Understanding our Past, so it will not be our Future! Changing Behaviors One Day at a Time. Camille S. Britton, Program Assistant/Technology Coordinator.

Understanding our Past, so it will not be our Future!

Changing Behaviors One Day at a Time.

Camille S. Britton,

Program Assistant/Technology Coordinator

July 19, 2007

Greenwood Shalom After-School Program 2006 – 2007

September 2006 was the commencement of my 1700 AmeriCorps hours.

Camille S. Britton

Greenwood Shalom Observations:

Demographics I first observed that the After-School Program (A.S.P.) served an urban population.

50% of that population were females.

15% of those females were 11-14 years old.

Camille S. Britton

Greenwood Shalom Observations Continued Their behavior, attitude and language

(B.A.L.) were focal points of my observations.

Facilitator discretion is advised

Camille S. Britton

Greenwood Shalom Observations Continued Language – How they communicated

and responded to or with each other: Vulgar, Degrading, Demeaning.

Examples:

Bitch, Whore, Ho, Skank, Chicken-Head, Baldy, Stupid, Blackie, Ugly, Jagged Mouth etc.

Camille S. Britton

Greenwood Shalom Observations Continued Behavior – How they interacted with

each other and staff: Violent, short-tempered, ill-mannered.

Examples:

Hit, kicked, punched and/or spat at each other as well as threw things at one another etc.

They verbally confronted and threatened staff.

Camille S. Britton

Greenwood Shalom Observations Continued Attitude – Their mannerisms and/or

how they carried themselves: Nonchalant, inappropriate, negative, un-

groomed

Examples:

“I don’t care. I’m me and I ain’t changing for nobody. I don’t know – it’s whateva. I don’t give a f**k. Yeah a’ight – I’ma do me.”

Camille S. Britton

?? Projection of Self ??

After several months of active observation my epiphany was that the girls behavior, attitude and language were:

!Self Projections!

They subconsciously accepted the social/cultural stereotypes and “norms” which were reaffirmed in most households.

Camille S. Britton

Replicable Project

I realized that the youth were segregating themselves by means of negative B.A.L. (Behavior, Attitude and Language) in their schools and society.

After February break, I decided to make March Black History Month. I implemented 4 Mock Jim Crow Law Re-enactments.

Camille S. Britton

Jim Crow

The Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws enacted in the Southern and border states of the United States and enforced between 1876 and 1965. They mandated "separate but equal " status for African Americans . In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were almost always inferior to those provided to white Americans. The Jim Crow period or the Jim Crow era refers to the time during which this practice occurred. The most important laws required that public schools, public places and public transportation, like trains and buses, have separate facilities for whites and blacks. (These Jim Crow Laws were separate from the 1800-66 Black Codes , which had restricted the civil rights and civil liberties of African Americans.) State-sponsored school segregation was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education. Generally, the remaining Jim Crow laws were overruled by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act; none were in effect at the end of the 1960s.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws).

Camille S. Britton

Separate but Equal…??

Jim Crow – Is it really gone? Step 1:

I divided the After School Program into a WHITES ONLY section and a COLORED ONLY section along with a jail.

Step 2: I randomly selected which students would be white, and

which students would be colored for the allotted time limit. Labeling each child with either a white or black string.

Side bar observation: The students without direction took on the characteristics of their roles as either white/colored people.

“White” students abused their white privileges and taunted the “colored” students to frustration.

“Colored” students tried to retaliate only to be sent to jail.

Jail was used excessively.

**The Jim Crow re-enactment was created 4 times during the months of February and March. Each time a debriefing was held**

Jim Crow – Is it really gone?

Step 3: Staff and I debriefed with a roundtable

discussion in which the youth were allowed to vent their frustrations as well as articulate the unfairness of the law.

Step 4: March 27th, 2007 I implemented one last Jim

Crow re-enactment. However, the twist was that this time we segregated children based on their behavior.

Camille S. Britton

Black History Projects Continued

The Internalization Process Step 5:

The youth realized through the re-enactments that their B.A.L. (behavior, attitude, language) is a form of modern day segregation because their negative B.A.L. labels them as “children with behavioral issues”.

Instead of learning in the classroom to better themselves and their families, they are being sent to the principal’s office because they do not know how to behave.

Camille S. Britton

Black History Projects

Step 6: The youth, specifically the (pre)teen girls were

asked to choose influential women of color whom were making history and create a “fact board” about them which they presented at the: Black History Celebration

i.e. – Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Cristina Saralegui etc.

Inspiringly the (pre)teen girls choose a poem entitled “Ghetto Woman” which they said “Represented them well”.

Camille S. Britton

Ghetto Woman by Annie Ruth (snippet)Your family is ghetto people

You know how I can tell Your grandma was a drunkard And your cousins live in cells.

You'll turn out to be just like 'em Ain't no sense of foolin' yourself For you're bound to be ghetto people For you there's nothing else.

…I was a ghetto woman and Proud from whence I came For being poor and living in slums

I'll never be ashamed.

And even though I am a rich woman The ghetto is in my heart For in it I learned a sense of pride, Dignity, and my most essential part.

Camille S. Britton

Kudos, Etiquette & Self – Respect Results:

During the months that followed a relationship and trust was built between myself and the (pre)teen girls.

I showed more interest in them, and their academics. We discussed female issues, pop culture and their goals in life.

They received kudos and incentives upon furnishing good grades, and making it to events like the science fair!

Camille S. Britton

Kudos, Etiquette & Self – Respect Continued Self – Monitoring:

The (pre)teen girls now monitored each others B.A.L. They held one another accountable. They no longer referred to one another as B*tches, nor did they resort to violence.

They now transformed themselves into, Ladies.

Camille S. Britton

A Black & White Affair

The ladies shared that they wanted to have an end-of-the year party.

One teen suggested calling the party: The Black and White Affair.

Another suggested that a Black and White dress code be implemented.

My supervisor and I discussed the process of “Event Planning” with the (pre)teen girls… and

Camille S. Britton

A Black & White Affair: ContinuedGreenwood Shalom After-School

Program Presents:

Black & White Affair

Camille S. Britton

Noircir et le Menu Blanc d’Affaire

Camille S. Britton

Teen Girls Apple Spritzer Toast

Cheers!

Mixing

Prelude to dinner, enjoying white roses

Big decision, Menu choices

Greenwood Shalom Dream Team In order from left to right

Phyllis A. Bodie – Program Manager Tanna L.S. Preston – Executive Director Camille S. Britton – Program

Assistant/Technology Coordinator

Camille S. Britton

Success Rate

From (Pre)teen girls to Young Ladies 1 is now employed at the Greenwood Shalom After – School

Program and is currently working at our Summer Enrichment Program.

3 are volunteer peer counselors.

2 despite their desire to enroll in the Summer Enrichment Program are at Algebra Camp however, they maintain in contact with the program.

1 is enrolled at another summer enrichment program.

ALL are expected to return at the commence of the new school year!

Camille S. Britton

?? Questions ??

Camille S. Britton

TechMission – Boston

Greenwood Shalom After-School/Summer Enrichment

Program

Camille S. Britton