Character

A person of character is disciplined and continuously self improving. This person earns immorality and respect of their peers and community. On account of practical wisdom, character is also acquiring education to the service of the community and not shying away from personal sacrifices when needed. The essence of education and religion play major roles in character. It is what we are taught and what we believe in. Some people even base their character off of what they believe their after life will be like. No one can sustain good character at every point in life. But that is not what it is about; the purpose of character is to know how one is made in connection to remaking one’s self. This shows obedience and judgment. Ancient Egyptians learned and practiced truth and justice by way of Iwa (existence), Suune (patience) and Orunmula (wisdom). These gods help them to maintain order and balance. There are many physical, spiritual and physiological benefits for character. Reward and punishment has always been a factor when determining one’s character. This simple quote persuaded me; “a man of character is a man of wealth. If you are not going to strive for good character for others, at least do it for yourself:)

Freedom

Dr. Pollard spoke to our Freshman Seminar class about topics that mainly revolved around religion. At one point, Dr. Pollard stated that religion is a huge part of Black culture. I find that to be true in some cases, but maybe not in others. I do realize that there are a large number of Black people who find religion to be important, but I do not know if I would call it vital to the culture. Dr. Pollard did also speak about how freedom had changed for Black people over time. As times and the needs of people changed, the necessity for freedom never left, but what freedom was being fought for did change. Every generation has its own definition of freedom. As a result of his references to the importance of freedom, Dr. Pollard played part of a song by the O’Jays that was about slavery. This song was significant since musicians do not make a habit of singing about slavery. Dr. Pollard also spoke about different influential figures. One person, for whom the lecture was named, was Howard Thurman, who had been the first dean of the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel. Howard Thurman told his daughters at one point that they were so important that the laws in the state that they lived kept the girls out of the playground the wanted to go to. Howard Thurman worked to have his daughters see themselves positively and offered them a form of mental freedom. Dr. Pollard also spoke about Jarena Lee, who was a woman who wanted to be a minister for God. This woman was able to show that she had a gift and that she was anointed by God and was able to receive the respect that she deserved as a minister. She made sure that she was free to believe in her own abilities and achieve her goals.
Shayna McCormack

Dr. Pollard

On Tuesday September 21st, Dr. Alton Pollard spoke abut religion. I am aware that he spoke of more than just religion but that is what stuck out most in my mind. He started his lecture with the words "Religion is my forte". Automatically I was a bit turned off because I am not a religious person at all. Then he stated his definition for religion, a phenomenon that describes the encounter between human beings with the sacred or divine. He described the sacred and divine as a presence or a spirit, not just God. Then I was able to connect and engage what he was saying. But he changed what he was talking about for a moment and talked about slavery and played a song by the O'Jays. The song was an eye opener because many musicians, and artist of all kinds, did not address the topic of slavery publicly. We also talked about Howard Thurman who was the first dean of Rankin Chapel. As I've stated in previous post, I love learning about the history of the buildings on campus so I later looked up more information on Howard Thurman. We also discussed a very influental woman, Jarena Lee, who was the first African American to write her autobiography in 1836. She challenged people to let her do what she felt she was destined to do and I think many women, and men alike, can relate to that. She wanted to be a preacher and felt that that was her calling through her mystic visions. She went on to become the first woman preacher and did her first sermon in 1820. The message I got from Dr. Pollard when he spoke of Mrs. Lee is, if you want to do something then do it no matter what the next person has to say about it.

Richelle Jenkins

Dr. Hayes Benjamin Presentation

Shareef
Many presenters that have came to the auditorium to speak to the student have given impressive presentations so far as the quality. Dr. Benjamin Hayes offered an impressive topic but a monotone speech that somehow bored me to dream at points within the speech. Her topic about perserving knowledge through writing was fantastic. I never knew of many scribes that she named, in that, I found this lecture to be very beneficial. She talked about the fifteenth century during the Medieval time period and medieval scribes. She mentioned many but not all of the building on campus that are named after very important people who have contributed paramount history to the university. People who are and are not familiar in name such as: Jesse Moorland, Author Spingarn, Alain Leroy Locke who Locke hall was named after as he serve as the office of deen and graduated from Harvard with a Major in English, Founder of HillTop Magazine and lived a life as a author, poet and writer, Zora Neal Hurston. Dr. Benjamin mentioned Lulu Vere Childers who was the first director of conservative Music, Fredrick Douglas, Ira Aldrige who was a Shakespeare actress and played as Othello and King Lear, Luis C. Crampton, name after the Crampton Auditorium, Harriet Tubman, who was the most courageous women that I know of, freeing over three Hundred salves and is/was called the Moses of her people. Phillis Wheatley, who was born in Gambia and kidnapped at age eight to be enslaved in America. At twelve Phillis was reading the Greek and Latin passages, and became the first African American Women to publish a book. Dr. Benjamin Mentioned Charles R Drew, GW Carver, Ernest Everest Just, and Baldwin.

Dr. Pollard's Presentation

Shareef Abdul Malik

Walking in with the African Attire, I already expected someone who appreciates the history of his ancestors, someone who knew and cherished the information of knowledge and stories that were passed down for centuries. My hypothesis was more than correct. On September 21, 2010 Dr. Pollard told a spiritual yet educational speech on our society as African Americans and the issues that are deep rooted with in us. He explained different techniques that he uses in order to keep his focus to maintain the legacy of our ancestor’s ei: He explained how he would keep a piece of cotton on his desk and how this would remind him of his ancestors who had to pick cotton during slavery. He mentioned that if a slave was enslaved in Carolina or Virginia and was sold down the river to Mississippi then that slave was headed for the worst enslavement. During this presentation there were a few great and influential pioneered leaders who existed during the times of enslavement, and their courage. Jarena Lee was the first African American to write an autobiography which was published in 1836. Dr. Pollard explained how Jarena Lee was suicidal but had a spiritual awakening and a social change. As a female activist she challenged male leadership, while raising two children as a widow. Dr. Pollard mentioned Sojourner Truth, Howard Thurman, and a few others who decided to stand against the violet oppression and left a significant mark across the world. At the end of Dr. Pollard's speech he quoted a quote saying "know thy self" and "If you know yourself then you will know your lord." This quote was first said by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) over Fourteen Hundred years ago.

Dr. Pollard's Lecture

Today, September 21, 2010, Dr. Pollard, the Dean of the School of Divinity, discussed religion and freedom. I agreed with a lot of what he was saying. Having a sense of religion can help you have a stronger sense of stability. I believe in God’s power to make anything work. I know that without him, nothing would have been possible for me. He has blessed me with a family that supports me and he has blessed me with the knowledge and wisdom I need to get me to my goals. I know that some people do not even believe in a higher power, but my question to those people is, how could you have gotten this far in life without being blessed by the man up above? It is hard for me to imagine life without having any kind of religion. My sense of faith allows me to feel free. My freedom is what gives me the drive to pursue my dreams in life.
I was impressed by Dr. Pollard’s true dedication to getting his message across to us. Dr. Pollard discussed Howard Thurman in his lecture today. He told the story of how Thurman had to deny his children the opportunity to go play on the playground with the other children. His little girls did not know the idea of racism. He stated a part of a quote that Thurman said to his two daughters one day. He said to them, “You are so important, that the laws of the state of Ohio have been written to keep you out of that playground.” This was very strong because it shows that even as young children, they could understand that this was not right, but they did not let it continue to get them down. They knew that freedom was something that they deserved. To me, freedom should have been shared equally from the start. Even though we have equal rights now, we still have a long ride to find the true sense of freedom.

The Evolution of Freedom

Dr. Pollard lectured today about the Practices of Freedom and Justice: Representative Thinkers. He told us about the people who personally impacted him and he took us back in time with a snippet of "Ships Ahoy" by the O'jays. However, the topic used to introduce us into the rest of the lecture is the topic that stuck with me the most. Dr. Pollard imparted on us the evolution of freedom.
First, freedom meant the to be physically free of bonds; the eradication of slavery. Then, freedom meant access to education, employment and mobility. Mobility includes the option to change schools, jobs, and location of residence. It is here that you see a migration of Southern slave progeny to the North. Later, freedom meant equal opportunity. True, during this time African-Americans had access to education and some employment, but the institutions were separate and inherently unequal. So, with this stage in freedom came equal opportunities with integration. This last stage in freedom has come to mean social, political, and economic justice.
There are a couple of people Dr. Pollard mentioned that helped and are continuing to help with the latest meaning of freedom. I learned about Howard Thurman, the first president of Rankin Chapel and he founded the Church for the Fellowship of All People. He told us about Jarena Lee. She felt the call to preach at the age of 28 and fulfilled her call despite initial obstacles.

Alexandria Igwe

I have always wondered how some of the buildings got their names. To know the beginning of the building is to know the legacy of your major. My interest in my major influenced me to continue my research on certain buildings. The legends that the buildings are named after have contributed much time, finance, and education to our university. Some of the fields that we have did not exist during the opening of Howard University. My major, particularly, did not become a part of Howard until a year before I was born. But because Earnest Everett, Anne Cooke, Lulu Childers and Ira Aldridge, I can now produce my desire into a study. Not all of these individuals attended Howard; however, they contributed a tremendous outreach. I believe that their activity with in different universities and various places outside of their place of study is a result of the same encouragement teachers here give the students today, to take part of things with in our major but outside of our school. The fact that none of these historians were dancers but laid the spiritual foundation for the floors I now dance on shows that the examples we are given by these founders can be the same strategy we could possibly use to generate various fields of study, in order to develop solutions in human challenges.-birgundi baker

Howard's Scribes

Dr. Benjamin’s lecture was very interesting. I learned so much about many of the namesakes for Howard University’s buildings. Howard University has had many scribes that have given our campus and its buildings a strong sense of meaning. Everything that they stood for, personally, encourages me to be just as driven and successful as they were in their time. I live in the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle. It contains halls that were named after very important people in our history. It contains Truth Hall, Frazier Hall, Crandall Hall, Baldwin Hall, and Wheatley Hall. The Quadrangle’s namesake, Harriet Tubman, was able to help hundreds of people to escape out of slavery. She put herself in harm’s way to continue to make trips to help many slaves escape to the north. I currently reside in Truth Hall. Sojourner Truth was an abolitionist, minister, and an activist for women’s rights. Crandall was the creator of a school in Connecticut that was for the benefit of African Americans to have an education. I was very interested in the fact that Zora Neale Hurston, the creator of The Hilltop, was also the author of a very famous book, Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Howard University has a history full of scribes. If I did not attend this university, I probably would not have known of General Oliver Otis Howard, Mary McLeod Bethune, Alain Locke, Zora N. Hurston, or Mordecai Wyatt Johnson. I am proud to say that I am learning not only through my books, but I am learning by being inspired to conduct my own research on the illustrious scribes of my Howard University campus.

The Howard Scribes

Dr. Benjamin had one of the most intriguing topics to me thus far. Learning about history has never been something I was interested in but learning about the history of Howard has become a new found passion of mine. I never really paid attention to which buildings I was in or the history behind the building. A point that Dr. Benjamin made clear was that we should not walk inside a building here and not know the history behind it. I agree. She clearly caught the attention of my fellow classmates as well because we all wanted her to continue her lecture even though class was over. Something important that I took from her lecture was that everyone she named was considered a scribe. I had a preconceived notion that scribes were people who write. I see I was wrong and scribes can be anyone in history who paved the way for the generations to follow by whatever they did. I knew this history of Tubman Quad but not of some of the halls inside, the most surprising was Crandall. I am interested in visiting the museum in Canterbury, Conneticut. I never knew about Ira Aldridge and that information about him encouraged me to look up more information about him and his life. What Dr. Benjamin expressed about the importance of these scribes has become a goal for me. I want to one day be seen as a scribe for something I've done. I'm not asking for people to name a building after me, I just want to be remembered forever.


Richelle Jenkins

Everyone should be a scribe

In class, we learned about the importance of the scribes. I found this presentation to be interesting, although I felt as if more could have been put into the presentation. Dr. Benjamin did not seem to be as passionate about her presentation as the other speakers that we’ve had have seemed about their presentations. She stayed behind the podium and spoke into the microphone, instead of doing what the other two speakers did. Dr. Carr and Dr. Dunston stood up and spoke loudly and showed a larger amount of passion in what they were speaking about. Dr. Benjamin’s presentation was still interesting, though. She was able to tell us about the scribes of ancient times and how they recorded everything that was necessary to be recorded. Then she explained how that related to current professions, like accountants. Dr. Benjamin enlightened us all to the fact that a scribe does not need to be someone who spent their time only writing down facts and information for the government. Scribes could be anyone that made a difference in some way, shape, or form. She explained how the important people who established Howard University were all powerful scribes. She also told us about the scribes that the different learning buildings and residence halls were named after. She included the residence hall that I stay in, the Bethune Annex. She spoke about Mary McLeod Bethune and the school that she created in Daytona Beach, Florida. Dr. Benjamin worked to inspire us to be scribes like the people that this school and the buildings in it were name after. Her presentation made me realize that I, too could become a scribe.
Shayna McCormack

Everyone should be a scribe

In class, we learned about the importance of the scribes. I found this presentation to be interesting, although I felt as if more could have been put into the presentation. Dr. Benjamin did not seem to be as passionate about her presentation as the other speakers that we’ve had have seemed about their presentations. She stayed behind the podium and spoke into the microphone, instead of doing what the other two speakers did. Dr. Carr and Dr. Dunston stood up and spoke loudly and showed a larger amount of passion in what they were speaking about. Dr. Benjamin’s presentation was still interesting, though. She was able to tell us about the scribes of ancient times and how they recorded everything that was necessary to be recorded. Then she explained how that related to current professions, like accountants. Dr. Benjamin enlightened us all to the fact that a scribe does not need to be someone who spent their time only writing down facts and information for the government. Scribes could be anyone that made a difference in some way, shape, or form. She explained how the important people who established Howard University were all powerful scribes. She also told us about the scribes that the different learning buildings and residence halls were named after. She included the residence hall that I stay in, the Bethune Annex. She spoke about Mary McLeod Bethune and the school that she created in Daytona Beach, Florida. Dr. Benjamin worked to inspire us to be scribes like the people that this school and the buildings in it were name after. Her presentation made me realize that I, too could become a scribe.

Shayna McCormack

The Eloquence of the Scribes

That was the idea of today's documentary. The lovely Dr. Benjamin offered us facts and stories of Howard University, its schools and various namesakes without boring us. I can't speak for everyone of course, but it did not bore me. I thought it would. Her set up had all the makings of a boring presentation. I say this because when most professors choose to spend the entire class behind a podium, you know it's time to slouch a little lower in your seat and take a peek at the back of your eyelids. However, I did neither one of those things today. I was alert and attentive, but my hands could not keep up with the information I was receiving.
The name of your school and the person it was named for should be one of the first things listed in any brochure and common knowledge amongst all students. Sadly, I really had no inkling of an idea of why my beloved Howard University was named as such. Dr. Benjamin introduced me to General Oliver Otis Howard. I love the name. The fact that he was a founder of the university and that he advocated for the welfare and education of former slaves makes Howard University sound that much sweeter when said out loud.
I was a Quad Girl my freshman year. I am proud to say, I did know who Harriet Tubman was and what she did with the underground railroad; however, I was not aware of the accomplishments of Phillis Wheatley-the person for which my hall was named.
I am a writer. If not through schooling, then at least at heart. I was so touched to learn the Ms. Wheatley pioneered African-American Literature. The fact that she was thirteen when she published her first book astounds me. I love her thirst for knowledge and learning. I have that same desire, but something in me prevents me from fully embracing it.

Alexandria Igwe

Dr. Dunston

I have a lot of respect for Dr. Dunston and the research she has conducted. However, I felt as though her presentation was extremely repetitive. I became confused in certain aspects of her lecture. She began to lose my attention as her presentation continued. I was not too sure about what it as that I should have been trying to get out of what she was saying. I think she should have planned out her approach for delivering her message a little better than she initially did on Tuesday, September seventh. I think that if she chose another approach, I would have gained more information out of what she was trying to deliver to me. Nonetheless, I knew that her key point was that wisdom and knowledge were key factors in life. If you do not have those qualities, then you are not going to get far in life. Since my generation is the generation full of knowledge, we are expected to continue to help our universe prosper. I know that if I, along with my peers, gain more wisdom, we will be able to accomplish the many things expected of us in the future. Our combination of knowledge and wisdom will allow us to achieve anything we are ever destined to accomplish.

The Information of the Universe

Dr. Dunston's lecture was supposed to be inspirational, I suppose. I feel like Dr. Carr is a tough act to follow, but somebody had to I suppose again. I suppose she had the lecture so eloquently worded in her head and that somewhere between there and my head, the intention was lost. She talked in circles for quite a bit. Reiterating the same message and idea, she spoke and spoke. Sometimes the same ideas weren't even worded differently so it seemed as if she was a broken record. However, I appreciate her. I appreciate the research she is doing and the fact that she even took the time to lecture to us. Too many professors or researchers don't feel the need to pass their knowledge to the younger generation. They feel as if we should rediscover every discovery on our own. Really, we should have knowledge of current and past discoveries so that we can challenge them and move forward. I appreciate Dr. Dunston for sharing her knowledge and her view on life. I do agree when she says the knowledge is out there. It is in the universe and we have to tap into it. Her message might have been a bit too "weirdo freak mumbo jumbo"; but lucky for the both of us, that is exactly how most would describe me. I took a lot from Dr. Dunston's lecture. I don't know if it was below the amount she wanted to give, but at least I received something.

Alexandria Igwe

First Day of Freshman Seminar

As a sophomore sitting in a sea of freshman, I didn't have the feeling of superiority that some of my classmates sometimes feel. I didn't feel like I had an advantage as a sophomore in freshman seminar. I, for some reason had the total opposite feeling. No, I didn't feel inferior, but I did feel at a disadvantage. I knew what Freshman Seminar was last year. I heard the stories my friends told of the trips to the Smithsonian, library card acquisition, and the final individual research paper. All of these activities were done in a class room of about 30 students. Here I was, sitting in the same room where I had Biology 101 and Biology 102 the year before, with 249 other students. I didn't know what to expect from this new set-up and I don't like being unprepared.
When we finally got the specifics of the class, I wasn't immediately excited. Somehow, it seemed like I would be doing more work than my classmates did last year.
ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE...
Over the summer, I asked God to make me stronger. I asked him to give me the spirit of initiative and persistence that I felt I was lacking. I asked. I received multiple obligations in the form of work and organizations to build my initiative. I asked. I received classes where my usual lackadaisical method of studying will not suffice to build persistence.

Alexandria Igwe

pursuing wisdom>>

Pursuing wisdom was a major goal of the african roots. Abandonment only raised the level of responsibility that every one has to continue pursuing wisdom. Once again wisdom starts by listening (sedjem). Learning history allows us to know ourselves and move through the world as an indivisual without justifying humanity. Living by what you understand and believe with the influence of your history. After this you can proceed to go after what you desire (sankofa).
One thing our african and egyptian ancestors did constantly was write. This allows us to improvise and be present in even what has already passed. I think in order to be taken seriously and be available for all opprotunity that we might receive, now is a vital time to keep up with what our ancestors provided for us. To me pursuing wisdom is not limited to what we learn in the classrooms but also what we take from the lessons that the world teaches us. How we advance our selves, find our own answers to problems and even other's answers. With dedication that comes with pursuing wisdom, one can go so far; as we have seen in the history of our ancestors. It is important to either prevent or repeat history and be a part of legacies.

We all understand that in order to know where we are going we must understand where we come from. We must be knowledgable of our ansestors because they are a part of us. But before Dr. Dunston's lecture, never did i realize how important the Human Genome was to knowing who we really are. The human geno is the complete set of instruction that determaines the human body. DNA was always taught to me along the lines of eye color, body shape, height and things of that nature but the human geno unfolds character and universe as we are learning it. But as we analyis these innovations we must key into three things; quality/value, quantity and speed. These factors will help us find how much truth is in what explore, understand the data that is driven by our knowledge while characterizing our wisdom and keep up with how fast information is communicated. This will pull out the details of each sequence.
"In order to enjoy total life we must be aware of our sequence in which we were made".

The Human Genome

Dr. Dunton’s lecture on September 7 was able to open my eyes to many different aspects of the human race in the view of science. Her lecture was also able to show me how science could be able to influence how I could view myself in the realm of the entire world or universe. Dr. Dunston mentioned the arguments from years ago about whether or not the Earth was the center of the solar system, which led to the confirmation of the Sun being the center of our solar system. Dr. Dunston then proceeded to tell us that there were multiple galaxies and universes and that our Sun was just a small part of those many different systems. I found that to be interesting and wondered whether or not that meant that we were small in the place that we were or if it meant that we might be a small part of a giant system but we should all still make our difference in where we can. Dr. Dunston also enlightened us on the Human Genome and told us about how much was included in the genome. The different aspects that we use to define ourselves, such as race, hair, etc., were only a small part of what was inside of the genome. I found it interesting that she was basically saying that there was so much more to us that what we had been using to define ourselves. The Human Genome Project was, in a way, a method to learn our true potential and to give us the knowledge that we were worth more than we had assumed ourselves to be worth.

Shayna McCormack

Dr. Dunston

On September 7th freshman seminar was very interesting to me. I gained a lot of knowledge but most importantly Dr. Dunston made me think. During her presentation she talked a lot about the Earth, genomes, and science. I felt connected to what she was saying almost immediately because I understood what she was saying and it was much deeper than science. Her scientific explanations were only metaphors for her true statements. The TRUE statements being made were about the generation that I am apart of. I found this to be true initially because of her statement "This is your time". After she repeated that a few times I realized that she was trying to tap into our intellectual thoughts. Dr. Dunston talked about how Earth was said to be flat and then proved to be round and how scientist still try to argue their side about something that has been proved. Earth as she used it was a metaphor for situations that go in our lives and how people will always have their opinions about things that we know to be true. When she discussed the element of life, i took that as a metaphor for us to understand who we were, who we are and what we can become. Her speech was empowering because it made me believe that I have more purpose than I imagined. I know that my generation is an important one because of the things that we have witnessed in our lives thus far. All that we are learning we have to take it in and embrace it because it is our time to be that force in the world to change things positively.
Richelle Jenkins

Dr. Carr Presentation

Hello, My name is Shareef and I am a Freshman at Howard University, majoring in International Business with a minor in Arabic. I am a part of the Johnson group. On August 31, 2010 Dr. Carr gave an exciting presentation that uplifted the spirits and reassured the student’s motivation to research their history. Dr. Carr covered different vocabulary words of the ancient Egyptian language that used symbols to explain an idea or thought, i.e. Sedjem which means to Listen, Ma'at stating "truth", Medew Nefer "good speech", Seba or Sebayt "teach" or "teachings, and Sedi "educate." By the end of His speech he left the students with a very empowering statement that I feel should not be forgotten, "1.) Be present, on time and attentive, 2.) Read and write 3.) Do what you do so well that those who will come behind you will speak your name. I can remember Dr. Carr speaking Sankofa, which is a word that seemed to stand out to me. It is an Akan term that literally means, "To go back and get it." I believe, without ever seeing the picture, that it is a mythical bird flying forward with its head turned backward. The egg in its mouth represents the "gems" or knowledge of the past upon which wisdom is based; it also signifies the generation to come that would benefit from that wisdom. To break down this phrase, Dr.Carr said that "San" mean to return and "Fa" means to look back.As he describes it, the bird is looking back while holding its egg I believe. This egg symbolizes the "gems" or knowledge of the past upon which wisdom is based; it also signifies the generation to come that would benefit from that wisdom.

Sedjem

On August 31, Dr. Carr spoke to our class about "Learning, Wisdom and the African World Experience." Dr. Carr was able to show us different facts about the history of black people and about our ancestors' importance in the systems that all people use today. He was able to show us the necessity of understanding and harnessing African Deep Thought and of understanding the fact that our history began before slavery and we contributed to such advances as writing and that even the first university was in Africa. This relates to when Dr. Carr spoke about Frazier’s “Failure of the Negro Intellectual.” There are educated Black people, but they seem to always be following the same pattern and fighting for the same goal each time. We need to move in a direction that helps for us to pioneer into new ways of thinking and posing ideas that have not been thought of by any person of any race. Continuing in the same patterns does not cause progress, and it would already take much work to build progress on what the Black race has already accomplished. Dr. Carr told us when discussing that we should not start Black history at slavery that “If we start teaching with slavery, then everything then on seems like progress.” Dr. Carr was able to open my eyes to a way to make progress on what this race had accomplished thousands of years ago, instead of what has happened in the past couple of hundred years. Dr. Carr’s lecture was an experience that I would have been more than happy to repeat, since I had never been taught by anyone with such a passion for what they were saying themselves. Telling us the actual history of Black people, even if he was not able to cover all of the minute details of the entire history, was something that most people our age are not able to experience and has never been taught in such an engaging manner. Dr. Carr’s lecture was able to teach me more about myself and the race that I am a part of.

Sedi = Educate

Freshman seminar on August 31, 2010 was a memorable class. As Dr. Carr lectured about "Learning, Wisdom, and the African World Experience: An Mbongi" I found myself more drawn to history than ever before. First and foremost I realized how little I know about the history of Africa, Africans, and African Americans. In high school, history books and classes only spend about a day covering contributions made by Africans and African Americans. Listening to that lecture, I learned far more than I ever have. Concepts that immediately stuck out in my mind were about Djheuty, Seshat, Dignesh and the Intellectual Genealogy. Djheuty, from my interpretation, was the first scribe. Seshat was the woman in the leopard dress who is credited with inventing writing. 15,000 years ago Homo-Sapiens showed up due to the mother of humanity, Dignesh. Now, I have never been one to be big on history but now I am considering taking more history classes because of what I've been introduced too. Dr. Carr was extremely passionate about his lecture enabling me to be intrigued and passionate about it as well. I am now interested in studying abroad to a place like Egypt contrary to somewhere like Paris or Rome. I've even been inspired to openly want to take Afro-American studies, not just because I have to but now because I want to. Hopefully I am able to take it with Dr. Carr so that I can experience the feeling I felt on August 31st again. If I am unable to take a class with him, I would love to just sit in on another lecture of his.

Dr. Carr's Medew Nefer

Dr. Carr's lecture was phenomonal on August 31. He was able to teach me things that I probably wouldn't have ever learned outside of this university. He helped me to pose the question, why do schools only teach students that the "white man" was the creator of a majority of everything we do? They don't want us to know that we were kings and queens. They don't want us to know that us to know that we were the first scribes, and that we were in fact the people that taught them! I learned a few new terms that are key to success and education. For instance, the African term Iwa-I'aiya means moral and righteousness. I think this is a vital term because if you don't have strong morals, you're not going to have the will power to excel and succeed in whatever it is you want to do. Other terms, such as, Sedjem meaning "listen", Ma'at meaning "truth", and Sankofa meaning "go [and] get it" are also great words in terms of advice. Being honest with yourself and others, listening to others and everything going on around you, as well as going out to get what you aim for is great for any driven person.
I'll be the first person to admit that I have no interest in history, but Dr. Carr changed my entire outlook on my views. He delivered his lecture with such conviction that intrigued me to want to learn more. I feel as though we need more people in the world who are as dedicated about teaching us about our African history as they are about teaching US and European history. I am strongly considering taking one of Dr. Carr's classes after this lively experience.