Dr. Gbadegesin’s lecture By: Melat Gebre @02640216

Dr. Gbadegesin’s lecture was mainly about the importance of character, self-actualization, education, and how it is a combination of these important tools that allow us to become prosperous and individual. He also emphasized how we must then take our talents and give back to our community because it is our responsibility.
Dr. Gbadegesin began his lecture with an ancient African story. It was about a beautiful woman named Iwa who became married to the God of Wisdom. Iwa was the granddaughter of a powerful God and she agreed to marry her husband on the condition that he is not allowed to stress her out and if he does she will leave him. Once Iwa and her husband became married, her husband began to have more clients and he then became a very prosperous man. Iwa then begins to complain that her husband is not doing the house chores correctly, which in turn stresses her out and she leaves her husband. Once Iwa leaves her husband, the number of clients her husband receives goes down and he is no longer prosperous. The moral of the story is that Iwa represents character and once you lose your character (your Iwa) you lose everything.
Dr. Gbadegesin then mentioned some people who came before Jesus and Socrates and those people include The Goddess Ma’at, Vizier Ptahhoter, and Pharaoh Amenemope. He then went in more depth about some ancient Egyptian Gods and nobles. Gods are not except from the principles of morality. Ptabhotep once said “A man of character is a man of wealth”. Dr. Gbadegesin mentioned how a lot was learned from Egyptian texts written by Pharaohs and coffin texts written by nobles. In 1962 Time magazine suggested that coffin texts influenced Moses.
Dr. Gbadegesin then talked about the connection between Ancient Egypt and the Africa. These connections include physical, both the Egyptians and Africans are black, spiritual and philosophical which includes moth metaphysical and ethical. Dr. Gabadegesin then spoke about how humans are constantly remaking themselves and he said if a human is not constantly self-improving then he/she is not a human.
He ended his lecture with the belief that Iwa endures all, “Honor may vanish from your house…Iwa endures”. I really enjoyed Dr. Gbadegesin’s lecture I felt that the drums added an authentic aspect to his lecture. I believe that character is a trait to have and I thought it was creative how Dr. Gbadegesin stressed this character trait through an ancient story.

Dr. Felder lecture, By: Melissa Moise

Dr. Felder’s lecture was on freedom and justice. He began his lecture by stating “in time all that is hidden will come to light” which relates to all the new ideas coming from Africa. Most people do not realize that most things originated in Africa. He also mentioned western history, and everything that is important comes from Europe. While speaking on freedom, Dr. Felder asked us “who are the free people, and are we free? He also mentioned how America claims to be the land of the free, but yet we imprison more blacks than any other nation. Then we began to discuss the bible and how it represents Afro-Asianic. Also freedom means the ability to exercise choices whether making good ones or bad. Then Dr. Felder gave an example of Adam and Eve and how the blame of eating the apple needs to be shared, because they both had a choice to make. With freedom comes responsibility and consequences whether one makes a good or bad choice. Then we began to discuss how in the bible most of the time women were blamed for things that men were at fault for. I agree with this because the bible was mostly written by men. Next we discussed justice which has to do with the right relationship and fairness or balance. I began to think about how blacks are still going to jail for crimes they did not commit, or being killed by law enforcements for no reason. The final topic was Jesus of Nazareth which I had a more difficult time understanding what it had to do with justice and freedom. Overall I enjoyed the lecture, and I look forward to reading The Original African Heritage study bible. I would have enjoyed the lecture more if there was a power point to go with it.

Dr Felder's Lecture- Sara Tosi @02647875

The theme of Dr. Felder’s lecture was justice and freedom. Dr. Felder said that when people speak about justice they often only mean it for people like themselves or “just-us”. He defined freedom as the right to make choices and pointed out that often when the words freedom and justice are used they are not really meant, such as in the founding of the United States under the principles of freedom and equality when in reality Blacks, Native Americans, and women were still second class citizens. Dr. Felder also spoke about how Europe has become the epicenter for culture and learning and Africa has been marginalized, and that the Bible has been white washed. Dr. Felder said “Egypt doesn’t move” and reminded us that Egypt is not in Europe so all of the figures in the Bible could not possibly have been European. Dr. Felder also spoke about the demonization of women as evil seducers in the Bible. Then he told a story from the Old Testament about Esther, the girl who became Queen of Persia and stopped the King’s persecution of the Jewish people. This story served to show us that strong female figures could be found before the European Bible. I enjoyed Dr. Felder’s lecture very much. I think it is fascinating to study religion from a different perspective than that of patriarchic Europe. I would have preferred if Dr. Felder had used a power point presentation or had some notes on the board for us or even some handouts because I was a little lost at the beginning of his lecture.

Dr. Felder's Lecture on Freedom and Justice By: Melat Gebre @02640216

Dr. Felder's lecture was mainly about the freedom and justice. Dr. Felder started out by saying "In time all that is hidden will come to light". Then he began to speak about the dispersal of African culture. Africa has been marginalized and Europe is the center. This is major paradigm that needs to be dethroned. Freedom is responsibility and has consequences. Freedom and justice are deeply woven in Western culture and this culture traces back to Greece and Rome. Dr. Felder then poses the question was there anything Greece and Rome? It seems as if Africa is forgotten about. Dr. Felder defines freedom as something that "refers to the individual or groups to exercise un-feathered choices such choices will that may or may not determine if a human reaches full potential".  He then rises the point that the Christian bible denies the existence of any colored persons. The African bible rejects the notion that when you open the bible all the people are European. In biblical times there is no sense of race. The bible also depicts women as seducers. Dr. Felder then goes on to say that America is self-serving and leaves out many important facts. He also makes a pun on the word justice, saying that it’s “just-us” meaning justices is for the select few, not for everybody. Dr. Felder then begins to close his lecture with speaking about religion and the bible. He states that Jesus of Nazareth is the justice of God in his human form. Jesus Christ is the icon, the non-mortal. Both Ghandi and Mandela didn’t like how Christianity is practiced by Europeans, but they both admired Jesus. Biblical history is a particular subject matter that I would like to know more about and Dr. Felder’s lecture gave me further insight on this subject. Overall, I enjoyed Dr. Felder’s lecture, but I do feel that the lecture could have been a little more organized and it would have made it easier to understand. 

Dr. Felder's Lecture on Freedom and Justice by Tashiana Hudson @026526009

            Dr. Felder began his lecture by defining the African Diaspora as the dispersal of African people. He stated that we must try to restore pride in African contributions to the world throughout history. He went on to explain that the bible is misleading in its lack of representation of people of color.

            Dr. Felder discussed freedom and defined it as “the right to exercise unfettered choices…” He explained, however, that sometimes freedom for some has led to the enslavement of others, as in the case of slavery. He joked that justice used to mean “just us”, as in justice for the majority only.

            Dr. Felder then spoke on righteousness, defining it as having the right relationship, not only with God, but also with one’s neighbors. He explained that all religious books like the Bible, the Torah (the Bible’s first five books), and the Koran (the Muslim code of ethics) seek to define and create the “right relationship”. He explained that the media tries to demonize laws that are not Christian, especially Islamic law, since the September 11^th attacks.

            Dr. Felder went on to explain that “Slavery is the most glaring denial of ones freedom” as “slaves are essentially non-people” whose choices and actions are an extension of their “master’s”.

            Dr. Felder ended by describing how Jesus of Nazareth, that is, Jesus as a man, rather than a symbol of Christianity, represented the justice of God in his healing, teaching, and challenging of the political establishment and was essentially a martyr.

            I found Dr. Felder’s lecture quite interesting, though I thought he indulged in too many tangents that made it hard to focus on his main point. I thought his lecture would have been easier to follow had he used PowerPoint or even written main points on the board for those of us who are visual learners.

Dr. Carr's Lecture- Sara Tosi @02647875

Dr. Carr's lecture urged us to understand the difference between learning and wisdom and to pursue both at Howard. While it is important to acquire knowledge we must also be wise as to how to apply our knowledge for society to progress. Dr. Carr said that we can gain the wisdom of our African ancestors' by studying what they left behind for us, particularly through texts but also through music, art and prayer. This is also a way for us to communicate with the ancestors even though they are gone. The “deep African thought” in these texts is the foundation for our academic work. Dr. Carr introduced the concept of “sankofa” meaning 'go get it'; meaning we must go and get wisdom from our ancestors. Dr. Carr also stressed the importance of striving for excellence in education as opposed to working to fill an achievement “gap”. He said to achieve excellence we must read, write, and speak and that success in learning also depends on excellent measuring and excellent service. I was particularly intrigued when Dr. Carr taught us that the glyph for beauty is an image of lungs and a windpipe, and that this suggests that beauty is what you say, and it is internal as opposed to external physical beauty, and it is important to learn what our ancestors said because it is beautiful and wise.

Dr. Benjamin's Lecture on The Eloquence of Scribes by Tashiana Hudson @02652609

Dr. Benjamin started off her lecture by explaining that a scribe is “a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession for a government…” They have a history of being responsible for copying sacred texts and keeping historical records. Modern scribes include journalists, accountants, lawyers, and government officials.

Dr. Benjamin then went on to describe the many scribes for whom the buildings on campus are named. She started with General Oliver Otis Howard, for whom Howard University is named. He was an army officer who promoted the welfare of former slaves. Next, she discussed Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, the first African-American President of Howard. Following that, we learned about Inabel Burns Linsay, the first dean of the Howard University school of Social Work and the only female dean of her time. Next, we learned about the Morland-Spingarn research center, named after two men who contributed thousands of books to the Founders Library. We also learned about Alain Locke, the first African-American Rhodes Scholar, for whom Locke Hall is named.

Dr. Benjamin also discussed Lulu Vere Childers, Frederick Douglass, Ira Aldridge, Louis Crampton, and some women of the Tubman Quad, including Tubman, Truth, Crandall, and Wheatley. Dr. Benjamin went on to talk about Lucy Slowe, Mary Bethune, Charles Drew, George Washington Carver, and Ernest Just, explaining a little about each person’s achievements. She ended her lecture by explaining the meaning and origins of the statue outside of Crampton Auditorium.

I found Dr. Benjamin’s lecture enjoyable, if extensive. It did seem to drag a bit at the end, and there seemed to be some time constraints, but, overall, it was easy to follow and did a good job of informing us about the buildings on campus.

Dr. Benjamin's "The Eloquence of the Scribes", by: Melat Gebre @02640216

Dr. Benjamin's lecture was about the importance of scribes and the continuing legacy of Howard University. A scribe is a person who writes books/articles by hand. Before the printing press was invented, being a scribe was a common job. The Egyptians had many different types of scribes such as, scribes for the cattle and scribes for keeping record. Dr. Benjamin then went on to discuss famous scribes that have left a legacy at Howard University. General Oliver Otis Howard was the founder of Howard University and he fought for the rights and freedoms of minorities. General Howard was the president of the university from 1869-1874. Mordecai Wyatt Johnson was the first African American president of a university and he was president of Howard University from 1926-1990. Johnson was the eleventh president of Howard University and the administrative building on campus is named in his honor. Inabel Burns Lindsay was the one who established the School of Social Work, was named in her honor, and she was the only female dean in the DC area. Founders Library was opened in 1938 and was named after the 17 founders of the University. Lulu Vere Childers, the fine arts building was named after  her, founded the Howard University Glee Club, orchestra, and choir. Louis C. Cramton, the auditorium was named in his honor, was a congressman who influenced Congress to fund Howard University. Prudence Crandall, a hall inside the Tubman Quadrangle was named after her, is responsible for opening the first school for African-American girls. Phillis Wheatley, a hall inside the Tubman Quadrangle was named after her, was a famous poet who came as a slave from the Libya and became the first African-American women to publish a book. Dr. Benjamin then continued to discuss several other famous scribes that have influenced Howard University. Overall, Dr. Benjamin’s lecture taught me a lot of history about Howard University. Before this lecture I did not know why the buildings on campus had those names, now I understand the history behind those names. Dr. Benjamin’s lecture was clear and concise and I very much enjoyed it.

The Eloquence of the scribes, by: Melissa Moise @02644455

The two main topics of the lecture was the eloquence of the scribes, and continuing the legacy of Howard University. First the word scribe describes a person who writes books and documents by hand, and works for the government by keeping track of records. Howard University students have high expectations to continue the legacy and do great things like the ones before.


Some of the great leaders we discussed include Inabel burns Lindsay who was the first dean of school of social work as well as the only female academic dean in Washington, D.C. The school of social work also became the second accredited school in the nation for African American students. Another great leader was Frederick Douglas who was a journalist as well as a spokesperson for African Americans. Then we went on to discuss the different dormitories and the important people who they were named after. First the quad consists of Truth, Wheatley, Crandall, Baldwin, and Frazier hall. Harriet Tubman was important because she risked her life to save about 300 slaves, by leading them through the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman is known as “The Moses of her people”. Sojourner Truth is known for her memoirs and famous speech, “Am I not a woman.” Prudence Crandall is known for opening the first African American school, but was forced to close it. Phillis Wheatley was purchased by the Wheatley family to be a slave at the age of 8. By the age of 12 she could read Greek and Latin; and became the first African American to publish a book.

I learned a lot about the history of Howard University from this lecture. I did not know Howard had so many leaders and first African American deans, publishers, writers, and so much more. The lecture motivated me to continue to research about the history of Howard University as well as continue the legacy of great leaders. I would have liked the instructor to have gone in more depth and save more time for questions.

Dr. Dunston lecture, By: Melissa Moise @02644455

Dr. Dunston is the founding director of the National Human Genome Research Center, and studies the DNA molecule and 30,000 human genes. One of Dr. Dunston’s purposes is to understand why certain diseases have a higher frequency in the African American community. The word genome represents 23 chromosomes with all the genes we inherit, and every cell has the same genomic info. The Genome is also a record book of our ancestors history, and we should read it in order to further understand our ancestors and where we came from. Some of the other topics included “the knowledge revolution”, our purpose in life, and knowing ourselves.


Dr. Dunston explained “the knowledge revolution” as being class of 2014 time. She described class of 2014 as being on time, on point, and on purpose. Dr. Dunston believes that the class of 14” will do great things. I also believe that our class is capable of many things, just because we are in the time of the first black president and so much more. The most important thing I learned is we have to learn how to use our knowledge intelligently to solve a problem or many; otherwise it’s just a waste. One topic that made me think the most is our purpose in life, which is the only reason why God put us on this earth. It made me realize that I need to pray and reflect more to find out why I’m truly here on earth. As of now I believe my purpose is to help those less fortunate than me especially children; and that’s why I want to be a pediatrician. The thing that stood out to me the most is that we are here to answer someone’s prayer. Finally I learned that it’s very important to know yourself first, before you start trying to help other people realize who they are. This is another reason why I need to take time to reflect. Something else that stood out to me is, think about what you think about; which means to really take the time and research about what’s important to you.

In conclusion, Dr. Dunston’s lecture was very inspirational, and it truly made me think about what I want to do with my life. Although the lecture was helpful I wish there was more time for questions, and to go in depth about genome.

Dr. Dunston's Lecture on Abandonement, Dismemberment, and Reawakening by Tashiana Hudson @02652609

Georgia M. Dunston is a scientist who deals mostly with investigating the human genome. She explained that each person has a unique genome encoded in each of their cells. After a cell reaches maturation, its genome disintegrates, but these genomes are the basis of how our bodies are formed and operated. Dr. Dunston explained that investigating these genomes may help us discover why there are health discrepancies, that is, why some individuals or races tend to contract certain diseases more frequently that others. Understanding these health discrepancies might help us find a way to get rid of them, using aspects of the genome of some individuals to figure out how to make those more susceptible immune. Dr. Dunston explained that we are in the midst of a knowledge revolution, during which we are discovering new things about the human genome that could help us better understand humanity.

There are many definitions of the human genome, but one in particular is “a record book of the history and legacy of humanity”, suggesting that we can better understand the past by understanding the human genome. Dr. Dunston asked “How do you use knowledge intelligently to solve the problems of your time?”, and stated, “Creativity is the highest expression of that which makes you uniquely you.” She explained that we must use what we have been given in our DNA to change the world for the better, reminding us that less than two percent of the genome creates the physical body, while the rest is concerned with how we regulate and control that body. This means that most of our genome focuses on not our bodies, but what we can learn to do with them.

Dr. Dunston’s lecture was interesting, but I was very disappointed to find that she had spent the entire class session on her introduction. I was also disappointed to find that she never posted her PowerPoint online, so it seems that we will never know what information was beyond her introduction.

Dr. Dunston By: Melat Gebre @02640216

The main topic of Dr. Dunston’s lecture was about the human genome project and how it relates to Howard. Dr. Dunston started her lecture by talking about how the human genome project is the discovery life. The human genome project involves scientists that are sequencing all the DNA of humans. By sequencing the entire human genome this allows doctors and others in the health profession to better treat patients and it also opens up an endless number of scientific advances that can be made. Sequencing the human genome also allows us to have a better understanding of our ancestors and how we have evolved as humans. Dr. Duston said so eloquently, “The human genome project is history being unfolded in the language of the genome”. It is a well-known fact that the origins of human kind lead back to Africa and as Africans we must take part in this historic moment. A portion of the human genome project is actually taking place at the Howard University College of Medicine. Scientists are sequencing the genome of Africans. Throughout the lecture Dr. Dunston urged for us to get involved in the “discovery of life” and she mentioned how we must take advantage of the fact that the DNA sequencing of Africans is actually occurring at our own university. Some interesting facts that I learned from Dr. Dunston is that less than 1/10 of 1% of our DNA defines our ethnicity and that less than 2% of our DNA makes all our external and internal parts of our body. Overall, I enjoyed Dr. Dunston’s lecture. Microbiology is one of my favorite subjects, so it was very exciting to hear Dr. Dunston speak about the human genome. 

Dr. Carr's lecture on learning and wisdom, By: Melissa Moise

The main topic of Dr. Carr’s lecture was the importance of learning from our ancestors, improving our own lives, and teaching younger generations, so they become better than us. It’s important to learn from our ancestors, so we don’t make the same mistakes they did which gives us more time to accomplish things in life. Another reason is so we understand why certain things were done and for what reason. Some ways we can learn from our ancestors is by reading text they left behind, listening to those who came before us, and even visiting Africa to study the monuments and other cultural things. In order to truly learn we must always write, read, and recite. We must also teach younger generations because it is like a cycle. We learn from our ancestors then we teach younger ones so they become even better than us and even the ones before. One way we can teach them is by recording what we know and learned through writing the same way our ancestors did. This cycle is very important because it all relates to improving our lives which is why God put us on earth as well as to help others. Some ways we can improve are lives are always learning from our and others mistakes, and embracing other people and their cultures. Dr. Carr’s lecture was very important and informative because not many people know about the many things African Americans did from being in charge of a library to inventing the first stop light. I benefited from Dr. Carr’s lecture because it made me realize that I need to read more text from my ancestors, and I don’t need to be afraid of my curiosity to learn more. The most important thing I took from the lecture was, true beauty is not what’s on the outside but how you act and carry yourself.

Dr. Carr's Lecture on Learning and Wisdom by Tashiana Hudson @02652609

            Dr. Carr began his lecture with some key African teaching terms, which I thought was appropriate, considering we were learning about African learning. He went on to explain that our goal as a whole is to recover African Deep Thought. He explained the idea that we have been led to believe that Africans were not and are not a people of knowledge and wisdom. However, if we look back into our ancestry, we see that African people have always been a people of learning.

            Carr went on to explain the “power of the text” and writing things down, using the quote, “If you write it down, it remains.” I found this idea particularly interesting, because it connects to the idea that knowing about the past is an important part of understanding the present and that people can live on through their written work.

            Dr. Carr went on to show Howard students visiting important African landmarks, which really helped me see how his lecture focused on Howard students, specifically, understanding their history and remembering African Deep Thought. Dr. Carr also spoke about the importance of memory and being able to hold on to the things we know. He spoke about Seshat and a history of “accuracy, reliability, and a preservation of knowledge”.

            I originally found Dr. Carr’s lecture very fast-paced confusing. However, after being able to slowly read over my notes and take everything in I found the lecture to be very interesting and understood that the main point was that we as African-Americans, and other races as well, must remember, understand, and respect ancient African Deep Thought and how it has influenced today’s academia. 

Dr. Carr's lecture By: Melat Gebre @02640216

Dr. Carr's lecture was mainly about how Africa has contributed to the world of academia and global traditions. Dr. Carr also spoke about the importance of acquiring knowledge and wisdom and using those tools to help fix social problems. Another point that was brought up was the lack of African philosophers. Not having African philosophers have kept Negroes from attaining intellectual freedom. African philosophers are necessary in order to examine the meaning or lack of meaning of human existence from an African perspective. The academic world that we know of today roots from African deep thought. Those who say that Africans do not want to learn are wrong, because learning, such writing and reading, originally came from deep within Africa. Dr. Carr began to end his lecture by talking about the circle of life. He emphasized how we must learn from our ancestors in order for us not to make the same mistakes as they did. The best way to learn from our ancestors is to read their work and study their history. He also mentioned how our children must be better than us and how their children must be better than them. This is essential in order for us to advance as humans. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Carr's lecture. I thought his lecture was very informative, but also inspiring at the same time. Dr. Carr’s lecture made me really think about all the contributions Africa has made to the world. I feel like a lot of these contributions are overlooked or even undermined. Although Africa has made many important contributions, I feel like it has much more to give and we must keep growing as intellectuals in order to help solve the social problems of today.