Ron Tinsley (2007)
I recently moved back to Philadelphia from Delaware and I am glad to be back. I moved to an area called Frankford in the lower Northeast of Philadelphia. The Northeast will always be remembered as the area of Philly that tried to secede 20 years ago. Back then, it was a very white section of town. As an African American, I was told to avoid this area. Read more
Chad Witt (2008)
The year 1999 was an especially significant year in my life. The second millennium of the Common Era was quickly drawing to a close amid great fear of a global computer meltdown and the Armageddon that would ensue, but more importantly, I was graduating from college. I had learned everything there was to learn, or so I dared to think, and decided to celebrate the end of my educational journey by exploring the world with my college roommate. Little did I realize my education was only beginning! Read more
Ron Tinsley (2008)
Lately, I have been pondering this idea of how cultures operate within other cultures. How does a culture with a small population function within a culture with a larger population. Is one culture hostile to the other? Conciliatory? How does the smaller culture maintain its distinctiveness? How did Irish culture survive under British rule? How did Jewish culture deal with Hellenistic culture during Jesus’ time?
Every culture has what I call an inside voice. There are things discussed within that culture that are not supposedly discussed with outsiders. Typically these cultures that have been marginalized by a larger group reflect this mentality very explicitly. It is obvious through their writings that Native Americans still feel slighted by their treatment, past and present. An influx of casino money does not change that. People forget about the Japanese American ordeal during World War II. Read more
Celmali Jaime
On Being Black in Africa
And there I was, stepping off a plane and on my way to Morocco. Who would have ever thought that I and seven other young Americans would be traveling across the world, for the experience of a lifetime? Surely I did not think I would find myself in blazing hellish weather, fully covered in hijab under the beaming sun. We landed in Melilla, a small Spanish territory city on the edge of Morocco. The plan was to meet Melody, our underground host, and cross the border by foot. For fear of endangering the Moroccan Christians who were hosting us, she would do all of the talking. I stared at my feet, like we were instructed to do. From the side of my eye I saw a police beating a man on the ground. People casually walked by. I realized this was a typical everyday occurrence. I focused even harder on my feet. Read more
To a Professor of Cross-Cultural Studies, every destination is a new course in cultural knowledge. Every encounter is an assessment of skills. A new relationship is an opportunity to learn from others. While the sum of our experiences shapes our present, it is the significant encounter, that can change our perspective. Read more
Julia Mallory
“If you teach a child to ask questions, they will become an adult who will find solutions”
Certainly, when dealing with culture there are no absolutes; however there are often enough of observable situations to arrive at an uniform understanding about a particular idea. “If you teach a child to ask questions, they will become an adult who will find solutions”, is based on my “aha” moment that recognizes the need for a balance of authority in African-American (AA) parenting styles and how AA parents actually place their children at a disadvantage by minimizing their critical thinking skills by adapting a philosophy of “speak when spoken to” communication also known as “a child should be seen and not heard” and often enforcing this philosophy with corporal punishment. This reflection will utilize personal history as well as acknowledge theory from Dr. Joy Leary’s “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome” (PSST) ideology and the work of sociologist Annette Lareau, author of Unequal Childhoods. Read more
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