- “We do feel that we can develop the kinds of black kids in the ghetto who can withstand the negative influence of white education without undergoing too much psychological damage”(Rickford, 16). I wonder how much psychological damage has been faced due to the influence of white education. Has this affected their view of the world? Has this made them feel different from others? 

- Jamie Walker

It was amazing to hear that the crime statistics decreased when the black panther police force was active. This group stood on the law and this made a great impact on the community. 

- SU

·        a quote from the reading that notes “many proponents of black control of African-American schools were longtime 
 desegregation advocates who saw themselves as making a tactical adjustment rather than undergoing a wholesale change of course. “(Rickford, R 2016). 

·        It makes a good point about grassroot efforts making changes in more local and immediate situations but still working towards larger societal changes. 

·        There is also another statement that grassroots programs cannot be separated from larger struggles for equality-for a more truly egalitarian society. 

·        Dr. Russell Rickford made a comment that the school house still remains a site of political power and self-determination.  This is a true statement and a good reminder of the power of schools and teachers working within their community.

 

The question I grapple with is how the law can be twisted by groups in power to suite their agenda.  How do we fight back against this. 

·        I thought the news clip from the Black Panthers video was so relevant to what is happening today especially in places like Arizona at ballot boxes with armed people trying to intimidate people(many of these people are people of color, those who cannot leave work to vote on election day) dropping off their ballots-the news clip says we cannot allow marauding groups with guns to patrol the streets (Black Panthers) but that is exactly what white groups are doing right now. 

·        There is a Ronald Reagan quote that people of good will cannot carry guns with even the implied notion that they could be used against another but that is the same thing that is happening right now with just the sides reversed.

 

·      “‘Most black folks feel, too, it’s always been one-way, it’s been black kids being brutalized, psychologically manipulated—its never been white kids.”  This quote by a Brooklyn teacher stood out to me.  Black children were expected to go to white schools, but white children were never expected to be bussed into a school with mostly black students.  

·      At one point in the video it explained that in the liberated areas of Mozambique, the schools were built by the students and the teachers, and that the teachers and the students lived in the same community.  There was a contrast between this arrangement and the teachers driving home to an “exclusive suburb” while the students went “deeper into the ghetto.”  It was also stated that there were no issues with disrespect because teachers and students were working toward a common goal.  This is an interesting imagining of education.  Can teachers still be effective even if they don’t live in the same community as the students? 

·      The video “Merritt College - Home of the Black Panthers” stated that the Black Panthers were standing for self-defense against social inequalities like access to food and healthcare.  I wasn’t aware of their involvement in community outreach like breakfast programs and medical clinics this before viewing the video. 

·      It was interesting to hear that rates of juvenile crimes decreased in the area during this time. 
-Mary D.

 

I really enjoyed the Black Panther video as I felt that I had little exposure to this movement in the past. It made me question why I had not learned more about this in my history classes growing up? It makes me really consider the long-term affects students of color face when the very topics they engage with in their K-12 schooling often look down on those in history who went “against the grain” in relation to laws, etc.

 

A quote that stood out to me from the Black Panther video in relation to the Community Survival Programs was, “when people are able to really consider their circumstances, they will, but when such debilitating forces are at play, they cannot.” When basic survival needs are unmet, we know how big of an affect this has on kids during a school day let alone outside of that setting. What a powerful, meaningful, and selfless focus within the community. 

 Dr. Russell's talk was eye-opening to see how many liberation movements were happening in the 60ds. I also thought it was interesting how many parallels he pointed out each of the nationalism had. Each of them showed the problem with nationalism within their culture. Many of their governments reflected the postcolonial state and did not aid the nation's people. 

Another point that widened my perspective was at the beginning of Dr. Russell's talk when he talked about pan-African nationalism and re-socializing the oppressed, and creating schools to counteract white oppression. This made me think of the current climate around including Black history within the curriculum, and I was shocked this is not discussed more.  

Merritt College: Home of the Black Panthers

 Watching this video, I was shocked at how much information I had not heard before. I felt like the goal of the Black Panthers was colluded through the media. The video reflects on many people sharing their experiences, defining their experience as protecting the law, knowing it, and trying to serve their country. Unfortunately, the media and history taught do not share this perspective. This made me think of This reminded me of Safiya Umoja Noble's talk, The Internet Unleashed. She discusses how important the first page of any search engine is. She stated that many people do not venture past the first page, so it shapes a lot of the conception around the topic. I feel like this is what happened to the Black Panthers and the civil right movement throughout history, and many of their original intentions are lost.

-          “Schools…are not going to transform society. What schools generally do is reproduce the dominant social relations in society” (Rickford, 56:08). This anecdote is a fascinating one to me. Many times, we try to teach and guide our students to be who we think they should be. Generally, we want them to just be good people. Once students leave the school, however, they go back into a society that they have been intermingling in in for years. Sometimes that society is one of growth and help. Sometimes that society has more troublemakers than helpers.

-          Seeing police take weapons from the Black Panthers in the video is a very striking example of how constitutional rights of people of color during the civil rights movement were constantly under duress. Even the 2^nd amendment, one of the most polarizing of the amendments, was not safe for African Americans currently. We are still seeing the disproportionate treatment by police on this community even still today. Link that notion with how “Schools…are not going to transform society. What schools generally do is reproduce the dominant social relations in society” (Rickford, 56:08) and you begin to see the endless loop of oppression.

academic norms. The longer they remained in school, the further behind they fell." (Rickford, 2016) 
              Racism is mindboggling to me. It is so hard to wrap my head around how someone can feel so superior just based on ethnicity, that they will allow and encourage children to be neglected and educationally stunted - among other things.

-When I read the dates for a lot of these historical moments in America, I am reminded that this wasn't even that long ago. Racism and discrimination is still prominent. It is infuriating.