My Interests Beyond the Classroom Blog #3

 Beyond the Classroom, what's interesting Sami?

Hey y'all! Welcome back to blog number 3 this time. 

One of the things we talked about that I already knew about was the cover up of the mass genocide of Native Americans and their culture with boarding schools. I knew about it before taking this class, but I want to know more than what I already knew and what I learned in class. I think it's important that the public education system, especially regarding southern legislation bills pertaining to education, stop trying to whitewash history. It is important for us to know about the mistakes we made as a society, so we hopefully do not repeat them. This was not just in the US though; this was widespread in Canada as well. Thousands of children were ripped from their families, abused, tortured, brainwashed, and killed. Many suffered abuse from the catholic priests and nuns, including sexual assault. 

Another thing I want to learn more about is Sona Jobarteh's Gambia Academy. It is "The first institution in the Gambia to educate young Africans in their culture, traditions, history seamlessly alongside their everyday academic education" (The Gambia Academy (sonajobarteh.com)). She founded the school in 2015 and handpicked 21 students from hundreds of applicants. She has funded the school almost completely herself, using her earnings from her music career to keep the school going. 

The Gambia Academy (sonajobarteh.com)

The last thing that really interested me was the children's wake in the Andean culture in South America. It was so sad to see, and I will always believe the smallest caskets are the heaviest to carry. It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear and see the mother's lament. In a way though, I think it is a unique way to grieve. Her grieving process, while extremely sad, is just another way that I feel most parents in different cultures, like ours in America, have never thought to grieve, and that maybe we should try it. I couldn't find anything resembling the mother's lament, so I included this short video about the Quechua instead. 

Thanks for reading!