(via dtronics)

…which is why I never go home.

-“Thinking”, The Meters

So…I’ve gotten twists downnnnn. I wear them for about 2 days and then wear a twist out for the rest of the week. I pull it back of the sides in the front and make it big on top….compliments ensue LOL! I’ve gotten really used to my hair. I don’t even think about it and as a matter of fact, I feel too nice when I walk out in the morning. Makes me feel different, in a great way.

I’m still trying to get used to the drastically different textures in the front and back. The front is tightly coiled and the back? Verrrrrry loose. It is also longer, so I am contemplating cutting it. Probably won’t though (shrugs). I’m going to just let it be for a while. It just got here, haha.

All in all, I wish I would have done this sooner.

A response to xaknows; read the post HERE.

He was responding to my original post on Blacks in philosophy, HERE.

While I agree with most of your post, let me say that my main point (and as I specifically note) is not necessarily an appeal to a historical perspective, as you state it: “Oh, there weren’t many black philosophers before me, what makes me think I can be one?” What I am noting is that Black students don’t know about MLK’s studies on Hegel and/or the philosophers who are within the analytical framework. This is my claim; it is so because what I think is exactly the opposite of this historical account…I think there are many Black philosophers, who get no recognition in the canon because of the kinds of philosophy they do. Moreover, to make the claim that there are “no role models” as you have is to make a very similar, though distinct, claim about the historical implications of the visibility of philosophers/philosophy, because if they were visible, students would see that there are many potential role models. And I do think this lack of visibility (not lack of actual philosophers) keeps some Black students from studying philosophy. It is clearly not the only or even most significant, but I do think it is a contributing factor.

Secondly, I have to disagree about Black philosophers being unwilling or too busy to mentor students. I am being mentored by several Black philosophers, and have been contacted personally by many, with whom I did not initiate the contact. They are thrilled when they meet driven students. Sometimes it takes reaching out and voicing interest, but again, Black students have to know that these people are out there. When I got into contact with many of my present mentors, they offered me tons of advice, dinner, lunch, tours of their universities/cities, etc. Yes, I am aware that there are not many Black philosophers (roughly 125 of the 10,000 philosophers in the country, 32 of those being Black women), but there are several avenues, the Collegium for Black Women Philosophers being an example, in which one can gain exposure and build networks.

In addition to this, I also have to disagree about the claim that “non-black philosophers simply aren’t interested in nurturing their black students”. The best/most well-known Black philosophers were not mentored or “nurtured” by Black philosophers. Moody-Adams has stories about her relationship with John Rawls and how he helped her the most when she was first experiencing hardships in philosophy. Adrian Piper Smith was also in that Harvard cohort. Anita Allen’s early mentors and influences come from a group of white women philosophers. Is it the case that some non-Black philosophers will not mentor or nurture Black students? Yes. Is it necessarily the case that all of them won’t? No. This may also have to do with the fact that it is not something they do regularly because they rarely have Black students and thus have little experience in these interactions. It’s not that they don’t care about the needs of Black students, it is that some really don’t know what they need. I do not think it is a blatant “inability to relate”. Michele Moody Adams says the same about Black women philosophers, that they will often feel closer to other women philosophers (regardless of race) than Black men philosophers.

I do agree that Black students may need more support, and that they are concerned with finances. But these apply to a wide range of fields; Black students study other disciplines in the humanities (fields with poor job prospects and a lack of financial guarantee like, though not to the extent, as philosophy), often without any mentors. They go to grad school in these disciplines at a much higher rate as well. What I am trying to figure out is: what about philosophy is different? Most students don’t know the horror stories. They don’t yet know how difficult it really is when they are just starting. There is something at the surface that scares students away before they even dig deep enough to understand it, and it seemingly revolves around career prospects/finances (they don’t know what one can do besides be professors/lawyers, and they don’t find the former to be appealing), visibility of philosophers (who can potentially act as role models/mentors…most don’t know who Appiah, Shelbie, Boxill, Piper or Allen are) and seeing value/purpose/themselves (how their interests in race may connect to larger philosophical problems, for example) within the tradition. The most important thing for Black philosophers isn’t to turn students away, just to be honest. Remind them to do what they love, regardless of all the difficulty. If not, find what you are willing to sacrifice for and chase it.

Thank you for engaging in this with me, by the way. This is something that not many have knowledge of, so it is good to find someone to exchange ideas with. I welcome your comments and if you want to email, I’m at wikirocks@gmail.com.

dtronics:

pretend not to know what you know

adrian piper

I absolutely love Adrian Piper Smith! She is the perfect intersection between artist and philosopher.

-“Cold Hearted”, Blu & Exile