Vinson Cunningham Analysis

I have a request. You might find it silly, or worse, insulting. It will take about half an hour to complete. First, grab a laptop or a tablet, find a quiet place, google “Implicit Association Test” and click on “Take a Test - Harvard University.” The test is constructed to look for hidden assumptions and prejudices. While taking the test, try to avoid the common temptation that accompanies self assessment tests where the test taker intuitively gravitates toward desirable responses rather than being concerned with accurate self-assessment. The test result might surprise you. A self-declared, open-minded reporter was admittedly quite disturbed to find prejudices he didn’t know he had. The IAT exposes unwarranted assumptions we might have …show more content…
There are, for example, moments of epiphany when, to your surprise, you realize you have acquired certain undesirable traits associated with your parents, despite your conscious effort to be different. That’s the power of exposure. Vinson Cunningham’s illustration is helpful. According to Cunningham, James Baldwin’s sense of “duty” to exhort his readers toward better racial understanding had been compelled by “the Christianity whose dogma he eventually rejected, but whose air he breathed for too long to fully forget.” Cunningham is right. It is not easy to “fully forget” the effects of the elements we have been exposed to for a long period of time. They remains with us, despite our attempts to distance ourselves from them. The people or the ideas we have been exposed to for a protracted period of time inevitably shape …show more content…
featuring Dr. Ralph Godbolt, lecturer, author and teacher. Mr. Godbolt will give a short lecture on “The Social, Educational and Economic Challenges Facing Youth in the Age of HIP HOP.” He will discuss the realities young black men are facing in their respective communities, within the public education system, within the criminal justice system and within the legal job market. The realities facing young black men in the context of past and present American history and the opportunities for young black men to progress in American society will also be discussed. The talk will include research based solutions to assist low income, young black men in achieving academic and post-secondary success. At the conclusion of the lecture, there will be an “open mic” in which community members can ask questions and/or share their thoughts on the issues facing today’s youth and ways in which the greater community can begin to address these issues. We invite you to come join us in this important