DIY Abortions

I was shocked earlier this summer when I opened my latest issue of Glamour magazine to read an article on at-home abortions.   Many women who can’t afford to travel, who don’t want their parents or the father of the baby to know they’re pregnant, or who simply can’t afford a child are finding themselves with very limited options.  As access to safe, legal methods of abortion becomes increasingly limited, women are resorting to black-market remedies, which could ultimately land them in jail.  Consider the following:

·         There are still over 1 million legal abortions performed each year in the United States.

·         A 2015 survey in Texas found that 240,000 women had attempted to induce an abortion on their own – and that’s just in Texas!

·         Last year, Google reported there were over 700,000 searches done on “How to give yourself an abortion.”

In the past 5 years, Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TARP) state laws have shut down 162 clinics, or prevented them from offering abortion services.  Here in Indiana, a federal judge recently suspended our new abortion law deeming it unconstitutional.  The Indiana law would’ve prohibited abortions on the basis of disability or race, and required abortion providers to bury or cremate fetal tissue.

Abortion is a hard topic to come to terms with, at least for me.  I’d like to think if I were pregnant, my faith would prevent me from considering abortion, but I’m also realistic enough to know that if I were young, and scared, abortion would certainly be on my mind.  I think it’s just a sad situation all around, and I’m glad I don’t have the responsibility of legislating what is a personal and very emotional decision. 

Next week in class we’re going to discuss the right to privacy that most Americans feel they are entitled to.  As part of that discussion, we’ll look at some of the groundbreaking abortion legislation that has come out of the Courts over the years.  So, I’m interested in knowing what you think – “Do you think we should continue to place restrictions and limitations on when, where and how woman can obtain abortions?  Please explain your answer.”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, August 31^st, 2016.

Educated and Homeless

Last week, I read an article about the rise of college students in poverty.  The cost of attending college usually focuses on the tuition and fees; rarely does the conversation ever include the cost of living.  Now we all know that most college students would say they were poor.  I know there were weeks in college where I subsisted on Ramen noodles, Kool-Aid and McDonalds – which also happened to be where I worked.  However, looking back, I realize I really wasn’t that poor. Yes, I worked a low-paying job, and yes, I incurred a large amount of student loan debt, but I had a roof over my head and food in my belly – even if it wasn’t high quality food.  What’s more, even though my parents couldn’t help me much financially, they lived right down the street.  There was no chance of me ever becoming homeless, and I knew I could always stop by for a home-cooked meal. Most of you know my entire career has been focused on the complex issues related to poverty, which is why I found the statistics in this article so troubling.  Consider the following:

·         1:5 college students have gone hungry in the past year because they didn’t have money for food.

·         8-12% of college students are homeless, or lack permanent housing.

·         20% of college students have gone an entire day without food because money was tight.

These numbers broke my heart. Some say the numbers are even higher, and that the issue hasn’t been studied enough to know for sure.  Many students don’t talk about it because of the stigma associated with poverty.  Others who do talk about it are often rebuffed by family and friends who consider college poverty a rite of passage that comes with the territory.  I’m interested to know what you think, so my question this week is, “Do these numbers seem high to you – or is this what you would expect?  Do you think schools and universities have a responsibility to help address these issues – and if so, how?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, 25^th, 2016.  Please note that you have two weeks to complete this blog because I will be out of town next week. If you or someone you know is dealing with homelessness or food insecurity, please feel free to reach out – I may have resources that can help!

***I would be remiss this week if I didn’t dedicate this post to Shay Gaither, an Art Institute student who lost her life this past week.  I will always remember Shay’s infectious laugh and beautiful light. As I’ve mourned this past week, I’ve been comforted by the fact that we’re forever sisters, and somewhere, her soul lives on.  Shine on, sister, shine on!***

Ready for Rio!

The Summer Olympics begin on Friday! For those who know me, you know that I am a HUGE fan of the Olympics (An election and the Olympics?!  I'm in television heaven!). I love the artistry of the opening ceremonies. I get all caught up in the emotional stories of the athletes who have struggled so hard and overcome so many obstacles just to make their Olympic dreams come true. I watch sports I've never even heard of before (like curling) and I always, always cheer for the underdog.

So, to have a little fun this week, I’ll go easy on you.  My question this week is, "What is your favorite Olympic sport, and why?"  It's funny because I'm way too uncoordinated to play sports, but I love watching them on television.  My favorite Olympic sports are gymnastics and swimming in the Summer Olympics and snowboarding during the Winter Olympics. Their tricks look amazing!  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, August 10th, 2016.

Deciding I'm With Her

Like a lot of you, I’ve been feeling pretty disillusioned with the candidates this election cycle.  I know politics and campaigns can get pretty nasty, but this year has topped any year in recent history.  Between the vile, misogynistic and discriminatory language coming from the Trump campaign and the shadiness and dishonesty surrounding the Clinton campaign, even I was starting to avoid discussions surrounding the candidates – primarily because I didn’t want to have to fight anyone.

Which is why I was surprised to find myself feeling proud this week, as our country nominated the first woman candidate for President.  Suddenly, all the controversy surrounding Clinton didn’t seem to matter as much as the glass ceiling she’s worked so hard to shatter.  For just a brief moment she wasn’t Hillary with the email scandals, and Benghazi hanging over her head – she was Hillary, the first woman candidate to be nominated for President – and in that moment, I was proud.  Proud of the fact that although we have a long way to go, we’ve come so far since women first gained the right to vote in 1920.  Proud of the fact that my four year old niece lives in a world where a Black man is President and a woman may be next.  Proud of the fact that my gender just took a giant leap forward.

So my question to you this week is three-fold: First, I would like to know “Do you think this country is ready for a woman President?”  Second, I would like you to take this quiz, which will ask you about your thoughts on certain topics, and then tell you which candidate most closely matches your own viewpoints.  It also allows you to tell it how important an issue is to you. You can access the quiz here:  https://www.isidewith.com/                       Then tell me “Which candidate’s viewpoints did the quiz match you up with?  Did that surprise you, or were you already planning to vote for that person?” 

You must answer all three parts to earn full credit.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, August 3^rd, 2016. 

P.S.  If you or someone you know needs to register vote, you can register here:

https://indianavoters.in.gov/PublicSite/OVR/Introduction.aspx

America's Black and Blue

**Warning – the video links in this post contain graphic footage.  Viewer discretion is advised.**

July isn’t even over yet and already it has been a month filled with violence, devastation and grief.  It was the day after we celebrated our nation’s independence when Alton Sterling, 37, was shot and killed by police outside of a convenience store.  Police were responding to reports of a man with a gun.  Bystanders captured the shooting on video which you can watch here: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/06/us/baton-rouge-shooting-alton-sterling/index.html

The very next day, another man, Philando Castile was shot 4 times during a traffic stop.  Castile has been pulled over for a broken taillight. The aftermath of the shooting was live streamed by Castile’s fiancée, who states in the video that Castile told the officers he had a weapon, which he was legally allowed to carry, and was reaching for his license when the officer began firing into the car.  Castile’s 4 year old daughter was in the backseat.  You can watch the video, which includes the officer, with his gun still trained on a dying Castile, here:  http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/07/07/philando-castile-police-shooting-minnesota-gringras-pkg-erin.cnn

This wasn’t the first time we've heard about shootings of unarmed, Black men.  You can read my posts and your fellow students’ thoughts on Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2012/04/justice-for-trayvon.html and here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2014/12/hands-up-dont-shoot.html  However, these two shootings, so close together, and with the accompanying video, set off a firestorm of protests around the country.  It was during one of these protests in downtown Dallas, that Micah Johnson, a 25 year old military veteran opened fire on police, killing 5 and injuring 7 others.

My thoughts on this issue are a jumbled mess.  I was raised to respect police officers.  I have friends and family members who are police officers.  I know that each day they put their lives on the line and are forced to make split-second decisions to save lives.  That being said, I also can’t ignore these videos or the countless other lives that have been taken unnecessarily by police officers.  I know that when I’ve been a car with my Black friends, we’ve been treated differently during traffic stops than when I’m alone, or with my White friends.  In some cases, our Constitutional rights have been violated.  I don’t have the answers, but my heart breaks at the thought of all this violence. 

So my question to you this week is, “How do you feel about these incidents?  What has been your experience with the police?  How do you think the country should start to heal?”  You must answer all questions for full credit.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, July 27^th, 2016.

Choose Your Own Adeventure!

I hope you all enjoyed a nice break.  It's always hard coming back to school after break. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching and being surrounded by all the crazy, creative energy that is all of you. That being said, it's still hard to get back into the grind. So for our first blog post, I'll go easy on you.

This week we started our study of the Constitution and the freedoms that make us uniquely American. You can order your own free copy of the United States Constitution from: http://www.constitutionfacts.com/index.cfm?section=bookstore&page=freeCopy.cfm

A good portion of this class will be spent discussing current events and political issues that affect our everyday lives. For this post, I would like you to tell me at least one issue that you are interested in studying. To help you out, you can look over the blog posts that we've had in the past several years to get an idea of the type of things we've covered. Many of the topics are pretty controversial and I do my best to not censor the information available to you.

So my question to you this week is, "What is one issue that you are interested in studying in this class?" Answers are due no later than Wednesday, July 20th, 2016. I'm looking forward to a great quarter!

Your Thoughts and Feedback Are Appreciated!

Well another quarter has come and gone!  I have enjoyed getting to know all of you and hearing your opinions in class!  I wish all of you blessings and success in the future, and hope that you stay in touch.

So for our last blog post, I would like to get your thoughts and feedback on the class.  "What did you like or dislike about the class?  What could I do to make it better?"  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, June , 15th 2016.  After that, the blog will be down until class resumes next quarter.