Lost on the Road to Jena--with some Ques.

[Little32]

So we argue semantics, because for me this new generation really ranges from highschool-aged through college-aged (roughly 14-21). I had students who were freshman in college and had just made 16, 17 is pretty average.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by Little32

So we argue semantics, because for me this new generation really ranges from highschool-aged through college-aged (roughly 14-21). I had students who were freshman in college and had just made 16, 17 is pretty average.

Not at all. "Discuss" so we can get to the meat of the topic. If you and I are beginning from two different premises, our message of who needs to be mobilized will be different.

So without my going on my speech about what "generation" really constitutes, suffice it to say that I am talking about mobilizing people who are not legally adults. And I charge those who are legally adults with doing this, as well as older generations with mobilizing the younger generations of adults.

One thing that I see as working on the local level is social action forums. What do you see as working on a local level?

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by Little32

Also, there was a good deal of youth led social protest in the sixties that did not necessarily stem from the guidance of adults in their communities

I beg to differ. Those protest were led by young adults--many in college. And they did receive guidance from adult community activists of which there were many in those days. Also our institutions were more involved then and served as catalysts for these protests.

[Little32]

@DSTCHAOS
I am not sure what can work in the long term for young people. I guess that one of the reasons that I think of the next generation as so young, age-wise, is because I am on the young side myself (under 30). This is one of the things that has continually frustrated me in my experience with activism is the sort of flash in the pan character it takes on not only with this younger generation, but with folks in my own generation. I have not seen much of an enduring commitment to social activism in the broader population, and that in part is due to the prevailing perspective on the state of union so to speak.

I think that involvement in certain organizations is a good way to support sustained involvement with a myriad of issues. The work of our organizations is important to that end. I am interested in seeing how our group, formed as a result of our participation in a march in support of justice for the young men in Jena, fares, whether the intensity of interest continues as this moment recedes into the background. As an educator, of course, I am always in favor of using the classroom environment as a space to develop social consciousness in my students (which is not to say that I am on a soapbox in my classrooms (in fact, just the opposite, I rarely share my own opinions), but that I attempt to create a space where they can question and I hope that they carry that critical engagement with them into their everyday lives).

@LadyGreek There were some semantics issues that we had to hash out there.

[DSTCHAOS]

It's funny seeing my type of wordiness in someone else's writing.

Well, there's stuff going on all over the place but a lot of people need to see rallies to think that the community is protesting and change is going to happen. I would rather not see rallies and public protests because those aren't indicative of large scale and longterm change. The Jim Crow and Civil Rights Eras were times of more overt inequalities. There are now more institutional and covert inequalities that require less overt methods. If we can maintain conciousness and activity without needing the public spectacle, we will be able to reach the community through education and so forth. We need to continue to challenge one another to do better without feeling that such a challenge is an insult to our community.

I'm not talking about the Bill Cosby speech type of challenge. I'm talking about a similar in-your-face approach that doesn't need the cameras and that pressures us to continue combating inequality through information and action rather than complaints.

[Little32]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

It's funny seeing my type of wordiness in someone else's writing.

Its called academic-ese.

[Little32]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

It's funny seeing my type of wordiness in someone else's writing.

Well, there's stuff going on all over the place but a lot of people need to see rallies to think that the community is protesting and change is going to happen. I would rather not see rallies and public protests because those aren't indicative of large scale and longterm change. The Jim Crow and Civil Rights Eras were times of more overt inequalities. There are now more institutional and covert inequalities that require less overt methods. If we can maintain conciousness and activity without needing the public spectacle, we will be able to reach the community through education and so forth. We need to continue to challenge one another to do better without feeling that such a challenge is an insult to our community.

I'm not talking about the Bill Cosby speech type of challenge. I'm talking about a similar in-your-face approach that doesn't need the cameras and that pressures us to continue combating inequality through information and action rather than complaints.

And I agree with much of what you have said here, but a lot of what I have seen with this next generation (and here I mean college students in the past 5 years of so) is apathy. We can have all of the social action forums that we want, but if we are the only ones attending, we are preaching to the choir. The most recent classes of freshman (2006 and 2007) seem more social engaged, so that gives me hope.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by Little32

And I agree with much of what you have said here, but a lot of what I have seen with this next generation (and here I mean college students in the past 5 years of so) is apathy. We can have all of the social action forums that we want, but if we are the only ones attending, we are preaching to the choir. The most recent classes of freshman (2006 and 2007) seem more social engaged, so that gives me hope.

Instructors need to offer extra credit for all students to attend and write social action reports. NPHC chapters need to coordinate these events with other stuff they are doing. Interested members go to other NPHC events so why not social action forums? The options are endless and I'm way too "annoying" to leave black folk the hell alone about this. I just change my approach based on the particular needs of the group.