thinking through launching the first African American studies program created by and for Black people. They also hired a Black president, pioneer African American educator, Novel Smith. Institutional change begins by elevating voices and diversifying positions of power because it creates accountability and enhances inclusion. Colleges and Universities have been able to accomplish this but why is it so difficult for K-12 to embrace DEI initiatives or hire DEI Directors or Officers? Is because of money?
3.) Amilcar Cabral said "keep in mind that people are not fighting for ideas, for things in anyone’s head. They are fighting for material benefits, to live better and in peace…National liberation will remain meaningless for the people unless it brings a real improvement in conditions of life." This is still so powerful. Especially during an era of CRT fear-mongering.

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1. The author uses a largely forgotten movement to explore a particularly period of political, cultural, and social revitalization that strove to revolutionize African American life and envision an alternate society.
2. They believed that black America must

prepare its youth not merely to navigate a racist society or an increasingly specialized job market but also to contribute technical expertise to the cause of “national development” wherever in the African world they were called to serve. I truly believe in starting the learning young, and embedding it into them early, so they are better understood later on in life.
3. Long after the tides of 1960s radicalism had receded, many marginalized

Americans continued to imagine the schoolhouse as a locus of self-

determination. Education remains an arena of struggle. My question is why does education remain an arena of struggle?

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Key Takeaways on Black Power and Radical Imagination - Joe Zangaro

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Key Takeaways on Black Power and Radical Imagination - Joe Zangaro

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1. One quote from the readings that stood out to me was, "The most damaging thing a people in a colonial situation can do is to allow their children to attend any educational facility organized by the dominant enemy culture." - I have mixed feelings about this quote. We all obviously want the best educational experience possible for our children, but I do not like identifying a different culture other than our own as enemies.
2. I thought the concept of community control of education was very interesting, specifically in the case of Harlem, New York in the late 1960s and 1970s. The community the school was located in has more of a vested interested in the school and providing an equitable education for students attending the school than compared to a School Board or Board of Education members who may not have any affiliation with those in the community.
3. I appreciate the emphasis Pan African nationalism and the Black Panther Party placed on survival programs for their people and communities. The services they provided directly to poor communities (food, teaching, health care, etc.) was much more beneficial than anything the government had done to support the individuals living within the communities.
4. A question I continue to grapple and struggle with: When will the time come when people and students of color are treated equitably in education and society? The readings offered a historical view of the educational struggles African-Americans have experienced throughout history, and many of these struggles still remain to present day.

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On Rickford’ Text:  In Rickford’s retelling of history, the need for Independent Black Institutions seemed clear.  There was tangible oppression by both the state and its citizens, and despite traditional protestations, actions were not being taken to rectify the situation.  The move toward “community control” and black nationalism seemed entirely justifiable: if the benefits of the American promise are not extended to you, even after the law swings in your favor, then it makes sense to react in a separatist manner that seeks to protect your own and edify the community from within.  Schools seem a fertile ground for such cultural, psychological, and spiritual edification.

On Rickford’s Text:  One of the most striking elements of the chapter, to me, was the response of the media, as reported by Rickford, to flatten the complexity of the black community’s response to community control and black nationalism.  This serves as a reminder that narratives are not always as simple as they can appear.

On Rickford’s Video:  The video provided a nice summation of the complexities surrounding the rise of black nationalism and Independent Black Institutions in the 60s and 70s.  It was interesting to see the video at the end of the independent community in Mozambique.  This segment neatly juxtaposed real-life decolonization in a former territory of Portugal against the metaphorical decolonization that was being advocated in America.  It was also interesting to see how intra-communal edification became so closely intertwined with theories of socialism or – as in the case of FRELIMO in Mozambique – Marxism.  I don’t know enough about Mozambique – its history, its people, its current governance – but I would be interested to see how this utopian experiment in social reconstruction resolved.

On the Black Panthers:  I had a hard time with how one-dimensional this documentary on the Black Panthers appeared to be.  It failed to capture the moral complexity of the movement itself: a movement that clearly had a just cause for change, but that sought to affect that change through questionable methods (intimidation, instigating violence), undergirded by troubling associations and ideologies (Maoism, misogyny), and that was led by fatally flawed individuals.  For context, here is a good article from the Guardian that explores some of these complexities in the movement.