Project by: Lucia Dammert Duenas (10th Grade)
Project Advisor: Jess Prohias Gardiner
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): Susan Now

Description of the Project:

From the book jacket of How to be an Antiracist, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi explains “the only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it- and then dismantle it.” For my project, I will be analyzing poems from the time period of the Harlem Renaissance written about racism through Trump’s America and compare the past to  the present. Additionally, I will be reading sections of Kendi’s book, and watching clips from comedians on racism. 

I hope to further my own understanding of racism and how to be an antiracist. This topic has impacted America so greatly, and I want to be more educated on the topic. One of the reasons I want to take this on is that I want to be a better ally to the Black community and to other people of color.

Final Reflection on Learning:

After having continued my Honors Project from Trimester 2, I have furthered my understanding of being an antiracist and educating myself. From “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay to “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman, there is a recurring concept of how money and power have crafted racial inequality. Like Dr. Ibram X. Kendi wrote, “Race [is] a power construct of collected or merged difference that lives socially”(35). Since long ago, the root problem has always been self-interest. “Powerful economic, political, and cultural self-interest–the primitive accumulation of capital in the case of royal Portugal and subsequent slave traders–has been behind racist policies” (43). White men created the slave trade for economic profit and power. Prince Henry was the first.  The name Henry comes from Prince Henry the Navigator, and he was “the first character in the history of racist power”(39). After learning the history behind his middle name, Dr.Kendi changed it to Xolani, meaning peace. The very thing Prince Henry’s slave traders took away from millions of people. 

Besides reading Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s book, “How to be an AntiRacist,” I have read the poems “Harlem” by Langston Hughes, “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks, and “Incident” by Countee Cullen. Each has a similar theme: race impacts one’s dream and lifestyle because, in many people’s eyes, it is a racial crime to look like yourself or empower yourself if you are not White. “We Real Cool” begins as a light-hearted poem, then progresses to “We Thin gin,” “We Lurk late,” and“We Die soon.” The word “we” is repeated throughout the poem restating that Black people do not know when their lives are in danger. The same progression is seen in “Incident.” She is recounting an incident where a young white boy yelled a racist slur at a black boy around the same age the reader can assume. The young boy’s emotions develop from “heart filled with glee” to having this incident take over his entire memory,”that’s all that I remember.” However in “Harlem,” almost every line refers to a dream and how if a dream is deferred it come up on your skin then “fester” away. This poem is more universal than the last because it is as if one’s dream was taken away by something beyond one’s control. The title in itself is also explaining how this “dream” is taken from people everywhere, but specifically in “Harlem” because of the inequalities out of anyone’s control. 

Final Product:

Update on Progress from Weeks 1-6:

In these past few weeks, I have read and analyzed almost all of Chapter 4 of “How to Be An Antiracist” by Ibram X Kendi. He wrote, “And of course these were not simply neutral categories, because races were never meant to be neutral categories. Racist power created them for a purpose.” Here, he explains the past of why the concept of race was created; for two things, money and power. I have also subscribed to “Letter from an American” by Heather Cox Richardson which keeping me updated on what occurs. From reading her weekly message, about current and past events, I have learned about Fredrick Douglass’s escape and how he could not write the truth until it was safe for him to do so. He did not explain how he was able to get away, until the last version of his autobiography. She has also written about Geroge Floyd, President Joe Biden and his new policies, and the impact of Trump’s impeachment. I plan to keep reading and looking for poems that relate to topics discussed in both “Letter from an American” and “How to be an Antiracist.”

Update on Progress from Weeks 7-9:

By these final weeks, I have collected quotes from the past and present and framed thought-provoking questions. I am beginning my Final Reflection and my poster. These Trimstesters I have broadened my knowledge of how to be an antiracist.

TRIMESTER 2 UPDATES:

Description of the Project:

From the book jacket of How to be an Antiracist, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi explains “the only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it- and then dismantle it.” For my project, I will be analyzing poems from the time period of the Harlem Renaissance written about racism through Trump’s America and compare the past to  the present. Additionally, I will be reading sections of Kendi’s book, and watching clips from comedians on racism. 

I hope to further my own understanding of racism and how to be an antiracist. This topic has impacted America so greatly, and I want to be more educated on the topic. One of the reasons I want to take this on is that I want to be a better ally to the Black community and to other people of color.

Final Product (e.g., documents, images, video, audio, poster, display, etc.):

Notes on readings:

Final Reflection on Learning:

From class discussions, meeting with Jess, discussions with my tutor, Sharon, and reading a few pages of How to Be an Antiracist, I was inspired to delve deeper into this topic. From Dr. Kendi, I realized that having an understanding of basic definitions is necessary to being an active anti-racist. I learned that someone is being a racist “if their actions or inactions support a racist policy” and someone is being an antiracist “when their actions or expressions support antiracist policies.” I also learned an assimilationist is “one who is expressing the racist idea that a racial group is culturally or behaviorally inferior and is supporting cultural or behavioral enrichment programs to develop that racial group.” A segregationist is “one who is expressing the racist idea that permanently inferior racial groups can never be developed and is supporting policy that segregates away that racial group.” And an antiracist is “one who is expressing the idea that racial groups are equals and none needs developing, and is supporting policy that reduces racial inequity” (24). 

I kept these definitions in my mind as read or watched different materials/commentary on racial injustice. First, I read the poem “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay. He was a poet  of the Harlem Renaissance. His poem is a rallying cry for people to fight back against racism. The words “pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!” reminded me of the horrific murder of George Floyd; he was pressed against the floor by a white cop. Black people and other people of color have experienced discrimination, physical abuse, and murder showing systematic racism then and now. 

During Biden’s inauguration, Amanda Gorman read her Inaugural Poem,“The Hill We Climb.” She was the youngest Inaugural Poet. Her poem was extremely relevant to the year 2020. When she said, “interrupted by intimidation, because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation,” it spoke to the fear around the country, fear of the pandemic, fear of black people taking their rightful stance, fear of police brutality, and so much more. The United States has endured and caused so much pain, yet Amanda acknowledges the wrongs. She then ends the poem with “better and beautiful” explaining that America today is not where it needs to be, but will be. 

I was curious if there had been other poems at inaugurations before, and Sharon suggested that I read Maya Angelou’s poem, “On the Pulse of Morning.” She read her poem at Bill Clinton’s Inauguration in1993. Angelou’s poem was powerful. She spoke to the nation about confronting our past. The line “History, despite its wrenching pain, can not be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again” sticks out to me because she wants us to be  honest about racism and realize that we can, indeed, do better. 

The similarities between Gorman and Angelou are clear. While one poet was much younger than the other, the similarities are striking. Both poets acknowledge the growth that’s needed for a better nation. 

There needs to be growth in what is taught and shared about United States history if we are truly going to become anti-racist. The video, “Why We Need a White History Month”, by The Amber Ruffin Show, shows how white-washed United States History is. In this video, she explains that there should be a white history month to explain the truth behind textbooks, the KKK, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln. For a long time we have idolized  important figures, when truly they have also been racist.

I look forward to learning more as I continue to learn about how to be an anti-racist in trimester three. I’ll continue gathering more sources. 

Update on Progress from Weeks 1-3 (include any photos or video if relevant):

During the first few weeks of my Honors Project, I have been able to analyze the poems “The Hill We Climb” by Manda Gorman,”If We Must Die” by Claude McKay, and “On the Pulse of Morning” by Maya Angelou. In all of these poems, there are common themes of inequality in gender, wealth, and race. I have also read a few chapters of “How To Be An Anti-Racist” by Ibram X. Kendi in which I learned the importance of definitions and the inequality in the jail system (among other things). From analyzing poems and reading “How To Be An Anti-Racist,” my idea for my Honors Project has slightly shifted. I would like to analyze poems from today not just specifically from the Harlem Renaissance.

Update on Progress from Weeks 4-6 (include any photos or video if relevant):

Update on Progress from Weeks 7-9 (include any photos or video if relevant):