That Awkward Moment When I Accidentally Internalized Racism

I recently attended a conference about the importance of Africana Studies (AFS) and it had a panel of visiting professors that consisted of mostly black men and women. I was beyond impressed by their achievements and found myself engaged and excited by their discussions. My admiration for these scholars only grew exponentially when I learned that one of the female professors was from Sierra Leone, just like me! [excerpt

Trends in Inequality and Welfare in Consumption Expenditure: The Case of Pakistan

Economic growth is important, but at the same time it loses its importance if nothing trickles down to the poor. One of the frequent heard arguments against growth strategies is that it benefits only the comparatively well off segment of the society. This means that the concomitant of economic growth is more skewed income distribution. Growth and equity should be solved subsequently or in some cases simultaneously, otherwise these countries are exposed to disaster [Hirschman (1973)]. The surge for income distribution studies both in developed and developing countries has, however, been caused by different reasons. In a developed nation, a high economic growth, in terms of GNP per capita and the introduction of the concept of a welfare state necessitated a widespread debate on income inequality and relative poverty issues. In the developing countries, failure to achieve sustainable high growth rates and disappointment from the pursuit of growth-led macro-economic policies in the past decade has surfaced a need to conduct income distribution studies and policies. Much of the recent literature on inequality and economic well-being in Pakistan has focused on the apparent increased inequality that occurred during the last two decades.

Wanted More from Moore

I was very excited when I first picked up Wes Moore’s book The Other Wes Moore. After hearing that it was chosen as the common reading text for the incoming class, and also being given the opportunity to co-facilitate a discussion based on the book, I was even more excited. However, as I read the book, I found myself more frustrated than fulfilled. [excerpt

Transition of Poverty in Pakistan: Evidence from the Longitudinal Data

This paper quantitatively investigates transition of poverty in Pakistan using two-period panel data set of Pakistan Socio-economic Survey. Empirical results show that the incidence, intensity, and severity of poverty have increased over time. This analysis also identifies ‘the absolute poor’, ‘the transitory poor’, and ‘the non-poor’, and suggests that ‘the absolute poor’ households have increased significantly over time. The poverty transition portrays that about onequarter of the households remain poor, while approximately fifty percent households remain nonpoor. Analysis of poverty entries and exits over these two periods show that many households enter poverty while fewer households exit from poverty. The analyses also suggest that transition of poverty is closely related to socio-economic dimensions of the households such as school enrolment, child labour, employment status of the head of the household, and indebtedness of the households. The main message that emerges from this study is that poverty reduction should focus on the extremely vulnerable households, and should try to reduce entry into poverty while increasing exit from poverty.Poverty, Pakistan

Studying Abroad, Toilet Paper, and Other Exercises in Missing the Point

I have been in Ghana only for a few days, and I can already tell I am going to love the place­—the people, the food, the environment, all remind me of my home country, Sierra Leone. However, I don’t think I can adjust to the constant uttering by some of my peers about how this experience “makes them appreciate how much they have.” In the past four days, I have heard that same phrase over and over again. [excerpt

Boys Will Be Boys, Girls Will Be...

Lets talk about sex. Well not really, just the double standard that comes with the topic. It’s no secret that men and women are taught to think about sex differently. While there are many (myself included) who fail to accept these culturally imposed ideas and attitudes about sex, it would be incredibly naïve to not acknowledge the existence of the double standard that exists. [excerpt

Selma is America

During my recent trip to Selma, Alabama, I was overwhelmed by the tangible evidence that blatant racism and segregation still exists. In a town where many had made great sacrifices to combat America’s racial injustices, it was disheartening to see how very little change had come to the town MLK described as the “most segregated” in America. [excerpt

Style Watch: Blackface Edition

The above quote is from a statement/apology offered by Sebastian Kim, a photographer, whose recent editorial, “African Queen,” which featured a 16-year-old white female made to appear black, was marred with controversy. According to the photographer, dousing a young white female in deep bronze, accessorizing her in elaborate head wraps and heavy jewels (symbols that are often associated with Africa), was in no way an attempt to depict what an “African queen” looks like. Rather, his spread was attempting to showcase “the beauty aesthetic of his shoot” by using a “tanned or golden skin” model. [excerpt

Kecerdasan emosi dalam kalangan pelajar Diploma Pendidikan Lepasan Ijazah (DPLI) Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia

Kecerdasan emosi dapat dijadikan sebagai panduan bagi mewujudkan pendidikan yang berkualiti serta sebagai asas pemerolehan ilmu pengetahuan bagi seseorang pendidik dalam menjalankan tugasnya sebagai seorang guru. Namun begitu, adakah faktor umur dan pengalaman seseorang pendidik menjejaskan kecerdasan emosi mereka apabila meneruskan pengajian di peringkat yang lebih tinggi? Oleh itu, tujuan kajian ini dijalankan untuk mengkaji tahap kecerdasan emosi pelajar Diploma Pendidikan Lepasan Ijazah (DPLI) Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) dengan menggunakan soal selidik berdasarkan model Goleman iaitu kesedaran kendiri, pengawalan kendiri, motivasi kendiri, empati dan kemahiran. Kajian tinjauan secara pendekatan kuantitatif ini melibatkan seramai 210 orang pelajar DPLI yang berbeza kursus. Data yang dikumpul telah dianalisis dengan menggunakan Statistical Package for the Social Science versi 16.0 secara analisis deskriptif dan analisis inferensi. Nilai min dikira bagi menentukan tahap kecerdasan emosi dalam kalangan pelajar DPLI. Hasil dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa tahap kecerdasan emosi dalam kalangan pelajar DPLI berada pada tahap yang tinggi (4.24). Hasil dapatan dari analisis inferensi iaitu ujian parametrik ANOVA menunjukkan bahawa tidak terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan berdasarkan umur serta pengalaman mengajar pelajar terhadap kecerdasan emosi. Oleh itu, keputusan analisis menunjukkan bahawa faktor umur dan pengalaman pelajar tidak menjejaskan kecerdasan emosi mereka dan tidak menghalang pelajar tersebut untuk cemerlang dalam pengajian yang diteruskannya

To Empathize With An Enemy

I do not like to talk about my time in Sierra Leone, but I think I’m ready to start. Growing up in Sierra Leone was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I carry with me fond memories of my childhood, growing up on 22 Thompson Street in the one-storey house with red doors and windows and zebra themed paint. Evenings were spent riding bikes with my best friend Fatmata. Weekend afternoons spent playing scrabble and watching our favorite Disney movies with my siblings and neighbors in our living room. Those memories I have kept, happily. [excerpt