By: Rikita Spencer
November 12, 2020 4:36pm
Wow this is the final FULL journal. Dr. Sandridge said that we still have to turn a journal in next week but just half. So very interesting. Anyway today’s class opened up with us saying our hellos. Dr. Sandridge asked Lauren about the painting in her room that could be seen behind her. She said it was from Cuba. Cuba is only 90 miles away from the coast of Florida. I want to go one day. I’ve never really been out of the country. I went to the Bahamas on a cruise in 2018. We stopped in Nassau and Freeport. I want to travel all over the world throughout my life. Before I graduate college I want to visit all 50 states. Before I turn 25, I want to visit all the fashion capitols of the world. New York, London, Milan and Paris. I have already been to NYC twice so thats out of the way. Eventually, I want to visit all 7 continents. Hopefully by the time I am 30, that would have happened. Then Dr. S talked about wanting to take some of his students to Crete for a democratic leadership program. I do not know where crete is. It sounds like an island but also sounds like it would be somewhere in Europe. Then the class started talking about February birthday’s because I’m pretty sure Dr. S’s birthday is February 6th. This class is very big on astrology. I do not belive it in for several reason. If you want a condensed reason watch the episode Astrology on Netflix’s series titles explained. It’s only 18 minutes. If I did follow that stuff, I would be considered an Aquarius. Dr. Sandridge, Alexis and I are the only Aquarius’s I am aware of in the class. Everyone in that class hates aquarius’s. I believe they are just jealous and bored. Bored because they have nothing else to do but believe in made up science. Like do you seriously think because someone was born at a certain time that they are two-faced? Or stubborn? or a emotional? Everyone is those things! Anyway, the first presentation of today was Chanel, Nyeema, and Nia on J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar. They had a Kahoot quiz planned for us but technical difficulties made it not happen. I was very sad because I hadn’t played Kahoot since 11th grade and was really looking forward to it. They talked about the song Changes by J. Cole. I am a fan of J. Cole. I have been since I was in the 7th grade. I remember my sister blasting Crooked Smile and it use to make me feel so good when I listened to it. I remember texting my good friend at the time that his album 2014 forest hills drive had just came out. I was at a gas station with my family heading to Alabama to see my grandparents. I remember that day like it was yesterday. i proceeded to listen to the album literally for the next two years constantly. I think it was the second album I ever bought. I love J. Cole so much I would see him in concert if I could. I would see him, Chloe x Halle or Beyonce in concert. They talked about Kendrick Lamar to because him and J. Cole are always in the same association or even sometimes compared to one another. I am not really a huge fan of Kendrick Lamar. I think he is talented I just don’t know a lot of his music. Just the basic generic hits everyone knows. I like Poetic Justice, B!tch Don’t Kill my Vibe, and Swimming Pools. I think swimming Pools was the first song I ever heard by him. Anyway, the class was bringing up other musicians who could be considered as leaders. I definetely think Beyoncé could be one. We’ll talk about that a bit later on in this journal since that is who my group and I did our presentation on. Then they did a comparison of Tupac and Kendrick Lamar. I am going to get bashed for this, but MUSICALLY I think Tupac is overrated. Don’t get me wrong, I think he is very talented and definetly one of the greatest rappers to have ever lived…BUT I think society hypes him up too much. His music doesn’t match the value of his hype. I think people just label him as such because of his untimely and still unsolved death. I don’t know any distinct songs by him. I like Biggie more. I do think Tupac was very smart though. Like he seemed like a very intellectual and educated person who articulated his thoughts beautifully. To further explain her point, Chanel talked about her experience with a mental health day when she was still in high school. My high school didn’t do anything regrading mental health which is very sad. Kids would make fun of people who went to the counselor even if it had to do with academics and not personal life. Society is so prideful and it's trickling down to our youth. We then talked about the role of leadership in music compared to other literary works like plays and readings. The second presentation of the class was Alexa’s. Her chosen topic was the movie the Iron Lady which is about Margaret Thatcher. Prior to this class, I knew nothing about this movie or Margaret Thatcher. Kendra had brought of Margaret’s classism. Lauren brought up that Margaret had the desire to fulfill her own needs to display her leadership. Then Alexa started talking about the history of Margaret Thatcher and how she always stayed true to her values. We then did a reflection exercise about her presentation. Her presentation components were then compared to Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart. We talked about impression management. We talked about emotionally checking out of reality. We went over the different clips from the movie and asked questions.
November 17, 2020 6:19pm
So today my group presented. Our chosen topic was Beyoncé’s album Lemonade. My project mate Ernestasia came up with the idea and I immediately loved it. When we all first met after the groups were assigned, we were originally thinking of doing a poem. I am so glad Ernestasia brought this topic up. Literally as I am typing this journal I am listening to this album. It is truly iconic and monumental. On our presentation document, I commentated on Sorry and Formation. To me Sorry represents reminiscing and reflecting on a past relationship. Your spirit is restored and renewed for moving forward and new beginnings. The end part of the song that I commentated on is my favorite. It’s when the beat breaks down. It’s right before she talks about Becky with the good hair. Iconic! When the beat slows down it represents how her emotions, feelings, and overall demeanor has changed. This is her last love letter. “I left a note in the hallway.” It’s her last words to her lover, the father of her child, to the man who has constantly dehumanized her in a way. Lied to her, cheated on her, neglected to love her. This is it. This was her stamp of I’m leaving babe. My favorite part is when she says Suicide before you see this tear fallow down my eyes Me and my baby, we gon be alright We gon live a good life.” Beyoncé is stepping up, showing a form of leadership. She has to leave she is tired of being treated like this, she is tired of the effects of their toxic relationship trickling down onto her child. His actions are trickling down onto their lifestyle. She will kill herself before she will let him see her cry. She is not going to let him see her weak. He is not going to get her out of her character. She is going ot leave with her head held high like a real leader should. At the end of the day she knows she is going to take care of herself and her child. She is going to provide a good life for her child, she does not need him or his means. Its all about her stepping up and being a leader and knowing whats not for her isn’t going to be for her. formation was my next commentary. Formation to me is all about Black Pride and resilience, exemplifying black culture and belief in oneself. She performed this song at the Super Bowl with Coldplay and Bruno Mars. I loved how she payed homage to the Black Panthers with her and the dancers outfits. Beyonce never in her career has reveled so much in her blackness until Lemonade and she really came hard with it on this album and this song and Freedom. I love the part I chose. WE as black people look different from someone who is caucasion. We have bigger nose and bigger lips, and have been ridiculed for that. Especially in middle school. Now their are white girls out here paying thousands of dollars to get their lips filled with a substance to make them bigger. Didn't 10 years ago you were telling me I looked like a monkey. I love how Beyoncé highlighted the beauty of African features. I love my nappy hair, I love my darker complexion, I love my wide nose and fat lips. I love being black and I think personally we are the standard beauty.
