[ahendricks17-blog]

Current Events

A current event that stood out to me recently was the University Of Missouri racial tension and the events that led up to the presidents resignation. There has been a lot of racial tension on college campuses but I would like to talk about mizzou because that is the most talked about. The first incident I heard about was when a drunken group of caucasian students disrupted an African American student group and used racial slurs towards them. The students wrote their list of complaints to the President of their school and he simply overlooked their demands. The african americans on campus didn’t feel safe, and their voices weren’t heard. They felt they weren't accepted and this was a school they loved. So they began to protest first with a hunger strike, a student boycott, the football team didn’t practice, and lastly the Missouri Students Association wanted the president of the university to resign. On November 9th he resigned and was replaced by an African American Michael Middleton.I feel as an african american male on a predominantly white campus that it would appropriate to voice my opinion if I felt targeted. If the president of my school did not advocate for racial equality and try to suppress racial tension I would have a problem with it as well. I am an advocate for equality for everyone, I don't think there should be any problems between people because of the color of my skin.

[yourbeautifuldisaster42]

Breaking points. We all have them and we are bound to have one as life moves on. Honestly, I expect the average person to get to that serious point at least 4 times in their life, most likely even more. My thing is, how do you deal with them? Sure enough people will always tell you that you need to lift yourself up and give you some advice that fits into your tailored situation/ problem. But what happens when you just don’t have anyone to hear those words from?

Well you see, I got to a breaking point last night. I was shocked when it actually happened myself. I didn’t know I could feel so vulnerable and alone when I am use to having people around me. But when that one situation just adds the final weight to the platter, you notice that you no longer can hold it anymore and it all comes crashing down. But the situation that you go through is not the problem even though your reaction is blown out of proportion. It feels like when you watch a person open a champagne bottle and the cork goes flying through the air. Everyone is excited about the champagne but no one wonders where the cork goes.

That’s how I feel. Like the cork that bottled everything in. Everyone loves the razzle dazzle of drama but forget that there is so much more that meets the eye. Not to make a sob story but when you are dealing with family issues, grades not being where they need to be, having a job because you have to take care of yourself, and now your health is not up to par, it weighs on you. You put on a smile to ease everyone’s comfort level cause lets face it, who wants to deal with someone’s problems?

It is a sad place when you get to that point. When you reach it, you see who is truly there. You see who is paying attention to your need of help. You ultimately see who really just cares for you. But when you face the fact that there isn’t much people and they are more like acquaintances, what do you do? And guys, no I am not talking about anything that would lead to self harm but more of you mentally just fading away to the background. We all get there, but I guess my question to you is, how do you pick yourself back up?

[ahendricks17-blog]

Breaking Point is a hard topic to speak on and I can completely relate. It’s hard getting to your breaking point then picking yourself back up on your own. I am not sure if everyone has 4 breaking points that they go through but everyone does have breaking points. It is hard to balance things when things get tough. I feel you need motivation from close friends or family members. Having health problems, trying to maintain good grades in school, while having a job, is truly hard. But once you’re down and out for the count, you have to find the inner grit inside. The only way to get through it is finding the courage to stand even though times get tough.

[floreswritingblog-blog]

Why do women feel the need to change their body? So many women get surgeries or change their body image today in society. When I was younger I was taught to be as natural as I could be. My mother did not allow me to wear makeup, paint my nails (other than a nude or light pink) or even dye my hair. Now today in society girls as young as 10 start to do all these things. Doesn’t that take their innocence from them? Aren’t parents suppose to keep their children’s innocence for as long as they could? But that’s not how it is today in society. Girls at very young ages are allowed to do so many things that they shouldn’t be doing at least until they’re in high school or adults. It scares me to think that one day I will have a child (possibly a girl) and she would see this and want to be like every other girl who wears make up or dyes her hair 19893373 million times. But even as adults we are acting the same. We are “modifying” our bodies to look the “picture perfect” way. But what is the “picture perfect” image? Who decides that? Well in my opinion, society which is influenced by media. Media is telling us how we should look. Isn’t that scary? That SOCIETY and MEDIA gets to decide what “pretty” or “skinny” looks like. Like who are they to get to decide that? This is what drives women to change their body images. They start getting boob jobs, liposuction, face lifts, or Botox. Anything possible, women try to get done to their body because they think they have to look a certain way. What women fail to realize is that after having these surgeries they are a lot of risk and they fail to see that because they’re so worried about how they look right then and there. Women should love their bodies no mater how they look. No surgery, make up, hair dye, well make a women “picture perfect.” We need to realize that society and media have a huge impact in our lives but we should not allow it to affect our body image or our idea of what being “pretty” is.

[ahendricks17-blog]

This is a great topic and an interesting question. I personally feel that women get surgery to change their body image to what’s “in”. In previous years societies perception of the perfect woman or ideal woman was a woman who is petite. In 2015 women want to have a flat stomach and more curves. I personally don’t agree with changing your body to fit in with society. I think that you should accept your body and embrace who you are. Once women begin to accept their body types and not what people say affect them then things would be better. No one should have to tell you what is acceptable and what isn’t. I feel you should be comfortable in your own skin and be the person you want to be!.

[floreswritingblog-blog]

Why do women feel the need to change their body? So many women get surgeries or change their body image today in society. When I was younger I was taught to be as natural as I could be. My mother did not allow me to wear makeup, paint my nails (other than a nude or light pink) or even dye my hair. Now today in society girls as young as 10 start to do all these things. Doesn’t that take their innocence from them? Aren’t parents suppose to keep their children’s innocence for as long as they could? But that’s not how it is today in society. Girls at very young ages are allowed to do so many things that they shouldn’t be doing at least until they’re in high school or adults. It scares me to think that one day I will have a child (possibly a girl) and she would see this and want to be like every other girl who wears make up or dyes her hair 19893373 million times. But even as adults we are acting the same. We are “modifying” our bodies to look the “picture perfect” way. But what is the “picture perfect” image? Who decides that? Well in my opinion, society which is influenced by media. Media is telling us how we should look. Isn’t that scary? That SOCIETY and MEDIA gets to decide what “pretty” or “skinny” looks like. Like who are they to get to decide that? This is what drives women to change their body images. They start getting boob jobs, liposuction, face lifts, or Botox. Anything possible, women try to get done to their body because they think they have to look a certain way. What women fail to realize is that after having these surgeries they are a lot of risk and they fail to see that because they’re so worried about how they look right then and there. Women should love their bodies no mater how they look. No surgery, make up, hair dye, well make a women “picture perfect.” We need to realize that society and media have a huge impact in our lives but we should not allow it to affect our body image or our idea of what being “pretty” is.

[ahendricks17-blog]

This is a great topic and an interesting question. I personally feel that women get surgery to change their body image to what’s “in”. In previous years societies perception of the perfect woman or ideal woman was a woman who is petite. In 2015 women want to have a flat stomach and more curves. I personally don’t agree with changing your body to fit in with society. I think that you should accept your body and embrace who you are. Once women begin to accept their body types and not what people say affect them then things would be better. No one should have to tell you what is acceptable and what isn’t. I feel you should be comfortable in your own skin and be the person you want to be!

[cleanmirror25-blog]

Pieces

Everyone has something that allows them to be great. When we were a younger, we were asked by our teachers “what do we want to be when we grow up?”. Honestly, I would never know how to answer the question. How could I answer a question if I knew little about myself? It was ridiculous. You could not ask me that question when I was younger. I just had no clue. As I got older, I started to understand that it is okay if I do not know what I am suppose to do. I have always followed this one philosophy: things will always work themselves out. It’s a very carefree idea. Most would stress and cry over being clouded about their next moves (not me). This was during a time when I had everything together. I had a beautiful girl, school work was better, found a extracurricular I love, and had amazing friends. Now, not so much. I still have amazing friends but that was the only thing that has remained constant. At this point, I have become a little more grown (not too grown though). I have lost apart of myself that I was very happy with. I literally watched myself fall into despair. I had no one to help me. I was just drowning. It was scary because I saw only the negatives. “Things will work themselves out”. “Things will work themselves out”. THINGS WILL WORK THEMSELVES OUT…. I adopted this ideology during a time when shit was not fixing itself. Then things slowly got better, but I could never go back to being the me that loved myself. I could only stay with the me that is contempt with myself. It made that question of what do you want to be when you grow up even harder! I could no longer say I wanted the same things that I thought I was destine to receive. I only wanted to go backwards. Think of a jigsaw puzzle. You know how the image looks because of the box but with all the pieces scrambled it is hard to connect them. Presently, I get glimpse of myself being who I once was and even better. No where near as happy but I promise you that my reign of greatness is coming soon. I believe in ME. I am done holding myself back. I think the time to push forward is now. You know, I fuck up a lot and never know why but I think I am scared…. Overall point, lets stop being scared and go for it. You might make the world smile at you. 

[ahendricks17-blog]

Things will work themselves out is a great quote to live by and I can relate to this blog called “Pieces”. You’re absolutely right about not knowing what you want to do or become when you grow up. As a child I was asked that question a lot and even now as a young adult I am still unsure, and I believe things will work out for the best. Optimism is a great quality to have but you also have to take action and make things happen while being optimistic. You can’t expect to be smart if you don’t read through out the day. I am glad you found yourself and you’re pushing forward.

[captainvic822]

Missing home

Every time Sunday comes around I miss home even more. I miss getting dressed up with my family to go to church. I miss my bed. I miss the naps that I use to take. The smell of my mother cooking or my grandma. The Spanish juices in my home. I miss my big flat screen tv in my bedroom. My video game chair. Even though in college I have a flat screen tv is not as big as the one in my room and way better and more clear. I miss the channels. In college you get a certain amount of channels and it kind of sucks. I also miss the cleaning with everyone in my family while we listening to music. I miss the cousins and nephews. The uncles and aunts. I miss my friends back home. I miss Times Square. I miss actual corner stores where they are not to far. Everything in buffalo is far away. I miss driving around the streets of Brooklyn. I miss my grand mother breakfasts. I miss the parks back home that are actually filled with people and kids. I miss the New York City air. I miss walking up and down my block. I miss my old job. I miss being able to sleep. I never get sleep in college. I always feel tired and exhausted from working so hard on school work. I miss being lazy and be able to go hangout in restaurants. I miss my friends being each other house and playing videos games. I miss playing football with my old team. Don’t get me wrong I love college life and I enjoy it a lot. But I think I have reached the point of being home sick. I don’t know I guess after a while people get bored of being in the same place and I believe that has happen to me. Buffalo is not a bad place but home is a place that could never be taken away or replaced. I love my city and it could never be taken away from home. One day I wanna travel the world but I will always return home because that is where it is at. I can’t wait to go back home because I miss it so much and I miss my family and everyone in it. See you later home.

[ahendricks17-blog]

Reading this made me realize how much I miss home myself. Being away at school made me appreciate my family, friends and my life back home. Food here at school is atrocious and I usually have to order out to be satisfied. At home my grandmothers cooking would put a smile on my face. But one thing I’ll say about this is I am glad I went away to school. It has helped me grow up and learn to be responsible. Being here helped me find myself, and I think if I stayed home I don’t think I would of changed.

[ahendricks17-blog]

Coming to the close of my first half of sophomore year, this has honestly been a stressful, but interesting year. It has been a roller coaster ride, but I have honestly seen a growth and change in myself overall. Last year was different because college was something new to me. My first semester of school was hard because everything was new to me. Being a first generation student, I didn’t fully know or understand what college was. My guidance counselor from high school didn’t prepare us and I had to learn and find out about things on my own. Coming to Buffalo State was shocking in every aspect. First it was a culture shock because of the different types of people that attend this school. First semester I felt as if I was completely on my own. In high school teachers were on top of us because it was their job to do so, but in college it was the complete opposite. Out of the 6 professors I had for my first semester only one professor reminded the class when assignments were due. Since I wasn’t use to checking blackboard or a syllabus to see when things were due, I fell behind on assignments and readings. My grades took the fall for it because it I wasn’t use to it. The change I’ve seen that have transcended to this first semester is maturing and becoming a bit more responsible. I have been on top of my assignments and readings because I have experienced failure from my freshman year. I also believe being a part of different clubs and or an organization is good for teaching life lessons,  and networking. Being a part of my organization Black Active Minds, it has given me the opportunity to meet people from other clubs, organizations, and has taught me discipline. I have certain responsibilities to follow, and I am obligated to tend to my responsibilities. This is a good quality that I have learned because once I graduate and have a job I know how to control a position I am given. I am currently doing better in all my classes this semester and I have a positive outlook on spring 2016. I would suggest for all of my classmates to be involved on campus and try to come out of your shell. It may be hard for everyone to do, but it will help you grow as a person and that’s what college is all about.

[ahendricks17-blog]

It’s hard to understand the true meaning behind why I am hated because of my skin color. This past weekend was Halloween and I’ve seen some costumes on social media and was truly baffled by some I’ve seen.  Supposedly there is Halloween costume called black face. Some people may not see anything wrong with it, but if people knew the history of black face they’d understand it’s wrong. It came around the time people of color couldn’t be stars or lead actors in theatre plays. So African American roles were played by white people dressed in blackface. I don’t understand why it is accepted or allowed, but the United States of America is a free country so we are free to do what we chose. Growing up in my neighborhood, I’ve seen a lot and have experienced enough to understand why people think the way they think. I’ve seen police brutality first hand, and I have also seen two black young males fighting because of a slight disagreement. Being black I feel we bring a lot of problems upon our self, but I truly don’t think we were here to succeed in this country. We were forcibly brought to America and other countries to be enslaved and build up a country. We never asked to be brought to these various countries, but we had no other choice.  We conform and obey because that is what we were taught to do. As the years went on and slavery was abolished there was still a big disagreement and hatred towards us blacks, and I simply can’t understand why. Granted we aren’t perfect, but no one is, and I believe everyone should be treated equally. It isn’t fair that I was denied a job because of the color of my skin. I don’t think the color of your skin defines who you are as a person. Your actions, your words, how you treat people defines who you are.  But being “black” is another setback that I have to get over so I can be who I am supposed to be. I take it, as another stumbling life has to offer. Nothing in life is supposed to be easy and I just have to embrace my “blackness” and try to be someone in life. I wish people could get along and put aside their differences so things would be easier. But what I envision is called utopia and won't ever happen..  

[awesomenbamoments]

Ecstatic KD & defiant Westbrook, Oct. 30, 2015

[ahendricks17-blog]

Epitome Of Greatness

[ahendricks17-blog]

College..

Why is college so damn stressful? Are thoughts that run through my mind daily.. Being here has taught me so much about myself but also have gave me numerous headaches. My first issue about school is why it costs so much & its return investment doesn’t equal. I will most likely be in debt for the rest of my life because of attending school, because of how the school system is set up. The school system is revolved around money and no one would work for free. So each student is charged x amount of money, has to take out loans, has to work to try and have this four years be beneficial in the end.

Being in college has taught me that people do not mature after high school and immediately become better people. My freshman year alone I have experienced drama, and problems that I thought wouldn’t make its way on to a college campus. Friendship is one big thing I think college students go through because when we first arrived everyone was cordial. Being away from your family and friends from home we looked to the people we lived with to be our friends. But as the semesters went by I’ve seen that isn’t the case. College taught me not to trust anyone even your so-called friends. When you’re in trouble and need something your friend should be there to help you but being here I felt like there were times I was by myself and had to figure out things on my own. I truly do appreciate times where I felt I was alone and had to figure things out on my own because it taught me to be strong-minded and persevere. It has also taught me that the real world isn’t going to be peaches and cream where everything is handed to you. If you truly want something you have to go and get it on your own. Your parents might not be there to help you once you reach a certain age. When you depend on others they can never be found, so I feel like being in college has its positives and negatives. You do accumulate debt, and a few extra grey hairs but it gives you time to find out who you truly are as a person. Without going through tough times you wouldn't be able to test your strength, and I believe college brings that out of you.

[ahendricks17-blog]

My Reflection

By reading through my classmates posts I realized each of their topics were personal and interesting.  Each topic was something that was bothering them personally and they wanted to research it further and educate others about it.  I do need to add a bit more to my project to make it complete, but my topic is something is something I feel strongly about. I think research papers or projects are supposed to bring awareness, so you can educate others about topics that you are interested in. Based on feedback I have received people are interested in my topic and agree with it. As college students we are all fearful of letting these 4 years go to waste.

[wordonrd]

What A Time To Be Alive

[gilbertszn-blog]

ohh man 

[itskendollas-blog]

is college worth it?

Is college worth it?

            For my project, the topic I chose to focus on was whether or not getting a college education is worth it? I’m very interested in this topic because in today’s society in order for you to get a good job you have to go to college and obtain a degree. Since college is so expensive, students that want to attend college have to put them self in debt in order for them to go to school. Some students who graduate from college can’t even obtain a job in their field of study, so imagine if you were one of those persons that took out thousands of dollars in loans so that you could attend college only having to not be able to get a job in your field.  What’s the sense of going to college if you are going to have to put yourself in debt and it’s not guaranteed that you’re going to get a job after graduating from college?

On my web map I plan on focusing on whether or not if college worth it? I plan on looking at the statistics of the amount of people that do attend college and have to take out loans to attend. I plan and also looking at the retention rate, to see if loans affect whether or not students drop out of school. I am also going to link the statistics of college graduate students that obtain a job in their field of study after graduating from school. I also want to link the amount of students that ended up in debt because they decided to take out a loan to attend college. I want to focus on these issues because I feel that these issues happen very often today in society. Many students are putting themselves in debt by taking out loans to attend college and sometimes end up being in a far worse situation than what they started in. If someone have to put themselves through all of this  just to attend college then is it really worth it?

I think the problems that I might face while doing this project is making sure that my topic is not a broad topic. I want to make sure that my topic has a specific focal point. Earlier when working on my proposal the biggest issue I had face was making sure that my topic wasn’t too broad. I was having problems because some of the issues I had were too broad.

����

[itskendollas-blog]

after reviewing some of my peers topics today, I see that most people chose a topic that they were very interested in and can also connect to. this is good because its going to help keep you interested in doing that specific project, even when you might get frustrated. Hopefully after completing the project, there is something that everyone can take away from their specific topic since they can connect to it.  after reviewing others post I think that I should show how much I really am interested in my topic. I should show the personal connection between me and my topic.

[ahendricks17-blog]

This was actually my first topic “Is college worth it?” But I had to narrow it down to a certain aspect of “is college worth it”.  You left it  kind of broad by saying is college worth it but your subtopics are a little different.  By talking about the retention rate, and trying to find statistics on the amount of loans a college student takes out & if it affects their decision to continue their education is really interesting.  I’m also trying to find the statistics or information on if people get jobs after college in their field of study. The purpose of college changed so much in my opinion and I feel strongly about this topic.

[itskendollas-blog]

is college worth it?

Is college worth it?

            For my project, the topic I chose to focus on was whether or not getting a college education is worth it? I’m very interested in this topic because in today’s society in order for you to get a good job you have to go to college and obtain a degree. Since college is so expensive, students that want to attend college have to put them self in debt in order for them to go to school. Some students who graduate from college can’t even obtain a job in their field of study, so imagine if you were one of those persons that took out thousands of dollars in loans so that you could attend college only having to not be able to get a job in your field.  What’s the sense of going to college if you are going to have to put yourself in debt and it’s not guaranteed that you’re going to get a job after graduating from college?

On my web map I plan on focusing on whether or not if college worth it? I plan on looking at the statistics of the amount of people that do attend college and have to take out loans to attend. I plan and also looking at the retention rate, to see if loans affect whether or not students drop out of school. I am also going to link the statistics of college graduate students that obtain a job in their field of study after graduating from school. I also want to link the amount of students that ended up in debt because they decided to take out a loan to attend college. I want to focus on these issues because I feel that these issues happen very often today in society. Many students are putting themselves in debt by taking out loans to attend college and sometimes end up being in a far worse situation than what they started in. If someone have to put themselves through all of this  just to attend college then is it really worth it?

I think the problems that I might face while doing this project is making sure that my topic is not a broad topic. I want to make sure that my topic has a specific focal point. Earlier when working on my proposal the biggest issue I had face was making sure that my topic wasn’t too broad. I was having problems because some of the issues I had were too broad.

����

[itskendollas-blog]

after reviewing some of my peers topics today, I see that most people chose a topic that they were very interested in and can also connect to. this is good because its going to help keep you interested in doing that specific project, even when you might get frustrated. Hopefully after completing the project, there is something that everyone can take away from their specific topic since they can connect to it.  after reviewing others post I think that I should show how much I really am interested in my topic. I should show the personal connection between me and my topic.

[ahendricks17-blog]

This was actually my first topic “Is college worth it?” But I had to narrow it down to a certain aspect of “is college worth it”.  You left it  kind of broad by saying is college worth it but your subtopics are a little different.  By talking about the retention rate, and trying to find statistics on the amount of loans a college student takes out & if it affects their decision to continue their education is really interesting.  I’m also trying to find the statistics or information on if people get jobs after college in their field of study. The purpose of college changed so much in my opinion and I feel strongly about this topic.

[ahendricks17-blog]

Since I’ve begun college last fall, I have been thinking about the purpose of college. Since I started high school all I’ve heard is that college is the only option for me, especially as a black male?  No one in my family ever entertained the idea of trade school, because maybe college isn’t for me.  Why is that going straight to college after high school is my only option. But society says this is the norm and as Americans, we conform and adapt. But I truly don’t believe the college system is set up for everyone to become something. My initial topic was why is college necessary, but it was too broad to speak about. My revised topic is Is A College education necessary for people to obtain good paying jobs in the 21st century? Thinking about where we are at this present time 2015 is a college education really necessary for a good job. Thinking about people who became successful without a college education or dropping out of college, is it really possible to become stable without a college education. In my webmap I think I may touch on both sides, which I believe it isn’t possible to obtain a good job; but college students graduate and don’t get a job. According to the Washington Post Article by Susan Svrluga “More than 4 out 5 students graduate without a job. How could colleges change that? That article spoke about how two students graduated with the same major from different schools, and after a year they were both unemployed and frustrated. Only 17 percent of graduates in May 2014 had jobs. It seems like as the years passed by the unemployment rates for college grads have increased. So as I began to do a bit more research I continued to question myself. Is college really worth it, because the statistics doesn’t seem to be getting any better despite our economy stabilizing. With thousands of students enrolling in college each year, it is impossible for everyone to get that one coveted job. A bachelor’s degree is now the equivalent to a high school diploma because a mere bachelors degree is the minimum credential to get a basic level job. The times have changed and it is difficult to obtain the 6-figure salary-paying job out of college. I believe networking and making a name for yourself while in college is as important as just getting a degree. Also setting for a bachelor’s degree isn’t going to get you the job you want, a masters degree is what everyone should aim for if they want to get a call back from their employer.

[graphitetotrees]

Project 1: DS:EoA

I am not going to give away the full title of my project! However, my topic of choice is depression. I choose to right about depression because there’s a stigma that surrounds victims of depression and I want to educate my peers on what depression really is and how it affects us all. When I first learned about depression I was one of many who said, “How can you be sad for so long that you can’t function”, “it’s just an excuse to not get over something, just move on.” Those where some of the statements used by myself and others who didn’t understand depression. As I got older I started to encounter people with ‘clinical’ depression, meaning they were actually diagnosed and given treatment for their depression. Through my encounter with such wonderful people who had no complete control over what was happening to them, I realized that I needed to understand depression. I needed to understand it so that I can explain it to myself and others every day; I needed to be part of the solution and not the problem. I am an aspiring Cardiologist and anything that affects the heart, mind and body is of great concern to me so it’s my duty to conduct such research and seek a solution/cure. Depression has yet to be officially labeled as something other than an ‘emotional disorder’ but the truth is depression is a neurological abnormality. It stems from the brain, the physical and measurable cause of depression has to do with a dysfunction in your neurotransmitters (NT). Our ‘normal’ neurotransmitters are deigned to pass on signals and substances that help us function but for someone with depression, your NT just doesn’t work correctly. The ‘feel good’ signal/substance in your brain is not being transmitted correctly and therefore you don’t feel good at all. Sometimes you may have thoughts of suicide even when watching your favorite movie. Interesting right, however, ‘the real research is finding out what is causing the ‘feel good’ signal/substance from being transmitted?’ This project has become very personal and I intend to continue my research and enlightenment on this matter after this project is completed. More information will be provided to you on the day of ‘presentations’thank you!

Depression is not a joke, it is not a phase that you can just get over, and if you are someone suffering form depression; please seek help.

[ahendricks17-blog]

 Depression is a topic that needs to spoken about to break the stigmatism and negative perceptions about it.  I’ve heard people say “Oh you’re just going through a bad breakup, or how can you be sad and starve your self”. But what people fail to realize is depression is real. Members of my family suffer from depression, and are in a bad mental state. Sometimes they are so sad they don’t want to eat, are constantly stressed, and feels as if they’re the only ones in the world. People who suffer from depression need to talk to someone about it, because suicide is a thought that runs through their mind because they feel like they are the only ones going through it. I would like to know what actually causes a person to go into a deep state of depression, and can emotional distress turn off the neurotransmitters in your brain?

[gilbertszn-blog]

BLog #5

For my first project, I have decided to discuss and find information of why there is a recession of African- American baseball players in the major leagues. As the years pass less and less of black baseball players appear to play in a professional team. They are many issues on why this is happening, but I’m also curious and interested to find out what’s being done to get this issue fixed. Baseball needs diversity in players and that includes having African- Americans in the game. I would like to hear any feedback my audience has about this issue on why it’s happening, and ways that could help this problem diminish. I plan to do some research on the statistics on African- Americans playing for Major League Baseball since the 1970’s. This way I can see it’s peak, it’s increase, and also its decrease. There was many legendary black players in the past and at this pace we won’t see many more in the near future. Players like Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Bob Gibson, Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and many more had all in some way, shape or form changed baseball forever and changed the dynamics of the game in a positive way. I wonder how this issue impacts communities and families of African- Americans and their view on baseball. I ask many people what they think about baseball and they mostly answer it’s boring, or I’m not interested, because they don’t have a role model that can lead by example and open doors for blacks in baseball again. Every kid always has its idols and person they look up to. For example in basketball the face of the sport now is LeBron James, almost everyone wants to be like LeBron or follow his footsteps. He leads by good example. That could be a reason why basketball is becoming a mostly black dominated sport. Back to baseball, there are sports figures like All Star Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, but this isn’t going to help the cause on the lack of black baseball players in the game. Me growing up in a spanish and black community playing baseball as a kid I mostly played against spanish kids and noticed there wasn’t many black kids to play against. Matter of fact I have played against more white kids when I used to travel than black kids. So could there be a lack of motivation in trying baseball at young age? Why not give the sport a try before deciding to not like it or participate in it? I will try to find the best information I can to answer questions me or others may have regarding this issue.      

[ahendricks17-blog]

This is a topic that isn’t talked about too much because the African American community now doesn’t put a big emphasis on baseball. I do agree and I believe this a very interesting topic to talk about. Finding out the statistics from 1970’s, on when African Americans first began to play the sport would prove your argument that there has been a decrease on the participation of African Americans playing this sport. From my own personal experience I played baseball when I was younger and I didn’t like it. I do think it is a sport everyone should try because you wouldn’t know if you didn’t like it if you didn’t try.