Tag Archives: Pop Culture

Week 5/6 Update

College Life, Free Write, Personal Essay, Social Justice, Summer, Uganda, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The deeper I dive into my work and into this community, the harder it is for me to recommend a solution that I can truly see being successful without being impeded by all that encompasses daily life in Uganda.

In my opinion, when working with citizens of developing countries, well all people for this matter, the biggest hurdle to jump is the varying levels of knowledge between citizens. This challenge is magnified in developing countries where formal education is far from a guaranteed right and even further from normalcy. It’s important for me to note the relevance of this issue in my work because quite frankly, it is the cause of the whole waste management issue.

Bugembe Town has a population of 64,000 people, which makes it nearly impossible for a research team of one (me) to sample properly in the short time I am here. However, with the help of 4 translators, I was able to sample 110 citizens in one day, regarding their interactions with waste. I use the word “help” loosely because my translators were made up of people who have no background in research and I’m honestly still not sure if they understood my survey questions completely in order to translate properly, which is a different issue that I’m dealing with.

From my data collection came many expected results, but also many answers that have the ability to hinder my research deeply. For example, during the survey, 67% of my respondents said when they see waste on the street they pick it up and “dispose of it properly in a waste bin”. The only problem with that is there are ZERO waste bins on the streets in Bugemebe, but I guess they could be associating “waste bin” with the garbage heaps that pile on the sides of streets, but I am more inclined to chalk this up to fear because many believed these surveys were a propaganda ploy by the Town Council.

The other problematic responses came with the questions, “Are you willing to pay/ pay more for waste collection from the Town Council (government)?” and “Do you believe it is possible to reduce the amount of waste you produce?”. Fifty- one percent of respondents responded to the first question with a “yes”, while 70% of respondents believed it was impossible for them to reduce their waste production. These two responses have the ability to not only dictate my research outcomes negatively, but show the lack of knowledge the community has regarding waste and more importantly navigating the bureaucracy and corruptness of their local and national government in Uganda. In a nation where the average weekly income carry over (I don’t know if this is the right term or makes sense, but I just mean the amount of money they have after taxes and necessities) is 3,000 UGS (less than $1 USD), I have over half of my sample, albeit a small sample, willing to pay money that they just simply don’t have. This would allow the government to continue to tax its residents dry, but obviously not nearly as hard enough to receive enough money to improve its waste management system because there is just simply not enough money in anyone’s hands.

Not to mention, that they can EASILY reduce the amount of waste they produce, but this requires sensitization, knowledge production and time that is rightfully trumped by the time and work ethic they need to focus on providing for themselves and their family. On top of that, of the 30% of respondents who believed they could lower their waste production, said they could do so by burning their trash more frequently, which everyone does here and is common in most developing/ over-populated countries. Burning waste is not necessarily harmful, except here in Bugembe, and in most of the Nile region of Uganda, they do not separate their waste which leads to the burning of extremely hazardous and cancerous materials including plastics and metals. I can also point out in the past ten years, Uganda has experienced and influx of birth defects, which coincides with a growth in population and subsequently a growth in waste production (waste burning). But I obviously can’t say that is the reason for more birth defects and health issues, but is something that definitely needs to be researched, if it isn’t already.

So simply, as of right now, the data I have collected for my research can be used as propaganda to allow the local government to continue neglecting the safety, health and financial security of its citizens for literally an extra handful of US coins per week.

I was going to write about myself a little bit, but I’m not going to lie putting this information onto digital paper drained me and further supported the fact that my personal journey should be put on the back burner for a while.

Uganda Week 3

College Life, Free Write, Personal Essay, Social Justice, Summer, Uganda, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

*Disclaimer* I was 500 words deep into this week 3 update and my Microsoft word crashed. And!!! Since I don’t have internet, the auto save/ auto recovery function was not working, so I’m starting from scratch.

Week 3 Update

I decided to switch up the update this week due to the fact that I’ve accomplished little to nothing this week in regard to my research. I spent the entire week going back and forth to the Bugemebe Town Council offices just to get my research accepted by the health inspector. This is normal for research, so I understand. However, it was just frustrating because the Town Council Health Inspector cancelled the meeting multiple times and then had me wait in his office for two hours one day just for him to forget that I was there and leave. But I digress, my job here isn’t to critique Ugandan governmental practices.

Before coming to Uganda, I told myself I would not be like the other academic researchers we all here about. Those that often fit the stereotypical white academia mold and who partake in research on a community, instead of with, and don’t ever disseminate their findings or truly leave the place they studied in a better shape than when they arrived. But sadly, I find myself drifting towards those lines every day, no matter how hard I fight it, because the institutions and powers I am fighting against, or working with (depending on how you interpret it), are a lot more powerful and experienced than I am.

As I set of 2,000 miles away from home to attend Northwestern, I told myself I was going to dedicate my life and my work to the cause. More than anything I believe in social equity and social justice in a country that is finding itself moving further and further away from those missions every day. Growing up in a relatively financially stable household for most of my life, I was able to understand at an early age the privileges afforded to me that most of my friends and my peers didn’t have. Not only that, I was able to, for the most part, effortlessly breeze through school and accomplish a lot of things that my peers couldn’t even dream of, mainly because they didn’t know they existed and couldn’t grasp their magnitude. Let me tell you this can cause a shit-storm of emotions, all typically ending with the thought that life is often not fair and there’s really nothing you can do about it. Although I’m a Black kid whose grown up with nothing but Brown and Black kids for my entire life, which is far from what most people would consider lucky in this country, I am just that lucky. It’s no coincidence that at 18 years old, and while attending the 10th best school in the country, I have the transcript of a third year, or the fact that my brother graduated from UCLA just one month after his 20th birthday. In our case, this is because of the hard work of those before us and a couple lucky rolls of the dice. But for those who aren’t as lucky, this is because of the oppressive practices that hinder a majority of the world’s daily life, no matter race, religion or creed.

I say all of this to reiterate the point that I set off to do this research because I have experiences that don’t normally fit the mold of the stereotypical white academia in research, and experiences that I hoped to use in order to help the world become a tiny bit better. However, at this point, I’ve fallen victim to the bodies of power in front of me. I shouldn’t fail to mention that these institutions have helped me to be in this position (NU, the Ugandan Govt., etc.), which creates a hard power cycle to evade, especially with no experience. This doesn’t mean I’m done with my goal, but I can’t really function without acknowledging the challenges ahead of me, which is what this is I guess. Also, one last point, since I began using this platform to release a lot of my thoughts and work, people have seemed to think I’m unhappy with my experiences at Northwestern and beyond, but that can’t be further from the truth. I just can’t live without critiquing the bullshit I see, even if some of it benefits me. I also realized that I cursed a couple of times in this piece, and I guess this is me coming to terms with the fact that I’m an adult and living 10,000 miles away from home right now, so who cares?

Around 100 people have been clicking this link a week, so to the 10/100 of you that made it to the end of this update, THANK YOU!

BridgeBuilders Foundation: Navigating the Black Experience at a PWI

College Life, Free Write, Personal Essay, Social Justice, , , , , , , , , , ,

After publishing “What You Should Know about the Black Experience at Northwestern University”, I was asked to create a short video for the BridgeBuilders Foundation detailing my experience at Northwestern University as well as giving advice to upcoming students at PWIs.

In this 10 minute video, not only do I detail my experience and struggles to an extent, but attempt to serve as a voice of support for upcoming students.

I have been asked a million and one times, “What is something I wish I knew before attending Northwestern?” and up until a few weeks ago I had no answer. My answer became eminent to me after my first spring break while attending Northwestern. While my peers literally traveled all around the world, I went home to Carson/ Wilmington , Calif. where I spent time with my loved ones and friends. It was during this time I realized that in order to get the most out of my experience at an institution that was not built for me or established with the idea that there would be students like me attending it, I must stop looking for myself and my home in everyone I encountered. This is not me attempting to fault my peers for the circumstances they live through, or even Northwestern for the circumstances it’s campus creates for students like me, but to acknowledge my daily struggles as I attempt to adjust to life away from home. I hate to be a race-baiter and even more a wealth- baiter,  but the elite socioeconomic culture here at NU is inseparable from my experience. An experience where I am not necessarily comfortable in many situations I find myself in on a daily basis.

So back to the point of advice, the central focus of this video. I advise all students of diverse backgrounds, who are going to elite and PWI institutions that’ll try to paint their campuses as “diverse”, to attempt to detach their home and what they’re used to culturally, from their experience and outlooks at these institutions. It is a completely different world for me, and many others, that must be adapted to until were able to make it our own.

YouTube video

Spotlight Series: Dre’es

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It’s one thing to say you’re about it, but it’s another thing to actually be about it. Dre’es is about it. As a young rapper from Wilmington, Calif., Dre’es has already racked up considerable plays across many different streaming platforms, most notably Spotify. He prides himself on his artistic ability and the detail he puts into his craft, which has gained comparisons to the work of Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt.

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Dre’es and talk with him about his newly released project When The Curls Grow, his opinion on the current rap game, his upbringing and influences, his hit song “Warm” featuring his little cousin Mia and so much more.

It is evident that Dre’es work and music has evolved simultaneously with his maturation as a person. His newest EP relays a soothing tone, while hitting the hard topics of maturation and self-reflection as one gets older. Dre’es does a great job of telling his own story through his music. A story that has not only cultivated the whole South Bay area of Southern California, but does an amazing job of putting on and showcasing his Wilmington/ San Pedro roots.

As you watch, I hope you grow to respect and support Dre’es as much as I do in not only his artistic element, but himself as a person.

Dre’es Interview on Youtube

Dre’es Contact:

Apple Music Spotify Soundcloud  Instagram