Week 11 Journal

Thursday: October 29, 2020

Today we were introduced to Ms. Malliron Hodge who is the director of programing at Digital Promise, a board member of Kallion, and creator and producer of the podcast “Baddies with Business,” which discusses exactly that. In her podcast she interviews black, female entrepreneurs who are getting started with their business. In her discussion, Ms. Malliron Hodge said that she believes she was put on this Earth to connect others. Her podcast allows her to connect others with herself, as well as connecting them with the other women that she works with. She is also able to give these entrepreneurs another platform to share their work, goals, and ideas while allowing them to connect to others in the business/consumer world. I had a question toward the end of her discussion in relation to her comment as to why she believes she was put on this Earth/what she believes her purpose is. I asked if she feels that we are doing ourselves and the world a disservice by not pursuing what we feel we were put here to do, even if that’s not something that peaks our interest. I also asked how important she felt it is to do or not do something that you love (what if what you love to do isn’t what you feel you were put here to do, but it’s something that you love). She believed that it should be pretty even, do something you love, perhaps through hobbies, while also pursuing what you were made for. Made sure there is a good measure of balance. At the same time, maybe what you love is what you were put on this Earth for. I feel that the general purpose of life is to connect with others, we are all here for each other. We should spread connectedness, love, positivity, kindness, etc. With that being said, maybe what you love to do is what your purpose is. If life is all about love, positivity, and connectedness, we should be spreading those in all that we do. If we are unhappy in our job or career, we often send negativity out into the world, so wouldn’t it be beneficial to ourselves and the world if we do what we love? I feel like this answer could get tricky depending on how deep into this you look, for example, what if what you love puts others at risk or is based on violence or what if you’re a great doctor but that’s not what you love. Is it better to do something you dislike at the great benefit of others or is it better to do something you love although it may not benefit others as greatly as being a doctor would? If we are meant to spread positivity and connectedness, we should technically be ding things that will help others, even at the expense of our happiness. So what option truly is better, I couldn’t tell you. Maybe there isn’t just one right answer. It was really great to hear from Ms. Malliron Hodge and it’s amazing what she does. I love that she is able to do what she feels she was put here for, as well as enjoy it. That truly is amazing!

We also took our quiz on Moana today, which wasn’t until after we had spoken with Ms. Malliron Hodge. It was interesting to switch it up today, being that we have never taken the quiz toward the end of class.

Monday: November 2, 2020

Today I watched Black Panther and the movie was absolutely amazing. In watching this, we were asked to consider the leadership behaviors of the characters, as well as how their role as an insider or outsider may have affected these behaviors. The character I’d like to specifically talk about is N’Jadaka or Erik Killmonger. I believe he was such an angry character because he was an outsider. He had said that his father promised to show him Wakanda one day (which we know never happened), but then his father was killed and N’Jadaka was left behind when his uncle decided not to take him. He was an outsider to his own family and his own family had taken the life of his father. I do think he would have been much less angry and relentless had he been a part of the family and had his father not been killed by his own brother. But N’Jadaka wanted revenge, and so he planned to get just that. He became a killer, simply training for the death of the Black Panther so that he could take the reign and provide help and weaponry to those outside of Wakanda. If he were an insider, he might not have known much of the world outside Wakanda, riding him of his want to help black people all over overtake their suppressor. Had he been an insider he may not have wanted revenge, but maybe his father would also not have been killed. If his father, N’Jobu, hadn’t been killed would N’Jadaka still have been an insider?

I would also like to talk about Nakia who has a heart of gold. She wanted to help others and she didn’t want to see destruction all around the world. I like her profile because she’s an insider but still wanted to help those all around the world. The reason she wasn’t always in Wakanda was because she “couldn’t” be in Wakanda and know that there are people all over the world in great despair; she wanted to help others. I like that she was able to live outside of Wakanda and help others, while still being an insider and without being condemned by the Wakandans.

There was a specific scene in the movie that I really enjoyed, although it seems quite miniscule. It was when Shuri and Nakia were fighting Killmonger after he had already taken over the reign. Nakia had been scratched/cut with Killmonger’s claws/gloves. Shuri had been close to death but was saved by her brother, who would later reclaim his reign as Black Panther. Shuri and Nakia had met back up and Shuri saw the scratch on Nakia’s leg, asking her if she was okay. Nakia nodded, saying yes, and returned the question to Shuri, who also nodded. I know it seems so irrelevant but to me it showed such unity and care. They were both fighting for the future of Wakanda (along with many of the others) and they were just there for each other. This showed me their support and care for one another, simply checking in to see how they were. When they both claimed they were fine, they returned to battle, which shows the power and persistence they had. I loved how such a short moment in the movie was so powerful (in my opinion, of course).

Tuesday: November 3, 2020

Today we discussed the movie Black Panther, covering topics such as: key scenes, comparisons, types of judgement, etc. In our discussion we made comparisons between characters in Black Panther and characters in the other works we’ve discussed. One analogy/comparison brought up was that Odysseus is to Neoptolemus is to Philoctetes as T’Chaka is to T’Challa is to Killmonger, and I would like to discuss my thoughts on this. In this analogy, Philoctetes and Killmonger are the two characters with a lack of power and respect; At first, Odysseus and Neoptolemus didn’t respect Philoctetes, and T’Chaka and T’Challa didn’t respect Killmonger (in their case respect may not be the correct word, but perhaps lack of acknowledgement). Both Neoptolemus and T’Challa are meant to carry out a plan proposed/designed by someone else (in this case being Odysseus and T’Chaka); Odysseus tells Neoptolemus what he must do when he encounters Philoctetes and T’Challa has plans for Killmonger based on his father’s beliefs. And lastly, both Odysseus and T’Chaka are the “top dog,” but they both encounter some sort of betrayal/backlash for their wrongdoings. Neoptolemus had the intent to carry out Odysseus’ plan until he had been with Philoctetes to realize that he didn’t want to deceive him or betray him. He decided not to carry out the original plan and proceeded to treat Philoctetes with respect. T’Challa idolized his father until he was told that T’Chaka killed his own brother and left his nephew behind, helpless. Once he was aware of this he visited his father in the ancestral plane and told him off, which also acted as a verbal disconnect between T’Challa and his idolization towards his father. Lastly, Philoctetes and Killmonger were both dehumanized. Philoctetes was dehumanized because of the condition of his foot; others believed they had power over him, they believed he was ugly, and they had no respect for him. Killmonger was dehumanized directly in his addressing. People referred to him as Killmonger, as opposed to his real name, N’Jadaka. He was referred to as Killmonger so often that I had forgotten that wasn’t his real name. In some form or another, both of these characters were dehumanized and belittled.

The last comparison I’d like to speak on is one that was not discussed in class. I was thinking about it and found a comparison between Moana and Everett Ross; Both of these characters were headstrong in a moment of life or death (not that other characters didn’t experience this, but I’d like to talk about these two specifically). Ross was tasked with ensuring that the vibranium didn’t reach its target location and didn’t make it past Wakanda. While he was piloting the vehicle the lab went under attack. Shuri told him that he must leave now, but instead of doing so he asked how long he’s got and decided to finish what he was asked to do. In doing so, he was putting himself at risk for the greater good, to help Wakanda. He decided to risk his life for the benefit of others and for the benefit of the future. Moana did something quite similar, if not the same, when she faced Te Ke. Moana told the ocean to allow Te Ke to come to her, which was done by splitting the water and creating a path for Te Ke. As Te Ke came charging toward her, Moana simply stood there with the heart in her hand. This scene also shows us how Moana saw others, giving even the most evil souls a chance and believing in them, believing that they truly are good (specifically referring to Te Ke and Maui). These were such brave and powerful moments for Ross and Moana because they were both playing with death, but came through for their team.

I really did enjoy watching this movie and there were so many key scenes in relation to leadership, community/unity, dissociation, love, violence, etc. anyone who gets the chance to watch this movie should do so and see what they can take away from it!