Global Connections Conversations Podcast: Recent Episodes
Joyce
Global Connection Conversations (GCC) provides a space that is a safe and diverse global meeting place to join with others from across the globe in reading, learning and talking about education, culture, technology and life as it is now happening to explore how conditions can be transformed for the betterment of mankind for changing the world.
What if your personal history could shape not just your life but your entire career? Join us as we uncover the remarkable journey of Dr. Joyce Pittman whose experiences growing up in the segregated South profoundly influenced her perspective and research focus. From a family that cherished education to owning land, a church, and a school in rural Arkansas, Dr. Pittman's upbringing is a powerful testament to the impact of personal background on academic pursuits. We explore the importance of building rapport in research interviews, much like the casual warm-up conversations in TV interviews, to draw parallels and enhance understanding.
The episode takes a deeper dive into Dr. Pittman's early education and the pivotal role of mentorship. Hear firsthand accounts of her mother’s activism in the civil rights movement and the unique perspectives gained from frequent relocations due to her father's military service. These experiences, coupled with the guidance of a district director of education who ignited her love for reading, shaped her ambitions in education, entrepreneurship, and politics. This enlightening episode shines a light on how personal history and mentorship can profoundly influence one's life and career, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersections of identity, education, and societal change.
You can conveniently order Dr. Joyce Pittman's Memoir, Against All Odds: I Did It! through the online bookstore at Xlibris Bookstore https://www.xlibris.com/en/bookstore
or
Simply search for the book using my name, book title, ISBN, keywords, or your selected category on Barnes and Nobles or Amazon for faster delivery.
Matin Royeen, PhD Chicago, Illinois, USAis an Afghan American educator who has lived in the United States during the past fifty years. He completed his Ph.D. in an interdisciplinary program incorporating psychology, counseling, multicultural and global education from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio in 1980. He has a professional degree in Occupational Therapy in the health sciences profession. In the past 40 years, Dr. Royeen has taught in different universities and served as Dean of Student Affairs in a College of Health Sciences in Virginia, USA. He has been intimately involved in diversity training, race relations in the USA, team building, group work, psychosocial training, counseling, stress management, disabilities, peace education, and reconciliation. Dr. Royeen speaks to us on the subject related to the special issue newsletter theme Educating and Collaborating for a Safe and Peaceful World edited by Dr. Joyce Pittman, WCCI USA Chapter President. WCCI’s Executive Director, Sonja Arnak describes Dr. Royeen’s brilliant contribution capturing his reflections on this topic. “Dr. Matin shares his thoughts on Afghanistan from September 11th to the recent US withdrawal. His succinct account and concluding thoughts leave us anxious to see what is going to happen next, as he shares the following hopeful thought, “We live in the 21st century and incorporating Islamic values of tolerance, reconciliation, respect for human rights and peace building in the context of the Afghan culture can be compatible in today’s world.” The conversation stimulates the need for an emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for a safe and peaceful world.
Article Synopsis: An Afghan American Educator’s Reflection on 9/11 and Beyond Introduction. The Trauma of September 11, 2001 is still alive in the minds and hearts of those who witnessed this horrific attack of American soil with global implications. Due to our unconditional love for Afghanistan, our feelings and emotions are intrinsically tied to the politics of the moment. I believe the biggest challenge for all is how to establish a balance between our mind and heart while offering realistic solutions that could bring stability, peace and prosperity towards a dignified life for our sisters and brothers in Afghanistan.
My Presentation on Afghanistan: Ironically, on September 11, 2001, I was attending an international conference in Madrid, Spain. My presentation focused on victims of the violent conflict in my home country of Afghanistan as a result of 21 years of political upheaval.
Post 9/11 Period in Afghanistan: Since the 2001 US and allies invasion of Afghanistan, considerable progress has been made in education both for boys and girls, delivery of health services improved and the foundation of a democratic Afghanistan had been set up. Unfortunately, rampant corruption, political infighting, poor governance and disappointment of the public from their leaders created a crisis of confidence that contributed to the most recent reemergence of the Taliban fighters to power on August 15, 2021.
Watch Video Interview here!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4odabqs0853mls0/matin-GMT20211027-184610_Recording_1654x792.mov?dl=0
Further, adding insult to injury, the Afghan president along with other high level officials fled Afghanistan, creating a huge power vacuum.
To read the entire 5 page article visit the WCCI Website and download our Fall 2021 Newsletter: Educating and Collaborating f
World Council for Curriculum-Instruction
About WCCI
The WCCI is a transnational educational organization committed to advancing the achiev
Racism and the Identity of Blackness in America
Author Interviews with
Emmanuel Sogah and Genevieve Balance Kupang
The authors published their full paper in the WCCI Newsletter Spring 2021 issue, which can be found on this Website: https://wcci-international.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Spring-2021-Newsletter.pdf
Read more about WCCI by following additional links on the site above.
Overview
In this episode the authors reflect on their paper and experiences as they attempt to provide a deconstructive, anti-racial, and mindset-shifting education for appropriate anthropological understanding of human identity, dignity, and ethnicity. It describes clearly and movingly an African’s experience of systemic racism in America and makes the argument against the racialization of people of African descent (PAD) as "black" — a globally adopted and imposed color-labelled identity of Africans in general.
Giving a historical background of European explorers’ first encounter with the Afris on the African continent in the late 1500s, the paper poignantly highlights the explorers’ color-labeling description of, and racial "prejudication" against, Africans as inferior humans, leading to their subsequent kidnapping and enslavement, which drew the Catholic Church’s mediocre efforts against slavery.
Dr. Genevieve Balance Kupang (Genie) is an anthropologist, consultant, researcher, and advisor to individuals and organizations engaged in working for justice, peace, integrity of creation, the indigenous peoples, and societal transformation processes. She is a peace educator, an interreligious dialogue practitioner, author with a career in the academe and NGO. She was the SIG Coordinator for Peace Education in the Taiwan (2012) and San Diego Conference. Currently the Chair of WCCI SIG.https://www.dropbox.com/s/m7wx7t7t9vdbpoc/podcastEpisode2-Sogahkupangzoom.mov?dl=0
Dr. Emmanuel Sogah, an AFRICAN native of Ghana and US citizen, is a catholic theologian and a non-ordained missionary with the Johannine Missions, USA. He has travelled extensively across the globe engaging in cross-cultural Catholic evangelization, educational seminars, and mission research. He is also a consultant, a mentor, keynote speaker, and program facilitator for ministry leadership, governance, and professional development, and has served the Catholic Church for the past 35 years in various ministry capacities in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. He holds a doctorate in Theological Education, a Masters in Systematic Theology, and a Baccalaureate in Philosophy and Anthropology.
A quiet musician, a great cook, a spiritual counselor, and an avid public speaker and teacher. Dr. Sogah enjoys playing the piano, composing worship music, spending quiet time in prayer and reflections, and serving at his parish. He does gardening during the spring and summer, and goes on missionary and research travels; researching, and engaging in informal practical Christian life formation. Besides English, he speaks a few other languages, including Akan (Ghanaian) Chinese, French, Hausa, and some Spanish, some Swahili, and some Tagalog.
Link to Zoom Video:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/m7wx7t7t9vdbpoc/podcastEpisode2-Sogahkupangzoom.mov?dl=0
In this first podcast episode Dr. Joyce Pittman introduces a series on "Educating for Intercultural Understanding and Anti-Racism. There will be 10 episodes in this podcast that focus attention challenges that have emerged during the pandemic that are now affecting social, educational and economic agenda worldwide. In addition to lives lost due to the pandemic is the increasing loss of life related to intercultural and racist acts of violence committed against people of color in violation of their first amendment and civil rights.
Developing and improving peaceful relations with other cultures and races will require we respect and honor those laws, practices and traditions that help us value their contributions and presence in the world. This is a primary mission and vision of Black History Month and other cultural celebrations by different groups around the world.
Intercultural and racial relations are facing an unprecedented crisis in worldwide as we face a resurgence of problems surrounding racism and intercultural disconnects with each other as human beings, which did not happen without years of warning. What we did not predict is that given the advances in recognizing growing diversity in education, research, science, technology and human development that we would see such cruelty in our society.
This situation is causing many persons to fear what will come next during this uncertain time of intercultural and racial unrest, especially in the United States of America. However, **America is not alone in experiencing this problem.
Audience:** Those who are concerned with curriculum and instruction in schools, colleges, universities and community agencies or organizations such as teachers, instructors/professors, administrators, directors, supervisors, curriculum theorists, scholars and researchers, students, parents and community leaders.