Debra Jenkins Research

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

Debra and husband Alan Jenkins:

- Purchased Merrimack in May 2006 

- 501(c)(3) nonprofit 

- After $2.5 million renovations donated alone by the Jenkins opened in 2007

Facility:

- Huntsville, AL

- Merrimack Mill Village 

- 25,000 square foot building 

- Built in 1898

- Expanded by 1920

- Now has 300 seat state of the art performance hall 

- 3,000 Square foot dance studio 

Offers:

- More than 500 people with special needs participate 

- John Stalling's Art Program 

- Year round arts education, social and cultural opportunities to children, teens, and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities 

- Public performances offered annually; fund raisers 

Purpose/ Accomplished:

- Merrimack has given back more than $1.5 million to the community through its efforts of outreach

- Dance Your dreams:

Offered 4 times a week 

10-15 children per class 

Includes people with Down Syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, spina bifida and others

Free of charge; included dance attire and costumes

- Project Up

Weekly program for all different ages

- The Connection 

Day Habbilitation

- Inspired heart

Art Class

- Camp Merrimack 

Summer performing arts camp for special needs children 

The Peak of Industrialization

Here is my book cover to a book that includes all the reasons and people we have to thank for the most important era of American History. It includes the roles of innovations of many kind, as well as the factors that contributed to the growth of American Industry. 

The pictures I chose are factors of American Industrialization, improving over time. This is shown through the color of the pictures, and the improvement of innovations.

Reflection on Supply Chain Management

During class today we watched a video about what work and labor goes behind the Nestle chocolate. I had no idea what work went in to the chocolate industry and I am very surprised about the child labor. I am very happy to hear that some brands are starting to only produce the authentic cocoa beans. I believe that the workers in Africa should be paid more though, especially because they don't even have enough money to buy more cocoa plants, and because the work is so tedious. Nestle posted on their website their goals for each year, and they were goals that I agreed with. I think it is very professional for them to make goals that are safe and healthy for the people who put in such hard work. The main lesson of today was seeing how much work goes into one little piece of chocolate.

The Power and Burden of being a Native American

        Smoke Signals was a great film that really showed the positives and negatives of being a Native American. Many whites thought that being a native would be all bad all the time, however the natives had a fight and a passion deep within them that allowed them to endure some positive power they contained. Even though the natives did contain this fiery fight and passion, they still struggled with many unfair advantages. Smoke Signals takes us through the life of Thomas, Victor, and others close to them, and shows us how they looked at the positive sides of their lives, and how they struggled through the disadvantages.

       The whites were very hard on the natives and treated them quite poorly, that is a stereotype and many people agree with it. Other stereotypes include; the cowboy always winning, the indians always getting less money, and the indians always being violent. All indians during the time were used to cowboys always beating them, the indians were known for losing everything, including their land. In Smoke Signals Thomas and Victor live on a reservation with small trailers with indian families living in them. The film shows how poor the reservation was, along with the people living on it. It was a common stereotype for Native Americans to live on reservations, very poorly. Victor struggles pretty bad with the poor aspect of Indians. His father dies in Arizona and he has to go get his things and bring them back to his mother. However, for Victor and his mother, this traveling is not very possible, due to money. Victor's friend Thomas has some money and helps Victor out, however you can tell that Victor is kind of embarrassed and not very happy with not having the money himself. Later on in their journey, they get off at a bus stop then get back on to find that their seats have been taken by two cowboys. Victor tries to be very fierce and tells the cowboys to leave, however they refuse to move and tell Victor that he has no control. Victor and Thomas struggled with the Native American struggle of having no power, however they looked to each other and their families to get through life together.

       Native Americans were very proud for who they were, and where they came from. Their ancestors were everything to them, and lined the path for who they would come to be. Indian culture and traditions are tribal based. The tribes allowed indians to be close to people and learn to love and care for deeply, no matter related or not. All indians were brothers and sisters and they would always look out for each other. The only way Victor got to Arizona to get his father's belongings was because of Thomas. Victor thought of Thomas as an annoying little guy, but what Victor found in the end was that Thomas cared for him just as much as his mother did, and that Thomas was always looking out for him. Victor was always mean to Thomas and really despised him and thought very bad of him, however that did not stop Thomas' love for Victor. In the end Victor realized how much Thomas cared for him and repaid him by giving him half of his father's ashes. This shows that the love and nurture that Thomas had for Victor did not go unnoticed and that Victor ended up thinking of Thomas as a father figure who looked out for him and guided him along the way. Not only did indians have a deep passion for each other, they had a love for story telling. Story telling to Indians was powerful and moving, a way to get out of a dark hole really. Throughout the movie, Thomas finds that the power behind story telling is that you receive another's story and learn about their history as well. This helps the two of them along the way, and helps them find people who really look out for them and want to learn more about them. Victor also finds out that even though his father had many mistakes, that he loved more than anyone in the world. That he had a passion for Victor and his mother so much that he thought about them everyday, that he made stories about them, and that he kept a picture of them in his wallet. This shows just how strong the love for each other was, for Native Americans.

      Native Americans were faced with many problems that were unfair and not right, however they used the power in their culture and traditions to save themselves, and to live in peace.

Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management:

Supply Chain Management is the oversight of materials, information, and finances as they move in a process. This flow happens from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. It involves coordinating and integrating these flows within and among the companies.

Project 562

I only looked through a slide show of Matika's work, but it was amazing and beautiful. She takes pictures of all the different kinds of Natives, and represents them very beautiful ways. I also read the about section. Her goal is to get photos of all the different Native Tribes and document them on her website. The Natives were different in their own unique way, it truly shows the diversity in the Natives today. Their outfits, and their settings show a splash of what their culture is about.

News Clips from the West (1866-1880)

Sacramento Daily Record- Union:

In this newspaper there was a large section about Sacramento's stock crash. In big letters the word crash was repeated 3 times. This is obviously trying to grab the reader's attention and let the town know that they are going into debt. It talked about what was going to happen to them if they stay in debt, and what they need to do in order to get out. It also said that this debt and crash is really not good for them, because they need new people to come to California. And they will not get many people if their town is in debt.


Pioche Daily Record:

I found this newspaper very interesting. I found in very bold letters "LOST" and in the lost section it read a women's gold chain. They literally put a single necklace into the newspaper's lost and found. This really shows how small Pioche, Nevada was in 1874. It also shows how the town had a such a trusting system to think that if something they have lost is found, that it will be returned. I also found an article that talked about Wells Fargo and Company. It is very cool to know that a bank that is in business today in 2016, was also in business back un 1872.

Sacramento, California:

Pioche, Nevada:

Wells Fargo and Company:

Sex Trafficking

Sharedhope.org, What is Sex Trafficking

- The common age of sex trafficking is 14 - 16
- "Society may call it prostitution but federal law calls it sex trafficking"
- Sex trafficking occurs when a powerful person uses their power, fraud, or coercion to cause a public sex act with an adult or causes a child to commit a commercial sex act.
- Buyer: Gives money to the market
  Trafficker/ pimp: Exploits victims to earn money from buyers
  Victim: Boys and girls, mostly young, who are bought and sold for money

Soroptimist.org, Stop Trafficking

- Sex trafficking in some places is very visible, and easy to see like prostitution. In some places, most of the trafficking, the victims remain invisible, working in suburban neighborhoods.
- Some work in very public venues, such as massage parlors, spas, and strip clubs.
- The traffickers are mainly adult women, then followed by children girls, then very few men and boys.
- The main flow of sex trafficking is East to West, however women can be trafficked from any country to any country at any time.
       ~ They have no say or choice in their location

Reflection:
 I am very surprised and very upset about what I learned this past hour. My focus for this class was Sex Trafficking, just in general. I learned that most of the sex trafficking happens in very poor countries, that are looking for any and every way to make money. The most popular age for sex trafficking is young children, females, and adult women. There are very few men and young boy records of sex trafficking, however they do exist. These people do not know what they are getting into when they are brought into the sex slavery. They are transported to anywhere and everywhere across the globe, and can sleep with up to 20 men a day, sometimes even more. These slaves have a pimp who is ultimately in charge of them, but have a buyer, who is in charge of the pimp. The buyer gets to chose whatever way they want to use the sex slave, and the slave has absolutely no say. These slaves can be found anywhere, from hotels, to spas, to neighborhoods. They are around everywhere, and this is a very big issue in our world today.

Wrap Up:
Even though we only spent two days researching and discussing human trafficking, I learned a lot. I learned that more and more of the world is falling into this form of slavery, and that it is way more popular than I thought. I learned that 20.9 million people are affected and are pulled into this slavery world wide. By researching this it really raised my interest in human trafficking. It really raised by awareness and is making me want to start donating or help out one of the fundraisers. It really makes me wonder and think how a part of a country could be so low to allow these people to think that slavery is a good way to get money. It is sad that such an awful topic, living in the Black Market, is such a popular topic. Human Trafficking needs to be stopped and helped in absolutely any way possible.

Images for "Learning history Through Film"

This is a picture of the actual slave record of Solomon Northup, as Plat Hamillon, being sold. 

A drawn picture of Soloman Northup.

A picture of Patsy, very upset about something, from 12 Years a Slave.

A picture, from the movie Glory, of the regiment at Fort Wagner fighting for their lives on the front.

A picture, from the movie Glory, of the regiment in their clothes practicing for battle.

Learning History Through Film

           In the first quarter of junior year we have watched Glory and 12 Years a Slave. Our study topic for the first quarter was pre- Civil War, and I truly believe that watching Glory and 12 Years a Slave has helped me get a better understanding on what happened, and the attitudes of those affected by the historical events. My new teacher claims that movies can not teach you anything historically or accurately, and I just do not agree with that. I believe that it is possible to develop great analytical skills and explore real events, circumstances, and attitudes just by watching movies in a critical way, and doing some research. In class the past few days we have been asked to just do some research on Glory and 12 Years a slave. I have researched opinions from the directors, movie reviews, awards for the movies, and also the accuracy of the movies. I have come to realize that if it were not for visually seeing the actions done in the movies that I would not have empathized with people from the 1800’s. I would have had a general sympathy for those who were done wrong, but not empathy and understanding. To me, I believe there are three important things in learning and understanding history; having a general and accurate understanding of what happened, having empathy for those affected, and thinking analytically.

           

            Having a general and accurate understanding of what happened in history is probably the first thing needed in order to be able to remember and know what happened. Before watching Glory and 12 Years a Slave, I knew a lot about historic slavery and blacks. I knew that these African Americans were treated like objects rather than people, and I knew that they were held on terms that no living human being should ever be held on. When watching Glory, I took many notes on what was happening throughout the whole movie, and really opened my mind up to analytical thinking. Prior to this film, I did not know a lot about the 54^th Regiment in Massachusetts, and this was the base line to the whole film. I learned from the film that there was a regiment of blacks, free and runaways, that came together with a white commander in order to fight. Their first big battle, Fort Wagner on July 18, 1863 was a mile marker for these blacks. Their own commander had doubts about how capable they truly were, and what their fight was going to look like, just due to the color of their skin. In the end, this group of men came together, and lost a lot of men, but finally made a stance against the racist concerns of people with dark skin. This film won many awards for best supporting actor, best sound, and best cinematography, according to IMDb.com. Watching Glory gave me the best understanding of the 54^th Regiment that I could have gotten. Now on to 12 Years a Slave, this movie is based completely on the free man Solomon Northup who got kidnapped, and sold as a slave named Plat who worked as a slave for 12 years. I knew how rough slavery was and how unfair the living conditions and punishments were, however watching this film allowed me to see how separate jobs in the slavery business worked. I learned that there were kidnappers who whenever they saw a black man they grabbed and stole. I also learned that these kidnappers would sell to a slave ship, to which traveled to different ports all over the United States for slave auctions. The slaves were then taken to plantations and worked under a head master who owned the property. The head masters had over seers who watched the slaves work and practice to see if what they were doing was acceptable. If not, they were slapped, whipped, hung, or even killed. 12 Years a Slave did a really thorough job of telling the story of Solomon Northup, due to the book 12 Years a Slave, written by Northup himself. This movie won best motion picture, best performance of supporting actor, best film, and best writing, according to IMDb.com. The awards given to these movies show that their accuracy was valued and recognized and awarded for their conveyance of specific historical facts. Watching the films helps get a personal and accurate understanding of historical events.

           

            In order to understand history, one must be able to empathize and relate to historical people affected during those times that are being discussed. For most people, one must visually see something or hear actual words in order to empathize with anyone about anything. Watching Glory allowed me to see what the people in the 54^th Regiment looked like, what they wore, what living conditions they were given, and how they were treated. I truly feel bad that these hard working- men had to live in tents snow or shine. That they had to wear hard shoes that rubbed without socks all day every day for practice. That they had to win a battle against the South, in order to be talked about. That they had to cry and get whipped if they stepped out of line. I can honestly say that if I did not watch the film Glory, I would not have known what any of these things looked like nor would I have felt for them and connected with them, in the way that I did. Like I said before, they won best cinematography and best sound, showing that the filmmaker really went through a lot of hard work, in order for viewers to really hear and see what went on in Massachusetts during the 1800’s. However, if I am being completely honest, 12 Years a Slave was directed and filmed on a whole other level. There were several parts of this film when there were tears coming from my eyes, and where I felt as if my heart was getting ripped out of me, because the pictures and words were so brutal in this movie. The viewer of 12 Years a Slave actually see Solomon walking around his town free with his family, to then seeing him lying in a cell with rags as clothes, locked in shackles. Solomon later on in the film says, “I do not want to survive, I want to live.”. This quote in itself is heart throbbing knowing that a once free man does not want to just survive as a slave, day to day, by just a little sleep and a little bread… but that he wants to live as a free man eating however much of whatever he wants and sleeping as long as he pleases. Seeing his face, seeing his tears, when whipped or when committing the whip to Patsy. Seeing and hearing Eliza’s sobbing as she weeps for her children back. Hearing the scream come from Tibeats as Solomon beats him in the field. Watching Epps’ wife throw the glass whisky jug at Patsy’s face. And most hurtful to me, seeing Patsy’s gooey and scarred back, as she cries as hard as she can. All of this creates the most empathetic kind of feeling I have ever felt while watching a movie. These two movies allow anyone to be able to empathize and cry with people who lived 200 years a go. Which to me, causes the deepest and most analytical understanding of history that there is.

           

            Having a general and accurate understanding of what happened, having empathy for those affected, and thinking analytically are the three things that I believe allow one to learn and understand history. Yes, I believe that watching movies does help you learn history. Yes, it is possible to develop great analytical skills and explore real events, circumstances, and attitudes just by watching movies in a critical way, and doing some research.




Sources:

1.     Rogerebert.com; Glory Movie Review; January 12, 1990

2.     IMDb.com; Glory Movie Awards

3.     Ashbrook.org; History and the Movies: Accuracy The Patriot and Glory; July 2000

4.     Tech.mit.edu; The Tech Online Edition; Glory Director Edward Swick Discusses Motivations Behind the Film; January 24, 1990

5.     Thegaurdien.com; 12 Years a Slave- Movie Review; January 11,2014

6.     Me and my movie notes

7.     IMDb.com; 12 Years a Slave Movie Awards

8.     Screenrant.com; 12 Years a Slave: Accuracy The Movie VS. The True Story; November 4, 2013

9.     nytimes.com; 12 Years Director The Blood and Tears, not the Magnolias; October 17, 2013

Reflection on Paraphrase Practice

In class, I have learned how to paraphrase completely by taking the original author's thoughts and putting them into my own words. I first need to read the passage fully, to a place where I understand exactly what the author is saying, and have no questions at all. I then think of original words and phrases to write down that has the same meaning as the author's but looks completely different. After that, I go through and make sure that I haven't left any of the author's points out, and that I did not add any other, non irrelevant, thoughts to it.

This is what I learned and understand:
- Only use a direct quote when it adds power and style to my writing
- Always make it clear, from context, that I understand the full meaning of the quote
- Whether I quote or paraphrase, I must always be transparent about the source and how I'm using it
- If I use another author's exact words or phrases, to any extent, I have to use the quotation marks and give credit
- If I use another author's presentation of facts to ideas, but put their ideas in my own words, (paraphrase) I better have a good reason for doing so, and I MUST give credit
- Hyperlinking is so easy, there is no excuse for not being transparent about my sources

Practicing Incorporating a Quotation

I really enjoyed the movie "Glory" and I thought it did a great job showing the 54th Regiment. However, after reading the movie review I now don't understand the same concept that Ebert mentions in his review. He says, "I didn't understand why it had to be told so often from the point of view of the 54th's white commanding officer". Why couldn't part of the movie been told from the African American's viewpoints? By coming from the white officer, the viewers of the movie never got to fully understand how the blacks felt. These emotions should have been included in this film since it is about them being the first black soldiers in America.  

In this paragraph I practiced incorporating a quote into my writing. I put some of my thoughts in, along with someone else's who I agreed with. 

Paraphrase Practice

Excerpt from article by Robert Ebert:

"Perhaps one answer is that the significance of the 54th was the way in which it changed white perceptions of black soldiers (changed them slowly enough, to be sure, that the Vietnam War was the first in American history in which troops were not largely segregated). "Glory" is a strong and valuable film no matter whose eyes it is seen through. But there is still, I suspect, another and quite different film to be made from this same material."


My paraphrased article: 

Feasibly one could conclude that the white's slowly changing views of the blacks, is one of the most important things about the 54th Regiment. This did not happen right away, the fact is that it was not until the Vietnam war, that the troops were integrated. The movie "Glory" is a very worthwhile movie, displaying strength and value, for anyone who watches it. However, I really think that the same facts could be used in a completely different way, making a new film.

Film Review

This is my film review, working with Virginia.

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/glory-1989

Personal Reflection

   The last few days we have talked about evidence. The most important thing, I think, that we have learn would be about primary sources. Primary sources are just about the most accurate and true description of any topic, that you can find. A primary source is any picture or writing that you can find from that exact time period. The other day we were told to look for evidence that the pilgrims came to North America for their religion. They came to make their religion stricter in a new place that was easier to center everything around Christianity. To support this as true, I found the Mayflower Compact. This was a direct writing from the day that the pilgrims got off of the ship. This was a writing that stated their motives behind their adventure, which was their religion. This researching showed me how important it was to find primary sources and, how primary sources are the most valid and accurate source there is.

    The last few days we have also talked about the cotton economy in the United States. We learned that cotton was pretty much the most important product in demand at that time. We also learned that without slaves, the cotton production would not have been so high. Basically, the cotton production increase was due to the slave's hard work. However the spinning was done by a professional. Right after the slaves picked and cleaned the cotton, the cotton was then sent to a professional to spin.

Sympathy VS. Empathy

     In class, we learned the differences and the similarities between sympathy and empathy. Sympathy is defined as feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's hardships. To feel bad for them, to put thought and concern into someone else's misfortune. Empathy is defined as the experience of understanding another person's condition from their perspective. To understand what that person is going through, to think about the emotions that they must be going through. Empathy is an essential tool for historians. This is because since all of these occurrences happened in the past, none of us got to experience the actual feel of how this nation came to be. As historians, we have to use our minds, and our knowledge to try to understand and experience what happened before we came around. To try to understand and interpret our past, and why everything that happened in the past, lead to our country today.

United States Timeline

        In 1607, the first permanent English settlement came to be in Jamestown, VA. Then in 1619, the Dutch ship arrives in Virginia with slaves, this was the first earliest documented arrival of a slave ship in the North American colonies. The pilgrims then arrived and the original 13 colonies were established. The United States grew as a nation through 5 different expansions, the Northwest Ordinance in 1787, the Louisiana purchase in 1801, the Missouri Compromise in 1820, the Texas Tensions in 1829, and the Gadsen Purchase in 1853. The biggest challenges faced by the new nation include slavery and health. Slavery was a big problem and there were many disagreements about what to do with these "other persons". The health back then was a very serious problem as well, the colonists did not have the right medicines and ways to treat illnesses that we do today. However, through these big challenges the nation stayed united through compromising. They would agree to disagree at first, then compromise to come to one true resolution.