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liyaendale
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Posts by liyaendale
Biased Intellect
Sep 27th
The world of academia continues to funnel ethnic minorities through the stigmatizing world of psychobabble using instruments which measure so-called intellectual ability.
by Liya Endale. Posted: Monday, September 27, 2010
Author: Liya Endale
Dr. Stanley Sue represents a movement in psychology today. He speaks and writes boldly from a perspective which has been egregiously underrepresented, the minority perspective. Those who have come before him and have attempted to speak his message have been ridiculed back into the shadows from whence they emerged. His article, Science, Ethnicity, and Bias made me lol quite literally. You see, I have the unique ability to ‘code switch.’ I do believe that Ebonics is a language spoken in ‘the streets’ that translates to incoherent dribble drabble in the world of academia. And good luck to the crazy, naïve optimist who wants to take Sue’s article into the projects and neighborhoods where Black America has been herded like American Indians onto reservations. The thing that makes me lol is that Black America, and I’m sure many other populations, have been saying the same thing Sue’s article speaks of for decades.
Instead of listening, the world of academia continues to funnel ethnic minorities through the stigmatizing world of psychobabble using instruments More >
Between Privilege and Blessing
Sep 2nd
We must balance our expectations of ourselves with the responsibility we have to our fellow man in order to recognize, name and attain our true blessings.
by Liya Endale. Posted: Thursday, September 2, 2010
Author: Liya Endale
I am a spoiled and ignorant woman of great privilege not just globally, but throughout the known history of mankind. Not only do I not have to worry about where my next meal comes from, but I can also control the temperature of the air around me, the amount and temperature of water I want/need in any given moment, and I wear a freshly laundered and different outfit every day of the week, maybe even month. Now that that has been said, let us dissect the meaning of privilege in different contexts and how we privileged individuals can best carry this privilege with the guilt and responsibility which trails after it like cosmic dust after a comet. Then, let us further disabuse the notion that privilege is synonymous with blessing; though these two constructs may have overlapping meanings at times.
As I mentioned in my last article, I have always had my basic needs taken care of. I have always managed to pay my rent and car More >
The Limitations of Genzeb
Aug 31st
Money can be too funny at times. We need it like it’s a natural resource. However, those who have the most have some of the craziest issues keeping them up late at night.
by Liya Endale. Posted: Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Money doesn’t cry. And money doesn’t bleed. Money doesn’t fulfill our intangible needs.
Let me share with you what I have learned through the process of not having too much money in my life. I’ve learned to rely on my family for emotional support to carve my own path and identity in this life. I’ve learned that a dollar saved is a dollar earned, so really I’m working time and a half plus some when I put my money away. I’ve learned that this world does not and will not act like it owes me jack. I’ve learned to prioritize the things I want. I’ve learned that the feeling you get when you finally get that thing you’ve had to sacrifice and save and work for. That feeling is a million times better than being given everything you could possible want. I’ve learned that less is more. I’ve learned to say “I love you” instead of “Give me…” I’ve learned how to More >
Promote Africa: Inspired by Others
Aug 19th
First, we have to recognize who we are and empower ourselves with the strength of our community.
by Liya Endale: Posted: Thursday, August 19, 2010
I sat in an utter need for motivation when I went to my university’s homepage and recognized the “amazing student” of the week; a student I formerly worked with during my time in administration at the university. It was no surprise to see she had made it to “amazing student” status twice in the last two years, the first person I know with this distinction at this school. She is incredibly smart; there is no doubt about that. Her profile rattled a list of the most prestigious scholarships she had earned through her commitment to hard work. However, what impressed me the most was the topic she chose to speak about during her interview.
“If I could not fail I would… encourage others to think about global poverty and the fact that the place we are born makes such a difference in our success and our lifestyle. I think we often forget about the real value of a dollar; it can buy entire meals for an impoverished family or help build a school for those with such a More >
A Closer Look at Love
Aug 11th
We do not know where our journey will take us and sometimes we have to feel the most lost in order to be found.
by Liya Endale. Posted: Wednesday, August 11, 2010
In recent times I’ve learned that love has many faces and many purposes. It’s contagious as a cold and shifts shapes like a lava lamp. It manifests itself differently in each of us, taking on some of our own characteristics; intense, passionate or even dark and brooding. We can communicate our love to some people, but to others our love is no more compatible with their understanding as diesel is to a Ferrari. At times like these we are left contemplating our own misunderstanding; trying to make sense of complexity so insatiable it seems as though fate itself moved us to love just to mock the fool it turns us into.
Love is like Einstein’s theory of space-time; an invisible fabric woven together and draping over this universe like a silent blanket, shifting with airless currents of outer space and the gravity of all which has even the slightest mass. Love is sensitive as this fabric, reflecting each of our emotions- clinging to them like a noontime shadow. Eliciting in each More >
Victimized by Change: How Shirley Sherrod Symbolizes Fear and Hope
Jul 29th
I take it on as my personal duty to speak out for anyone who suffers because this world is unfoundedly scared of his or her presence; including myself.
by Liya Endale. Posted: Thursday, July 29, 2010
When I first heard of the Shirley Sherrod USDA debacle, I felt utter confusion. I despise racism in any form but something was amiss from this newsfeed. When USDA retracted their demand for Miss Sherrod’s resignation, I felt shock and surprise. When I listened to her entire 45 minute speech from which Fox news extracted that five second clip which assailed her life’s work and purpose, I felt shame. Shame because I, an average U.S. consumer of media, am, too, guilty of the same snap judgments and disregard to the full context of an issue which is essentially capsizing the life of a fellow Georgian who has overcome countless obstacles which would have soured any other spirit; a fellow Georgian who has worked for justice and fairness for all not despite of but because of her horrific experiences with racism in this country.
This morning I turned on the news to hear about a student at Augusta State University in the School Counseling program. This student happened to More >
Deadly Silence: When Sadness Leads to Suicide
Jul 22nd
My care is not based on what they can give me in the relationship but on the simple fact that I do not want them to hurt anymore.
by Liya Endale. Posted: Thursday, July 23, 2010
Perhaps it is due to the recent global events surrounding the world economy that have finally shaken the United States from its slumber. Maybe it is just a freak coincidence. Regardless of the reason, I have noted a marked increase in the number of close friends of mine who are dealing with depression. I’ve come to realize that having a friend in medical school and another in Afghanistan’s front lines becomes quite the distressing situation. Further, one of my best friends recently had a string of unrelated deaths in her family which have affected her in the worst way. Another close friend of mine has had his house in the process of foreclosure for quite some time and the act of waiting for the day they come to take his house has been maddening for him. I’ve grown accustomed to the melancholy phone calls during which I say very little but hear a lot, leaving me with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach More >
Thoughts Fueled by Feelings
Jul 7th
Emotions cause me to think beyond a surface-level acceptance of half-truths given to us through our textbooks and the images we are fed through the media.
by Liya Endale. Published: Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Author: Liya Endale
I think. Therefore, I am? I can’t help but wonder how many others are made of the same substance as I. It is true that I am a thinker, but first and foremost, I am a feeler. My thoughts are fueled only by the incessant nagging of my emotions stirring up all the elements which comprise my being. What do I mean? “I feel. Therefore, I am.” René Descartes raised a compelling argument when he coined this phrase in the 1700’s, but for me there is a phenomenon which precedes my thinking. That is my feeling.
Lately, I have been enmeshed in the unmasked conditioning process which accompanies all Graduate Schools which practice a ‘cohort’ model. You and your classmates share the same schedules, the same classes, same assignments, and even do your taxes together on occasion. This means that you also share the same high-stress, high-stake environment known as higher education. You have all paid a ridiculous amount of money to sit in your chair and More >
A New World
Jul 3rd
This world is sitting in quite a precarious state with a global connection which no longer knows balance because of our crashing economy.
by Liya Endale. Posted: Saturday, July 3, 2010
As the global political state intensifies, I try to keep my ear to the street about what the major power countries are up to. At times I am convinced that WWIII has begun. North Korea is beginning to work as an ally with China. Did you know that the North Korean fans during the world cup were really hired actors from China? The war in Iraq and Afghanistan has morphed into something most citizens never anticipated. This world is sitting in quite a precarious state with a global connection which no longer knows balance because of our crashing economy. We have created a ripple effect felt around the world. It is quite scary when you stop to think about the possibilities for our future here in the States, especially coming from a country where political turmoil has been synonymous with blood spilled in the streets. We, the young generation of North American, will never be able to fathom that types of atrocities that can come from political upheaval, especially when we More >
Rules
Jul 1st
How many of us have missed another calling because of the pressure we put on ourselves to conform to the definition of success composed by our community.
by Liya Endale. Posted: Thursday, July 1, 2010
Every once in a while, I come across a submission that raises the bumps on my arms as my mind wraps around the message of its writer. A young Ethiopian writer who grew up in the United States or Canada like I did. A writer whose calling is so loud it screams from the words on my screen, illuminated from behind by the bright, eternal white that seems to stretch into the computer and into another parallel universe; one where we never left home and we learned to cook doro wut and drive a stick shift at a young age. What gave this person the courage to follow their fingers on a keyboard instead of the warnings of a community who believes success is measured by the number of letters that come after your name, M.d, PhD, M.Ed.
For those who do not know, my sister and I are publishing a book together about perspectives on identity by the young Ethiopian/Eritrean Diaspora. We have been collecting submissions from More >