Dr. Hargrove is currently the Associate for African American Studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He has a lifelong commitment to the personal, positive development of our youth. He has authored and provided the following articles for your consideration...
There is a growing awareness among educators as well as religious leaders that negative words must be eliminated during the 1990's, if a new generation of young people are to successfully transition into the 21st Century. Words that depict negative images must not be used nor reinforced daily in environments where young and impressionable minds are developing. This article is intended to "Sound the Drum" for a new view of the importance of creating positive environments in the home, school, religious institutions and community. Within these environments are the nurturing conditions that are conductive for a new state of affairs to occur in the 1990's.
The key factor that shapes one's personality and allows a person's identity to emerge is the environment in which he or she is raised.Ttherefore, one must pay close attention to the environmental influences that reinforce desirable and undesirable behaviors in people, particularly students. Further, if these negative environmental influences are not significantly reduced or eliminated, the identity and self-concept of the individual will not develop to their maximum potential.
The use of the spoken word "nigger" is a term that has created the environmental conditions that stifle growth, learning and development within young people. Educators and others are saying, do not say it and do not identify with it. When people say it, they are reinforcing the negative images and beliefs that this concept subtly promotes to the listener of the word. Instead of orally using the word, educators are saying, "take the I out of the word".
When one takes the "I" out, the word cannot be properly pronounced with the same degree of intensity. In addition, educators are saying, if one needs to make a reference to the word, particularly over the radio air waves or electronic media such as television, one should spell this word by saying, "N take the "I" out of it GGER". It should never be pronounced by the person(s) discussing the word because this term is recognized as the curse word of the 90's. Furthermore, radio and television stations should be progressively moving society into the 1990's by blinking out or editing this curse word when it is spoken over the air waves.
By acknowledging this word on the level of the four letter swear word SH_T, one gains the true representation of the depth and danger of the usage and meaning of which this word has come to mean. Certainly, enlightened religious leaders have begun to understand the deeper meaning that this negative term conjures up. Many have begun to educate their congregations against its spoken usage in public or at home. They explain to them that it is not only swearing or cursing, but affirming and reaffirming to the youths of this society that it is all right to swear, curse, or be cursed.
Concomitantly, educators are beginning to take a stronger leadership role in advancing a new view of the power of language. This perspective is designed to eliminate negative images and terms, while reinforcing positive values within the learning environment of the home, school, religious institution and community. In this case, all four environments help shape and prepare youths to assume their proper roles within this pluralistic and demographically changing society of the 1990's and the 21st Century. In conclusion, educators and others are encouraging a new view of language that says, "Be Positive"! Our Children's Minds Are Still Being Developed".
Every February One,
I sound the drum
To celebrate a new tradition
That has just begun.
I Sound the Drum
for the world to hear.
I Sound the Drum
for peace throughout the year.
Will you join on February 1, 1991?
JJH
This poem was contributed in honor of the late Dr. Martin Luther King.
As this diverse society continues to move toward the 21st century, there is a new view of people and their culture emerging in the 1990's. This article will share some thoughts why this perspective is occurring as well as allow the readers the opportunity to identify where they fit into this new view model.
In order to understand who's emerging in the 90's, one must know that population statistic show a demographically changing nation and world. Currently, demographers estimate that the national population consist of 238 million people living in the USA. This figure represents less than 5% of the world's population which is estimated to be 5 billion people. Yet, the USA is able to exercise approximately two-thirds control or influence in the world order of occurrences.
Since the majority of the people in the world come from diverse backgrounds and cultures, it is imperative that they be prepared to assume positions of influence, power and authority. In addition, individuals from African-American backgrounds must seek to and be encouraged to emerge into the structural realms of this ethnically changing and diverse society.
If any of the above groups or other cultures are to successfully transition into the new society, they must develop a new vocabulary and understanding about people. For example, there are many terms that have out grown their usefulness and should cease to be used in the 1990's. These terms often pose negative connotations, particularly on the image or identity of the person from the so called " minority" groups--"Emerging" Cultures.
In order to meet the challenge of the 1990's, two terms have been coined to better describe this so-called "minority" population who must be considered as "aspirants" or "emergants". Now, can you identify which groups are emerging into this demographically changing society of the 1990's?
The University of Arizona recently sponsored a forum titled, "Let's Talk About Cultural Diversity." One of the major points brought forth the need for the demise of the term "minority", primarily because it means less than. Cultural groups such as African-Americans prefer to identify themselves as such because they are aware that this term connects them with their African ancestral ties rather than to the color black. This cultural identity also moves them beyond color.
African-Americans are aware that if they move beyond color, they move beyond the institutional barriers of racism into a position where they can celebrate the essence of this diverse society.
This same importance must hold true for significant numbers of Asian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Native-Americans, and other populations, if the richness of their cultures is to flourish during the 1990's which will be a period of demographic and cultural transition.
Discover who's emerging into the 1990's by asking yourself the following questions:
(1) Do you have aspirations to improve the quality of your life?
(2) Are you seeking to emerge into the diverse society of the 1990's and into the 21st century?
If you answer yes to either or both of the questions, you are identifying yourself as an "Aspirant" or "Emergant" or both. More importantly, you are acquiring a motivational identity that promotes a positive outlook on life for a new millennium.
In conclusion, it is important for one to have a new view of life that allows for the understanding of differences and acceptance of oneself. Further, when both of these conditions are met, nurtured and allowed to exist, there is a better sense of order, harmony and cooperation among this diverse world of the future.