Module 1:

Throughout my undergraduate courses many of my classes incorporated both diversity and culture in regards to teaching. None of them were as blunt and forward about the race problem in our country as Ta-Nehisi Coates' book. While reading Between the World and Me I could feel the sadness and fear that Coates has felt throughout his life in this country. As a white woman I know that I will never in my life understand what Coates and all African Americans face every day in America, but I'm so honored that Coates wrote this text to share with us all the impact of American culture on his life and all African Americans in general.

In regards to the very recent events in the news this week, reading this book really helped me to understand the #BlackLivesMatter movement even more. I have always supported this, but I didn't truly understand the problems that they face until reading this text. "And you known now, if you did not before, that the police departments of your country have been endowed with the authority to destroy your body. It does not matter if the destruction is the result of an unfortunate overreaction" (Coates, 2015, p.9). As I listen to President Obama speak right now about the Alton Sterling and Philando Castile shootings I can see that he knows that he hasn't done enough to protect the black American men that continue to be killed by the police. Coates emphasizes that his body and all African Americans will not be protected, but destroyed by the authorities and afterwards they will not be held accountable for their actions towards them.

The saddest quote I read that really stuck out to me was: "I did not tell you that it would be okay, because I have never believed it would be okay...this is your country, that this is your world, that this is your body; and you must find some way to live within the all of it" (Coates, 2015, p.12). No child, no adult, no human being should feel this way in this entire world. As Americans we should be working towards all freedoms for all of our people. No black child should have to adapt to the way things are and learn to live with it all.

Amy Stuart Wells's article "Research Fact Sheet: The Educational Benefits of Diverse Schools and Classrooms for All Students" discusses the research based importance of diverse classrooms in America. "The benefits of attending a racially diverse school are particularly strong for 'nonminority' White students because such experiences can address their implicit biases toward members of minority racial groups, biases that interfere with the educational process. Indeed, implicit biases can also disrupt cognitive functioning for members of both the majority and the minority, as students exert significant mental effort 'in order to combat the expression of stereotypes and negative attitudes that are often activated automatically and unintentionally'" (Wells, p.2). The benefits of diverse classrooms do not just affect the black students, but the white students as well. With diversity will come open-mindedness, more engaging conversations, increased problem solving skills, and even more great outcomes along the way!

Definition of Literacy:

Before finding the exact definition, I want to inform you of what I think of when being asked to define literacy. To me literacy involves reading, writing, speaking, and listening about challenging yet appropriately leveled texts. Every human every day uses literacy in their daily lives. Communication and information in any form has to be read, spoken, or heard. I believe that every child and adult that comes and lives in the United States and even the world for that matter deserves and needs to be taught to read and write to survive in the 21st century. When we as educators let students fall through the cracks we are failing them as individuals, our country, and world.

Definition of Culture:

When thinking about culture I think of every aspect of a person's life. I think of the food people eat, the clothes they wear, and even their hobbies. Even though many people want to define themselves by their race and ethnicity I think that that distinction separates us negatively and unnecessarily as human beings and Americans. America was built around the idea of freedom and finding a better way of life through the melting pot that America has become.

I found a wonderful article/blog written by Joyce Millet called "Understanding American Culture: From Melting Pot to Salad Bowl". She describes how the creation of American culture was viewed as a melting pot where all of our citizens move from being heterogeneous to homogenous. Today though she believes that our culture has become more of a salad bowl where we are living together, but keeping our individual characteristics. Our American culture is changing from assimilation to multiculturalism. I believe that this is for the best, but many Americans are struggling to move forward with this changes and are stuck in the past which is adding to the problems that Coates and Wells discussed in their texts.

References:

Coates, T. (2015). Between the World and Me. New York: Penguin-Random House.

Millet, Joyce. (n.d.). Understanding American Culture: From Melting Pot to Salad Bowl. Cultural Savvy. Retrieved from http://www.culturalsavvy.com/understanding_american_culture.htm

Pickering, Anna. (n.d.). What is Literacy?. My Personal Literacy Profile Anna Pickering S219859. Retrieved from http://annablueys219859.weebly.com/what-is-literacy.html

Risa2wmu (n.d.). Culture, Language, and Literacy. Glogster. Retrieved from http://www.glogster.com/risa2wmu/culture-language-and-literacy/g-6lson3ar6v49eflt6ami0a0

Wells, Amy Stuart. (2016 February 9). Research Fact Sheet: The Educational Benefits of Diverse Schools and Classrooms for All Students. AERA Knowledge Forum.

Winters, Mary-Frances. (2013 October 31). What is Diversity? – Part 6: It’s All About Culture. The Inclusion Solution. Retrieved from http://www.theinclusionsolution.me/what-is-diversity-part-6-its-all-about-culture/