Learning Module 10 LIVE LEARNING MODULE due 4/18 by NOON
Pick one of the following events to attend during the Ladyfest activities and submit a 3 paragraph blog entry with your reflection, grounded in course content.
FRIDAY 4/15 1:00 pm – Screening of PBS’s In The Life episode featuring KIN4LIFE, followed by Q&A with Nor & IQ of KIN4LIFE – ten Hoor 125
SATURDAY 4/16 10:00AM – Old School Consciousness Raising Session lead by Melanie DeMaeyer (one of the author's we read this semester) – Chloe’s Cup - 2117 University Blvd
SUNDAY 4/17 Noon-6pm – Attend one of the workshops at Alabama Art Kitchen – 2626 University Blvd
Noon – Ladyfest Zine Workshop – Learn about the history and importance of zines and help make a zine for Ladyfest Deep South 2011.
3:30PM – Vagina Monologue Workshop – If you’ve ever heard of the Vagina Monologues, then this is the arts and crafts version of that. Come create your own!
4:30PM – Herbs Health for Women – This class is a very broad, general, and beginner friendly exploration of plant-based medicines for women. Local, Abby Hall Luca, will cover several herbs and herbal formulas/ preparations for young through post-menopausal women. No knowledge of herbs required!
SUNDAY 4/17 Noon-6pm – Attend one of the workshops at Alabama Art Kitchen – 2626 University Blvd
Noon – Ladyfest Zine Workshop – Learn about the history and importance of zines and help make a zine for Ladyfest Deep South 2011.
3:30PM – Vagina Monologue Workshop – If you’ve ever heard of the Vagina Monologues, then this is the arts and crafts version of that. Come create your own!
4:30PM – Herbs Health for Women – This class is a very broad, general, and beginner friendly exploration of plant-based medicines for women. Local, Abby Hall Luca, will cover several herbs and herbal formulas/ preparations for young through post-menopausal women. No knowledge of herbs required!
At the Kin4Life screening I watched the PBS documentary on these girls journey. The movie showed clips of their shows and had one-on-one talks with them on their struggles while trying to make it in the rap industry. They shared their experiences of being turned away and being denied because they weren't "f-able." They also shared in the video their purpose of doing what they do.
ReplyDeleteAfter the video Nor and I.Q shared with the audience a few personal experiences of coming out while they were young. They have been friends for 15 years and been a group for 10. I.Q. came out before Nor and they both had very accepting families. I.Q even faked a suicide attempt after being dumped by her first girlfriend and fearing that her family would not be accpeting of her sexuality. They explained that one of the most important things about being young and gay is having a supportive family.
Listening to these girls speak, it really made me think about all the people who are affected by bullying and violence because of their sexuality choices. Kin4Life is a group that is making an attempt to rebel against the stereotypes of female rappers such as the reading we read about female rappers trying to prove their masculinity. This was a very good presentation and I think what they are trying to do is very brave and beneficial.
My work schedule made it impossible for me to go to any of those events. Will i actually be penalized for not being able to attend. Since the first we were told of this was last wednesday it was impossible for me to get someone to work for me.
ReplyDeleteI also attend the screening of PBS’s In The Life episode featuring KIN4LIFE and enjoyed what these girls had to talk about. I had never heard of them, but i felt sympathetic for them just because they kept on working so hard and getting shit down. They were doing something they love and not getting credit for their talent just because of who they were and the way they looked. I think it was bold of them to show their video after all they went through, and showed that they still believed in themselves.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the video, Nor and IQ talked to each other and shared some of their stories with the audience about their childhood and the struggle they went through. They were strong in expressing their sexuality and talked about how their 15 year friendship has brought them together. For the past 10 years as a group, they both described how they were proud to be who they are and not afraid to show it.
This event really made me think about what people have to go through just because they are a little different from everyone else. I dont think all this mistreatment is fair, and never will be fair. Just because these girls liek to date other girls, doesnt mean we should stereotype their talent or misjudge who they are. We need to give people like this a chance because they could one day change the music industry, or any other popular waves of media.
I attended the screening for PBS’s “In the Life” episode featuring KIN4LIFE, and during this session, I listened to them tell their life story from when they started out to how the producing increased among fans. They also played some of their songs for people to hear what kind of music they produce and what their songs refer to by relating to their life to point out the true meaning behind the words. Nor and IQ are from New York, and their style of music has been compared to “The Neptunes.” Their main goal is to bring social awareness among their audience and influence people to be who they are, and not be afraid of themselves, but by living outside of the box.
ReplyDeleteOne of their famous songs is called “I Am,” which challenges people to think past what they see and go deeper in life by not just looking at the outside, but the inside as well. When they were first recording, they used third person pronouns because they didn’t want to be gender specific in order to produce records they thought would be more pleasing to media and public, but then realized it shouldn’t matter, and should be able to produce what they are interested in and would like to produce. They were true to themselves, and learned to go on with their career by living outside of the box and embracing themselves to produce songs for the public. KIN4LIFE had the first magazine published for lesbians and women of color, and also had advertisements in the magazines “Elle” and “Curve.”
KIN4LIFE provides a great example for others to open up and realize who they really are, just as Nor and IQ did by being true to themselves from the beginning and now being able to publish songs that interest them. Their songs reflect back on how their lives used to be by getting bullied and harassed to living their lives the way they choose today by being role models for transgender people. In their recordings, their goal is to let people know they are not alone in the path they choose, and should not be afraid for the future on where life takes them.
The Ladyfest event I choose to attend was the Herbal Medicine for Women class on Sunday afternoon. This class was very interesting to me and it briefly went over different ways to use plants for natural healing. The instructor first went over different ways to make or prepare the herbs. She explained which ways would be most effective for a variety of plants. You can either create herbal tea, an infusion, a tincture, oil, or syrup. These all can be taken orally with the exception of oil, which is rubbed on the skin.
ReplyDeleteShe then went over which herbs would be best for different ages in a woman’s life. She started going over a young woman’s life or an adolescent. The instructor gave advise about how to properly balance your hormones using herbs such as Dandelion, burdock and yellow dock. Acne was the next problem that was discussed and how to properly take care of it. Something I found that would be quite useful would be how to take care of menstrual cramps. She recommended using vitex daily for several months to slowly reduce cramping. The instructor also touched base on the childbearing years and menopausal years, but did not go into great detail.
Some interesting things I learned about natural substances is that you can create your own “love potion” or as she labels it “Damiana Love Liqueur.” This love liqueur is a type of aphrodisiac that helps stimulate the sex drive. The instructor also recommended helpful hints to reduce stress and how to avoid stressful situations. She suggests using a relaxing nervine like passionflower, skullcap, valerian, wild lettus, or chamomile. This class was very helpful to me and I am extremely glad that I attended. I learned a lot about natural healing and how to try and avoid taking medicines. I would defiantly recommend that people look into natural healing as an alternative to taking medicines.
I chose to attend the Vagina Monologue. I had heard of it but I have never been to something like that before so I was interested in seeing what it was all about. We discussed the importance of the vagina and how the clit is the only sex organ made purely for pleasure. We talked about how people veiw the vagina as a scary thing and do not openly discuss the vagina and what it is for until you are ready to preocreate for child birth. The vagina is much more than that though and is a women's sense of self and should be viewed at as something a woman should be proud of.
ReplyDeleteThis workshop allowed me to decorate the vagina picture I chose in any way that i wanted. I was able to express myself through my picture and was even able to create a story it was trying to tell. I used a lot of glitter and bright colors becaus eit is something I am proud of as a woman and I want others to see the beauty it holds.