Sigh. This post is about two weeks late, but it'll still either make you laugh in horror or start cussing and ranting against The Man.
Two weeks ago--in fact, it'll be two weeks this Friday--my supervisor, for whom I'm the TA for two history classes (I'm convinced he did this on purpose), gave me my assignment for this week, as last Friday was a holiday. He said he wanted me to do a presentation on slavery, which is a simple enough request. However, the issue/interesting part came when he decided to go into "great" detail about how he wanted the presentation to be crafted and what content he wanted me to include. He told me to make the presentation "personal", that he didn't want just random dates and facts which, again, I understood, simply because I was a History major who focused on American and African American History, thus giving me more background knowledge with which to work. Yet, he just had to keep talking. This man then went on to say, "Try to put yourself in slavery. I want it to be very personal. Tell us about the life of the slaves during slavery and Jim Crow."
*And thus begins the hysterical, horrified laughter and/or (as is the case with some of my relatives who are reading this) the cussing and ranting against The Man*
Now, throughout this whole little description, I just looked at him. Just stared. When he told me to try to put myself in slavery, I just cocked an eyebrow. I've discovered that my silence makes people more uncomfortable than saying anything, so I took pleasure in watching him fidget and completely fail at trying to be diplomatic. Yet, while I wasn't saying anything, y'all know that, in my mind, I was going ham. After the "try to put yourself in slavery" comment, I thought, "What the HELL!? You want me to walk in with a rag on my head and a basket of cotton in my arms, singing Negro spirituals?"
I completely understand him wanting me to do a presentation on slavery, not just because of my education, but because I'm black. Further, I know some of you are outraged on my behalf, but don't be. I had to think about whether I needed to go all the way Down the Bay, my-family's-last-name-is-Hodges, you-must-not-know-who-I-am on him, but I decided not to simply because he really was trying to be diplomatic about the whole thing and just failed miserably. In fact, I almost started laughing because he was trying so hard and it was obviously making him extremely uncomfortable. If we had a less formal relationship, I would've just saved him the hassle, but I took a little dark pleasure in watching him squirm. I think he was trying to say, without actually saying it, that he wanted me to tell the story of my ancestors, as if I actually know what that is.
In any event, the presentation is prepared. I made it personal by using excerpts from the Slave Narratives Project of the 1930s, which you should look up if you haven't heard of it. I'm also about to rock the worlds of some of my kiddies when I show them the clip of Kunta being beaten on "Roots."
*laughs gleefully*
Two weeks ago--in fact, it'll be two weeks this Friday--my supervisor, for whom I'm the TA for two history classes (I'm convinced he did this on purpose), gave me my assignment for this week, as last Friday was a holiday. He said he wanted me to do a presentation on slavery, which is a simple enough request. However, the issue/interesting part came when he decided to go into "great" detail about how he wanted the presentation to be crafted and what content he wanted me to include. He told me to make the presentation "personal", that he didn't want just random dates and facts which, again, I understood, simply because I was a History major who focused on American and African American History, thus giving me more background knowledge with which to work. Yet, he just had to keep talking. This man then went on to say, "Try to put yourself in slavery. I want it to be very personal. Tell us about the life of the slaves during slavery and Jim Crow."
*And thus begins the hysterical, horrified laughter and/or (as is the case with some of my relatives who are reading this) the cussing and ranting against The Man*
 |
| I think I'll opt out of putting myself in slavery. The ancestors suffered enough for all of us. |
I completely understand him wanting me to do a presentation on slavery, not just because of my education, but because I'm black. Further, I know some of you are outraged on my behalf, but don't be. I had to think about whether I needed to go all the way Down the Bay, my-family's-last-name-is-Hodges, you-must-not-know-who-I-am on him, but I decided not to simply because he really was trying to be diplomatic about the whole thing and just failed miserably. In fact, I almost started laughing because he was trying so hard and it was obviously making him extremely uncomfortable. If we had a less formal relationship, I would've just saved him the hassle, but I took a little dark pleasure in watching him squirm. I think he was trying to say, without actually saying it, that he wanted me to tell the story of my ancestors, as if I actually know what that is.
In any event, the presentation is prepared. I made it personal by using excerpts from the Slave Narratives Project of the 1930s, which you should look up if you haven't heard of it. I'm also about to rock the worlds of some of my kiddies when I show them the clip of Kunta being beaten on "Roots."
*laughs gleefully*
Wow...You know I am in a class entitled Power and Privilege. We discuss these types of scenarios often. It goes to show you that "THE MAN" still maintains his privileged position. Sad, but hilarious at the same time!
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