EVENTS AND REFLECTIONS
Here you'll find all of my written reflections for Global Studies events both in and out of class.
NYC: Doctors Without Borders and "Suffs"
On April 17, 2024, both the global studies and creative arts (CAP) groups went down to new york city for the day. Global studies was able to get a tour of the doctors without borders headquarters there, while CAP got to see an art museum. After this both groups watched the broadway show “suffs” which is a musical about the fight for the women's right to vote.
When we got off the elevator and into the DWB office I was amazed. There were these glass rooms with meetings gouging on inside, but they were sound proof, so you couldn't hear what was being said. This visual contributed to a feeling of productivity, without the distractions that would come with hearing muffled voices all around, which I thought was really cool. We then got a tour of the rest of the office, and though it did have the typical rows of desks, each one was heavily decorated with little trinkets and personal pieces which really helped it to not feel boring. We were then taken into one of these glass walled rooms, where we did an info session and Q&A. During this I learned a lot about the inner workings of the organization, which opened my eyes as to just how complicated it is to run a global effort like this. One interesting thing I learned was their criteria for accepting donations: they don't accept donations from any corporation or entity that holds values that contradict their mission, or that profit significantly from tobacco, alcohol, arms, or pharmaceuticals. We also learned about being an agent in the field, versus someone that works in a place like the new york office. I asked our tour guide if she would like to work in a conflict zone later down the road, and she said she would like to, although she's not sure she's the right kind of person for the job, as it's very intense, both physically and emotionally. I admired this as it was clear she was dedicated to the cause, but was self aware in knowing her skills are better suited for her current job.
After we left doctors without borders we split up into smaller groups and walked to the theater, and grabbed lunch on the way. We wanted to get tacos but the line was way too long so we went to a sandwich place instead, which was still really good. We got to the theater, and there was a huge line, but it was amazing to see how new yorkers, with no instruction, had made a triple-looped line going up and down the sidewalk so that it could fit. Luckily the line moved pretty fast, and we got inside relatively quickly. One thing I noticed during the show was just how cool the set was. Every piece of it was automated, and they had entire walls replaced in between scenes, as well as this portion of the floor which could sink down lower to be replaced, or rise up six or so feet. There was also fire, which was cool. I'm not really a big musical person, but I could of course appreciate aspects of this show. The topic of women's rights is incredibly important, and that includes being informed about the history of women's suffrage and the violence and torture that the US government instilled upon them. Something really cool is that my great grandmother, Maude Morris Hincks, was a very prominent suffrage leader in connecticut. She was the head of the Connecticut women's suffrage association for two years, and was also the first woman in Connecticut to get her drivers license. After the show we got dinner in Greenwich Village, and did a scavenger hunt there where we were tasked with finding evidence of globalization; things like the abrahamic religions, different languages, and so on. To finish off the trip both CAP and Global Studies went to a bakery that Miss Donovan really likes, which was nice.
Learn more about Maude Hincks here.
Real Art Ways-Oscar Nominated Short Documentaries
In February the global studies group went to see the Oscar nominated documentaries at Real Art Ways in hartford. We got to see four of them: Island in Between, Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó, The ABCs of Book Banning, and The Barber of Little Rock. Each of them were incredibly unique and all 100% deserving of their own respective oscar nominations.
My two personal favorites were Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó, and The Barber of Little Rock. These two were very different, but very good in their own way. Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó, (translating from Mandarin to: "paternal grandmother" and "maternal grandmother,") cinematically follows the daily life of two elderly Chinese-American women, (both director Sean Wang’s Grandmothers,) living together in California. Unlike many elderly widows, these two fill their day with fun, such as dancing, arm wrestling, and shadow boxing each other. Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó are old, yes, but their everyday affairs ask the question “why should life slow down as we approach death? Why should we ever stop living life to the fullest?”
The Barber of Little Rock works a little bit differently. It isn't trying to be ultra cinematic, but focuses on telling a story, explaining a situation, and raising awareness. Arlo Washington opened his first barber shop at age 20, but it wasn't easy. Washington had to defy the odds, and work against a discriminatory banking system, and the racial wealth gap. Despite this, Washington became successful, and later opened Washington Barber College in his hometown of Little rock, in 2008. That same year, Washington established People Trust, a non profit loan fund, which is “one of 1,500 community-development financial institutions (C.D.F.I.s) created to address racial and other historical inequalities in banking”. This fund has helped Arkansas based entrepreneurs and small business owners to get off the ground and kick start their business, as well as help ordinary people pay their rent, all without unfair banking practices.
Both of these films show how there isn't one way to make a good documentary, or tell a good story, and also connect to Global Studies themes like the arts, and human rights.
You can find Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó on Netflix and Disney+, or watch the trailer by clicking here. The Barber of Little Rock is on Netflix as well, or on YouTube here.
The Unsung History of Black Reggaetón
As someone who listens to a lot of Reggaetón myself, this was an obvious choice for a workshop to attend for MLK day. I went into the workshop assuming that I’d know a lot about the subject, however I couldn't have been more wrong. The Reggaetón that I listen to is primarily newer stuff (last 5-8 years at most) from Colombia and Puerto Rico, and is by mostly latino/a artists, with a few exceptions. The very first part of the workshop I was familiar with; Ms. Rojano broke down what Reggaetón is, with its recognizable dembow beat and spanish lyrics. It was after this point that I was learning almost exclusively new information. After her breakdown of what Reggaetón was, Ms. Rojano continued with the history of the genre, from the very beginning. She explained how it unsurprisingly draws its origins from Jamaican reggae, but then how Jamaican workers were moved over to Panama to construct the Panama canal. This Jamaican reggae then fused into Panamanian language and culture for the majority of the rest of the century, until roughly 1990, when Shabba Ranks “Dembow” first directly incorporated the classic Reggaetón snare and kick rhythm that we all know today. This quickly took off, with other Panamanian artists like El General combining this newly established beat with Spanish lyrics, calling it “Reggae en Español”. Over the coming years this sound traveled up to New York, specifically The Bronx, where hip hop was also first being established. From here, Reggaetón traveled back down to the Caribbean to Puerto Rico, where it flourished. Ms Rojano also brought up the fact that after its creation by black Jamaicans and Panamanians, Reggaetón’s identity has been transferred to lay with Latin/Hispanic culture, rather than where it started. On top of this artists like Justin Beiber and Ed Sheeran have integrated the Dembow beat into some of their English songs, such as “Sorry”, and “Shape of You”, which some advocates criticize for white washing the genre, and not properly respecting the culture from where it came.
Bethel Woods
I liked a good amount of the Bethel Woods trip, although I thought it was a little boring at times, but for the most part I thought it did a good job at encapsulating the Woodstock experience and archiving it well. The first thing that I liked was the video that they showed in the tall room with the beanbags. I thought it did a good job at capturing the event, with its tall screen that forced you to look up, the stage lights, and the dreamy, unorthodox nature of the video production itself. The exhibit that I thought was the coolest was the letters and signs that they had found after the festival. These being first hand writings from people during the festival was really cool, and I could just sense the history of them; it reminded me of being at ancient ruins and thinking about how people had made and used them thousands of years ago, just this time it was a little more recent. Right after seeing these we all went to the main theater room to see another video. This one went more in depth with more of the acts, when they were, and how they were received by the crowd, which was cool to learn. Near the end, we all went out to the hill where the festival was held, which was very calming and gave me that same feeling of historical significance as the letters did. Forest also brought a frisbee, (shocker) and we threw it around with a good group which was very fun. Moving on to what I didn't like as much, I found the beginning a little boring, although to be fair it didn't have the best chances to excite me in the first place; I'm really not a museum person, whether that's historical, art, or science, they just never really did much for me. On top of that, I was also pretty tired from the previous few days, and also had to wake up pretty early that morning to make the bus. The only other thing would be the bus ride, obviously that wasn't part of Woodstock, but it was rough to say the least.
In terms of the counterculture movement, what it aimed for, and what it accomplished, there's obviously a lot to be said about Woodstock. In general, I think that the goal of Woodstock was for many more people to be heard, and for their thoughts, views, and expression to not be seen as taboo anymore. More specific examples of this are things like opposition to the Vietnam war, and the fact that young people could be drafted but couldn't vote. The aftermath of Woodstock definitely accomplished a lot of this, as well as making all US culture more loose. Examples that come to mind are things like big media providers having such a large say in what could be shown, like having separate beds for couples on tv, and much tighter restrictions on music that could go on the radio, all due to advertisers pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Bilal Sikou Talk
I really enjoyed hearing Bilal speak, and I liked his approach to changing things that he thought needed attention, and also what he was grateful to be able to have in the US (like freedom of the press and other rights.) I was also glad that I--and others in the room-- didn't agree with absolutely all of his views and policies, which allowed for some really good discourse and discussion. His talk really opened my eyes to the idea that a person's fundamentals matter just as much as their views and ideas in terms of leadership. What I mean by that is that someone could have really good ideals, but if they don't value democratic norms, or don't play by the rules, they damage our democracy. This just causes an opposing side to do the same, creating a snowball effect of bad practice. I liked when he talked about changing the world, and how its not a job for one person. He talked about how if you want to make a change, you'll need help from other people, and that other people are doing the same, and need your help to change the world. While I agreed with mostly everything that he said about changing the world, including his voting rights work regarding early voting, absentee ballots, and prison redistricting, I found I didn't agree with his push to lower the voting age to 16. I don't think it would be catastrophic or terrible in any way, but I think that the bad possibilities outweigh the good ones. I agree with the idea of helping younger people to get involved and be active citizens, but I think this could be done in a better way, with lower stakes. I definitely believe that technology and social media is to blame for this, along with the general American population being less involved and more lazy than ever. In short, I feel like there aren't many problems with the current voting age at 18, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Rosh Hashanah in the Park
When we arrived at elizabeth park many people were already set up, with their picnic blankets laid out, and there was a really joyful and energetic air to the place. We first walked over to where my mom and her students were--she teaches a masters program to primarily international graduate students (of all faiths) about mediation and inter religious peace building. It was really nice to see the Global Studies group meet my moms students, as I knew they'd get along well. We laid out our blankets next to them, and then a few of us went over to a set of tables where there were apples and honey sticks, which were really good. After ten or so minutes some more people had trickled in and the service began. It was clear that a significant number of people there weren't Jewish, including myself, but the environment was so welcoming and no one thought twice about it. The event was composed of words from the Rabbi, songs, and prayer, in both English and Hebrew. While I was of course helpless with the Hebrew parts, I could follow along in English with the helpful pamphlet that was provided. After the event was over, instead of going back on the bus, I walked with my mom and her students back to HIU. It was roughly 20 minutes, and it was awesome to hear what the students thought about it, especially as they must have experienced it through the lens of the work they do. I really think that these continuous, positive interactions and learning experiences between different faiths is super important, especially as inter religious turmoil and animosity has unfortunately worsened recently.
Summer Reading: Bill of Obligations,
By Richard Haas
This book really opened my eyes to the issues we face internally in the US, and how we criticize others for things we do just as poorly. Another thing this really brought to my attention was just the concept of civil “obligations” in general, and what they are, as well as how they're different from rights and laws. Probably the most direct connection to our global studies themes would be to non-violence, as it was featured as one of the obligations in the book. Richard Haas was very clear in his thought that civility and peacefulness are absolutely necessary pillars of a functioning modern society.
Overall I really liked this book, I thought the major points brought up were relevant and in need of conversation, and I thought Richard Haas did a great job with the writing, making it clear, concise, and easy to digest. I really admired just how little political motivation there was (at least that I could see) behind his ideals and views. Things like january 6th insurrection, the state of the union moment, and abortion rights, which are typically very politicized, he called out, but without any political attachments to them. Another thing I liked was his emphasis on unity. He talked about the fact that the US is basically run by two completely opposing sides right now, instead of one team that works together. He then connected this to the public, and embracing conflict while being civil, nonviolent, productive and respectful while doing so, as well as being active, getting involved in community, voting, and being informed. There wasn't much that I didn't like about the book. I did feel like maybe I agreed with the author a little too much, which of course is no fault to him, but I feel that maybe if we had more opposing opinions that I might have been able to learn even more. A few times where I did disagree with him were about stacking the court, and on social media censorship. I felt as if these two kind of contradicted things he said elsewhere in the book. I think that stacking the court to gain an advantage breaks a norm (obligation 6,) as well as being counterproductive in the long run. As for social media, of course I do think a lot of crazy lies get spread there, but that “there is nothing civil about trying to silence those who disagree with you” (83.)
Bill of obligations definitely did challenge me, and really made me think much more in depth about all different aspects of our country. Again, I think I would've been challenged more had there been more disagreement, but the few disagreements I did have really made me debate with myself in my mind to form a conclusive opinion. A very general experience that I have which connects to the book would be travel throughout the US. It can be hard to understand how there could be so many different opinions and views and norms just in one country until you travel to places that aren't at all like where you live, and start to understand the vast array of different places, communities, cultures, careers and upbringings that the 330 million people who live here come from. Another thing that I wanted to connect was SPHERE, I know that on the surface it might seem like they don't really overlap, but being able to help with the education of what will be the future of this country was pretty important to me, especially because the SPHERE kids were generally from a demographic that historically and currently haven't been allowed to have their fair say and be represented properly in the United States.