Environmental Justice

The forum on environmental justice was more than anything a eye opener. It reminded me of how important issues get swept under the rug just because the media doesn't want us to know what's going on or because they see it as old news. One issue of particular interest to me is the air pollution in Mossville, Louisiana. I can relate because I am from Louisiana, and have driven through the area several times, so I know how bad the conditions are. I am now inspired to get involved in anyway I can with Ms. Roberts to help these people.

Blog #5 (Self-Assessment)

In my blog posts over the past few weeks, my blogs have typically been about President Barack Obama and race relations. This has been a large topic in our class discussions, and I have felt that it was important to also express my opinions through my blog. One thing that really surprised me as I reread my work is my deeper understanding of Obama. Before I began writing this blog, I knew little about my president compared to the knowledge of him that I now have. Of course, I knew little pieces of his biography-he was mixed race, raised in Hawaii by his white grandparents-but after reading Dreams from My Father, I can now see the total picture, and how it has made him into the great leader that he is today. One change that I noticed in the progression of my blog is that as I went along, I began to be more detailed in my blog posts. Because I became interested in the topic, it made it easier to write more thoroughly about the subject. The aspect of my weekly blog that I value the most is the freedom to express my truth, what matters to me. The blog began to feel more like a journal than just an English class assignment. It became personal, an outlet for me to discuss things that were important to me that isn't usually talked about in my everyday conversations.

My experience writing research essays for this class has been both a good and bad one. I feel that I have grown as a writer through the papers I have written in this class, mostly due to the resources that were available to me as I wrote. Office hours were an excellent way for me to see exactly what the teacher was looking for, and to achieve that goal. Another resource I found useful as I wrote essays was the Writing Center. I feel like being able to talk one-on-one with another student who knows exactly how to help you, whether it is with grammaticism or developing an idea, is an invaluable tool. One negative of writing research essays for this is class is that I don’t feel that I adequately understand all the concepts introduced this semester, particularly the different types of expository writing. I also don’t feel like I learned anything more about using technology through this class. In terms of using a global perspective when writing, I think that this class has definitely helped me to think more in terms of all groups of color, from Black to Latino, using a more global perspective as I approach writing about race relations.

Obama as Community Organizer

“If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress.” These words, penned by President Barack Hussein Obama II, summarize our president’s belief that if we continue to work for change, it will come. This is a principle that Obama has held from the beginning. Early in President Barack Obama’s career, he worked as a community organizer in Chicago’s poverty-stricken Southside. Today, Obama serves as the first African-American President of the United States. There are many similarities between Obama as community organizer and Obama as president.  He is still a man of the people, dedicated to his cause, and hopeful.  Although his job is now on a more global scale, President Barack Obama still has much in common with the young, ambitious community leader that he was in Chicago.