Discourse

This reading focused on discourse, the way statements are portrayed, and it affects people when talking about community within a university. There was a study being done that analyzed and reworded different statements. It is important to keep in mind that everyone's discourse is different; everything is not going to be interpreted the same way. Among the statements the word community was used in different ways. The conclusion was based on how we should express community in a way that is very direct; not being misleading.

Interview

I interviewed one of my close friends and this is what she said...

1. What do you think my strengths/challenges are for this class?
     Strengths: caring, giving, religious
     Weaknesses: shy, quiet, passive

2. Am I a good collaborator?
     Yes because you are willing to put in the work to get things done and help come up with new
      and/or better ideas. However, depending on the situation you can be a little too passive because
      you are so quiet and would rather avoid any form of controversy.

3. Am I a good communicator (written, verbal, visual)?
     You are a good communicator verbal, visual and written.

4. How well do you think I work with groups of people I don't know or who have different  
    experiences and perspectives than I do?
     I have never witnessed this but I feel that you will be able to work well with a group of people you      do not know. This is because you are an open minded individual and you are aware that others
     will not always see things as you do.

5. Do you see me more invested in theory or practical applications?
     Practical application because you are religious

6. Did you ever think of me as an agent of change [activist, advocate, invested in community
    empowerment] Yes or No? Explain
     No, because you are so quiet and you avoid situation that could lead to any form of controversy.

7. What do you think I need to work on to be a better student/person/global citizen?
     The only thing I can think of is to be more talkative and open to situations that are a little
     controversial. I'm not saying situations of extreme controversy but situations that lead to great
     debates. Debating more with others will help you become more comfortable speaking on
     differences and just more comfortable speaking in general. It also helps you to question your
     own stance and change it or become more reassured of it.

Robert Weaver- Final Touches

Last Monday we went back to Robert Weaver and got everything done so that The Project will be successful in February. We met with one of the representatives of the Project and gave her the assessment that the residents filled out. We also were able to get some measurements of the things the residents wanted to get fixed (doors, floor, etc.). Excited about helping the residents and can't wait to see the results in February! :)

Robert Weaver

Last week we went out and knocked on doors to see if the residents wanted to take an additional assessment for things they would like to get done on the inside and outside of their homes. We pretty much got a good turn out from the ones that were home. Mrs. Renteria is going to meet up with us tomorrow, October 20, so that we can finish up everything that needs to be done.

Austin's Rosewood Neighborhood

After reading the book I find it interesting how the neighborhood grew. It went from being pretty much nothing to a neighborhood that people loved and enjoyed. They learned things and built from what they knew. When blacks were separated they basically had to do for themselves. From the pictures it mostly shows their successes and pictures of the people with smiles on their face. I'm sure they had hard times but it did not bring them down and stop them from making a great community. 

I have a different view of East Austin after reading the book. The people worked so hard to make the community what it is for them and their future children and grandchildren. It seems like it'll be hard and almost impossible to stop gentrification from happening. I feel even more passionate about helping and doing all that I can to make those people in the community feel comfortable and at home. 

Gentrification

I am from a low-income neighborhood in Fort Worth, Texas. There has not been any gentrification going on where I live. Everything has pretty much been the same since I was young. I was not really sure of what gentrification meant before taking this class. Gentrification in Africa seems to be very aggressive. Some people were literally forced to leave their homes; not even being able to gather their belongings. Austin's gentrification seems to unique to me, specifically in East Austin. I see how they are trying to raise property taxes and building higher priced homes. What I do not understand is why is seems so random in a low-income neighborhood. All of the houses on a block seem the same, but there is one house on that street that is being built that is more modern and costs more. Are they going to eventually remodel all of the surrounding homes? Will they possibly rebuild homes and not raise its cost?? I learned that having resources is very important. The community that we are currently helping may get recognized and can keep their homes for years to come. Gentrification is definitely real, but I am a firm believer that it can/will be modified if people in the community use their voices.

East Austin

The most surprising thing to me was that the city was segregated. Around the late 1920s the African Americans were sort of forced to move to East Austin. As the years past it became a lower income neighborhood. Today, low income are being pushed out of East Austin and Austin all together. Instead of moving low-income families out, they should focus more on how everyone throughout the city can live comfortable lives.
People just think of East Austin as a bad place to live in. They may not even know of the history behind the neighborhood. Back then people were afraid to speak up because of where they were from and if they were going to be taken seriously. There are a lot of opportunities in today's time. I do not think it is to late to stop gentrification in certain areas. The people of East Austin could stay just were they are if they take advantage of resources and get the word out. Making the neighborhood look better is good, but you do not have to kick people out that is already there; make it more affordable for them. :)