AAS 4950 Blog 2

Jasmine B. Stroud

February 13, 2013

AAS 4950 Blog Post #2

Black arts in the 21st century have truly blossomed all across the South, but kit as not always been that way; the question to ask is why. After what is often commonly known as the second great migration, in which blacks ventured north to find higher-paying industrial jobs, blacks were more exposed to culture, but this new "Northern" environment also played a role in black perception. Blacks in the north were often portrayed as slick and always wanting to get ahead so that is often the character that we see portrayed in blaxploitation films. Looking into the 21st century, post the black soul aesthetic, has blossomed into a southern tradition. The city of Atlanta has not only become a center of black art, but a mecca for blacks alike. 

The reverse migration of blacks from the north back to the south can be contributed to many factors; passing of the first and second generations post slavery equates to the leaving of property as well as funeral travel, weather, as well of those of the third and fourth generation wanting a place to raise their children that didn't necessarily quantify with the inner city. With this, Atlanta put itself on the map. Georgia's 20% tax credit for production and post-production costs of projects over $500,000 not only attracted major filmmakers, but it also caused socio-political factors to kick in. Factors such as politics, infrastructure, tourist investment, and the building up of communities inside and outside of the city. Because of these socio-political factors there have also been a migration of blacks into and out of the city. Factors such as taxation and socio-economic status and affluence have also played a large part in Atlanta filmmaking movements. The shift into reality television also stemmed the blossoming of reality television shows across the country. Loosely stated Atlanta has become the mecca of he south due to the reverse migration of blacks back to thir roots, as well as for socio-economic gains. Evidence for reverse and second migrations can be charted through the Census Bureau. Atlanta's investment into it self has truly empowered the city and its people.

AAS 4950---Auburn Research Blog "Sankofa"

Jasmine B. Stroud

January 30, 2013

AAS 4950 Blog 1

The city of Atlanta possesses many facets, but its rich history remains locked up in the ricks upon which this city was built. Successful African-Americans, such as Alonzo Herndon, tirelessly enhanced Atlanta black communities through business ventures, investments, and entrepreneurship. The dawning of Atlanta Life Insurance Company represented nothing shy of a grandiose relief effort on behalf of the black community. The illegality of current mutual aid funds was the result of the rise of black prominence in early Atlanta. 

The tour of Auburn Avenue sparked interest into why the original building was for sale and not undergoing preservation or regulation. After-all it is a standing artifacts and a visual link to the past. The city of Atlanta decades later, post war and in a prolonged period of black normality and contribution, has yet to decide that the sites along Auburn Avenue are worth not only the preservation of their history and documents, but also worth preserving the standing testament of black prosperity within the city. Alonzo Herndon made it his personal mission to not only preserve the black community, but also to enlist the help of others to aid in his cause.

Atlanta has failed to preserve legacy as it stands. By destroying the primary source and appropriating help from others, many blacks became lobbyists in order to maintain their own communities; Therefore, the lack of preservation has led to contemplation of wether or not Atlanta wants to continue to allow the degradation of a historical district--  once home to one of Atlanta and the worlds most prominent and affluent black communities. The lack of interest in preservation of a key historical monument presents a clear agenda. African-American history is perceived as far less important, and unfortunately our twenty-first century scholars are in no way expeditiously researching to uncover the truth of the black community; whether pre-war or post-war.

As Atlanta has become a transportation hub for people all over the world, and a "mecca" for the black elite, I believe it is our prominent leaders and elitist responsibly to preserve this irreplaceable, vanishing history for the generations that are to follow. As other races preserve their past to make way for their futures, black communities have a tendency to invest in the "right now" instead of in the future. Have our ancestors taught us nothing? It is knowledge and understanding of the past that guarantee a bright future, as we are less likely to commit to making the same mistakes our forefathers have made. 

Therefore, it is no one's responsibility, but that of the black community to preserve its own history; the lack of knowledge of self-worth is never globally upheld when it is not firstly upheld in its community,

The Burning

oh you feel it
I know that you do
deeeeeeeep down inside
in the pit of your stomach
forcing you to move, to change to grow
oh to mature into the person that you see in the mirror
the person mama says can change the land
but your afraid, afraid to even reach for a hand
running from the burning
that burning in the pit of your belly
like those wild fires
its your fuel don't refuse it
straight from heaven it'll get you where u need to go
use that burning its the only way to go

Love. LIVE.Laugh & don't forget to eat

Humn well today is day 3 of my lifestyle change I have lost 16 inches and I feel wonderful. It is helping me to focus and complete the tasks at hand, its also very energizing. Weight is a major problem in the world today, but unfortunately we have forgot about the love of food. Good food is often portrayed as bad now, but everything is good in moderation. Why aren't we stimulating our 5 senses all because of appearance 

okayyyy

Sorry I have been gone for so long!!!!!!!!!!! i'll be back at least once a week!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's 2011 HOMIES

thIs Week

well now its almost the end of my school week! i didn't have to go to my first class this week so all that was cool! boy am I ready for this semester to be over!

Stress and Relaxation

BOY! the last dew months have been so difficult. In contrast my love life and life outside of school have been wonderful, but school has really been a lot on me. There isn't much work but the difficulty level has taken a really steep incline. but enough about that ....... I have been able to manage because I have prayed and I am in a wonderful relationship. He is everything I thought I would never find all in one man. Not to display that he or our relationship is perfect because it is far from it, but it is a wonderful relationship. We have GREAT communication, we are both goal oriented, and most of all we love one another. We both have a very strong sense of what is the most important to us in life. Outside of work and school the people that we love and our faith is most important. All things can be jeopardized, but the love of those around us is most important. I honestly feel that he truly wants nothing but happiness for me and I for him.

Love is so much more than I ever though it would be......it is patient, kind, passionate, caring, giving, charitable, longing, un-selfish, and most of all unrestricted.

Learning how to love another person is an experience in itself. It requires not only great strength, but humility. It requires compromise to help mold the relationship as well. A man is just that; in my opinion it is sometimes necessary to allow them to display that...allow them to care, to be concerned, to take charge that is their human nature and often times their first instinct. A man will be a man as long as he is allowed to be once that is taken from him he changes in many ways.

A man's communication is very different from a woman's. More often than not a man's feelings are shown very often, but not so often spoken...we have to read between the lines just a little. But a close relationship between a man and woman bring open communication and sharing of emotions this I am the most thankful for. The more time you invest in a "good deserving man" the more he will give to a good relationship.

the end!

This semester, I honestly felt like I had a good idea of how to write, but it just seems like I have worked really hard and still not met the expectations. I am a little frustrated with school right now and my writing seems to be improving at a crawl which doesn’t really help me right now. I write a lot better than I did last semester, but sometimes I question what my writing lacks. Sometimes writing in certain parameters throws me off so I get a little confused. I honestly do everything that I can to write the best papers I can write. I purposely do the papers the day that we get the assignment sheets so that I can schedule at least 2 revisions with the writing center before turning it in. Sometimes I talk to other English students about my writing and the reviews are so far fetched that all I can depend on is the assignment sheet. I do feel like I have grown in my writing. Through the semesters frustration and when all else fails I have tried my hardest to follow instruction, and process. Though my writing hasn’t improved as much as I wanted it too I hope that the next three years changes that. The last two semesters have been an extreme challenge, but hey no one said college would be easy did they? I just wish more time was allotted or maybe even having the assignment sheets at the beginning of the semester so that I could work on each paper and critique and conference all semester on all three papers. Taking this class has really helped me though. I have learned a lot of mechanics of writings as well as a lot of techniques.

Problems

In life I have had a few problems, but they have helped to make me who I am. My parents divorce triggered a lot of questions for me. Not only did the two people who I modeled my life after separate, at the time the separation was something that was hard for me to understand at the time. But the questions that I had helped me to answer and solve problems within myself.

Questions like: how do I feel about relationships?
How do I feel about marriage? And the occasional am I good enough? Became very frequent for a while, but after answering and exploring this question; then arose the question/answers:

Is there anyone out there for me? Is there someone who can truly love me? Is it possible to unconditionally love another person? Is it possible to want to send the rest of your life with another person? Were we meant to spend the rest of our lives with one other person/ why did my parents separate? Why does marriage only work for certain people?

Because of posing and answering my own questions I have been able to develop healthy relationships. I have fund the guy that I truly want to spend the rest of my life with, and I was able to accomplish all of this through a situation that I thought would never have a good outcome. My parents divorce successfully taught me what a marriage should not be or consist of. It taught me that priorities and ach other are things that must come first. A marriage will not work if you do not make it a priority.

Maggiano's

Now, it's time to be educated on Italian food. Maggiano's is one of the most prestigious places to get quality Italian food for an inexpensive price. Who wouldn't want to eat all they could eat Italian food for just thirty bucks. If you wouldn't please let me know. Known for their exquisite taste in ingredients, Maggiano's is a great place to eat if you are seeking a quality taste on a limited budget. Enhanced by the use of traditional Italian techniques, there are few places where you will discover the techniques used at Maggiano's. Their most renowned dish, the chicken parmigiania is one that every four out of sex guests orders because of its smooth taste and wonderful flavoring. Maggiano's restaurants are scattered throughout the country for everyone to enjoy. Food critics such as Bobby Flay often comment on the quality of food that you receive at Maggiano's for such an affordable price. Not only does Maggiano's constantly build local clientele because of their product, they are one of the few restaurants to offer family style dining. By growing this clientele Maggiano’s constantly has high rates of returning customers. I should know I eat there at least once a month a twice a moth for my birthday. Equipped with a friendly family environment, Maggiano’s is also an upscale restaurant that welcomes the presence of young children. Many print composures such as The Peach, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Essence Magazine, and many more have evaluated and given top reviews to Maggiano’s for its exquisite taste and economy prices.

The "L" Word

Boy who would have ever thought that love could turn your world upside down. It makes you feel things that you thought you would never feel, and do things you thought that you would never do. I am one of the most level headed people that I know; though I always have my tastes of adventure, when it comes to the important things and to buckling down I’m usually first to do it; but love has changed all of that. Now I have these lingering questions in my head such as,”am I crazy to feel like this” and “how am I supposed to know another person’s feelings”. But that’s just it – I’m not. Love is great its 100% spontaneous and it lights you up in the darkest of times. Now don’t get me wrong every now and then it’s a drag and its get a little hard to care so much for just one person, but when love is good it gives so much more back than you put into it. It’s appreciative, it’s kind, it’s careful, it’s forewarning, it’s true, and it just adds that small .01% to you that you didn’t even know that you were missing. I (in the last year) have managed to fall in love with a wonderful guy and the best part about it is no one else’s opinion or feelings about it even matter. Frankly, I do not even care! I have never been so happy with another human being. It’s not a burden to be with him, and he can always made a bad day better, a good day great, and a better day the best it could have possibly been. So no one ever said love was easy, I’m not saying that, but love is one thing – REWARDING in many different ways. He even makes my foot pop!

WooPee OPEN WEEK

This week I have really tried to tackle what it is that makes me happy. As a young woman, I find that my life is never as fulfilling or productive as it is when I am happy. One thing that can always make it better is music. I love to sing and weather I am happy, sad, frustrated, or just plain old over-whelmed music is one aspect of my life that always seems to help me conquer whatever the problem it is. Writing also helps to calm me down. But what is it that truly makes me happy? That is a quest that I will probably take a few times in life. I have always been a person who likes to make everyone else happy, and I tend to forget that I am a person as well. Though this I not always a bad trait to have it is sometimes a burden to always feel weighted with the baggage of everyone else and to not even know it makes it even harder. Those days when I am so exhausted that I ant do anything but sleep, and to wake up still tired makes it worse. I have to learn how to help others and help myself as well. My grandmother likes to call it the martyr syndrome; helping everyone so much you eventually almost completely drain yourself. But what can I say everyone in my family is like that. I haven’t learned to be any different and in many ways being who I am makes me happy. I have a few bags that I need to let go of though including: fake people and drama. There are also a few bags that I need to pick up too such as: making new friends, taking better care of myself, and making my close friendships closer.

As A Believer...

Though the reason for many technological interactions today is unclear, one thing is very clear: the human race is very social. Not only do we thrive on communication, but our world as we know it depends on it. Progressing in technological communication means that we no longer have to see one another to complete important tasks or even just to catch up. I can understand why Facebook is important to some. As a frequent user, it enables me to keep in contact with people that I would not usually keep up with; such as friends from elementary, middle, and high school, as well as family members that are distant from me. Instead of my phone always ringing, I have the opportunity to talk to and interact with others on my own time at my own free will. On the contrary, I rarely accept friends that I do not know. Friend requests that I accept are from either friends or associates. They are all familiar to me in some way. Facebook allows me to see into the lives of people I care about without being there. I can tell what is bothering them as well as what has happened in the last few days. Communication is very important to me especially at this transition point in my life, it allows me to make new friends as well as keep up with the ones that I already have. In many ways it keeps distant relationships at a cyber arm’s length. Many people even utilize Facebook to make new friends, so according to what you are looking for Facebook can easily adapt to your needs.

As a doubter, many people do use Facebook for many scandalous reasons such as spying, manipulating, and just to be creepy. also because it is not limited the way it used to be almost anyone anywhere can join. initially to join Facebook you had to be invited and of a certain age. this protected is users and the article by Farhad Manjoo allows those who oppose Facebook to explain. Many people do not find it fascinating to have millions of people with the ability to find you satisfying, actually it is more invasive. you can type in a name and there is almost always someone that you can be found.

My American Dream

My definition of the American dream is the fulfillment of what you see in your life. I would love to own my own home, have a big family, own a horse farm to stable my horses, and be financially stable. In my American dream the pursuit of happiness would be my goal. I just really would love to be able to engage in everything that I have ever wanted to try such as fashion design, owning my own company, and in old age becoming an artist. My American dream is to just have a fulfilled life. I want to be financially stable enough to start a non-profit organization, put my children through college, and to give my mother her heart's every desire. As a young woman I have always been independent and being able to take care of my loved ones will make me feel as though I have done my best to secure my family’s well-being.

How Enter - Esting

This semester should be wonderful; It gets closer to spring break everyday and classes have just began. We are all probably very calm and haven't quite reached our max stress level yet goos luck!