NOTEBOOK 10: prompt number 29 Write a flash fiction story about at least two characters affected by your real

world social justice issue. While the characters should be fictional, the conditions that they face/experiences that they have should be based on the facts surrounding the issue.

Racism has never been a prevalent issue in my life. Im a light skinned white American in Utah. In high school, though, I was unknowingly a witness of racism. I didnt know it, but I was selected as part of the team because I was white not just for my talent. As a rather tall junior at a school with 3,500 I tried out for the basketball team as a responsibility to my parents not with true expectation of making the team. After two weeks of try-outs it came down to the last spot on the team. The coach called Ryan, an African American, and me in to his office. Ryan was clearly better than me. He was taller, could jump higher, but hadnt been playing this offense as long as I had. Ryan, you are athletic, you are good, you are strong, but you are raw, you dont know the game. The coachs words were true, but he wasnt raw just a bit unexperienced. Orth, I like how you play. We need a big body, someone who can crash the boards. We need someone to crash down low. Ryan was clearly the better option if that is what the coach was looking for. He was superior to me in all of those things. I knew the plays better, but I wasnt able to execute them the same way Ryan could. Coach needed to know that.

Coach can we talk privately? I had every intention of talking myself down and putting Ryan in my place. Coach, Ryan deserves the spot. He is more athletic, better rebounder, and has played with half of these guys for the last two years. I think he deserves to be on the team. Coach was not impressed by my honesty and told me why I was going to get the spot. Ryan is good. He can jump, rebound, handle, and play defense. The only problem is that he isnt smart. He has all of that talent but he cant put it together. He is a player without direction. It is like playing a fourth grader in our system. I was shocked. I knew Ryan outside of class he was a B+ student at worst. He wasnt stupid. He wasnt an expert at the offense, but our role in the offense wasnt that great anyway. It wasnt too complicated for him to learn in a couple of weeks. I got that spot on our team. I didnt want fight with my coach anymore. Honestly in that moment I had no idea what had happened. I played that season with the least success of my high school career. The whole season I wondered what would have happened if Ryan would have gotten the spot he deserved. The next year we changed head coaches and Ryan made our team while setting several school records. After his stellar senior season he went on receive a Division One scholarship. Strange

to think all of that almost didnt happen due to a bit of racism. Three years later the school came under investigation for racism. Our original basketball coach was fired as part of that investigation, though it was not directly said that he was fired for racism, but we knew.

NOTEBOOK 11: prompt number 37

Reread the draft you've written for one of your major assignments. Look at the feedback you've received. Make a note of any ideas you had as you were writing--things that you weren't able to work in, or try, in the current draft. Now, write a revision plan. What are your revision priorities for the next iteration of this piece? Think not only of the feedback and your previous ideas, but new ideas you have; visual elements you might introduce, including document design elements; possible translations into a different medium; ways to bring in or mash up other genre activity; and more. Think big!

After rereading my draft on the evaluation, I found several things I could work on. in the next draft I will have to work on being politically correct. Its something I usually dont care too much about but in this case Im talking about racism. I also could include more about what the actual tribe feels about the laws. Also the format could change, I can reorder the paragraphs to better illustrate and evaluate.

NOTEBOOK 12: prompt number 18 Write a haiku that explains what your essay is about? Write another haiku that explains what your essay is really about?

New law protects Names offend our ancestors Change what hurts them most

Old Indian culture No longer ok to hurt We stay in the past

NOTEBOOK 13: prompt number 17 Create a hypertext summary off all of your electronic sources for an essay. Create links to the sources in your summaries. Include two-three-sentence biographies of your sources and links to where you found the biographical information. Two-Hawks, John How 'Indian' mascots oppress Undated. Web. 12 July 2013 http://www.nativecircle.com/mascots.htm American Indian Johnny two-hawks explain the oppression and racism that comes from Indian named teams. he says that to native Americans, the name 'REDSKINS' in just as offensive as the N-word to them. other names that are considered offensive are savages, squaws, braves, and chiefs. all of these names are highly derogatory. some when seen in context have negative connotations to female genitalia, murdering Indians, and unexpected Indian hierarchy. Basu, Moni Native American mascots: Pride or prejudice? 4 April 2013. Web. 12 July 2013 http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/04/native-american-mascots-pride-or-prejudice/

this article details the use of native American names as mascots, such as the Washington redskins, Cleveland Indians, Florida state Seminoles, etc. these names are sometimes considered offensive and have many times come under scrutiny.

Shropshire, Kenneth and Smith, Earl The Tarzan Syndrome Undated. Web. 12 July 2013. http://wsb.wharton.upenn.edu/documents/research/shropshire/The%20Tarzan%20Syndrome.pdf This is an analysis of a highly controversial essay that illustrates the thinking that black are different. Physically better, mentally inferior. This article plays heavily into the old fashioned thinking that blacks are less than whites.

Scott, Kevin Tennessee's Hire Shows Racism Is Alive and Well in College Football 15 January 2010. Web. 12 July 2013 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/326890-tennessee-vols-hiring-of-dooley-shows-racism-in-cfalive-and-well In the year 2009 "92.5 percent of university presidents in the FBS were white, 87.5 percent of the athletic directors were white and 100 percent of the conference commissioners were white." In comparison, "roughly 31 percent of position coaches are black and 12 percent of coordinators were black. Out of the players in the FBS, roughly 54 percent are black."

hoose p (1989) Necessities: racial barriers in American sports - Phillip M. Hoose. New York: random house This book states that black do not have the "necessities" to properly run sports clubs. It states that blacks arent as intellectually adept as whites.

Anonymous Joel Ward's Game-Winning Playoff Goal Sets Off Barrage Of Racist Tweets 26 April 2013. Web. 12 July 1013 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/26/joel-ward-goal-sparks-racisttweets_n_1455975.html As recently as 2012 racism has been in full effect. After scoring a series winning goal in the NHL playoffs, Joel ward received many inappropriate racist tweets.

NOTEBOOK 14: Prompt number 21 Visit a public space that is connected to your issue. Take your notebook with you. Meander through the space for at least an hour (or situate yourself somewhere you can watch from for the whole hour). Observe the people you see and in your notes, describe (using sensory details) what youre seeing and what is going on. Make your description as creative (while maintaining accuracy) and as lively as possible, encompassing the entire essence of the space within one good, descriptive paragraph.

I went to a football game, seeing if people stood by stereotypes that african americans are only good for sports. Its a common stereotype we hear often. Through the gates enter several caucasians bundled up for the cold fall day. Other races are few and far between. On the field I see two stark differences. On one side a team wearing blue jerseys, the majority of the players caucasian and islander. On the other side, a team wearing white, with a majority of african

american players. From a fan cheering on the team in white comes a racial slur, Come on my N*****. From a fan wearing blue comes something similar, Yall just a bunch of N*****s.

NOTEBOOK 15: prompt number 22 Return to an essay you have written. Revise the essay, making some kind of major adjustment reworking your thesis, starting with the conclusion, changing the narration (in the memoir or profile), cutting it by a third, etc. Or translate it into a PSA, audio essay, video essay, graphic/hypertext .