The document summarizes three talks on various topics:
1) A talk by designer Walé Oyéjidé about his brand that seeks to empower people of color through clothing designs depicting people of color in positions of power from history.
2) A talk by Cheyanne Cochrane celebrating natural hair and discussing the cultural obsession with straight hair and how this impacted views of black hair.
3) A talk by T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison about the health organization GirlTrek they founded after learning about high rates of preventable diseases in black women and how systematic racism impacts health and opportunities.
The document summarizes three talks on various topics:
1) A talk by designer Walé Oyéjidé about his brand that seeks to empower people of color through clothing designs depicting people of color in positions of power from history.
2) A talk by Cheyanne Cochrane celebrating natural hair and discussing the cultural obsession with straight hair and how this impacted views of black hair.
3) A talk by T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison about the health organization GirlTrek they founded after learning about high rates of preventable diseases in black women and how systematic racism impacts health and opportunities.
The document summarizes three talks on various topics:
1) A talk by designer Walé Oyéjidé about his brand that seeks to empower people of color through clothing designs depicting people of color in positions of power from history.
2) A talk by Cheyanne Cochrane celebrating natural hair and discussing the cultural obsession with straight hair and how this impacted views of black hair.
3) A talk by T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison about the health organization GirlTrek they founded after learning about high rates of preventable diseases in black women and how systematic racism impacts health and opportunities.
The document summarizes three talks on various topics:
1) A talk by designer Walé Oyéjidé about his brand that seeks to empower people of color through clothing designs depicting people of color in positions of power from history.
2) A talk by Cheyanne Cochrane celebrating natural hair and discussing the cultural obsession with straight hair and how this impacted views of black hair.
3) A talk by T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison about the health organization GirlTrek they founded after learning about high rates of preventable diseases in black women and how systematic racism impacts health and opportunities.
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Date
Title and who the talk is by
Summary/Key Points/Quotes:
Response:
What was powerful about this speaker?
What can/or can’t I take away from this speaker and use?
Questions from the talk
2/21/1
Fashion that Celebrates African Strength and Spirit By Walé Oyéjidé
Summary/Key Points/Quotes: Walé Oyéjidé is the designer of Ikiré Jones, a brand that seeks change through clothing. The garments created have biblical/historical scenes on the fabric with people of color placed in the positions of power. The goal of this brand is to dismantle bias, and empower people of color to be different and express themselves and their history.
Response: The talk is started with, “It is often said that the stories of history are written by its victors, but if this is true, what becomes of the downtrodden, and how can they ever hope to aspire for something greater if they are never told the stories of their own glorious pasts?” I thought this was a very interesting and true point to ponder. His designs of placing people of color in positions of power is a very interesting way to look at history. I also find it very interesting that people of color aren’t always represented in history as well as they should be. When the Spanish and Portuguese were exploring the Americas, Africans helped them. Estevanico is the most famous of these and is from Morocco. I didn’t know this until I started studying slavery on my own. Additionally I think that we aren’t taught about people of color in history classes very much but if their history isn’t well documented how can we?
What was powerful about this speaker?
I didn’t find this speaker powerful. I thought his words were powerful, but his execution of those words was not. He didn’t use much expression, which didn’t keep me very captivated because of this.
Questions from the talk
He never said if the scenes were actual biblical scenes or just resembled biblical scenes. My question is are they biblical scenes?
2/13/18
A Celebration of Natural Hair By Cheyenne Cochrane
Summary/Key Points/Quotes: Cheyanne starts the talk off with a story about her childhood. She grew up on the south side of Chicago. When she was about 13, she was at her white friends house on the south west side. This area of Chicago has a very small black population. Her friends sister sat there playing with her hair and asked, “Are you black?” Cheyanne proceeded to talk about how she found it interesting that this girl who she spent such a large amount of time with didn’t notice she was black till she touched her hair. Cheyanne continues to talk about how in post Civil War America having natural hair was the most “telling feature” of a person of color. Women first started using chemical straighteners, and heat on their hair regularly in the early 1900’s. Garrett A. Morgan, and Madame CJ Walker are credited with some of these first products. “Over the years, we grew accustomed to this idea that straighter and longer hair meant better and more beautiful. We became culturally obsessed with this idea of having what we like to call ... "good hair."This essentially means: the looser the curl pattern, the better the hair.”(3:33) The idea of black hair looking less professional has continued and is still a major ideal in our society today. In September of 2016 a federal court ruled it lawful to not hire a person based on whether or not they have dreadlocks. In this particular case a manager in Mobile, Alabama is recorded saying, "I'm not saying yours are messy, but ... you know what I'm talking about." Currently there is a large movement towards wearing hair naturally, and in ethnic styles.
Response: Last fall I was waiting with my team for practice, and we had an hour, or so to kill. One of the girls asked if she could cornrow my hair, and I said sure. Halfway through my head another one of our teammates walked in and said to stop. Confused we asked her why and she responded with cultural appropriation. After asking how braiding our hair could be an issue of cultural appropriation she had no idea and said it just was. As far as we were concerned they were just braids. This TED talk reminded me of this day, and made me question how I couldn’t have realized why this could be considered not okay? Then I realized I much like Cheyannes friends little sister lived in a white community. The history of black hair is a story not told in social studies classes. How could I have known or understood from personal experience? I’m white, therefore wouldn’t experience this myself. I live in a white community, therefore I wouldn’t be likely to see someone else experience it. However I do have one one black friend who has a weave. As far as I know she wears it because she thinks it’s prettier than her natural hair. The more I think about her and her hair I wonder what cultural norms am I enforcing without knowing? What things was I taught but just thought that’s the way it is? More importantly how come these are still being upheld? After all this time how has there not been a bigger movement away from “good hair”? What makes people want change? What makes people create change?
What was powerful about this speaker?
Cheyanne brought in aspects of history that I felt were very important for people to understand the issue. Then she tied that history into current events. She asked questions of the audience, which kept me engaged and asked me to think about what she was saying. Lastly her speech got me to ask questions. She had things for everyone in a community to do to create change. First wear your hair naturally, and for all those who don’t have ethnic hair or choose not to wear it naturally, applaud those who do!
What can I take away from this speaker and use?
● Using stories to add to the talk ● Asking the audience to think ● Include all people in what a speech is address/seeking to change
Questions from the talk
● What cultural norms am I enforcing without knowing? ● What things was I taught but just thought that’s the way it is? ● More importantly how come these are still being upheld? ● After all this time how has there not been a bigger movement away from “good hair”? ● What makes people want change? ● What makes people create change?
6/7/18
The trauma of systematic racism is killing Black women. A first step toward change… by T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison Summary/Key Points/Quotes: The founders of GirlTrek, T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, started the nonprofit health organization after learning the alarming rates that black women are dying from preventable diseases. T. Morgan, a former teacher, says that after finding out that half of black girls will get diabetes. That meant half the girls in her classroom, “So I couldn't teach anymore. So I started taking girls hiking, which is why we're called GirlTrek, but Vanessa was like, that is not going to move the dial on the health crisis; it's cute.She was like, it's a cute hiking club.” Then GirlTrek was born. The group gets women walking all of the country.
Response: I was expecting this talk to have more about racism in it then it did. They weren’t super direct about the correlation between walking and racism. However, I think that the correlation between race and health issues has a few components. First, that when people have a bad day or something happens we don’t want to do anything physical. Second, systematic racism creates a lack of job opportunities for people of color compared to their equally qualified white counterparts. As well as a lack of opportunities in education to become qualified for certain job opportunities. Both of these things create less access to healthy food. Adding to issues such as obese and diabetes.
What was powerful about this speaker?
I think that when trying to reach people in terms of making change they need to feel something. In most cases this is done through empathy or statistics. Both of these I think reach different people. In this speech they used both of these strategies, which I found very effective.
What can/or can’t I take away from this speaker and use? This use of both empathetic and statistical tactics I can definitely take away and use. In addition to this the women in the talk told stories as though they were talking to a friends. Which makes you feel more as though they are talking directly to you.
