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[mariamadiallo]

Mentor Plenary

Today was our last plenary for knowledge and power. I feel positive and empowered from all of our plenary speakers. I am so grateful for joining DRC and meeting very intelligent girls just like me. The mentors we received for the course were very inspiring and motivational. The skits today was very informational and made me think about my future. My mentor Cydney was involved with the racial problems skit. People these days stereotype against certain races and assume things based off the media. Just because you don't understand a certain race doesn't mean you have to critique it. I also very liked the sexual assault skit. People assume that when girls get sexually assaulted means it's generally her fault for dressing that certain way and talking that certain way. Sexual assault should never be the victims fault. Overall I'm thankful for all these mentors for speaking out on all these issues and I will deeply miss this course! ❤️

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Black lives matter

Today in class we talked about the black lives movement that is going on right now in the United States. This movement started in the summer of 2013 after the Trayvon Martin shooting. I totally 100% agree with this movement. These days African-American lives do not matter to our society and we need to fight for our lives. I have no reason why this movement is so much criticized. Yeah it does not have a particular structure for in terms formal appointment chairs, but for this movement being founded by women and African Americans is just remarkable. Racism only exists because we are all unequal. Majority of the people in power right now are white and this needs to change. If our voices are listened to that’s the only way we can get the change we need. The black lives matter movement is not trying to make blacks better than any other race but to make all races equal.

[mariamadiallo]

Syria Today

Today in class we discussed about Syrian female refugees facing harassment and isolation. Women refugees right now are struggling to provide for their families as the sole providers and it's sad that they have to often face humiliation, harassment and isolation. This civil war in Syria is tearing families apart which are mostly making the women and children flee the country. I feel as though the United States should allow Syrian refugees into our country especially the women and children. As Americans we should give helping hands to outsiders in need because who knows what will happen in the future and if we would need other countries opening up their gates for us.

[m1sosazai]

Plenary #3

Pam Fessler’s speech was pretty interesting to me, both as a feminist and someone willing to discuss poverty. I didn’t realize the number of women in high-ranking journalism positions was so low, nor had I known that 46% of Americans still languish in poverty. That’s practically half the population! I’m not particularly interested in Welcome to Night Vale, or particularly interested in listening to radio, but hearing her snippets of reporting during the plenary gave me a new perspective on this medium, although I probably will still prefer the internet to getting news over radio.

Hearing how other girls lived in other countries was really eye-opening, as a typical self-absorbed American, because I hadn’t thought to consider how foreign girls would be suffering in less-privileged places, since it had no impact on my life here. It gives me hope that although a lot of people rely on the internet, TV, or newspapers to report on events both minor and major, out there, there will be people listening and empathizing with others abroad.

[mariamadiallo]

Yes I totally agree with your opinion! Pam Fessler was a very amazing women and I'm very glad that she was able to come speak to us. Being on tv addressing issues on poverty, homelessness, and hunger is simply aspiring. It's nice to see that there are journalist out there who are very passionate about causes and informs the public on issues that we need to start noticing, not only in our country but in the world.

[mariamadiallo]

Dreamworlds 3

This week we watched a movie in class that looks at the way music videos are made and how they are perceived in our society today. After watching this movie I can never look at music videos the same way I used to. The way women are showcased and talked about is horrible. Before I used to always listen to rappers and singers talk about girls and I thought it was bad but still a nice tune, but after watching this movie I think it's a huge social issue that must be stopped. Whether it's a female artist or a male artist there is always something sexual in musical videos. Music videos with a female artist always shows them touching their body and talking about boys. Music videos with a male artist always shows them around girls and talking about girls. This has by far been my favorite video shown in class even though it was very graphic. It made me realize the world that we live in and how the media is corrupting our lives. Even in commercials if there is an appealing person in it, the brands will sell more. Americans what happened to morals? What type of media do you want our children to be raised around?

[drcknowledgeandpower]

Racial Equity Meeting

Last night Wednesday, November 18th, Douglass Residential College had a DRC wide meeting on racial tensions within the institute and outside of Rutgers University. I think DRC did a wonderful job on letting students discuss ways on having more racial equality and talking to administrators about it. This meeting was located in the Bunting-Cobb Main lounge and lasted about 2 hours. As a DRC women being in a close knit community, I am very happy that we got the chance to talk freely about issues concerning race. I found this event very beneficial in enhancing the DRC experience for all of us. It’s nice to know not just DRC but Rutgers University in a whole wants to ensure us students a safe space and comfort in voicing our opinions and concerns. Mariama

[mariamadiallo]

Plenary 4

“The more I know about myself, my tricks, my knowledge, the more I can get information to better myself”.

The speaker at the Knowledge and Power plenary today was completely inspirational. She emphasized the importance of self-knowledge. Self knowledge is the understanding of one’s own motives and character. For example, “what supports me? And how can I keep that?” This makes us understand how we use our own knowledge and how we should now view it.