Keepin' It Real: Overview

Last week we had a lovely discussion about the article "Keepin' It Real" by Prudence Carter.  We first discussed the major terms in the article, which included:
•Cultural Capital.
•Embodied cultural capital.
•Objectified cultural capital.
•Institutionalized cultural capital.
•Dominant cultural capital.
•Non-dominant cultural capital.
•Cultural Straddlers.

Next, we discussed the major themes and ideas of the article.  I thought these quotes were particularly important to understanding the article:

•(72) – “The failure to acknowledge black cultural capital signifies to many of these students a disavowal of their cultural backgrounds, their collective identities, and the value of their cultural practices.  They link their own self-importance to this capital and expect to find some place for it within the social spaces they inhabit, whether at home, in their neighborhoods, or in their schools.”

•(75) – “Both educators and students have a responsibility to address how culture affects academic achievement.  When dominant social groups define and circumscribe what is appropriate for success and achievement, the choices made by low-income African American and Latino youths can have negative consequences.  It should be a matter of personal choice whether individuals listen to hip-hop music or soft rock, dress in FUBU or LL Bean, or maintain mixed or same-group peer associations.  Certain ethno-specific cultural resources can function as nondominant capital and serve a social and cultural function.  These sorts of cultural codes do not intrinsically determine achievement and mobility.  Yet many of these students, especially the noncompliant believers, need help in negotiating and expanding their ideas and presentations of self, and ultimately in balancing different social ‘acts.’  Both students and schools could benefit from an opening up of society’s understanding of culture and capital.  

After the break, we watched a short clip from Dave Chappelle that encapsulated many of the ideas we discussed in class that day, as well as other ideas from other parts of the course.

Next, we watched the powerful "A More Perfect Union" speech President Obama delivered in 2008 about race in America.  I thought the points he made about our difficult history were fascinating:

  

I ended class with the Dave Chappelle sketch "White People Can't Dance."  He makes funny points about the different music that gets people moving, depending on their cultural background, or cultural capital.  

If we had more time, I would've included this article about the history of affirmative action.  I honestly have mixed feelings about affirmative action - it can be frustrating - but I thought the article was more focused on the discourse surrounding the issue.  Initially, affirmative action was brought in to make things more fair to the underprivileged.  The current discourse is arguing for affirmative action for the benefit of diversity in colleges, which is a harder argument to make than the fairness argument.  I thought it was interesting!