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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Student Experiences in OTR, Part II: Deirdre Gorman, Dirty Clothes, and Sleeping Through Class
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
I always knew the Over-the-Rhine Residency Program would facilitate a much deeper way for students to learn about a community. I did not anticipate the extent to which the students would fall in love with the community. As they bonded with the community, opening their hearts and intellect to the citizens—a process that is not automatic and can only be characterized as hard work—they transformed from passive to active citizens. Their bond affected them deeply, resulting in relationships that for many will be long-lasting. For those who went through the Program in 2006, three now work at Peaslee and two of them now live in Over-the-Rhine. Currently, one student from this year’s group continues to live in Over-the-Rhine. A senior in her last semester, she commutes to Oxford to finish her course work as she continues to do social work with Over-the-Rhine Community Housing.
—Thomas Dutton, Director, Miami University’s Center for Community Engagement
Deirdre Gorman
Last year I had the opportunity to hear prior residents speak about their experiences in Over-the-Rhine. After listening to them, I felt inspired and began to seriously consider this option for my student teaching experience. I called my parents and informed them of my plans to join the Residency Program for the upcoming semester. That night I lay awake, my thoughts flooded with both real and imagined fears. After a restless night, I concluded that anything worth doing has risks.
Once I moved into Over-the-Rhine, I was no longer a part of the majority. Simply walking down the street made it apparent that I was a newcomer to the community; but before long I had forged friendships and trust with my new neighbors. These relationships were formed easily while teaching. Seeing my students both in and after school allowed me to build close ties, while also allowing for an enhanced understanding of their daily struggles and challenges. I was the only teacher who did not scold Brendall for sleeping through class, because I knew that his neighbors played music all night long. Without having to ask, I knew Ta’Ron was absent because his mother was too proud to send him in dirty clothes.
As an education major, I have read a great deal about the holistic learning. This experience provided the perfect opportunity to put this theory into practice. So I volunteered at an after school “art in the park” program and had the rare opportunity to interact with my students outside of the school setting. By showing this commitment, I gained the trust of parents. In particular, Mr. Hamilton stands out in my mind. He would beam when I told him how proud I was of his son’s achievements. One day, Mr. Hamilton told me how his father had walked out on him as a child. As he placed his arm around his son, he vowed that he would be the father he never had as a child. Mr. Hamilton challenges every stereotype. He is not out on the streets selling drugs or smoking crack. The truth is he is a hard-working man trying to be there for his family while supporting them on minimum wage.
Before this experience, I was the woman who didn’t make eye contact with homeless people. I would clench my purse as I walked by a group of African American males. These actions were done subconsciously. This experience forced me to confront my own deep-rooted assumptions. It was a struggle admitting to myself that I held such biases. Inner reflection allowed me to become conscious of my actions. I also began to observe unexpected similarities between my white, suburban hometown and Over-the-Rhine.
I grew up in what many would call an ideal place to raise a family, complete with fresh cut lawns and white picket fences. But this idyllic setting is not without its troubles. While the suburban housewife hosts a luncheon, her daughter might be snorting coke on a toilet seat, and her husband serving time for money laundering. Over-the-Rhine and my hometown are more similar than anyone would like to admit. But there is one major difference, Over-the-Rhine is real; the community does not have the luxury of hiding its flaws.
Throughout this experience, I have been challenged to re-evaluate and question my own deeply rooted assumptions on race, poverty, and urban life. During the process my eyes began to see the injustices in society. I witnessed children displaced from their school, which was demolished to make room for a parking lot. I taught students who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from. I know that this experience changed the person I am. I have grown more compassionate, but more importantly I have grown more empowered. I have seen how organizing and mobilizing people works. I will close this chapter of my life with the tools to combat the profound economic, social, and political inequalities that I have witnessed. Many times this semester I was simply immersed with sadness, but I was buoyed by the hope I saw in the eyes of my students and in the belief that they would come to see a more just world. I have come to appreciate the importance of acting now and I believe in the power that individuals possess to change their world.
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14 Feb 2008 at 06:52 am | #
I recently came across this article about a large study on diversity by the famous social scientist who wrote the famous book “Bowling Alone”. He sort of tried to suppress the results because it didn’t agree with his political “bias . But I thought it might offer a good counter argument to the usual laudatory talk about diversity. Here it is
14 Feb 2008 at 08:26 am | #
The Urban Core will trade three gun toting street thugs with guns for every suburban coke snorting teenie bopper you can get your hands on, and we’ll also take her money laundering dad as part of the deal. We would also be willing to trade the suburbs a GIANT social service mall called CityLink, for a big box grocery store.
14 Feb 2008 at 02:16 pm | #
Can someone help me understand what JFD’s point is? The above article is a brief summary of someone’s personal experience. An experience that deals with the confrontation of stereotypes and preconceptions. Agreeing or disagreeing with the validity of the content & raising counterpoints about her real experience is one thing, but to what end does seemingly off-point rambling and synical comments serve? Why not work for solutions to the issues that seem to have you so angry instead of simply belittling someone else’s experience?
14 Feb 2008 at 06:01 pm | #
I agree with cms. This is off-topic against the rules.
14 Feb 2008 at 08:32 pm | #
trey, the article you site certainly has a political bias. There seems to be a lot of racist views on that site. I believe diversity is good in nature and in society.
Imagine what American culture would be like without the influence of African Americans, no jazz, no rock & roll, no funk, no R&B and no hip hop. No Bueno!
cms and anon, I know it’s hard to see what JFD’s point could possibly be through his somewhat delusional drivel, but I think he is saying that he suffers from those same stereotypes and preconceptions. JFD’s angry post assumes that those that support the current residents and have gained a better understanding of their plight through experience must also support CityLink. This is of course a false stereotype and preconception. JFD would do well to take that class I think.
15 Feb 2008 at 12:58 am | #
Justin, if you want commentary from more mainstream sources on Putnam’s study. Here’s oneAnd here is mainstream commentator John Leo’s articleAnd here is the actual Robert Putnam study Its nice to think diversity is super-great but it seems to cause alot of distress in actuality.
15 Feb 2008 at 02:32 am | #
trey, you failed to address my comments, but thanks for the link to a source that isn’t filled with racist rants. The Boston Globe article presents a much more balanced look at his findings.
As for the notion that “he sort of tried to suppress the results because it didn’t agree with his political “bias”. This article says, “Putnam says he spent time “kicking the tires really hard” to be sure the study had it right. Putnam realized, for instance, that more diverse communities tended to be larger, have greater income ranges, higher crime rates, and more mobility among their residents—all factors that could depress social capital independent of any impact ethnic diversity might have.”
He added, “People would say, ‘I bet you forgot about X,’” Putnam says of the string of suggestions from colleagues. “There were 20 or 30 X’s.”
15 Feb 2008 at 09:14 am | #
Justin, I’m not sure what comments of yours you wanted me to address. If you really need to know, I like all those musical forms you mentioned. And I also like Mexican and Chinese food. But that doesn’t mean that in totality an uncritical, near-religious belief in diversity as the cure-all of evil is wise. And unfortunately this blind faith in diversity seems to hold much sway over large segments of the population (at least so its claimed).
I’m basing my statement that Putman was highly reluctant to publish this info on a radio interview I heard with John Leo. Leo claims Putman waited to publish till the immigration uproar was over so as not to give his political adversaries ammo and he also published in an obscure Scandanavian journal instead of a more mainstream one. Anyway read Leo and Steve Sailer (who many of us old, bitter cynics regard as a near-genius of politically-incorrect thinking though naturally you regard as the r-word)for more detailed talk of this.
And the article says Putnam looked at the possible mitigating factors you mentioned plus 20-30 more and found that they didn’t explain away the harmful effects of “excess diversity”.
15 Feb 2008 at 05:39 pm | #
trey, that is such an un-American sentiment. This country has always been diverse. There were over 500 different native tribes and Mexico owned half of the country. We are a nation of immigrants. What immigrants have been bad for this country? Was it the Germans, Irish, Italians, Chinese, Canadians or do you think it is just Hispanic immigration that is harmful?
The article states that some of Putnam’s worst fears about how his results could be used have been realized which is why he wanted to kick the tires for a while and make sure his data was solid.
A religious belief in segregation isn’t some sort of cure all or positive ideal either. That was what “conservatives” were openly advocating just 40 some years ago. Was the country better when we had white only lunch counters, water fountains, and seating in the front of the bus? I think not, but “conservative” and racist “pundits” want to only focus on data and findings that fit their own biased ideology.
The article continues:
Again this article is much more balanced than the “conservative” rant you first linked to.
Having gone to a pretty much all white school and then switched to a more diverse school, I can tell you that while there were occasionally some conflicts at the latter, we all gained a much better understanding about our city and nation than was possible at the former.
Immigration has always been an issue in this country and immigrants have always been demonized, scapegoated and vilified. Immigration is inevitable, especially when policies in Washington (like NAFTA and the so called frade trade agreements) have flooded other economies with subsidized corn that Mexican farmers (who aren’t subsidized) can’t compete with. (So much for the free market.) It put one and a half million farmers out of business and has contributed to the immigration we are seeing here now.
In nature diversity is good. Some crops handle droughts better and some handle flooding or pests better. A diverse gene pool is better than inbreeding. In business innovation comes from smaller and more diverse companies rather than huge monopolies. In music, food and culture, diversity has been a good thing. While diversity in our country can create some conflict and problems it creates new opportunities, it fosters better understanding of other countries and cultures and it makes us more competitive in an increasingly global economy.
The reality is that participation in civic groups has declined across the country even in communities that aren’t very diverse. Again, Putnam realized that more diverse communities tended to be larger, have greater income ranges, higher crime rates, and more mobility among their residents—all factors that could depress social capital independent of any impact ethnic diversity might have.
15 Feb 2008 at 05:56 pm | #
JJ#9: “What immigrants have been bad for this country?”
The illegal ones.
15 Feb 2008 at 06:41 pm | #
.
Justin, I don’t know if you read the reseach paper but if you did, you need to read closer. The very significance of the paper is that it shows that less “diverse” communities actually have much more civic participation than more diverse locales. (In fact, at present I am engaging in a “civic” activity by patronizing a library. And this might be somewhat rude to say but I feel pretty confidant that I would find this activity much more enjoyable and profitable if the clientele were less diverse. I love the black people, but could someone please tell them to not be so loud in the library.)
Putnam realized this and that’s why he statistically held these variables constant so as to see if it was diversity or one of these other variables that was causing the civic disengagement effect. And he found that diversity by itself was very impactful. Setting up valid experiments and surveys and rigorously analyzing results are what top rate scientists are experts at. Do you think you could whip or in any way challenge expert basketball player LeBron James in a one-on-one game?
Justin, this is a democracy not a theocracy. There is no ideology that is above critique. From the 20’s to the 60’s, the country severely limited immigration when large numbers of people thought it was having bad effects. Maybe we are entering a similar situation now. It is a emperical problem that citizens must decide for themselves. And I would argue that your position seems more hide-bound and less supple (but definately more polite sounding) than the folks giving the open immigration religion a cynical examination.
15 Feb 2008 at 08:46 pm | #
JFD, illegal immigration has benefited some people and certainly the big corporations (which you seem to love) that are happy to employ them. You get cheaper food because they work for less than anyone else would.
trey, I never said otherwise, I said that,
And that was also what he found and wrote about in his book. I said that while there are some negatives, there also many positives that come along with diversity, which is what Putnam concluded.
I find it amusing that a conservative is proudly engaging in a “civic” activity in our socialized library. And yes, white people can sometimes be loud in a library too. Why don’t you ask them not to be so loud if it bothers you? Who else is supposed to do that, the big bad government?
trey, this is not a democracy and was never intended to be. It is really a Plutocracy or Corporatocracy. (Just look at the billion dollar auction, I mean, election we are seeing now and think about where the money comes from and whose interest these paid for politicians serve.)
I never said any ideology is above critique, did I? I just disagree with yours. There were many bad policies in the 20s through the 60s. Our nation has a history of segregation, religious and political intolerance. What’s your point?
Again, bipartisan US policies have encouraged illegal immigration in the interest of the corporations that own this country. We aren’t just talking about immigration though, we’re talking about diversity.
There’s a lot of diversity that is because of legal immigration. In fact all white people are here because of immigration. The question is whether diversity is good or bad and is segregation better?
Given your premis is that diversity is bad does that mean that you think segregation is good? I look forward to your reply.
16 Feb 2008 at 02:52 am | #
JJ#12: “JFD, illegal immigration has benefited some people and certainly the big corporations (which you seem to love) that are happy to employ them. You get cheaper food because they work for less than anyone else would.”
They drive down wages of working class Americans. Apparently, you are one of those who benefits from their presence, through your stock portfolio; and since I don’t own any stocks you must love big corporations much more than I ever could…......., I can see why your interest in maintaining diversity is so keen.
16 Feb 2008 at 08:45 pm | #
Undocumented workers don’t set the minimum wage or tell corporations what to pay people, they just come here and work their asses off to make a better life. The government sets the minimum wage and trade policies that allowed big corporations to send millions of good paying jobs overseas. I don’t benefit from immigration and I believe that the government should pass a living wage for American workers as well as universal health care for everyone. I also believe in social justice and am disgusted by the racism we see against Hispanic immigrants in this country. I can see why you don’t like diversity.
16 Feb 2008 at 09:39 pm | #
JFD wins again. He hijacked the topic with his ludicrous arguments and Justin took the bait.
17 Feb 2008 at 12:35 am | #
JJ#12; “You get cheaper food because they work for less than anyone else would.”
JJ#14: “Undocumented workers don’t set the minimum wage or tell corporations what to pay people,”
On one hand you say, they set a price for their labor by working for less than anyone else would; on the other hand they don’t tell the corporations what to pay people. The only way your logic works is, if you don’t consider illegal aliens people.
17 Feb 2008 at 02:25 pm | #
JFD, undocumented workers don’t set prices and I never said they did. Our country does benefit from their hard work and this post isn’t about immigration, so that’s the end of this off-topic debate.
trey, what’s your position on segregation? Is it good or bad?
17 Feb 2008 at 08:02 pm | #
Justin, I need to seriously consider investing in a home computer so I don’t have to haul my butt down the street to answer a post. I really said all I wanted to say on the topic but since you are usually very courteous in replying to other people’s posts I’ll address some of your questions.
What’s my position on segregation you ask? Justin, there is something called a middle ground. All I was saying is I think all the diversity talk often goes over the line of common sense. I naturally think like 99% of other Americans that forced segregation is outdated policy.
There does that answer your question. No seriously, I’ll try to get back to you and give a more detailed answer in a few days but my brain isn’t working all that well right now and I think I’m going to go back home and watch the end of Daytona.