pg. 422 Exercises.

1) I would choose 3 VIP's. The first being Dave Chappelle. I think that for my day and age, he is one of the most well known racial activists, despite the fact that most people don't understand that he is a racial activist. He chose to attack racism through the lens of comedy, and he does it with such passion and creativity. He speaks of problems like internalized racism, definitions of whiteness, breaking down stereotypes, and exposing the institutionalized racism that still occurs in the United States. All of this is done through making people laugh, we may not know what we are seeing, but he is keeping peoples eyes on what is important, how race effects certain people.

I think my very important place would be the San Bernardino Juvenile Hall. This place has taught me more than University of Redlands has (no offense professor Cole). To be able to study how hundreds of thousands of children get their childhood taken away from them is an incredible experience. It's emotionally draining, as well as physically, but it is all worth it. TO be able to help a child understand that what he or she went through is not supposed to happen is something that everybody needs to experience. I know I dont know what is good for these kids, but I know that I can help them do what THEY wanna do, whatever it is.

2)I think my choice to choose Dave Chappelle is pretty telling where I'm from. I'm not from New York, but Chicago is pretty in tune with it's African American culture as well. I used to sit around with my friends and watch every new episode as I came out. However, most of my friends do not bother to analyze it in the ways that I do. I try and find his motivations, ideas or concepts that he wraps each skit around. Whenever I watch an episode I know that there is a deep meaning he is trying to convey so i try very hard to understand that.

The San Bernardino Juvenile Hall is a very interesting place for me to get attached to. Im not sure exactly why, but I do have one theory. I think that I like it so much because of the people that I grew up with in high school. I was a pretty bad kid and got into a lot of trouble, so when I see these same kids wrapped up in the bullshit that I was wrapped up in, my heart goes out. So in that sense my background has something to do with it. But it is more of a present day situation for me. It was something new that I chose to dive into.