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[socialaction2019]

Give my home some love today if ya can. Another town, yet again affected by another mass shooting. One of my biggest frustrations with our country, is that despite the merciless killings of thousands of individuals, nothing yet has been done to prevent it. Another normal day in the great USA. Spent my day wonderingif our government will ever wake up. #naspensacola

[socialaction2019]

After reading Doezema’s “Forced to Choose”, I quickly realized that there is a clear distinction between forced and voluntary prostitution. Before reading this article, I was not very aware of the distinction because of ignorance. I now know that forced prostitution is sexual slavery that takes place as a result of coercion by a third party. This further put into perspective that women can always be forced into prostitution at any time especially in third-world countries. In the image that I chose to analyze, you see a woman being held by a man. However, by the lack of emotion behind the girl’s face, one can easily tell that she is not too happy. Meanwhile, the man seems as if he is enjoying being close to and hugging this young woman. The fact that many young girls lose their innocence and childhood because of forced prostitution is unfair. This specific topic is held dear to my heart because I want to work with sex trafficking victims upon graduation. It is very cruel and evil to throw young girls and women into this work when it is not what they desire. These practices further implicate how women are not respected in society and around the world.

AG

[socialaction2019]

Environmental racism as we have learned is “racial discrimination in environmental policy-making and the enforcement of regulations and laws, the deliberate targeting of people of color communities for toxic waste facilities, the official sanctioning of the life-threatening presence of poisons and pollutants in our communities, and the history of excluding people of color from leadership in the environmental movement” (Holmes). Colored people are more likely to be placed in communities near high numbers of pollution and toxic waste sites. This further places families of color into marginalized spaces. For example, during Hurricane Katrina, is that there were so many people of color, specifically Black people, this caused a delay in aid. Many people were dying of dehydration and violence but help was not sent into the city until around day 5 after the storm passed. Furthermore, there was a lot of fraudulent activities being pursued by government officials that placed Black people at a disadvantage. It was very unfortunate because the government ultimately failed the people of Louisiana and New Orleans. Environmental racism cripples a lot of people of color and these policies must be changed or reviewed. However, change can start by electing and voting for people who truly want to make changes. The concept of racism constantly shows itself in most establishments and institutions as well and this must also be fixed.

AG

[socialaction2019]

For my third essay, I decided to analyze Independent Women by Destiny’s Child. I believe that this song truly embodies what it means to “empower women.” As we have learned throughout the semester, women are usually shamed and embarrassed around the world. Most times, the embarrassment stems from the overall stereotypes and gender constructions that society has built. However, it is important that as feminists and activists, we deconstruct these concepts and stereotypes. Due to patriarchy, women have been shamed or looked as less than when they are mentioned as a breadwinner in a household. This, however, should not be a thing because both men and women can obtain wealth and power. Whenever women are financially stable and independent, this bothers a lot of people. Why? I truly believe it is due to the stereotypes but I think that power can be distributed amongst women and men evenly. It may seem like a foreign concept to some people, but this is what is needed in order to reduce many issues. For example, the more that women break this cycle of letting men be the financial decision-makers, the more typical standards will be broken. It is very essential that women continue to be independent because this makes conservative people uncomfortable. I think that all women are capable of being breadwinners, but there is still much work to be done within society.

AG

[socialaction2019]

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#bonfire

[socialaction2019]

My Native Land

We need to acknowledge whose land we have lived our whole lives on. I live in Brandon, Florida and where I called home is Tocobaga and Seminole land. I would expect it is the same for many others in the class. Rather you stay in Brandon or Tampa. I had heard od the Seminole Indians but never The Tocobaga Indians of Tampa Bay. They were a small group of Indians that lived in a small village at the northern end of Tampa Bay from 900 to 1500s. They had their villages but had a general public area that was used to hold a meeting. As an act from the Spanish around 1528 with bringing disease and violence. The Tocobaga became extinct.    

Angela Mitchell

[socialaction2019]

My short essay #3 when watching you see sexuality, gender roles and  culture importance.

Angela Mitchell  

[socialaction2019]

[socialaction2019]

Boggs essay posited a question on what a community will look like if it was not defined by capitalism? What would a community be like if it was free from materialism, individualism, and competition? How will it redefine an individual?

Individuals define themselves by their capital,poor, middle class, or rich all of the time. One’s capital can be a large part of one’s identity. It also is heavily associated with one’s character and effects how others treat an individual. These labels hold expectionations, stereotypes, and norms. They constrict individuals abilities to be themselves. 

Nathalie Marcelin 

[socialaction2019]

Boggs discusses the importance of education as social action and recognizes the flaws in the current education system. Younger generations are quite literally the future of our country and our world, yet are constantly ignored or looked down upon. Why do we expect so little and push them down, when they have the power to change the world? I love how Boggs discusses the importance of educating students using community building social action, such as planting gardens, painting murals, or rehabbing houses. Pushing students from a purely academic standpoint is ineffective and does not translate to life out of school. But we keep doing this, adding more tests and punishments for underperforming schools while ignoring the real issues with the system. The time for social action is now, in this “Great Turning”, and who better to facilitate it than the young generations. Giving them a chance, and helping them build community is just one step in helping correct the problems that have been present since the establishment of the first schools. Education must be accessible and useful and then the structure of our communities and the lives of students will improve.

-mf

[socialaction2019]

According to the Native Land map, the land I occupied while growing up in South Florida is Seminole land. Living in South Florida, this is very clear to see being so close to the Everglades. As a grade-schooler, we would take regular field trips to “swamp safaris” which featured air-boat rides,  swamp buggies, and “Native attractions” where we learned about the way of life of Native peoples featuring “authentic” family dwellings, hand-carved canoes, and beading. It was all fun and games until we grew up to learn of the truth of the horrors the U.S. government put Native people through.  

The influence of Native people and land did not stop there. The middle school I attended is called Tequesta Trace Middle. In certain areas of South Florida, the Tequesta and Seminole land overlap. Other overlapping lands include Calusa and Miccosukee.

Beyond South Florida, I have family living in Puerto Rico, formally known as Boriken in the native tongue. Boriken was occupied by Taino natives before the Spanish colonized and renamed the small island “Rich Port”. The Taino people were spread across much of the Caribbean. Now, only artifacts of tools and art remain as proof of their existence. The image above are examples of a few Taino symbols.

-SR

[socialaction2019]

Native Land

I was originally born in Jacksonville, Florida and I lived there for most of my life. At one point my family movies to Brunswick, Georgia, one hour away, but shortly returned back to Florida.

On the map, it shows that Jacksonville is originally the land of the Timucua people. Brunswick also had Timucua people, as well as Yamassee and Mvskoke people.

I think it is really great to have this resource that shows us really the truth of our land in a way. We know that we live on stolen land and because it’s so “long ago” we kind of ignore that fact and just live. However, using this resource again highlights this is Not “America’s” land, this is something that people once cherished and loved just for its natural features before all the infrastructure we see arrived. So really interesting for me to be exposed to this. It really helps open my eyes.

ACW

[socialaction2019]

Native Land 

I’ve lived in many places over my life span, so I’m gonna mention a few areas that have the same tribes. I was born in Concord, NH which was the Pennacook, Wabanaki Confederacy, and Abenaki/Abénaquis land. These tribes are the same for Manchester and Pembroke, NH where I also lived as a child. Alton, NH has the same ones minus Pennacook. Another place I’ve lived is in White Bluff, Tennessee which is the Tsalaguwetiyi (Cherokee, East) and Shawnee tribes. Where I spent most of my life as a teenager is where my mother lives in North Fort Myers which is the Seminole and Calusa tribes. This is true for Cape Coral and Lehigh where I have also lived. My current house by USF in Tampa is the Seminole and Tocobaga tribes. 

This was really cool to learn about and explore. Thank you for sharing the link!

-Tiffany B.

[socialaction2019]

I chose to base my essay off this poem. It is kind of an expansion of the grounding exercise we completed on Monday. The author beautifully recounts the sights, smells, sounds, tastes and touches that she’s come from. 

[socialaction2019]

Eco-Feminist Appropriations of Indigenous Feminisms and Environmental Violence

Eco-feminism is an activist and political movement that focuses on the connection between ecological and feminist issues. This article was certainly eye opening and the arguments that were discussed throughout it were new for me. Eco-feminism has become westernized and dominated by mostly white women. There has been great failure in giving credit to Indigenous women and their environmental knowledge. There were two quotes from the article that stood out to me, the first quote is “If eco-feminists truly want to engage with Indigenous feminism to legitimize their own movements, they must first engage with their own positionality and privilege as settlers: a positionality on which the continuation of settler-colonialism and the ongoing genocide of Indigenous peoples are prefaced.” This quote summarizes the point that the article is trying to make. The second quote is “ What Indigenous feminists want from eco-feminists is simple: Sit down, be quiet, and listen.” This quote is short, simple, and straight to the point, and it is how the author, Lindsay Nixon ends her article. There is a lot that Indigenous feminists need to say and their words need to be heard by all of us.

Sara K.

[socialaction2019]

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