2015 Spring Brand Creative/Video Intern (19511)

Earlier this year, Joakina Stone, then a Res Life colleague and collateral work staff with Student Life's Mosaic Center, along with an amazing group of students, staff and faculty, helped us to co-create our new Mosaic Social Justice discussion series.  We exchanged a bunch of ideas for a title - some basic and others long and academic.  After ruminating far too long, I finally settled on “What’s the Tea?”.  Thankfully, Zach Kosinski and Jasmine Malhotra, our Graduate Coordinators, agreed and our series launched this year on October 1st.  

Everything seemed to be going well with what we are calling our “pilot semester/year” for the series.  It even had what we hope was an effective, context-setting description: 

“We all talk about how diverse UMBC is.  But what does that mean in reality?  How does it show up in how we communicate and interact with each other?  When does celebrating diversity shift into inclusivity that creates positive social change in and outside our campus community?  This new series hopes to help us grapple with these questions.  Join us for a facilitated discussion of these topics.  Voice your opinions and hear those of your fellow community members.”

This description, along with a co-facilitation model, guided questions, and a brief evaluation has helped us to move forward.  Things were going really well, until our November 5th Cultural Appropriation discussion.  During that discussion, our well-intentioned start had an unintentional stop.  In my desire to get the discussion underway, I unintentionally culturally appropriated the name of the series—“What’s the Tea?”—while talking about cultural appropriation as it relates to native, indigenous peoples.  

My blindness as the lead discussion facilitator set into motion what those in the social justice education and activism world would call a concrete example of “intent versus impact”.  Thanks to some generous feedback and calling out by a couple of the discussion attendees, next came my PAN, “Pay Attention Now,” moment.  PAN and PAN-ing is both an acronym and a practice I learned a couple of years ago during my time at the December 2012 Social Justice Training Institute.  

This post is my apology to all the attendees of our Nov. 5th Cultural Appropriation discussion and a thank you to those brave participants for their helpful feedback and “call out”.  Through that experience, and all the hours I’ve spent since replaying and processing that discussion with supportive colleagues and students, I’ve learned that there are hills, valleys, starts and stops in the often times messy yet rewarding work towards social justice.

Now, for those of you who’ve been patiently waiting and wondering, here’s what’s up with “What’s the Tea?”:

This phrase is an extended version of “What’s the T?” a phrase originating from Black Gay Ball culture.  Urban Dictionary, Answers.com and Wikipedia all offer solid definitions and/or historical information on the term and it’s origins.  

“What's the T? - It means like "Whats up?", "Whats going on?".  It's commonly used in the LGBT Community and is commonly used for gossiping.” Source: Urban Dictionary

“A term originated in Black Gay culture circa 1970-1989 that indicated some one was the "T"alk of the "T"own, hence the "T". The term was often used by female impersonators to describe a fellow impersonator that did an exceptionally good job on stage in a live lip syncipated performance which was talked about in the gay circles for long periods of time. The term grew to define any memorable person whose actions were or would soon be largely talked about in the gay circles. Also a person who was popular in the gay community would be talked about may have been referred to as The "T" 

It has lasted throughout the decades and can really refer to any person, place or thing. 

Mary, did you see Miss thing's Patty Labelle performance last night? She P'd on stage! She was the "T" last night! 

Girlfriend, that party you threw was fabulous, the way you have your new apartment decorated is the deal and that new husband of yours is to die for! You are the T!

It mean what’s the deal! it basically mean what’s up!

It can also refer to one's own personal business and daily dealings. 

Ex.

Q: Hey girl what's T (what's the T)? 

A: No T, girl. I'm just at home answering a question on Wikianswers.”

Source: Answers.com, http://www.answers.com/Q/What_does_what's_the_T_mean

By replacing "T" with "Tea", we hope to reframe the definition to one that can apply to the social justice-based topics in the series.  So, "Tea" represents the social justice awareness, knowledge and cross-cultural communication skills that we're "spilling" like tea into the community - one small group at a time.  To help illuminate this more intentionally through imagery, we're considering re-branding the series next semester. 

Hopefully, this post has been helpful and informative. Please join us on December 3rd as we make a fresh start and continue the series by exploring the topic: Holiday Traditions.  We hope to see you there.  In the meantime, have a safe and restful holiday break.  

There have been so many blog posts written within the past three months since Michael Brown’s murder and especially within the past 48 hours documenting the anger, the sadness, the rage in the aftermath of what has (and is) taking place in Ferguson (read this or this or this just for starters).  There is nothing that I can say to the internet world that hasn’t already been said and more importantly, as a white woman in this post-non-indictment America, this is my time to listen and not take up so much space.

So, I wake up and fall asleep to Twitter. I’m listening to the black and brown voices impacted by Michael Brown’s death, the events in Ferguson, and systemic racism. The words of former and future Critical Social Justice keynote speakers repeatedly show up in my feed. For Jay Smooth and Reina Gossett, they have continued voicing the message of questioning power and privilege that they left with us when they visited UMBC. For Franchesca, she is telling us an important story about creating brave spaces in the face of injustice which I know she’ll continue to share when she is here on campus. Here is some of what they’re saying:

As they waited for the outcome of the Grand Jury:

(he then followed up with this great video
about this specific tweet, riots, and human limits)

When they heard the news: 

Ways they were engaging in difficult dialogues:

And creating brave spaces for truth to be heard:

Reminders about self-care:

These are just a sampling of the conversations our Critical Social Justice keynote speakers of past and present are having online. I encourage you to follow them, learn from them, and reflect on their words. For white folks, like myself, thinking about their role in conversations related to Michael Brown, Ferguson, racism, and anti-blackness… know you do have one that includes examining your white privilege, understanding we operate within a white supremacy, and being an ally in dismantling racism. And on that last part of being an ally, here are five tips for being an ally from Franchesca.

Ask any of my friends who know that I’m an avid fan of NBC’s Parks and Recreation and they will tell you that I live by the motto “Treat yo’self!” Not only do I use it as an excuse to splurge on that extra pairs of shoes that I definitely don’t need or to snack on a large side of fries, but this phrase that has become such a buzzword (buzzphrase?) urges me to practice essential self-care that results in the preservation of my physical, mental, and emotional health. Although despite what some may think, it isn’t always easy. Because we live in a fast-paced society that pushes for hard work and productivity, self-care can sometimes be viewed as lazy or selfish. As college students, many of us probably feel guilty when we abandon our textbooks for even an hour to catch up on our favorite Netflix series. (I know I do!) But here’s the truth: self-care isn’t selfish. It’s required for our survival. When we become so involved in our classes and our work and our various time commitments, it’s easy for us to become drained and unmotivated. Self-care is what refreshes us when we need it most. It’s like a fresh glass of lemonade on a hot day; it replenishes our bodies and minds and renews our ability to interact in the world around us.

Because it has been about six months since my last blog post on self-care, I have been reflecting on how self-care has changed over the past year in my own life. Since the start of the new school year, I have been extremely busy trying to balance my time between a full class schedule, two part time jobs, an internship as a student teacher at a local elementary school, and some sort of resemblance of a social life. As much as I enjoy all of my commitments, I have to admit that I’ve felt pretty burnt out and unmotivated at several points throughout the semester. My need for self-care has been at an all-time high. If this year has taught me anything, it’s that self-care is more than just a form of stress relief. While stress relief is meant to lessen the burden of our physical and emotional tension after it has already hit us, self-care is meant to prevent burn-out. It’s an act that should be practiced before we are feeling like we’re at the end of our ropes. My experiences this semester have turned me into a firm believer that self-care should be practiced in some capacity at least every day, even if just for a couple minutes. For those who work in helping professions, taking care of yourself is an essential first step in being able to help others. As a student teacher who happens to fairly introverted, I find myself needing to practice self-care every day in order to just keep up genuine interactions with others. Although I usually get less than twenty minutes for lunch every day, I try to spend that time reading while I eat to clear my mind. Even though it may not be an extensive amount of time, it’s important to sprinkle in a little self-care whenever you get the chance.

In honor of practicing self-care in preparation for finals week, here are some of my favorite ways to unwind and appreciate all that I do for myself:

• I’m a huge fan of hiking and unwinding in nature. If this form of self-care appeals to you too, Maryland State Parks have some great trails of hikers of all levels.
• Who isn’t obsessed with youtube videos of adorable lemon beagles doing adorable things?
• Reading is one of my favorite forms of self-care because it allows me to escape from my busy mind. Here are some free books that you can read online.
• On Dealing with negativity
• 33 Quotes to Inspire Self-Care
• Making a Comfort Box
• The Quiet Place Project

Want to learn more about self-care? Stop by the Women’s Center between 10am and 5pm on Tuesday, December 9th through Thursday, December 10th to practice the “art” of self-care through open-house events focused on DIY self-care.

The Women's Center presents: Self-Care Week 2014

In collaboration with SGA's Stress Free Zone events

Overwhelmed from end-of-the-semester stress? Need to unwind before finals week? Stop by the Center between 10am and 5pm on Tuesday, December 9th through Thursday, December 11th to learn about and practice body positivity and self-care through three open-house events. 

Each day we'll have different activities, games, and craft projects that you won't want to miss! 

Love Your Body Day 

Self-Care Fair 

Pajama Play Day