In
her text, No Disrespect, Sister
Souljah seeks to dispel the generational root of confusion among
minorities. She believes, “it is a
mentality that functions with or without permission, on both a conscious and
subconscious level,” and since we fail to discuss the problem, it becomes “a
problem rooted in a forbidden topic” (Souljah, xi). Thus, the text is a candid and realistic retelling
of Souljah’s life experiences at a time synonymous with our young people. She offers a collage of mistakes, scars and
smiles in hopes young people will gain an understanding of love and life and
they will have a chance to save themselves the pain of ignorance. It is a work of non-fiction that lets
“parents see the real lives that their children must prepare for” (Souljah,
xv).
After listening to her "Note" at the opening of the text, provide a reaction to some of the ideas she presents. Be sure to proofread your response and do not forget to respond to a post from one of your peers. Great job today in class! Ms. T
After hearing the introduction to No Disrespect I got the sense that ancestral background and unity can have an effect on people today. When Sister Souljah talked about spiritual eyes in relation to ancestors this reinforced my belief that knowing where you came from can help shape the path of your future. When she said I means we this made me think about unity as it relates to African Americans in a sense that most people who belong to this race would stick together to achieve a common goal but there would also be a few who would not stick together. To go back to the ancestral background when Souljah made the reference of alien to our own heritage and language this made me think back to slavery and how Africans were stripped of their heritage which in turn created the reason for why most if not all African Americans don't know where they come from in the sense of which part of Africa their ancestors belonged to.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with what you said about the promotion of unity between African Americans. In addition, your response helped me to understand how returning to one's roots can produce a greater sense of enlightenment in terms of knowing where you come from and how knowing these things can increase your changes of success in the future.
DeleteI agree with the fact that you brought up the point of unity and that we as black, African American need to stick together, but later on in your writing you said that black people were stripped from the heritage when they were slave but was it stripped or confined and if most slaves had the strength and courage of Harriet Tubman as stated in the intro, would they be stripped from their heritage?
DeleteI agree with you when you stated, having a knowing where you are coming from could help mold your future.
Deletei agree with you with davon just said cause if you know where you came from you know what not to do and what do in crucial moments.
DeleteYou must learn from the past; as a people, that's the only way we can move forward. Great observations. Please pay attention to your punctuation. For example, when you sand, "I" means "we," you missed the quotation marks.
ReplyDeleteWhen listening to the opening of the text, I began to both understand and agree with the ideas she presented. I feel that I truly grasped an understanding of how she feels minorities in general are affected by various situations such as being "born into the confusion of North America" as well as the challenges and limitations of white society. Furthermore, you must acknowledge and embrace the experiences of your predecessors or else you shall succumb to the same mistakes they have made and develop a mentality of ignorance. Also, you should evaluate certain crucial concepts such as brotherhood and family for yourself in order to remain a strong, viable individual which is something that there's a shortage of within the black community. Lastly, we as a people should practice a state of unity remembering "I means we" and that we should "add to the good of the world and not the evil".
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about unity in the black community because that is one thing that is keeping blacks down in society. If blacks can unite and be there for each other I think we would have a pretty good chance of succeeding in this "white" society
DeleteI agree with you when you stated "you should evaluate certain crucial concepts such as brotherhood and family for yourself in order to remain strong..." We as blacks need to uplift each other and realize that family is the backbone to a society.
DeleteI agree with the statement about acknowledging the experiences of your predecessors because I do believe that looking back at their experiences can help prevent history from repeating itself only if you learn from their experiences
DeleteI agree with what you said "we as a people should practice a state of unity remembering "I means we" because we as African American need to support and motivate each other. With this we as African Americans can be united as one and become successful in this society.
DeleteOne thing I grabbed from the note to readers was womanhood. The part that caught my attention was when Sister Souljah stated that no one teaches the black woman womanhood or even manhood so she grows up making several mistakes but once she figures out womanhood on her own she does not let anyone else know because no one thought her. I feel like this is an issue that blacks especially females witness as they grow up. Nothing is given to us by society but society is expecting much of us. Also I can recall Souljah saying that parents assume that since their children are good in school then they must also be good in relationships. I totally agree with that statement because that is the thoughts parents have. They ignore the fact that no matter how much we know we do not know more than them. Also experience is the best teacher because they have been through it telling us or teaching us about it will benefit us.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response but i want to know how will you define womanhood/manhood and why is it so important that we must know the true meaning of it throughout our lives?
DeleteWhat do you think is the reason for women not sharing what African womanhood mean to others because no one thought them?
DeleteI agree about the point you made "nothing is given to us by society but society is expecting much from us", because in the society many are not being thought or exposed to the real life. Things that we should know are being kept from us in some cases which makes it hard for us to face life experiences without proper knowledge.
DeleteDashawn, I want you to consider what it would be like if you don't know what manhood is or what it means to be a man. What will you become? Will you emulate popular figures such as athletes, rappers and actors? Jill how do you define manhood and womanhood?
DeleteAt Amanda I think the reason why African womanhood is not shared is because of that fear and thought that is means to nothing to anyone else. I think that they keeping among themselves and not being to public about it but at the same time they are changing themselves and becoming someone they are not. This I think also deals with one not being sure of who they are because of what they are taught while growing up.
Delete@Trona
DeleteWhy would you want to find womanhood and keep it a secret if it means nothing? And can't womanhood be define differently by each individual?
I definitely agree that they try to be something that they are not in public and not knowing who they are. This makes me believe that they have no find true meaning of their womanhood and they are living their lives the way it is forced upon them by society while not being true to themselves.
I agree and disagree with the part where sister souljah mentioned you have to be in school to be good in a relationship. First of all some people may look at other people's relationship in school and try to better their own from watching others whereas otle don't need toher peop go to school to have good relationship because their parents can talk to them about relationships at home or they witness outside in puplic or even movies so i don't think you necessarily have to be in school to know about relationship. Teenagers growing up watch their parents and learn from movies .
DeleteMy definition of manhood is a man who can provide for his family. It's just like what Dr. King Jr. said about if a man is does not know what to die for then they are not worth living. A man who falls but rises up is my definition of a manhood.
DeleteI define womanhood as a woman who cares and love her family. I like this proverb: behind every successful man is a woman because it shows how strong women are. A woman is the backbone of a household.
After hearing the introduction of text , I understand that cultural inheritance plays a huge role our lives. In order for people to grow and go about facing experiences, we need to have greater profundity instilled within us about history of our forbearers. As time goes by we are strip of our knowledge of life and in order for us to have a stronger foundation we need to learn more about our history. For example when her sister was pregnant, she thought that her mother didn't nurture her sister as much as she needed to for her to face life experiences, which made her mad. We as a whole need not to forget where we truly come from and look into life more deeper than it may seem. The history of our forbearers should be known by many so that we can unify and carry on the benefits that our forbearers have set for us.
ReplyDeleteI love the issues you're raising about cultural LEGAGY and also knowing thyself. But, I wonder, do you think it's possible to abandon cultural legacy? What is life like for those who do not understand who they are and from whence they came?
DeleteI think that life for those who do not understand or know where they are from is a great issue. Like in the outliers and also in just life as we know it those individuals who know nothing about themselves are easily corrupted. They are more vulnerable and are made to believe what one wants them to believe. As many blacks who are not sure of who they are and where they come from hence the reason why they use such hateful and what are considered racial slures as greetings. They have no idea what they ancestors faced to bring an end to these types of discrimination because they were not taught.
DeleteI agree with the point Trona made, I think there is a possibility that cultural legacy can be abandon in some cases, especially for those who don't know there background they have nothing build off or they may have a hard time finding who they really are.
DeleteWhile listening to the introduction of this book i have feel in love with the passion and determination that Souljah had for all to fight for what they believe especially within her race. I have learned that she has been through many exciting experiences that has shaped her life that was described in the intro. She is a strong independent women who"loves hard",has a knowledgeable mind, feels for the entire African race, and has a unselfish heart. She can be described in many ways and we all know that after reading the introduction. The most appealing issue that stuck with me was her talking about how we act now still affects our past ancestors that fought for us to be where we are and we should always take into consideration in that what we do is not only for ourselves but its also for the ones that has left marks for us African Americans to be free. This stuck with me because it was very powerful and true. When she said 'I means We" perfectly explains my statement. What we do doesn't only affect us but it also affects our whole race and we all should take that into consideration in remembering what it would have been like to go through slavery and being tortured with no rights. So all i am saying is that we have to be thankful for where we are at now and take advantage of being where we are and not let our race dow(especially our ancestors).
ReplyDeletelmaoooo sorry for the essay
DeleteYour description of her is so poignant. However, I am wondering, what can you do to impact her statement about this generation's disregard for the struggles of our ancestors? She is an activist and there is that spirit of wanting to change things for the better. Consider one thing, however big or small, you can do to change the state of oblivion in which this generation resides.
DeleteI agree with the last section were you stated that, what we do not only affect us but also the future race and that we should equally take into consideration what our ancestors went through. However majority us don't take the struggle of our ancestors into consideration. A primary example of this is when we use the word "nigger" to address to each other, and this goes back to what you said Souljah stated that what we do not only affects us but also further generation. We believe it is right and just to call each other "niggers" because the other generation did it therefore we believe it is okay, when its doltish.
Delete(Sorry if this is long lol )
While listening to Souljah's note at the beginning of the text, there was a statement that she stated which attracted my attention. The first thing was to "gain understanding of love and life and save themselves from ignorance.", this statement made consider the youths of today and how ignorant we are of the world around us. I believe majority of the teens, of today think life is easy and they want to live their lives similar to rich people on T.V., or top name celebrities, not knowing that these people are sacrificing their lives and happiness just for money. In addition I believe black people that live in a dominant country, such as America are very ignorant they constantly fight against each other and bring other black people from other countries around them down. They believe these people were all poor and they call them immigrants.Black people use their words to chastise each other, which in my opinion is vacuous and upsetting. We are all black, our ancestors fought the same battle in order for us to live a free life. As far as I am concern we are all immigrants living on the white mans land here in America, as he watches us with folded arms destroy each other with our ignorance instead of appreciating the life the that our captive ancestors from nearly 240 years ago which they had and showing each other love.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response though in manys case that's the society that they gown up in. It's not just about these people living the kind of like that they do or wanting what they want but also thinking about why they are the way they are. While other races show unity we blacks oppress each other, we belittle each other and find any way necessary to bring each other down. Society is what we make it , society does not make it's own rules neither does it tell the people what to do the people are the one who choose the path that they want to live on. And in doing so they leave nothing productive behind Fe those who are to come after them.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAfter hearing the introduction of sister souljah's No Disrespect I can see that even thought she has a spicy attitude she's capable of explaining her thoughts in compelling ways. She explained to us that the African American society today doesn't know their structure and are alien to our roots. Rather than trying to hide these thoughts and act as though the concept of slavery and racism doesn't exists today, Sister identifies the issues that us as blacks are faced with, and the areas in our lives that we have made mistakes while forgetting the African way of life. Most of us has forgotten our root and are oblivious of what our ancestors has went through. We must see the truth in what we believe and in the text, Sister speaks about being deeply rooted and understanding the we as blacks should be united and not separated.😏
ReplyDelete@anyone
ReplyDeleteI know a few of you guys already brought up the womanhood/manhood concept but how does it relate to the text because right now I'm reading through the post and found that this can go even deeper than I thought and I don't want to be lost when that happens. Please Explain ( not you Ms.Toussaint, wanna hear from my classmates 😊)
I wanna hear from them too…LOL
Deletelol @Nimrod. I believe individual define their own womanhood or manhood instead of being a puppet to the way society defines it. You use your womanhood/manhood to express who you are to other, for instance a man who is abusive in my opinion is exhibiting a weak manhood due to the fact that instead of using his words to express his feelings, he use his fist to dominate and communicate his feeling in the wrong manner.
DeleteSecondly when we continue to read the text I believe we will all have a better understanding of what it is.
I just decided to look up the meanings and the think that bugged me was why is child in Manhood
DeleteDefinition
Manhood -The state or period of being a man rather than a child.
Womanhood-The state or time of being a woman
@Nimrod that's not the question that should bother you the true question is why are we turning out backs on the people that fought for I to be where I are?
Deleteeven though we are well educated of the topic the denial that i am seeing now that i have read through most of the post no one brought that up . its not like we don't know what happen. We do and even our offspring will because of the school system.
After listening to the introduction to No Disrespect by Sister Souljah I began to question my identity, and who exactly am I. Am I free or actually comfortable enough in the skin I am in? Souljah spoke of the possibilities of liberty, but also being afraid of that freedom which will bring death. The brief excerpt about Harriet Tubman being a savior to many by sacrificing herself numerous times shows her compassion for her people. Tubman granted “Freedom or Death”, but many are deprived to make their own decision. There were several parts of myself that have died instead of being brought out, such as my funky dance moves. I lacked that outlet that some people were privileged to have. Without that outlet I continuously find myself in situations where I feel confined, not because of social issues but more so legacy issues. The legacy of my family and sometimes African American history can barge into my personal life creating this sense inferiority. Sister Souljah told many of the issues of the black community focusing more on the females. She failed to realize that men also suffer with these same issues. Growing up as an African American without a positive father figure present, us males are misinformed or misunderstood as well. Thus “silence teaches nothing”.
ReplyDeleteYou have to envision breaking those ties that bind Craig. It's crazy but sometimes we have to find a way to learn to be what we do not know. It seems strange right….
DeleteIn terms of men dealing with the same issues, maybe she feels like she can't speak for a man because she knows not of their experience. You have to speak from a place that you know and understand
Craig, I remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said in a speech, "Silence is Betrayal." If what he said is true, then there is something to be learned from silence.
DeleteOn the note of being raised without a father, I vowed that as a father, my child(ten) would have me in her life. I made a conscious effort to break the chain or cycle. As I reflected in my book, Reflections of an Urban High School Principal, I thought it was not a big deal to grow up fatherless. It was very late in life, when I turned 40, that I began to yearn for what I did not have. Interestingly, I did not want a relationship. I wanted knowledge of self -- probably DNA knowledge. I believe that some of me or a lot of me was to be found in him (the man who "fathered" me).
i yearn for you to learn to embrace your superiority. Inferiority is a learned behavior that can be unlearned. I will stop for now...your blog entry was so interesting, compelling, and concerning. Considering being that male figure for children who, like you, are growing up with positive African males.
While hearing the introduction to No Disrespect, I became extremely interested in this book. Sistah Souljah voices her opinion through her persuasive and passionate influence. Sistah Souljah takes the necessary actions to make the required changes in the world. She spoke about the importance of black people as a whole and sticking together. She stated "Deep rooted jealousy amongst each other " , " I means we " and " if one isn't safe, then we all aren't safe". These quotes caught my attention because of how powerful they are. I completely agree with her ideas she discussed. We as blacks need to stop singling out one another and attempt to come together as one.
ReplyDeleteI agree Danielle. You can completely feel the realism and passion that flows through her words. Each quote you mentioned above also caught my attention and you are right, they each hold power. I believe this is because of its truth. It is sad that concepts like "deep rotted jealousy amongst each other" though written by her years ago are still evident in society today, but more specifically, the African American community. I too agree with her desire of coming together, and I agree with Sister Souljah that this can only be done when we choose to educate ourselves about our past.
DeleteI also agree with Danielle and Carmin's remark. While growing up in an African American community I sense a lot of competition among ourselves. In stead of aiding one another to succeed we pull each other down. Many African Americans don't have the mindset to empower one another. I feel we as whole are in comparison to crabs in a bucket, we climb on each other, push each other in order to leave the bucket. Sister Souljah sets the bar when states that quote.
DeleteAfter hearing sister souljah's introduction to No Disrespect I agree with the part where she said " and since we fail to discuss the problem it becomes a problem'' because when she spoke about womanhood and when she mentioned nobody taught her about it she never taught anyone . I feels as if when people don't teach other's about manhood or womanhood and the consequences especially teenagers or even younger ones they make it their duty to go experiment things they see their parents or other people do and they make mistakes. But eventually they learn from their mistakes that's why parents need to talk to their children about manhood and womanhood. even though this is a non fiction it is still happening in real life and that we teenagers can learn lessons from this and especially parents too .
ReplyDeleteAnd to extend her thought, it will remain a problem until we find the courage to address the problem!
DeleteI agree with this because having knowlegde about a situation can prevent us from making wrong choices. Manhood and womanhood can only be determined by one's inner ability to understand and analyze the true values of life and that it is not always easy.
Delete@Amanda
ReplyDeleteThanks
@Dashawn Brice I completely agree with you that one of the most important things that Souljah imparts to her readers is the need to remember our past and not only slavery but all the struggles that our elders and ancestors endures for our sake. For me my grandmother is my hero not because she was highly educated but because she sold simple items in the marketplace in Haiti so that she could educate my mother and aunt. I owe all of who I am to her and her powerful example. Like you Dashawn I believe we cannot let our ancestors down. It is important that we honor their sacrifices on our behalf.
ReplyDeleteIn Sister Souljah's note to her readers’ one thing is very evident from the beginning, her concern for the ignorance and absent-mindedness that African Americans hold towards obtaining the knowledge of their own history. She discloses this by extracting the idea of what she calls the "ghetto girl." She describes the "ghetto girl" as the "money-hungry heartless bitches" who like herself, love hard, but are not structured, "in the sense of knowing what African American Womanhood is. Or what it means. They have not been taught how to judge a man. And is unsure of what family is. Among discussing her position, she states that the result of this ignorance is due to the oppression of slavery. I completely agree when she says, "many of our people have no desire to learn the African way because the African way has been misunderstood, misrepresented, and poorly packaged by both black and white people in America" due to Europeans stripping us of our beliefs, customs and traditions in slavery times. I humbly furthered my respect for her when she credited Harriet Tubman for being "a bad black soldier" then describing powerfully the impact she played on the role of her people. It is apparent that she is knowledgeable about the facts that she preaches. Most of all, I respect the way she pushes to share her work of nonfiction to speak to the African American community directly to resident hope and change in our people by exposing her most vulnerable moments!
ReplyDeleteYour response makes me consider the power of sharing our stories. We all have some many pieces that make up the whole, yet we refrain from sharing. All too often we allow others to be the teller of our stories when, in actuality, we are the only ones who can speak the truth.
DeleteHow many people just bare it all to the whole world in the hopes that others will learn from their mistakes? while hearing the introduction to No Disrespect Sister Souljah talks about the damage that racism has caused blacks all over the world. By glorifying stupidity it affected the way that the black society dresses, talks, and act towards each other. We fail to realize that we are like this because we give into the material things that are not valuable . Sister Souljah also talks about inner self hatred which is one not having love for themselves and if you cant love yourself how you going to love others.
ReplyDeleteSo true annastacia we fail to realize the stupidity that we glorify and i honestly believe that if we took all the time that we give away to garbage into learning about our african ways it would benefit us. we focus mainly on materials now failing to realize that they will not be here forever.
Delete@ Annastacia I think that many of us don't understand the importance of cultivating your own identity. Too many walk around labeling themselves as this or that but true identity in my opinion means you recognize that you are unique and awesome just as you are. Our attachment to the materials things is in some ways as attempt to hide our true selves. I agree with your that love of self is where it all begins…all else is futile otherwise.
DeleteAfter reading soulijah's introduction to No Disrespect i began to think about how all she stated reflects to me. We as african americans refuse to speak on the obvious, it starts young eventually becoming uninformed black adults where love is war. we don't like to acknowledge our history slavery where its consequences still affect us today. Many of us have no desire to learn the african way the way of our ancestors those who came before us. Not wanting to learn the way of those before us is failing them, their struggle, abuse , and perseverance. Sister soulijah expesses that before slavery "blacks were united supporters of each other resolving and managing all their issues." that is something that has defiantly changed we as blacks are killing and harming each other on a daily basis. we are no longer supporters of each other but the main ones bringing one another down, dragging each other through dirt. Her message on Harriet Tubman when she stated "I" means "we" reminds me of sister soulijah and her accomplishments around the world. she states "to love herself she must add to the good in the world and not the evil." this is such a simple but yet powerful statement to me, its something that we all as blacks should strive to accomplish because besides ourselves the Black community are also our biggest critics.Just as Herriet Tubman did she is taking it upon herself to make a huge and positive difference in the african american community.
ReplyDeleteLisa I agree with what you have to say because many of us have no desire to learn about our history and if we don't know where we came from how will we know where we are going. Many of our ancestors make the same mistake that we are making right now and we will never know how to break the cycle because we don't know about our history.
DeleteI agree with what you said because we as African American change as time passes by. Our ancestor fought for there freedom and also for many other things so that our generation would have a better society to live in the future but that is the complete opposite. Because most of us don't know the history of our people and what they been through, we do not understand what unity means today. We are fight and killing each other because we don't know what other ancestor did to make the society we live in today the way it is.
DeleteWow! I am so intrigued by your collective thoughts and insightful comments. This reminds of the statement: "Silence is Betrayal."
ReplyDelete"I am blessed with spiritual African eyes". I have learned that African Americans tend not to stick together because they are afriad of love. Sister Soujah was able to do so much phenomenal things because she learned "to love herself , to please god and she realizes her values in life". Souljah explain that ignorance amongst blacks causes them to ignore their past with no regards.I strongly believe that if u don't appreciate where you came from , there is no way you will no where you're headed."Many of our people refuse to learn things the African American way ", I believe this is because slavery's consequences still really affects us.
ReplyDeleteSister Souljah does not seem like the person to beat around the bushes, she is a straight up person. The issue at hand in the introduction is the lack of informing today’s society about their ancestor and the struggled that allowed colored people to have what they have today. Even though it may seem like we have nothing at hand but with unity we can be more fruitful. When she said “I means We” that came across as unity and I agree with that. Not to leave the text but if you look at the Jewish community in New York City. Even though they are a small community they left and still have a big imprint in New York City. To me this is because they never forgot where the come from. Hearing numerous people say that we are the only race that laughs at slavery I felt ashamed because it is true because if you mentioned Hitler to a Jewish person, that gets under their skin. Coming back to the text, the way she left men hanging with the Questions that ran deep in my vein, making me question My “Manhood”. (@nimrod). To me I find it hard to connect with female Authors because they don’t know what occurs in a man that makes them react the way they do. Plus questioning a male’s manhood allows us to find out what our purpose in life is. The Questions that still remains unanswered are: what is a man? And what is an African man. It seems like there is a distinction that I am lost about. On the other hand a fire inside me wants to read this text from cover to cover to get my answers. The repetition of “God” makes me want to find out if it is the same god that the Jews worship? I may sound all over the place but she too was all over that place.
ReplyDeleteI like how you related the Jewish community back to unity. I have also heard about how important unity is for the Jews. Your example of the Jewish community helped me understand how appreciating your culture can keep a race together.
DeleteAfter listening to the opening to No Disrespect, I was captivated by her statement, "when uniformed black males and females grow up they become uninformed adults in relationships where love is war." As I look deeper into this quote, I can relate this back to cultural legacies. I look at myself as an uninformed African American. I do not know a lot about my heritage. I believe that to be informed means to have knowledgeable and understand your cultures. I do not understand everything about my culture, which makes me therefore uninformed. Sister Souljah instills in me with a better understanding about my culture, I can flourish in life.
ReplyDeleteHow will you correct this? What will you do to imposer yourself?
DeleteAfter listening to "No Disrespect" I realize that we as a people should know where we came from. We should learn about our ancestors and hardship they been through. Sister Souljah stated that we as a people need to know more about our history and this would allow us to learn how to love and understand each other better. Sister Souljah made me realize that I needed to know more about my ancestors and after listening to this introduction, I ask some of the elders in my family about our family history. I believe that knowing your family history and the history of our people would help us love and understand each other. In the introduction she stated that she figured out how to love herself, love god and be spiritual. I think that someone would truly figure out how to love them self from the things they experiences and the things that are going on in society today. How do you know that you figured out to love yourself? This is for my fellow classmates.
ReplyDeleteYes knowing our history help us love and understand each other. Being able to relate to what our ancestors been through with being taken away from their homes and being placed somewhere where they couldn't have relate to anyone was life changing. Many of them as time past did forget where they came from but grew to see those around them were placed in that same situation and bonded they formed there own group and created a new ways of life but still sticking to what they knew was theirs. To answer your question of how does one know when they have love themselves I say you know when you love yourself when you feel that you have done everything possible in life and never gave up on what you wanted even if you did not achieve the goal set you can still be proud of yourself or what you have become. learning to love yourself takes time if you can do what ever you please and don't care about what critics has to say your happy with the person you are therfore loving the person that you have shaped yourself to be. Learning from you mistakesand just being the person that you want to be is all part of loving yourself. So I say after reaching a point where you have nothing negative to say or no longer depending on what society has to say about you therefore you love the skin your in. Which results to loving who you are.
DeleteI believe that you figure out to love yourself when you realize and take in everything you got. Like become a more appreciative person and give yourself confidence. For example like if you graduated college, but your still unemployed for a while, you should have hope and look back on what you accomplished and look at it in that way that you have done things that many others cant compare to you with. Basically the themes to that message is confidence and ambition.
DeleteAfter listening to the note from sister Souljah I realized that she spoke a lot about our ancestry and how many don't know it and it wasn't being taught. She said that we must learn from our past in order to succeed in life. Something stood out to me when she said don't change. But of course in life we will have to make changes like adjusting to a new environment but she means don't forget where you came from what ever you do it must benefit you. For me this relates a bit to Malcolm x biography for instance when he was in Harlem and he had this moment where he realized that black people fought for so much freedom and to be there own race and when they finally got the freedom they started to change and doing thing that made them look like whites. Change for the better not for the worst. Learn from your past mistakes because success is only the beginning bring more good into the world rather than evil. Sister Souljah stated "I means we" one person can start a movement but a whole can start a revolution. Be the vioce for your people.
ReplyDeleteI whole heartly agree on your response to her remark about change, but what I also got out from this part was that you can change, but you have to make sure that the change is your decision and not given on to by another, that way you ensure that you aren't living a lie, where you carry your own ideals and not anothers.
Deleteafter reading the opening to Sistah Souljah's novel, No Disrespect, i am very optimistic about starting this book. i like when she makes clear that as a youth, our lives at that point is all based on decision making. either me make a good decision take we can become prosperous off of or its a bad decision that comes with consequences thank we must face and learn from. i always believe that an individual has to have a sense of where he or she is coming from before they can decide where their going.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: But what would be your advice if they don't know where they going or if there just lost and just don't know what to do ?
DeleteAfter listening to Sister Souljah introduction I began to realize that many of us don't understand the importance of cultivating your own identity. We aren't sure where we came from. We falsely label ourselves because we are absent minded of what our past consists of. Sister Souljah also states "when uniformed black males and females grow up they become uninformed adults in relationships where love is war.", back to what Kwabena stated, this quote relates back to cultural legacies. Uniformed blacks are those who are unaware of their heritage and culture. Being aware of where you came from is a beneficial factor in succeeding in life. It is crucial that one must go a back and retrace their roots. Sister Souljah powerful voice of persuasion and passion demands that.
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to the "Note" to No Disrespect I got the sense of how the minorities and especially black races were looked upon in society and the hardships of making it through America. A part that Sister Souljah said and i fully understood was about how the ghetto girls were not taught the true definition or ways to portray being a woman. The reason for this behavior is because they were neglected and did not receive the right guidance on how to carry themselves. When she said this, I can relate because of my own experience looking at how "ghetto girls" would seem so passive over stuff and that a real woman should take stand and make better judgement about. Also the point she made about parent's assumptions with their children in school and outside relationships is a realistic view that one can relate with. Me personally, I disagree because school is not the only place were relationships occur and can actually see every aspect of what each partner goes through and how they cope with each other. If your good in school, that means your good at things that are relevant and beneficial towards yourself. But in relationships, its not very predictable and everybody cant last the longest like anyone else would, it certainly depends on your personality and how you are socially.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone opinions just to add on
ReplyDeleteI believe this also has to come from our roots and support in order for us to be a change .. whereas manhood/womanhood, community, and self is involved. Community is involved because its your surroundings that may or may not have impact on you but its up to you to know what do you want to overcome in life. Another thing is Sister identifies the issues that us as blacks are faced with, and the areas in our lives that we have made mistakes while forgetting the African way of life.On the other hand the ignorance of black would actually say something else rather than claiming they are african american
After hearing Sister Souljah's "Note" to the readers, I came to really feel the passion woven by her words. She had uncovered a truth due to her experiences and unlike various others, was more than willing to share it with the future generations rather than leave them in ignorance as she stated in the chapter ," silence teaches children nothing.” The truth she witnesses is life today, and even back then is glamorized, appearing it to be better than it actually is, thus brainwashing our youth from escaping ignorance and like others have mentioned, hindering our ability to unify as a people because we are taught to hate our self's and be envious of each other. I find great power in her knowledge since few are able to create such a strong image of the reality of the world in such a short chapter, and so I am intrigued of knowing how not to fall victim to the lies that we are expected to accept as truth.
ReplyDeleteALL ENTRIES AFTER THIS ARE LATE AND WILL RECEIVE A GRADE REDUCTION. REMEMBER YOU RECEIVE FULL CREDIT FOR YOUR RESPONSE AND RESPONDING TO A PEER
ReplyDeleteafter hearing the passage sista soulja It made me anxious to read the book. i like the key points she said. she related to harriet tubman and freeing some of the slaves. She also related to how she fell in love and how it affeted her life. she gave situations with her and her sister getting pregnant and her ,other wanted her to get an abortion, soulja felt like that wasnt a wise move and somehow it was her failt. ll of these situation inspired me to read this book.
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