Ash Wednesday

First off let me say how embarrassed I am to have not posted at all the entire month of February. Instead of writing a full blog entry I tweeted some of the happenings during black history month. Quick side note I went to the State of Black History Month Forum. The event was moderated by the great Dr. Khalil Muhammed. The discussion lasted about two hours and the conversation keep reverting back to this fundamental issue of Black identity. Dr. Muhammed tried to steer the conversation towards a broader understanding of Black history but no one could discuss at length who are the key history makers that should be lauded during this month. Is the month of honoring Black figures irrelevant in an assumed post-racial United States of America?

Two things I drew from the discussion (1) Even college students don't really know Black History. When he asked for students to share some key leaders (outside of the usual Rosa, Martin & Malcolm) students stammered. So we desperately need to connect all students to the history of Black Americans. (2) College students need a safe space to regularly discuss their racial identity. That was the only issue discussed at length during the forum. Students that commented seemed to be subtly asking the deeper question of "When and where is it ok for me to express (or explore) my blackness?" I am currently working with Eric Love to create a safe space for student to continue the discussion on the issue of race and ethnicity.

So today is Ash Wednesday, and I attended Trinity Episcopal Church for the imposition of ashes. I love the inclusive nature of the service. The homily given today emphasized the loving and merciful nature of Christ. He gently reminded us that the reason for the ashes is "not to remind us of our sinful nature, but it is a reminder of who we belong to." It was a powerful moment for me, a time to remember that my life is not my own. He breathed life into me forming me from the dirt. From ashes I was made and to ashes I will return; God's possession and his beautiful surprise. 

For Lent I have decided to give up facebook and Twitter, they are an addiction for me. Here is the back story. In the library this morning I was explaining the significance of Lent to some of my friends and we all decided to give up some technology. My friend Jasmine has decided to give up her cell phone for one week and twitter for the forty day period. We discussed it and these forms of social media reify pseudo-social connections. Instead of making online friends we are seeking to spend time with real people.

Finally I am looking forward to the next forty days of self-examination and repentance. My hope is that I this season of Lent will help me form habits of critical reflection and self-examination. What are you giving up for lent this year?

Grad Assistanship

Today I finally figured out what exactly my Graduate Assistantship is and what my responsibilities are. I met with Shanna Stuckey. She is the project coordinator for the Center for Urban and Multicultural Education (CUME) and it is this wonderful department at IUPUI that is paying the bill for my graduate school.

Quick side note: I had a mini heart attack last week when I got my Bursar bill. It said that I owed nearly $8000. I freaked out. I thought I just quit my job, left the only place I've ever lived, moved up to Bloomington, bought new furniture and signed an apartment lease. This would be a horrible time to find out my tuition and fees are not covered. A word of advice: if you are attending a public school and you are not a resident of that state, make sure that your contract covers not only tuition but fees as well. I had not asked that very important question. So I sent a very panic stricken email to Shanna, and waited to hear back from her. The next day she resolved the issue, and my bill went from $8000 to $350. Thanks be to God (Shanna & CUME too). Sorry - the quick story was a little longer than I had anticipated, but I digress 

So I am working at a research center on the campus of IUPUI, and I am very excited about it. My course work is at IU-Bloomington which is more of the traditional four year college. IUPUI is urban and has a good number of non-traditional students pursuing several different degrees. The best program at IUPUI is the Medical School which this year will become the largest medical school in the nation.

CUME oversees and around 30 different programs. Our ultimate goal is to create a sustained partnership with institutions that are interested in furthering scholarship in the area of urban education. Our largest grant comes from the Indianapolis Public School (IPS) system. Over the past four years, our program director Josh Smith has been successfully building more bridges with IPS  The program for which I will serve as student lead is the Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellowship. This program was designed to bring working professionals back to the academy to teach STEM programs in secondary, middle and elementary schools. The program is funded at IUPUI by a $500K grant from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. My job will be to assess the Fellows, IUPUI Faculty and teaching mentors in the program. Currently I love working for CUME. I couldn't dream of a better working environment. I'm hoping my work at CUME will help me to become a better research and a more knowledgeable scholar.