Chef Ron, The Cycle of Dependancy, By Michael Hatfield

For this showing with Chef Ron, from the Community Culinary School of Charlotte, he talks about the dependency of drugs and alcohol usage in his day to day life and how it personally affected him. He mentioned that he had a way to cope with the drugs and to continue its use as long as he felt he got rid of the substances by sweating them out through either strenuous exercise or by playing basketball. He later went on to tell the story of what happened and how that moment changed him to stay sober and to not use these illicit drugs and or alcohol. The entirety of the presentation was well put together, and it really kept your attention, however, I had thought that when I had shown up for the presentation that it was a SECOND Doug Alderson presentation and was rather disappointed that it was not. However, his words were of great meaning and strong advice and it was great to be there one way or another.

Wisdom by Kareem Wilson

What is wisdom?

• It is uniquely human
• It is a form of advanced cognitive and emotional development that is experience-driven
• It can be learned, increases with age, and can be measure

Wisdom is more than just knowing something; it entails learning, decision making, and accepting that failures are stepping stones to success. It is emotional, physical, even spiritual; it is the very thought process and course of actions that lead us to good outcomes. Wisdom is…us, humans, male and female, we are the discerning, cognitive beings that can gain so much more in the ways of wisdom.

Harvey B Gantt gallery of images by Kareem Wilson

Harvey B Gantt Visit by Kareem Wilson

The visit to the Harvey B Gantt was definitely an enjoyable and informative experience. To see so many exhibits and people of color and African American heritage in these different art forms was amazing. The Jonathan Grier exhibit is one of the most colorful exhibit I’ve seen and it definitely has some of the most amazing color displays on different art palates( canvas, oil paintings, etc.). The David Herman Jr. exhibit is more grounded in reality and has more pictures that are based on every day life and tradition in the Deep South. I have included a number of pictures and also a video so please enjoy!!

A&S Week- Peotry of the Earth by Kareem Wilson

The second event I attended was Poetry of the Earth and the poet was actually a local artist(sorry I forgot his name). The first thing that struck me was him asking the entire group to come closer together because we were so spaced out; usually people will allow you to sit wherever but he clearly fed off of the energy we gave him as a crowd and must have needed us to be that close. Secondly, his passion not only for his Native American heritage but his passion for poetry, was inspiring, motivating and simply amazing. It really gave me a model of sorts that no matter what you love to do, if you pursue it with passion anything is possible and no success is to small. Hearing his story of how he was just a college kid looking for free donuts and got turned on to poetry was very inspiring as well; sometimes, in search of our dreams we find our true purpose. Even more motivating was the fact that his last poem, They Will Remember Us, was written the night before in which he stayed up until 4 am and still had to be to work at the next morning – talk about dedication!! I really enjoyed his presence and the energy the poet gave to us; it was a very electric and captivating experience. 

A&S Week Sacred Ceremonies -Kareem Wilson

Sacred Ceremonies from around the world was offered a very interesting look at some of the ways Native Americans practice traditions. I must say that the instruments she brought in where very unique to Native American culture; the drums,  and the caterpillar shaking thingy made up of caterpillars that did not breach there cocoon and become butterfly. Also, hearing some of her stories about the traditions and how many of if not all of those traditions are wiped out because Native Americans where “white-washed” and made to practice the cultural ways of Western Civilization. Another interesting part of the presentation was her recollection of the trip she took to Africa with (forgive me for spelling this wrong if I do) Go Go Nomzomati and how she met a woman who was from a totally different culture but still proceeded to greet Go-Go in her customary way, with hand claps and bowing while proceeded to ask Go-Go for her blessing and prayer for her sick husband. All-in-all this was definitely an eye opener about how we are all citizens of the Earth and no one persons culture can trump that of another. 

Permanent Collection

What makes someone better than the other? Wealth? Race? Religion? Sex? Are we not all human, elevated by words? Are we not the same but wear a different skin, a different face? Who decides who is better than another? Do the clothes we wear it the cars we drive determine who will get farther in life? The questions we all wonder, few ask, and none seem to answer.

Whale Rider

How do you write something that words can not convey? How do you express something that you don’t know yourself? How do you fit in when you were born to stand out? Sometimes the most unlikely person, is the most likely to succeed.

In our day and age, the fight gets harder to be the best. Gender, ethnicity, and religious views, give you a leg up or an anchor down in the world. But, hopefully, we can come to an era where none of this matters. Where, just being the right person for the job is the main priority. Until then, the struggle continues.

Native American Comedian

You can either laugh through the hard times, or you can cry. It’s all a matter of opinion. Homer Shadowheart learned to laugh at the hardships that made up his life.

Though slightly inappropriate at times, he put on a good show. What was cool about it, though, was that all the stories he told were true. They all happened and he decided to share it with everyone. He was very open and witty, which made the crowd accept him a bit easier.

It was very enjoyable and I’m glad I went.

Dupont State Forrest Falls,

2012 Dupont State Forrest Falls