The Politics of Respectability and Student Empowerment

Who controls the right to determine what is respectable?  And, what is the process (cultural or political) by which such determination is made? 

My student empowerment framework requires power to be shared with learners which ultimately, by way of the 2^nd principle (Dye, 2012), activates their “voice, choice, and dominion”  (p.  57).   While there is a growing appreciation for student power, such appreciation remains philosophical as the application of such power is stilted when adults come face to face with students’ “Innate Power” (the 2^nd principle)… students engaging in their natural drive to use voice, choice, and dominion. 

When the ideals of student empowerment come into conflict with adults who try to restrict this power to their level of personal comfort (especially when students sometimes act in a way that causes them discomfort), it often falls under the umbrella of politics... or, the politics of respectability.   Adults then begin to use their authority to define what is respectable (or not) and restrict the humanity of the children in which they seek to empower.  

In a democratic (not autocratic) space, the power to define respectable behavior is ...


To read the complete post, please access it from http://www.pbsdevelopment.com/blog/?p=121

A Question of Masculinity… Can a Man Wear a Pink Shoe?

A Question of Masculinity… Can a Man Wear a Pink Shoe?

In response to Jomo W. Mutegi’s initial book review of “How to be a Good Black Woman to a Strong Black Man”

 

"Now before you start looking at me funny, let me be clear. I am a man. I do not wear a pink shoe, nor do I advocate the wearing of pink shoes" (Jomo W. Mutegi ). 

I wonder why there is this constant need to qualify one's self as a "man".  Want to talk about healing our children?  Let's talk about healing our sense of self!  Healthy individuals= healthy parents= healthy families= healthy children! 

Culturally, are we on the right side of the discussion/ acceptance of what it means to be "masculine" (or even "feminine" for that matter).  While I appreciate the spirit of the blog (not sure if I yet fully appreciate the book), I question the relevance of the above insertion on masculinity.  It appears as though the only way a man can be credible or give a worthy analysis is if the topic aligns with a specific perception of manhood.  If not, then the contributor must first qualify his manliness! 

Jomo, I would have appreciated your point of view on the book and its value even if you were wearing a "pink shoe".   Of course, I respond to you in respect of your position even if we disagree.  It is simply my desire for us to be mindful of the subtext to our discourse. 

 

To see Jomo W. Mutegi’s full initial book review, please go to his blog:  http://sankoreinstitute.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-be-good-black-woman-to-strong.html

 Special Note for Empowerment Starts Here:  The 6^th principle of the Dye’s (2012) Empowerment Framework deals with developing a healthy sense of self.   For more information on this principle or the other 6 (total of 7), please see the book or the website.   www.pbsdevelopment.com

We Are One

On the March 4, 2013, a family experienced a great loss where the great aunt (73), and two cousins (54 and 51) were all shot and killed by the aunt's grandsond (28) who suffers from a mental illness.  In preparation for the funeral, I was asked to write a word of inspiration for the family to be included in the obiturary.

As I woke up this morning, I found myself somehow reciting the following poem that has never been written until now. In my spiritual obedience, I rolled over, put my feet on the floor, and committed to putting these words on paper.  As part of my own healing process and my prayer for other families dealing with mental illness, gun violence, and sudden/multiple deaths, I share this poem with the world.

"We Are One"
Written by: Angela Dye
March 8, 2013


Sometimes…
A moment comes a long with no earthly reason
No logical explanation
And no real definable course of action.
And in that single moment,
In all of the vibrations that have been set into motion,
We each look inside of ourselves
Individually unable able to find the single answer.
We then look outward
Tapping into the collective force that surrounds us

And we say…
We are family… we are one.

In that moment,
The world stands still,
Frozen,
Waiting
To understand how it... this single moment
Will leave finger prints on the human soul.
On friends
Neighbors
And even strangers.
That is when spirit,
With a light that has never been fully seen
Comes to the surface
Bringing us even closer together

And we say…
We are family… we are one.

To the four souls who have started a new journey,
Three only to be accessed in our minds
And one that waits to be touched by our embrace,
We are reminded how great we are
To stand together,
With no real words of explanation
But no real divisions either
With a full heart and pure love

We say…
We are family… we are one.

To God Almighty,
Our Heavenly Father
We submit to Your sovereignty
We embrace Your permissive will
We trust in Your omniscience
And we tap into Your grace.

United together in our faith
We worship You.
We secretly ask for forgiveness
For that which we have yet to release unto You
And thank You for the opportunity
To say to ourselves
To the world
To each other
And to You…

We are family… we are one.