This internship has been very fulfilling and I enjoyed being able to  converse and learn from such amazing and educated people of color. While here, a challenge I faced was not knowing much about the history of FarmVille or the museum before I started working. Many people would ask me questions and I wouldn’t know the answer and would have to find someone else to answer it for me. But as the weeks progressed I learned more about the people who endured his hardship and I learned how FarmVille and Moton students created a big impact on the Civil Rights Movement.

This internship didn’t change my career search, mores widened it. Because of this I would not mind working at or for a museum in the future, doing research or marketing for them. One of my assignments here was creating a survey for the Moton. This was in order to receive feedback from visitors and find out what else they would like to see from the museum. I created two different surveys, one for general visitors and one for educators who brought students to he museum. I will include the question list in the submission of this blog.

Referring back to Journal 1 I didn’t use my social media skills as much as I would have hoped. I did do research on other museums and looked through they social medias platforms and I went through the Moton’s social media and advised them on how to utilize them to their advantage. Also with building a better relationship with their audience. With more picture and other interactions, which I helped with in my2nd and 3rd projects. For they Barbara Johns Day celebration I took pictures for them to capture the pure genuine essence of the Moton and their staff and the capture the family feel they give off.  Then a their annual Moton Banquet I talked to multiple people and they spoke with me about what they loved and learned from the Moton and why they supported them so much. which helped guide me in how they could better display their better qualities through social media.

I feel I started on a lot of the tasks laid out in the evaluation. But I feel is I had more time or if this evaluation was done earlier in the semester I could have implemented the Night at the Museum event. However for my 4th assignment, as learn from COMM 430, I landed out a plan to set and execute the event. With everything written out all they would have to do is follow the steps and initiate it.

My last project was assisting with editing audio for a podcast the Moton education manager is attempting to start. I learn and utilize resources from my COMM 240 Digital editing class. I took the files and cleaned up the background noise and cut out any statements he did not want in the audio file. I liked doing this because I do want to work with audio and music so this project was a way of testing the waters with what I want to do in the future.

I loved working with the staff at the Moton. Especially because they were all highly educated people of color. Which motivated me to strive harder for what I want to accomplish in life. We had plenty of conversations and they were always willing to help me and assist me in anyway I needed. They always asked questions to get to know me personally and to make sure I was getting the most out of the internship. if any task needs to get done they did not hesitate to ask me. And any idea they had they always asked me if I wanted to be a part of it. I felt like I fit in so well at the museum and I am glad I chose to do my internship with them.

I would definite

ly motivate other minority students to work here. Being that this is a predominately white school its rare to see people of color in teaching or leadership positions. And this being the case being able to work under them, especially people who went to Longwood and know exactly how we feel and what we go through, its so much easier to relate to them an build relationships and connections. Not only with the staff but with volunteers and people who come to tour the museum. They are so willing to talk with you and share experience. They always asked my opinion on matters because I am a young college student so they want to know my standpoint on issues while they express their point of view.

This internship was eye opening and enlightening to other peoples perspective and watching people in awe of the history that took place here in FarmVille was so amazing and I will never regret interning with the Moton Museum.

Have you every been walking around, minding your  own business. then some random person comes up and runs their hands through your perfectly shaped fro. You stand there awkwardly waiting for the ordeal to end. We take the time to wash, condition, style, and flaunt our hair to any and everyone. But that doesn’t mean you can touch it. We enjoy the attention that it gives us, most of the time. But some women give a little more meaning to their hair other than just for the looks. For some black women, hair is more than just a fashion statement, so please just because you like it doesn’t mean you have to touch it.

1. Heritage

For some black women, embracing or natural hair brings a certain connection with our culture. Being able to wear our hair how it natural grows on our head allows us to feel closer with the beautiful kings and queens who have gone before us. We use our hair to show that we still love and appreciate the path our ancestors made for us. When Africans were first brought to America they were forced to change to fit white culture and their beauty standards (Jahangir, 2015). We then had to recreate our culture and how to care for our hair. Our culture has been diluted and swept under the rug. We embrace our natural hair as a way of taking back control and showing that natural beauty should always be in style.

2. Freedom

Being able to wear my hair however I want gives me the feeling of freedom and control over my life. Given the fact natural hair isn’t always viewed as beautiful it allows us , as black women, to defy the norms without having to cause a huge scene. There are so many rules and regulations in life about clothes, actions, and life styles. So
we use hair as an outlet from all the over bearing defining factors in society. We use our hair as our own personal form of expression. Although there is currently different biases toward women and natural hair (Bates, 2017), but regardless we enjoy being able to wear our hair as we please

3. Self Control/Manners

When you’re standing around and random people come in, with no warning, and begin to poke and pull at you’
re hair is very alarming. You feel as if you have no control over yourself or what is being done to you. You feel like a animal at a petting zoo. You’re just stuck there waiting for the ordeal to end. Just ask, its not that hard. and if we say to not touch our hair please respect it and move on. If you take the time to ask we just might just let you. It’s about taking control of your body and taking back the power over your own life (Watson, 2016)

Having the control to make executive decisions over simple things like your hair seem like common courtesy but is very over looked luxury. Feeling as if you body is just a spectacle for people to gawk at isn’t ok. Our hair and culture represent different aspects of our lives. the symbolic interactionism between our hair and what we stand for is over looked. Symbolic Interactionism is how certain things represents others or having different meanings. Once people understand and respect the meaning we associate with our hair, then we can move forward in society to gain respect of bigger problems.

Watson, S. (n.d.). You Can’t Touch Solange’s Hair, but You Can Ask to Touch Mine. Retrieved April 17, 2017, from http://www.theroot.com/you-can-t-touch-solange-s-hair-but-you-can-ask-to-touc-1790857824

Jahangir, R. (n.d.). How does black hair reflect black history? Retrieved April 17, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-3143827

Bates, K. (n.d.). New Evidence Shows There’s Still Bias Against Black Natural Hair. Retrieved April 17, 2017, from http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/02/06/512943035/new-evidence-shows-theres-still-bias-against-black-natural-hair

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“You should’ve went to an HBCU” “Why did you choose THAT school?” “It must be boring there” “Do you know any black people there?” These are common question heard from minorities that attend Predominately White Institutes(PWI). We are constantly being told about all the fun we are missing by not going to a mostly black university(HBCU). In this blog i want to discuss 3 things we usually hear vs what we actually hear/comprehend.

1. “The parties must be awful” vs “There are no black people there so you must be bored and lonely”

It is a common thought that without black people present these no good music, dancing, or the overall atmosphere is trash. just because everyone in the room isn’t black doesn’t mean the culture still isn’t present. We are all the same age. We listen to the same music. There’s no big difference in the parties, i promise.

2. “So are you that black friend” vs “Oh your their token black person” 

No. No one has “token black friends”. Friends are friends, its not that deep. If they don’t want black friends that don’t have any. We make friends with whoever wants to be friends with us, just like any other race.  Granted their are some people we don’t like people of color but they just don’t talk to us. No one knows what “token” friends are.

3.  “Wow, must be boring” vs “your missing all the fun things black people do on campus”

It honestly not that bad. We have predominately black clubs/organizations, black Greek organizations, and black faculty and staff. We have step shows and people who rap and sing and dance. We aren’t missing out on anything. The only downside is that occasionally you’re the only minority in a class but that’s about it. You aren’t asked to speak for your race and the teacher doesn’t see you as the spokesperson for all black people. Nothing is different, only the demographics

The main point i’m trying to make is that meaning and language is everything. meaning as in what that words you use actually stand for. Just barbecue we don’t go to an all black school it doesn’t make us less black or separate us from the culture. we are still up to date on the music, fashion, and trends that go on. We’re still the same.

 

Sources

Woodward, G. C. (2014). Persuasion and Influence in American Life. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press Inc.