Review of "Miss Evers' Boys"

The play “Miss Evers’ Boys” is set in 1932 Macon County, Alabama, where the federal government launched a medical study known commonly as The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Blacks with Syphilis. The study selected 412 men infected with the disease and controversially faked long term treatment, while instead only giving them placebos. Nurse Eunice Evers narrates the story of four sharecroppers, Caleb Humphries, Ben Washington, Willie Johnson, and Hodman Bryan, detailing her experience as a knowledgeable role-player in the study as well as a loyal caretaker to the men. At the time, the study was justified by its efforts to determine if blacks were similarly impacted by the overall effects of the disease in the same way that whites were. The experiment was not stopped until 40 years later when a Senate investigation was initiated. The plays perspective gives personal accounts of the harsh consequences of the Tuskegee Study, revealing a side of our history which few take the time properly account for.

Week 7 - The Reality Check

The message of this week's presentation was very effective. We were questioned with statistics that regard all of us as Black People. There are many statistics that "supposedly" define us as Black people. We are better than the world thinks we are.

The media depicts Black people as very negative people. Along with that, people assume that we are worst than we truly are. It feels as though this woman had a very myopic approach though. Despite us being viewed as a poorly represented race from the past, I do not want to be another bad statistic. I have been told to be atypical in everything I do. Do not, for one bit, sleep on the beauty of Black People.

Through it all, I am still a humble young black man. I realize my call to order, purpose, and promises of which I have made to my family.

I will defy ALL negative statistics. I will be atypical.

Week 7 Blog Post

I honestly forgot the speakers name for this week, but she was a very eloquent speaker. This woman described the problems that faced African Americans, by way of stereotypes in America. She also called for the furthering of minority education.

It seems as though these lectures are starting to become repetitive. Each speaker is presenting the same information but in a different format. It feels as though this woman had a very myopic approach though. For example: she evaluated how White Americans are the ethnic group that abuses cocaine, yet she failed to realize that 72% of America is white. This of course means that the highest consumption rate will be in large part to the majority of the population, ie White Americans. What she said was common knowledge, yet she presented this in a very bias approach. She also did the same for Education. She also lumped asians, and non white hispanics as black when presented her data.

The speaker presented the speech with great intentions, but in my opinion she fell pretty short for those already educated about the sociology and psyche of America.

African Burial Ground Review

I have just returned from New York, and boy am I tired. The reason I went to New York was to visit the African Burial ground. The African Burial ground was quite intriguing, yet I had went before and I really did not learn anything new. I will explain some of my favorite parts of the trip.

What I did like about the African Burial ground this time was that I had more time to look around the memorial. I also was able to watch a libation ceremony where Dr. Carr spoke and was followed by drum circle. This time also there was an event going on during the same time we were there called “youth week”. I was also able to see a poetry slam with some really beautiful poems spoken from the heart. This time was also a bit different because I was able to learn not only about the Africans buried there, but also about some Native American history from a showcase hosted there.

I will not go into detail about what I learned and saw on this trip this time, because I already have been twice in the past 3 years (this time third). Yet, there were still some things that were a bit different than the times before.

Miss Evers' Boys Review

On Wednesday I went to go see the Miss Evers' Boys play. I went on opening night because it was pay with what you can night, and of course I am very frugal with money as a college student.

I must say that I was impressed and that Miss Evers' Boys was a great play. It was in some ways different from the movie, yet the production from the Howard University students made it worth watching. The play was about a Nurse named Eunice Evers who took oversaw and befriended some of the african americans during the “Tuskegee experiment” in Alabama. The play dealt with deception and conflict. The deception was the treatment of the African American patients of being tricked into believing their disease was being cured by the nurse. The conflict of the play was the Nurse Eunice knew what was occurring, yet she never told the patients right away about what was going on with their treatment.

Overall the play gave me a sense of enlightenment as well as subtle bits of comedy. I would recommend many people both young and old to see this great movie.

“The Eloquence of the Scribes”: Initiation, Expectations, and Mastery—Continuing the Legacy of Howard University

If there was a week that emphasized education then this was the week. The lecture was given by Dr. Alvin Thornton. Dr. Alvin Thornton highlighted the importance of education among the students of Howard University and the African American community. This time was also given to stress the importance of past generations. We as Howard student should be very proud to continue this long genealogy of intellectual thinkers and hard workers.

In order to be a part of the “best and brightest” of Howard, I will strive to improve the conditions of the world that we live in today. This improvement does not only have to be accomplished academically, which will help, but it can also be improved socially. Academic research will help to understand what the masses dissatisfaction will be. Through academic research I will be able to understand how to fix these problems that the masses are dissatisfied with. Yet, through social interaction I will be able to grasp an even closer understanding of the problems occurring within individual lives whom in turn lives the dissatisfaction every day of their lives.

Lets talk about what it means to be a citizen of the world. Caring for other humans and solving problems is what it means to be a citizen of the world. My citizenship in the United States gives me an academic advantage over most other citizens in this world, because I have more opportunities available to me. If I use these opportunities to help the other citizens of this world, then this will inform the world of my national citizenry and the applications we used to help better their own country. We as world citizens seem to digress from these aspects.

A representative thinker of Howard that inspires me to “till and turn over the soil” is Dr. Charles R. Drew. Drew's hard work for the betterment of humans gave us an improvement in our health by means of blood transfusions. Citizens that follow Dr. Drew's ideals can also help , even if not medicinally. Students from Howard University will help lead this charge. Many others will follow, as we are all citizens of the world, Thank You.

Me, HowardU, The World

To be a student at Howard University, you stand on the shoulders of the alumni who come before you. We must contribute to the prestigious legacy. What can and will I do to be a part of the "best and brightest" of Howard? I chosen to start now. I was admitted to the Freshman Leadership Academy, floor representative for my residence hall's (Drew Hall) executive council, member of the California Student Association, member of the Howard University Political Science Society, and currently running for the position of Vice President for the COAS Freshman Class Council Board. I want to ensure that I can make a strong impact as a freshman while maintaining the highest grade point average that I am capable of earning.

As one citizen of a large, yet small world of billions of people, I realized that I must not limit and confine myself to local community. As a political science major, I plan to get involved with international affairs. This will enable me to be able to unite the greater world community; something the world has always been struggling with. Nothing is impossible. “We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.” - Vince Lombardi

In my life, I have been inspired to be atypical, and do the impossible. We ourselves are the main ones who develop self-doubt. I will be apart of the progressive movement.