"And where were they during and after September 11th???"

In hiding, most likely.  It wasn't a popular time to be speaking up for 
Middle Eastern immigrants or education, was it?

Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt
www.luxuriouschoices.net
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ujwala Samant" <lalumineuse at yahoo.com>
To: "The Poverty, Race,Women and Literacy Discussion List" 
<povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 12:11 PM
Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 2140] Re: Mastery



> And where were they during and after September 11th???

>

> --- Evelyn Brown <EBrown at parkland.edu> wrote:

>

>> Well said! Where are those people who are willing to

>> do this "Speaking Out"?

>>

>> Evelyn Brown

>> Academic Development Specialist

>> Parkland College

>> 2400 West Bradley

>> Champaign, IL 61821

>> 217.351.2587

>> ebrown at parkland.edu

>>

>> >>> "Katherine" <kgotthardt at comcast.net> 4/29/2008

>> 9:30 AM >>>

>> "don't try to meddle with dearly held customs."

>> Come on Andrea.  Don't mess

>> with customs?  It's a custom in some cultures to be

>> racist, sexist,

>> oppressive and hateful.  Should I leave that alone

>> when it affects the

>> community I live in?  (Note, I am talking about

>> changing the culture in the

>> United States from a destructive one to a productive

>> one, not taking on

>> international customs.)

>>

>> It is considered RADICAL to do this even if you

>> follow the proper channels.

>> Consider the freedom of speech to which we are

>> entitled.  Consider the ways

>> oppressive powers here in this country try to stifle

>> freedom of speech when

>> it steps on political toes.  Is it not "radical" to

>> fight this, especially

>> in this apathetic day and age?

>>

>> In this culture, choosing to defy the rest and wear

>> "nappy hair" can be

>> considered rebellious. Refusing to sit in the back

>> of the bus was considered

>> a radical statement at the time.  What I am saying

>> is that there are rules

>> and there are rules.  Sometimes, it takes very

>> little rule and norm breaking

>> to make a statement and change the culture for the

>> better.

>>

>> Don't misunderstand me here.  Violence used as a

>> mechanism for change is

>> never acceptable except as self defense against

>> certain physical attack.

>> But recall our most famous "radicals" were people

>> who just decided, "enough

>> is enough" and did something positive about it.

>>

>> "At some point, silence is betrayal."  MLK broke the

>> rules for the better.

>> I suggest more of us do as well.

>>

>> Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt

>> www.luxuriouschoices.net

>> ----- Original Message ----- 

>> From: "Andrea Wilder" <andreawilder at comcast.net>

>> To: "The Poverty, Race,Women and Literacy Discussion

>> List"

>> <povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>

>> Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 9:56 AM

>> Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 2126] Re: Mastery

>>

>>

>> > Katherine,

>> >

>> > Well, yes, that is one possible interpretation of

>> what I am saying. I

>> > am not   You must learn the native tongue.  I am

>> not suggesting that

>> > you support female genital mutilation,  however,

>> only show a deecnt

>> > respect for the local ways people follow to

>> survive.

>> >

>> > An example:  richard CAsh, An American-trained

>> public health doctor,

>> > was not able to make inroads in the use of ORT

>> (Oral Rehydration

>> > Therapy) with communities in Bangladesh until

>> ethnographers had studied

>> > the problem, and he himself had worked with local

>> people, had lived

>> > with local people, eaten their food, essentially

>> adapted to their ways.

>> >  He and his colleagues are now considered experts

>> in this field.  ORT

>> > is a method of stopping life-threatening diarrhea

>> through

>> > administration of a mixture of salt and sugars

>> dissolved in water.

>> >

>> > In my work on leadership succession, which I am

>> drawing on here, and

>> > which seems very applicable (the replacement of an

>> authority figure)  I

>> > found that the most successful people (authority

>> figures) had 1)  the

>> > skills the group needed, 2) had mastered the

>> group's rules, and 3)  had

>> > then been able to educate / change the group.  The

>> most interesting

>> > study I looked at was of kindergarten children,

>> and  this study and all

>> > other successful group studies I looked at,

>> followed this pattern.

>> >

>> > People who work outside the rules are often

>> "invisible" to members of

>> > the group, as they don't old generally accepted

>> positions in the group.

>> >  So I guess I am saying, "Listen,  and adapt!"   I

>> do mean that

>> > literally--observe and learn, ask questions, show

>> respect, don't try to

>> > meddle with dearly held customs.  Example:  check

>> local customs before

>> > going into the bazaar in an American dress and

>> uncovered arms and legs!

>> >

>> > However,  adaptation can be unhappy.  In the

>> American situation, look

>> > at nappy hair, or rather its lack by

>> African-American women and men who

>> > have their hair "pressed" to flatten it,, to look

>> more acceptable and

>> > white.   This a sad adaptation, but seemingly

>> necessary in an era when

>> > nappy hair was looked down on and is an example in

>> my view of

>> > identification with the oppressor..

>> >

>> > Andrea

>> >

>> > .On Apr 28, 2008, at 9:30 PM, Katherine wrote:

>> >

>> >> Andrea, are you suggesting we can't do good in

>> the world unless we

>> >> follow

>> >> the rules?

>> >>

>> >> "Well behaved women rarely make history."

>> >>

>> >> Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt

>> >> www.luxuriouschoices.net

>> >> ----- Original Message -----

>> >> From: "Andrea Wilder" <andreawilder at comcast.net>

>> >> To: "The Poverty, Race,Women and Literacy

>> Discussion List"

>> >> <povertyracewomen at nifl.gov>

>> >> Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 8:47 PM

>> >> Subject: [PovertyRaceWomen 2119] Re: Mastery

>> >>

>> >>

>> >>> Ujwala--

>> >>>

>> >>> Greg Mortenson of "Three Cups of Tea" succeeded

>> because he was able to

>> >>> learn the rules, I think his story is pretty

>> dramatic;  shows what can

>> >>> be accomplished when some one has the diligence

>> and desire to learn

>> >>> how

>> >>> to behave properly in order to get a job done.

>> >>>

>> >>> Andrea

>> >>>

>> >>>

>> >>> On Apr 28, 2008, at 6:18 PM, Ujwala Samant

>> wrote:

>> >>>

>> >>>> Just noted a typo my post. It should read, "We

>> call

>> >>>> people by their first names." Or, "It's normal

>> to call

>> >>>> people by their first names."

>> >>>> Ujwala

>> >>>> --- Daniel Rizik-Baer <drizikbaer at gmail.com>

>> wrote:

>> >>>>

>> >>>>> Ujwala-

>> >>>>>

>> >>>>> "> I think everyone knows the hidden rules,

>> they are

>> >>>>>> just not in plain site.

>> >>>>>> Knowing that they are there is a big step

>> towards

>> >>>>>> understanding.<<

>> >>>>>

>> >>>>> I think there is a huge leap of faith in the

>> first

>> >>>>> statement. Rules are learned, through

>> observation,

>> >>>>> education and interaction. How many of our

>> learners

>> >>>>> have positive, direct, educational interaction

>> upon

>>

> === message truncated ===

>

>

>

> 

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