Philanthropy - Oprah Winfrey

Inside Philanthropy - Oprah Winfrey
 Net worth: $3 billion
 Main Source: Oprah Winfrey Show/Harpo Productions/Winfrey Network
Love to Know - Charities of Oprah Winfrey
 Main Charities:
 - The Angel Network
    - supports and pulicizes on her talk show hoping to get audience "to be more involved in giving             and volunteering"
    - collects millions of $'s in donation then gives grants to organizations focusing on her initiatives               (education, developing leaders, protecting human rights, making support communities)
    - started in 1997/98
    - pays all overhead and operating costs herself & 100% of donation goes to funding a project
 - The Oprah Winfrey Foundation
    - runs it exclusively
    - provides grants (funded by her personally) to non-profit organizations
    - no donations or grant applications; she chooses charities
 - The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation
    - exclusively for Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa
      - began in 2007
Other Charities:
 - O Ambassadors
    - school-based program which encourages kids "to give and act on behalf of their peers in                     underdeveloped countries"
 - The US Dream Academy
    - after school program that works with children who have a parent in jail
    - aims to "break the cycle of incarceration"
    - Oprah is one of the biggest supporters
Bio. - Oprah Winfrey Biography
 - single mother in Mississippi
 - sexually abused by several male relatives and friends of her mother when she was young
 - launched  The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986
 - Harpo Productions (Oprah backwards)
 - Oprah's Book Club --> put many unknown authors on top of bestseller lists & renewed popularity       of pleasure reading
 - co-founded Oxygen Media --> dedicated to "producing cable internet programming for women"
 - Angel Network has raised more than %52 million for charitable programs
 - proposed a bill to Congress, which was passed in 1994, making a nationwide database of convicted    child abusers
CNN - Oprah Wifrey Fast Facts
 - President Clinton signed "Oprah Bill"
 - "Oprah's Book Club" = influential in the publishing world
 - "Oprah Winfrey Show" was originally called "AM Chicago"
 - Won the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in 2002
 - Opened school for girls in 2007 ($40 million to open)
    - houses 152 girls from bad backgrounds and gives them education
 - OWN was originally "Discovery Health Channel"
 - was honored at the Kennedy Center in 2010 at 33rd annual Kennedy Center Honors gala
 - received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2001
 - Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2013

Industry Book Cover

This book cover displays the relationship between innovation and the growth of American industry.

Learning About Issues and Innovations

     In order to keep up with the growing trend of not only the quality of the products, but also how they are produced, major companies such as Nike and Apple are constantly working to improve the production of their products. One major factor that the companies are paying attention to is the environment. They are looking closer to how the making of their products are affecting the environment. For example, on the Nike website there is a whole page dedicated to informing the public about how they halved their energy usage, reduced their water usage, and using leftover materials and wastes to make products.

Supply Chain Management Definition

Supply Chain Management (SCM):

 - "the oversight of materials, information, and finances as they move in a process from supplier to      manufacturer to retailer to consumer."

Smoke Signals

     For modern-day Native Americans, aspects of their culture such as storytelling, ancestral bonds, and being connected or returned to nature can help them find power and meaning. On the other hand, being stuck on the reservation, money troubles, alcoholism and obesity, and the need to act like the stereotypical Indian can be problems that keep them from excelling. In the film Smoke Signals, directed by Chris Eyre, both the good and bad sides of present-day Indian life and culture can be observed. The movie follows the story of two Native American boys as they come to terms with who they are and what it means to be Indians.

      At the beginning of the movie, the audience sees Arnold's alcoholism and his families money problems. On several occasion, when Victor has a flashback to his childhood interactions with his father, Arnold can be seen drunk and angry. The audience sees Arnold slapping or hitting his son or wife in two of Victor's flashbacks. Later in the movie, when Victor has made the decision to go get some of his father's belongings, he runs into a problem: he doesn't have the money. Only when Thomas offer him some of the money he has saved, can Victor go get Arnold's things without having to walk the long distance.

     One of the main characters, Victor, can be seen throughout the movie struggling to figure out what it means to be a Native American today in the United States. With an alcoholic father who left him and his mother when he was young, his only role model on being an Indian man is American stereotypes from movies, TV, and books. In one scene of the movie, the audience sees Victor get onto Thomas for "smiling too much" and wearing a suit. He tells Thomas that "Indians are supposed to be stoic and brave-faced" like no one can mess with them. He is later corrected by Thomas who tells him that they were actually descended from a tribe of fishermen, not great warriors. Victor sees himself as the American stereotype of a brave-faced warrior that can't be messed with. This is because his only role model left him as a kid and the only thing telling him how he was "supposed" to act was American entertainment.
   
     The other main character in the film, Thomas, can be seen seeming to already accept and understand what being a Native American man is in the modern United States. In several scenes of the movie, he is telling  stories, either to fill the silence or, one time, as payment for a ride. A big part of the Native American culture was - and still is - storytelling. The point of Indian storytelling, however, wasn't always just to inform the listeners of what had already taken place. Sometimes the story was told for purely entertaining purposes or even to teach a lesson about life. Thomas tells stories to several characters in the movie for several reasons: to trade for a ride to the bus station, to make someone laugh, or even to teach someone a lesson.

     Another big part of the Native America culture is being connected or returned back to nature. When the two arrive back home, Victor gives Thomas some of Arnold's ashes with which he could do what he wanted. In one of the final scenes of the movie, Victor takes the remainder of his father's ashes and throws them in a river, returning him back to nature. With the release of Arnold's ashes, the release of Victor's internal struggles can be seen. The audience can see Victor come to terms with who his is and what that means for him.

     This film is great, not only for seeing the daily life of some of the modern-day Native Americans, but also seeing the internal struggles they have with figuring out who they are and what it means to be an Indian today in the United States.

The Sioux Chef

   Chef Sean Sherman has made it his goal to recreate foods made by the Native Americans. He has spent much of his time researching and trying to recreate the foods almost exactly as they were made by the Native Americans. But because the recipes were passed down verbally - and a lot of them forgotten - all he has to work with was his research on indigenous foods that they used. He works mostly on trial and error, trying to make the foods exactly as they did.

   Not only does he use the same ingredients, but he also obtains and prepares them in a similar fashion. He sun dries food on spits, wakes up early or stays up late to collect and gather the berries and herbs for his dishes, grows his own fruits and vegetables, and even goes as far as burning juniper branches to ash to use as seasoning!





NY Times -The Movement to Define Native American Cuisine
The Sioux Chef - An Indigenous Kitchen

Historic Newspaper: Albany, OR

Albany, Oregon 1871

   In a typical Western newspaper from around the year 1871, one could read about the happenings going on in their town or city. Some such "local affairs" are the health statuses of people in the community, events that have taken place in the community or the lives of certain citizens, new products coming out in certain stores, things happening in nearby communities, etc. Anything mildly interesting happening in the community was recorded in the newspaper so that everyone could know.



   Another thing that can be found in the typical newspaper is ads. Ads for doctors, different medical drugs, new products, etc.

Medicine from late 1800's

"The Great Blood Purifier"

Human Trafficking

      Human trafficking can come in many forms. Some such forms are black market organ trafficking, human sex trading, and child labor. Parallels can be found in the causes and victims of all of these forms and slavery in America. Three of the main causes of these things are as follows:
- poverty or extremes of rich and poor
- impoverished, uneducated, and/or displaced people
- lack of legal protection for a religious or ethnic minority
      All of these factors play a role in causing and enabling the enslavement or use of a group of people. The victims of these abuses are normally minorities or groups seen as "weaker" or with "lower intelligence". Most victims are girls, ethnic or religious minorities, etc.

Child Labor in India

      India has one of the largest child labor problems in the world with 1 in every 11 children in India working. An unbelievable 62.8% of that population is made up of 15-17-year-old's doing hazardous work. The percent of working children operating in hazardous situations 20.7% while the percent of adults working in hazardous situations is 25%.

      India's government did reform one of it's child labor laws allowing children under 14 to work in "family businesses" and the "entertainment industry".

Wordpress - Child Labor Today

The Nation - India’s New Child Labor Loophole

Live Mint - 10 Alarming Statistics on Child Labour in India

History in Film

Cover of Northup's Book

Watching a movie in class can do more than fill time or be entertaining. If the right movie is selected, it can be very educational when analyzed in class. Two such movies with high educational value are Glory and 12 Years a Slave. The film Glory, as we learned in class, was created using letters from Colonel Shaw to his family while he was away at war. The film 12 Years a Slave was also created with a great primary source: the book written by Solomon Northup about his experience.

Cover of Glory

In the film Glory, you see Colonel Shaw's struggle to gain the trust of the all-black platoon he has come to lead. At the start of the movie, he is doubtful of his ability to gain their trust. The viewer sees that there is still tension between the black and white soldiers. One turning point in the film is right after the South announces that they will kill any black prisoners of war or and white soldiers working with them. Colonel Shaw is worried that the soldiers will take the opportunity they have been offered and leave the platoon, but they don’t. After this point, you begin to see the trust and respect forming between Colonel Shaw and his soldiers. From watching this film, you develop an understanding of the still-present tension between the black and white soldiers, despite the fact that they are fighting for the abolition of slavery. 

Pre-Battle Scene from Glory

Patsey, Epps, and Solomon (left to right)

In 12 Years a Slave, you not only get to see the events that took place in Northup’s life, but you also get a glimpse of several cultural “norms” surrounding slavery and how slaves were treated. One such norm was the treatment of slaves who were “favored” by the master of the plantation. Once Solomon arrives on the Epps’ farm, he befriends a slave girl called Patsey. Patsey is Mr. Epps’s favorite slave, and in turn receives harsh treatment from the jealous Mrs. Epps. In the pre-Civil War era, it was often true that female slaves were used as sex slaves for the master of the plantation, and if they refused they faced the consequence of severe beatings and other physical punishments.

Mrs. Epps scratching Patsey

The mistress of the house frequently became jealous of the “favored” slave and lashed out at her physically and/or mentally. This was possible because one of the main responsibilities of the mistress of the farm was caring for the needs of the slaves. If they were jealous of a particular slave they could make her miserable by denying her food or soap or even physically abusing her. This can be noticed in 12 Years a Slave between Mrs. Epps and Patsey. Mrs. Epps is cruel to the slave girl on several occasions: she threw a bottle at her head, scratched her head, and even denied her food at one point. In one of the more serious cases, she even pushes her husband to severely whip Patsey. This gives the viewer an idea of the kind of relationships there were between mistress, master, and favored slave.

Watching a film in class can be educational if the right movie is picked. In history class, we were able to get two very different perspectives from the pre-Civil War era. By watching these films, we did not just learn about the facts and events that took place, we also got to glimpse into the cultural norms of those living before and during the Civil War. 
Sources:

Slate - “How Accurate was 12 Years a Slave?”
I used this to find out what events in the 12 Years a Slave film were taken from the book and
which happenings were made up or added.

Bowdoin College - Master-Slave Relations
This gave me more detailed information on the relationships between the master of the
plantation and female slaves.

PBS - Letters to R.C. Ballard Regarding Slave Woman Abuse
These primary sources helped strengthen the argument about the abuse of female slaves.

SFGate - Her tale was brutal, sexual. No one believed a slave woman could be so

literate. But now Harriet Jacobs has reclaimed her name.
The story of this female slave was an example of the abuse of female slaves.

History News Network - The Frightening Parallels between 19th Century American

Slavery and 21st Century Sex Trafficking
This source gave information on the business of "renting" female slaves.

Wordpress: Women of the Old South - Scarlett Lashes Out: Violent Plantation

Mistresses
This blog gave general information on the topic of plantation mistresses and their roles on the
plantation.

Richmond University - The Varying Roles of Plantation Mistresses in the Antebellum South
I used this source to get a more detailed idea about plantation mistresses and why they might lash out
at slaves.

Armstrong University - Paternalism and the Southern Hierarchy: How Slavery Defined Antebellum
Southern Women
This source informed me of other reasons for plantation mistresses being violent towards their slaves.

Inquiries Journal - Sexual Relations Between Elite White Women and Enslaved Men in the Antebellum
South: A Socio-Historical Analysis
This article gave me information on the behavior of plantation mistresses other than being violent to
slaves.

Web Archaeology - Levi Jordan Plantation: Sallie McNeill’s Diary
This diary of a plantation girl was a great primary source for getting inside the head of a plantation
mistress and seeing how she feels towards her slaves.

History vs. Hollywood - 12 Years A Slave
This site confirmed that the events involving Patsey and Mrs. Epps were true.

Reflection on Paraphrase Practice

In history class, we learned different methods of paraphrasing and quoting others. I discovered that instead of paraphrasing, I tend to write something different than the original source and only slightly touch on the original subject. This means that I need to focus on really understanding what idea the original source is exploring and write the idea in a way that is easier to understand.

I also discovered several ways to quote a source. I learned that I don't always have to write out the entire quotation. Rather, I can use an ellipses to skip the unneeded information in the original quote, use brackets to further explain something vague within a quote, or even break up the quote into different pieces and incorporate the fragments into my own idea.


This is what I learned today:
- Only use a direct quote when it adds power and style to my writing.
- Always make it clear, from context, that I understand the full meaning of the quote.
- Whether I quote or paraphrase, I must always be transparent about the source and how I'm using it.
- If I use another author's exact words or phrases, to any extent, I have to use quotation marks and       give credit.
- If I use another author's presentation of facts or idea, but put their ideas in my own words, (paraphrase) I better have a good reason for doing so, and I MUST give credit.
- Hyperlinking is so easy, there is no excuse for not being transparent about my sources.

I understand the above statements. I only need to work on reading the quote or idea to a deeper extent and focus on staying with the original idea or supporting the quotation I have used.

Practicing Incorporating a Quotation

Movie Review of Glory

The movie Glory is often shown in high school history classes. Unlike most other historical movies, this movie goes slightly farther. The review of Glory on Reel View says, "the filmmakers weave an impressively large historical tapestry without ever losing sight of the characters that make up the individual threads." In the film, unlike some other historical movies, several different perspectives are examined. The watcher sees the war from the perspective of a person of power, but also from the perspectives of several of the black soldiers. The film also goes farther than most others by using actual primary sources in order to write the script and some scenes in the movie. 

Paraphrase Practice

Reel Views:

"Obviously, the issue of racial inequality is at the film's forefront. The Massachusetts 54th began a long and proud tradition in the United States army of black units acquitting themselves admirably on the battlefield, despite rarely being given their due by their fellow white soldiers. What began with the 54th regiment continued throughout the Civil War and through two world wars. The greatest achievement of the 54th was to prove to the army that black soldiers could be relied upon to fight with the same tenacity and patriotism as white soldiers."

My paraphrase:

One of the main themes in Glory is racial inequality. The film shows the experience of the first in a long series of all-black units used in the United States army. In the film, the African-American soldiers are ridiculed by not only white soldiers, but each other as well, and are not given credit for their work for the army, much like the all-black units after them. Even so, they are desperate to fight in a real battle, and when they finally do they fight reliably and give their lives just as their white counterparts did.

How Could Slavery Happen?

      Today, if you were to ask someone about slavery, the response would almost always be negative. Something like, "I don't understand how people could do that," or, "It was so wrong of people to do that to another person." But what we don't realize is that the reason that slavery was allowed to happen is because there are several psychological components that play a part in that kind of situation. In history class this week, we read about two well-known studies on the psychology of people that can help us better understand why this happened. We also connected the growth of production of cloth to the worsening of slavery. 

       The experiment that is of more help when learning about slavery is Stanford Prison Experiment. This experiment was conducted to see just how far a person with total power would go. In the experiment, a group of students was randomly divided into "prisoners" and "prison guards". They were placed in a makeshift prison and told to act as if this were a real situation. At first, none of the students really took it seriously, but after a very short period of time, the "guards" began to get violent. Once the violence began taking place, things only went down hill. The "guards" became overly violent and some of the "prisoners" became so mentally unstable that they had to be removed from the experiment and reminded that it wasn't real. The experiment had to be ended early, because things became too serious. 

      What this experiment shows us is that when a person has total power over something/someone - such as a slave owner would have over his slaves - they usually become violent. The "guards" in the experiment knew that the "prisoners" were people going in, but obviously lost sight of that fact over the course of the experiment. Slaves weren't even seen as people to begin with, so it is easy to see how someone could be okay with treating someone they way slave owners treated slaves. 

       

      When the cotton economy started growing, slavery only got worse. When the inventions such as the cotton jenny, spinning wheel, et cetera came about, it sped up the cleaning, spinning, and weaving of cotton. This meant that cotton needed to be picked faster, and because there was no "magic invention" to pick cotton faster - or incentive to make one - the only solution to the problem was to make the "hands" (as slaves were called) pick faster. New inventions were created to brutally punish slaves and make them work faster, and new people were hired to use those new tools. The slave owners did not have a problem with it, because 1) they didn't see the slaves as people, 2) they were not the ones who had to punish the "hands", and 3) if they were getting more cotton in order to pay their bills or make money, who really cares how it's done?

US History 1600's to Civil War

In the class review of the timeline of the United States from the 1600's to the Civil War, we discovered the reasoning and timing for some of the major events that lead up to the creation of the United States and the beginning of the Civil War.

 The biggest challenges faced by the new nation in the pre-Civil War era were getting things done and agreeing on political decisions. The first unified "government" of the US was the Articles of Confederation. It was really hard to get things done,because consent had to be unanimous before anything was permitted to happen.

The nation managed to stay unified until the Civil War, because they had a common enemy. They allowed many things and put off several decisions for a long time, because they needed to stick together and fight Britain.

Here are some pictures of the timeline that we reviewed during class:

Empathy vs. Sympathy

Empathy and sympathy are very similar in that they both have to do with your reaction to another person's thoughts or feelings, but they are also very different.

When you show empathy for another person, you understand what they are thinking or feeling, but you do not also feel what they are feeling. You know what they are feeling and why they are feeling it, but you do not feel it as well. 

When you show sympathy for another person, you feel what they feel. If they are sad, you feel their sadness. If they are happy, you feel their happiness, etc. 

The difference between empathy and sympathy is understanding or feeling. Empathy is understanding, sympathy is feeling.

As a historian, a person must be able to show empathy to those he/she is studying. If he/she is able to show empathy, it can lead to discovering and understanding why those being studied did what they did.