Journal Entry #4
Discuss your visit to Robben Island and the District Six Museum utilizing the principles of the Black Perspective. Compare and contrast the historical and social similarities and differences between the United States and South Africa.
For me, the visits to both District Six Museum and Robben Island were extremely enlightening and eye-opening. The part of the visit to District Six Museum that stood out most for me was viewing the mural on the floor that represented the landscape of the Cape Town. To actually be able to locate Dr. Snell's street where he grew up and to see the writings of the people that came to the museum to symbolically reclaim their spaces and territories in the areas where they were forcefully removed was very powerful. I was also intrigued by how well versed our tour guide was in the history of apartheid in South Africa and the ease with which he shared this information with our group. It was as if he knew it in his sleep! I also appreciated how passionate he was about sharing this knowledge with others and educating and advocating within schools for children and youth to know their history.
As we rode across the water in the ferry toward Robben Island, I felt a spirit of heaviness come over me. I couldn't seem to understand why any country would go to such great lengths to isolate another human being from all civilization. I couldn't begin to imagine how Nelson Mandela must have felt during his time in prison. Furthermore, during our bus tour, the statement made by our tour guide regarding the rule against prisoners seeing their children until age 18 (now age 16) was and still is very disheartening. The thought of a person fighting for the rights of others being separated from their children and denied their rights as a parent was very painful. I thought at length about the impact this must have had on Mandela's ability to reconnect and develop a relationship with his children following his release from prison. I can only imagine the difficulty and pain he experienced.
To actually be able to stand inside of Mandela's prison cell was very moving. I am still in disbelief that I was actually there. For one man to sacrifice his life for the freedom and rights of others is simply amazing. In reflection on this, I considered the parallels that can be drawn between Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King. Someday, I would like to study their lives in order to gain greater insight into their motives for such sacrifices. Taking into consideration the principle of affirmation, the trip to both Robben Island and District Six Museum affirmed for me the struggle for freedom among black people across the Diaspora. Prior to attending this trip, I knew very little about the history of apartheid in South Africa. As I stood and listened to our tour guide at District Six Museum provide an overview of the history, I was able to draw several parallels with the history of the civil rights movement in the United States. Although our historical contexts are different in some ways, they are also very similar. The two experiences also affirmed for me the importance of pursuing research and scholarship that furthers our understanding of the lingering effects of the history of oppression and discrimination in the lives of black people globally. For example, how has the history of apartheid and the fight for civil rights impacted the forms of family that we now see today among blacks in America and across the continent of Africa?
Furthermore, taking into consideration the second principle of strength, although the disparities and challenges were very glaring, the strengths were so much more powerful and evident. This was one of the things I appreciated most about my experience in South Africa in general. The strength and resilience of the people brought such joy to my spirit and this is what I chose to focus my attention on. I absolutely loved how they utilized their creativity and ingenuity in order to survive and make a living for themselves, in spite of the devastating effects of apartheid, high rates of unemployment, and persistent discrimination. As I reflected on what I learned at Robben Island, I came to respect the strength of Mandela and his sacrifice for humankind on an entirely new level. Regarding the third principle, diversity, as I reflected on the linkages between the civil rights and anti-apartheid movements, I also learned to appreciate the uniqueness and distinctiveness of the two histories. Although we share similar experiences as black people, the contexts in which we have lived our struggles are in many ways different. In addition, I also observed the diversity that existed among the people of South Africa, particularly the differences in languages and dialect. The complexity of the various tribes and the languages associated with each one was very interesting and something that I never quite fully grasped while there.
On one hand, there were "official" languages (i.e., English or Afrikaans), and on the other hand, there were also tribal languages. This, for me, underscored the power of language, the efforts of the people to preserve their culture and heritage, despite the imposition of English and Afrikaans on them by the dominant culture. It also highlighted the linguistic diversity that exists within South Africa alone, not to mention across the continent of Africa. The various nationalities and the system of categorizing individuals into ethnic groups in South Africa was also a lesson in diversity for me. It was a difficult concept to grasp initially (i.e., black, colored, white, and Indian) as I couldn't seem to wrap my head around the difference between a black and colored person as in the United States, these two groups are one in the same. If it had not been for the Saturday seminars and being forewarned of the use of the term "colored" in the country, I think I would have been more shocked. While I could have construed this a negative thing, I learned to appreciate the differences and made a conscious effort to seek understanding rather than engage in criticism.
As the principle of diversity suggests, were are not a monolithic group and our experiences cannot be simplistically categorized or generalized. While we can appreciate the similarities, we must also appreciate, embrace, and not take for granted the differences. I remember throughout the trip how much we were frequently reminded of the fact that although South Africa shares many of the issues that are present in the United States, it remains a third world country. For me, it was easy to forget this because, based on aesthetics alone, I felt like I was in the U.S. However, when the electricity randomly went out in a coffee shop that I frequented while in the country and I began to learn about issues of land shedding, I was quickly reminded of where I was, the difference in my experience as a U.S. citizen, and my own privileges as an inhabitant of a first world country. I was reminded of the significance of the fourth principle, vivification, by our tour guides at both the District Six Museum and Robben Island who, as I mentioned previously, spoke so passionately about the history of Mandela and District Six. They each renewed and reaffirmed my own commitment to the study of black people and development of knowledge, particularly in the area of black families and fatherhood. In addition, their employment at these places and their time spent each day articulating the history of the people of South Africa was, in my opinion, a true testament to their commitment to social justice. I especially felt this way about our tour guide at Robben Island who was a former prisoner of the Island. Returning to prison to actually work may have been difficult for him. I wondered what his motivation may have been for choosing to return. Or, did he even see it as a choice? What other options of employment did he have? Did he actually enjoy his job?
Finally, as I have mentioned throughout my various journal entries, for me the experiences at the District Six Museum, Robben Island, and trip overall solidified for me the significance that the internationalization of social work practice will now take on in my career. I never considered adding an international dimension to my work prior this experience. However, I am now inspired to do so, with an emphasis on fatherhood in South Africa, and, perhaps the Caribbean. Overall, traveling internationally has uncovered an entirely new world for me and fostered a sense of commitment to studying black families beyond what I have come to know and understand in the United States.
Some of the historical and social similarities that I have observed between the U.S. and South Africa is definitely the bond and common thread that ties African Americans and black South Africans together through the two groups' struggle for equality, freedom, and democracy. As I reflected on what I learned while in South Africa, I realized that the two movements (the African American civil rights movement and black South African anti-apartheid movement) were led by very charismatic leaders in the persons of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King who shared very similar ideologies, tactics, and styles of leadership. In many ways, the fight for civil rights in America is inextricably linked to the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Similarities also exist along the lines of each country's history of engagement in segregation and oppression primarily on the basis of one's skin color. The only major difference I see is the history of slavery that preceded the civil rights movement in the United States and how the ravages of slavery fueled the fight for civil rights. For African Americans, the fight for equality began long before the civil rights movement of the 1960s. While our histories are the same, they are also varied.
For me, the visits to both District Six Museum and Robben Island were extremely enlightening and eye-opening. The part of the visit to District Six Museum that stood out most for me was viewing the mural on the floor that represented the landscape of the Cape Town. To actually be able to locate Dr. Snell's street where he grew up and to see the writings of the people that came to the museum to symbolically reclaim their spaces and territories in the areas where they were forcefully removed was very powerful. I was also intrigued by how well versed our tour guide was in the history of apartheid in South Africa and the ease with which he shared this information with our group. It was as if he knew it in his sleep! I also appreciated how passionate he was about sharing this knowledge with others and educating and advocating within schools for children and youth to know their history.
Our tour guide and I at the District Six Museum
Victoria and I at the District Six Museum
As we rode across the water in the ferry toward Robben Island, I felt a spirit of heaviness come over me. I couldn't seem to understand why any country would go to such great lengths to isolate another human being from all civilization. I couldn't begin to imagine how Nelson Mandela must have felt during his time in prison. Furthermore, during our bus tour, the statement made by our tour guide regarding the rule against prisoners seeing their children until age 18 (now age 16) was and still is very disheartening. The thought of a person fighting for the rights of others being separated from their children and denied their rights as a parent was very painful. I thought at length about the impact this must have had on Mandela's ability to reconnect and develop a relationship with his children following his release from prison. I can only imagine the difficulty and pain he experienced.
Julie, Thomas, and I on the ferry headed toward Robben Island
To actually be able to stand inside of Mandela's prison cell was very moving. I am still in disbelief that I was actually there. For one man to sacrifice his life for the freedom and rights of others is simply amazing. In reflection on this, I considered the parallels that can be drawn between Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King. Someday, I would like to study their lives in order to gain greater insight into their motives for such sacrifices. Taking into consideration the principle of affirmation, the trip to both Robben Island and District Six Museum affirmed for me the struggle for freedom among black people across the Diaspora. Prior to attending this trip, I knew very little about the history of apartheid in South Africa. As I stood and listened to our tour guide at District Six Museum provide an overview of the history, I was able to draw several parallels with the history of the civil rights movement in the United States. Although our historical contexts are different in some ways, they are also very similar. The two experiences also affirmed for me the importance of pursuing research and scholarship that furthers our understanding of the lingering effects of the history of oppression and discrimination in the lives of black people globally. For example, how has the history of apartheid and the fight for civil rights impacted the forms of family that we now see today among blacks in America and across the continent of Africa?
Standing inside of Nelson Mandela's prison cell on Robben Island
Furthermore, taking into consideration the second principle of strength, although the disparities and challenges were very glaring, the strengths were so much more powerful and evident. This was one of the things I appreciated most about my experience in South Africa in general. The strength and resilience of the people brought such joy to my spirit and this is what I chose to focus my attention on. I absolutely loved how they utilized their creativity and ingenuity in order to survive and make a living for themselves, in spite of the devastating effects of apartheid, high rates of unemployment, and persistent discrimination. As I reflected on what I learned at Robben Island, I came to respect the strength of Mandela and his sacrifice for humankind on an entirely new level. Regarding the third principle, diversity, as I reflected on the linkages between the civil rights and anti-apartheid movements, I also learned to appreciate the uniqueness and distinctiveness of the two histories. Although we share similar experiences as black people, the contexts in which we have lived our struggles are in many ways different. In addition, I also observed the diversity that existed among the people of South Africa, particularly the differences in languages and dialect. The complexity of the various tribes and the languages associated with each one was very interesting and something that I never quite fully grasped while there.
On one hand, there were "official" languages (i.e., English or Afrikaans), and on the other hand, there were also tribal languages. This, for me, underscored the power of language, the efforts of the people to preserve their culture and heritage, despite the imposition of English and Afrikaans on them by the dominant culture. It also highlighted the linguistic diversity that exists within South Africa alone, not to mention across the continent of Africa. The various nationalities and the system of categorizing individuals into ethnic groups in South Africa was also a lesson in diversity for me. It was a difficult concept to grasp initially (i.e., black, colored, white, and Indian) as I couldn't seem to wrap my head around the difference between a black and colored person as in the United States, these two groups are one in the same. If it had not been for the Saturday seminars and being forewarned of the use of the term "colored" in the country, I think I would have been more shocked. While I could have construed this a negative thing, I learned to appreciate the differences and made a conscious effort to seek understanding rather than engage in criticism.
Robben Island
As the principle of diversity suggests, were are not a monolithic group and our experiences cannot be simplistically categorized or generalized. While we can appreciate the similarities, we must also appreciate, embrace, and not take for granted the differences. I remember throughout the trip how much we were frequently reminded of the fact that although South Africa shares many of the issues that are present in the United States, it remains a third world country. For me, it was easy to forget this because, based on aesthetics alone, I felt like I was in the U.S. However, when the electricity randomly went out in a coffee shop that I frequented while in the country and I began to learn about issues of land shedding, I was quickly reminded of where I was, the difference in my experience as a U.S. citizen, and my own privileges as an inhabitant of a first world country. I was reminded of the significance of the fourth principle, vivification, by our tour guides at both the District Six Museum and Robben Island who, as I mentioned previously, spoke so passionately about the history of Mandela and District Six. They each renewed and reaffirmed my own commitment to the study of black people and development of knowledge, particularly in the area of black families and fatherhood. In addition, their employment at these places and their time spent each day articulating the history of the people of South Africa was, in my opinion, a true testament to their commitment to social justice. I especially felt this way about our tour guide at Robben Island who was a former prisoner of the Island. Returning to prison to actually work may have been difficult for him. I wondered what his motivation may have been for choosing to return. Or, did he even see it as a choice? What other options of employment did he have? Did he actually enjoy his job?
Our tour guide and I on Robben Island
Robben Island
Finally, as I have mentioned throughout my various journal entries, for me the experiences at the District Six Museum, Robben Island, and trip overall solidified for me the significance that the internationalization of social work practice will now take on in my career. I never considered adding an international dimension to my work prior this experience. However, I am now inspired to do so, with an emphasis on fatherhood in South Africa, and, perhaps the Caribbean. Overall, traveling internationally has uncovered an entirely new world for me and fostered a sense of commitment to studying black families beyond what I have come to know and understand in the United States.
Some of the historical and social similarities that I have observed between the U.S. and South Africa is definitely the bond and common thread that ties African Americans and black South Africans together through the two groups' struggle for equality, freedom, and democracy. As I reflected on what I learned while in South Africa, I realized that the two movements (the African American civil rights movement and black South African anti-apartheid movement) were led by very charismatic leaders in the persons of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King who shared very similar ideologies, tactics, and styles of leadership. In many ways, the fight for civil rights in America is inextricably linked to the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Similarities also exist along the lines of each country's history of engagement in segregation and oppression primarily on the basis of one's skin color. The only major difference I see is the history of slavery that preceded the civil rights movement in the United States and how the ravages of slavery fueled the fight for civil rights. For African Americans, the fight for equality began long before the civil rights movement of the 1960s. While our histories are the same, they are also varied.
The Six Principles of the Black Perspective
- Affirmation: The Black Perspective is an affirming and profoundly liberating stance at both the individual and collective levels. It celebrates the richness, productivity and vigor of the lives of African Americans and Blacks in the U.S. and in other parts of the world. The School of Social Work is committed to imbuing social work practice and theory with this Perspective. This mission means a commitment on our part to use increasing levels of scholastic productivity and rigor, teaching effectiveness, and social work practice competence as tools to advance the contemporary Black agenda, as well as a commitment to public services, a service arena of importance to the Black community.
- Strengths: Precisely because the Black Perspective is first of all an affirmation of strength, it insists on delineating ways in which that strength can be used to respond to the continuing oppression of Black people. The search for the causes, consequences and elimination of oppression is inherent in all areas of social work practice, research, and education.
- Diversity: The Black Perspective is distinctive but not monolithic. Simplistic, global characterizations of Black individuals, families, groups and communities are intolerable. It is equally unacceptable to overlook the genuine cultural, economic, political and social bonds of distinctiveness that do exist. Producing social work practitioners, researchers and educators who are faithful both to the commonalities of interest and experience and to the rich and complex diversities within the Black population is a demanding educational task. Knowledge of commonalities and diversities is continually expanding. Keeping abreast of that knowledge, contributing to it, and shaping social work practice to it are prime elements of our mission.
- Vivification: The Black Perspective is a positive and vivifying stance, not a negative or exclusionary one. This means that the School of Social Work has a special mission to educate Black social work practitioners, researchers and educators while at the same time providing quality professional education to all students regardless of race, creed, sex or national origin. The School's curriculum gives primacy to Black content and, in fact, the School is a national leader in the development of social work curriculum materials that are responsive to the Black population. At the same time, the curriculum provides all of our students with a broadly- based professional preparation which gives them career flexibility and the skills to work with the diverse elements of modern American society.
- Social Justice: The Black Perspective means a special sensitivity to the experiences of all oppressed and underserved groups in American society. There is no contradiction between giving primacy to the Black experience and being responsive to the perspectives and experiences of other groups who have been subjected to oppressive forces. Howard University's heritage as a leader in the struggle for social justice places the School of Social Work in a uniquely advantageous position to work with all groups seeking equality and freedom from oppression.
- Internationalization: An international dimension with a special emphasis on Africa and the Caribbean area is intrinsic to the School's Black Perspective. The School of Social Work has a mission to educate international students for positions of direct social work practice and leadership roles in social welfare administration and policy in their home countries. A second aspect of the international dimension is our School's commitment to developing that area of social work practice dealing with refugees and other displaced populations -- both those individuals displaced within their own countries and those displaced across national borders. A final aspect of the international dimension is the School's desire to foster in its graduates a sense of involvement and commitment to other parts of the world as an element of their professional identity. This is especially important for those areas where issues of social justice and social welfare for people of color are crucial.
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