Women, Politics, and LGBTQ+ issues in Utah

Question: 

    Prior to 1900, Utah history was marked by violent conflict and a “weird” dominant culture marked by polygamy, Christian heresy, and theocracy. We have discussed the many ways in which Utah has opened-up to the outside and become more integrated into the United States. Yet a recent report finds Utah is the worst state in the nation when it concerns women’s equality (https://etvnews.com/wallethub-reports-womens-equality-in-utah-worst-in-the-nation/). The LDS Church policies on LGBTQ+ women’s equality, gender roles, and dissent are hotly debated. Compare conflict before 1900 with more recent conflicts, especially the major forms of conflict and accommodation to the United States.


My Response Essay:
    The walletHub article talks about three different key indicators namely workplace environment, education and health, and political empowerment. I believe this all stems back to the beginning of Utah. The Mormon settlers that inhabited Utah in 1847 came with the idea that women were less than men. The religion they were a part of was a very patriarchal religion and women were there to serve the men in their capacities. Leaders of the Mormon church have always indicated that women had a good place in the church but their main responsibilities lay in raising children, keeping the home, and supporting the men in everything they did. Even today in 2023 the church leaders still emphasize that a woman’s role is to be a mother first and to be obedient to her husband and the other priesthood holders. With this mindset the pioneers came to Utah and were raising their children with that same belief. Mormon leaders emphasized these beliefs every chance they had and so the Mormons today still have the same preconceived notions that men are in charge and women are there to support them and bear their children. Mormon theology backs up the beliefs from the past and today by explaining that men can marry many women in the temple and be sealed to them into the eternities and that those women will bear them many children so they can populate their own earth one day. The church has always opposed things that are different from their orthodox Christian beliefs. They are strong opponents on women’s rights when it comes to abortion and letting a woman make those decisions on her own.

    The majority of politicians in office in Utah are republican and Mormon at the same time and you can tell they vote based on their religious beliefs a lot. When it comes to LGBTQ+ issues in Utah you see the same results as once again the politicians in office vote according to their religious belief that same sex attraction is a sin and that marriage should only be between a man and a woman as ordained by God. I have realized over the years that separation of church and state is not being practiced in Utah. Because the Mormon church has such a strong beginning here and because so many of the people who live in Utah are Mormons the laws that seem to get passed affect those who are not Mormon, or different from Mormons, more than the Mormons themselves. Anyone who is not a conservative republican has a hard time winning a political seat in Utah. Last year Evan McMullin tried to unseat a longtime Republican senator and got close. He had the best numbers for a Democrat since 1976.

    When it comes to LGBTQ+ issues in Utah, the church has taken a neutral stance in public by saying they love everyone but in private they are still fighting against LGBTQ+ rights. In 2008 the church fought hard to pass Prop 8 in California and they urged members everywhere to fight for family values and to ban gay marriage. “We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman. Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage”. (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/california-and-same-sex-marriage) These kinds of statements are repeated in many church gatherings and over the pulpit in General Conference sessions. Members are told repeatedly that being gay is a sin and that Mormons should not support the rights of those living that lifestyle. Because these things are said over and over and many Mormons believe their prophets words are law, the LGBTQ+ community in Utah gets a lot of hate. I live in Provo and go to events put on by LGBTQ+ BYU students to support them and there are always people protesting their existence. I have a daughter who is part of the LGBTQ+ community and she would get hate speech from kids at school who would then on Sunday be sitting in the same church building as her. The leaders of the Mormon church have a lot of influence with their words as many Mormons follow whatever is being said blindly. Because of this people who are different in Utah have a harder time being seen and heard and are constantly put down by those who believe they are superior to them because they are Mormon.

    When it comes to politics in Utah, women are not represented equally to men. Utah has not had a female senator and they currently don’t have any women serving in Congress. Because most women in Utah are expected to be mothers first a lot of women don’t even finish college. They are taught from a young age to be a mother and to not put off getting married or having kids to finish their education. Utah is also home to a lot of large families and so women are kept busy with the many children they bring into their home. This is hard for women who get divorced as a Mormon as most of the time they don’t have an education or experience to get a good job that will allow them to be able to raise their kids without having to work multiple menial jobs. I myself am one of those women who stopped my education when I got married to have kids. I got divorced after 20 years of marriage and am now back in college to finish the degree I started in 1994. I have multiple friends who are in the same boat as it was always stressed to them that being a mother was more important than anything else and now they are trying to make ends meet while raising their kids alone.

    The examples of the pioneer women that came to Utah is what still holds true to many today. Many Mormons still believe they need to be in the background while their priesthood holder takes care of everything. They believe they are less than men and that they have no place outside of the home. They don’t see themselves in politics or fighting for change. I can however see that things are slowly changing as the younger generation of women now see things a little bit different from their parents. I am proud of my two daughters who see the inequalities for women and don’t just accept it as fact. They are part of a generation that will change the way Utah sees their women. They are more tolerant when it comes to rights for everyone and they seem to want smaller families and an education as they will most likely also need to work alongside their husbands to make enough money. Hopefully this trend will continue in Utah as they catch up a little more to the rest of the country when it comes to women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and really equality for everyone no matter who they are.

[Paper written for HIST 3260 class UVU Summer 2023]

Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved

Yasir Arafat - Terrorist or Freedom Fighter?

   

    Yasir Arafat has been called many different things by many different people. He has been called a martyr, a terrorist, a leader, a liar, a soldier, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, a murderer, and much more. “He played by a different set of rules from the others and as a result was often misunderstood.”(Rubin, page ix) The answer to the question whether he was a terrorist or a freedom fighter is a complicated one. It all depends on who you ask as the answer will be different each time. In order to answer the question you will need to know more about the man himself.

    Yasir Arafat was born Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini. His parents were of Palestinian descent but lived in Egypt when he was born. His mother died when he was quite young and he remarked that his childhood was not a pleasant one. His father remarried and his stepmom did not like him at all. He was an expert in creating a better version of his life than the truth as I have realized after learning more about the man. “The alternative life story he created became the pattern for the many false tales he would spin in the future.” (Rubin, page 14) He was obsessed with some of his family history that stemmed back to some of his family members working alongside Hitler and so he made sure to learn all he could about him. Even though Arafat was born in Egypt he never claimed that as his birthplace. He told everyone he was born in Palestine even after they would see his birth certificate with Egypt written on it. He became obsessed with Palestine and its future.

    The Jews living in Germany after World War I believed that Palestine was their Zion that they needed to get to. So between 1933-1939 about 60,000 Jews were able to safely immigrate there and away from Hitler and his increasing desire to rid the world of all the Jews. The Arabs living in Palestine disagreed and believed that Palestine belonged to them and not the Jewish people. Arafat was a strong proponent of the idea that Palestine was an Arab state and did not belong to the Jewish people. He wanted to liberate Palestine from its increasing population of Jews and this kickstarted his terrorist/revolutionary ideas.

    As a 27-year-old man, he graduated with an engineering degree, no previous employment experience, and no wife and kids. He started wearing a kaffiya (headscarf) and military uniform and his signature stubble on his face. He created a group called the Palestinian Liberation Movement, Fatah for short which translates into conquest, to take Palestine back from the Jews. He blended revolutionary doctrine with Islam, Marxism-Leninism, Arab nationalism, and third-world radicalism. With his engineering degree, he started a contracting business as a front to hide that he in fact was a political revolutionary instead. Between 1969 and 1985 alone more than 8000 terrorist attacks were perpetrated by Arafat and his followers. Most of them were in Israel killing more than 650 Israelis, 28 Americans, and dozens of people from other countries as well. He was determined to drive the Jews out of Palestine and “to create and maintain an atmosphere of strain and anxiety that will force the Zionists to realize that it is impossible for them to live in Israel.” (Rubin, page 41) To accomplish this he went to the Soviet Union and after telling them he hated the Americans they agreed to supply him with weapons in secret that he could use to drive out the Jews.

    “He was so adept at concealing his links with terrorism and avoiding any penalty for such behavior that western intelligence officials were beginning to call him the Teflon terrorist.” (Rubin, page 57) He would be able to brag about killing the U.S. Ambassador to Sudan and then laugh it off. He would pretend to not know what they would be talking about and never take responsibility for any of the attacks so that he could not be implicated. He quickly figured out that he could be a terrorist and diplomat at the same time. He was an honored guest to a U.N. General Assembly even after it was known that he was responsible for many terrorist attacks. It showed him that his terrorism was working and that he could keep doing it. He would negotiate peace treaties and then turn around days later to violate them. The United States even brokered a peace treaty at Camp David as they were eager to end his terrorist reign. He did everything he could to sabotage the agreement and he would use anti-Americanism to block its progress. He made sure to avoid direct conflict with the United States as he talked big and always turned his defeats into victory portraying himself as the victor and victim at the same time. “Arafat continued his traditional policy of seeking to destroy Israel through violence.” (Rubin, page 93)

    “Unable to win victory and unwilling to seek compromise, Arafat faced an apparent dead end. For the first time in twenty years of his political career, Arafat had moved up and down, back and forth, east and west, left and right. But he had not really advanced closer to his ultimate goal.” (Rubin, page 99) He clung to leaders such as Saddam Hussein who promised to conquer Israel for him. Hussein was willing to forgo diplomacy and use force to achieve that. Arafat again forgot about his promise to end terrorism as he used anthrax, chemicals, and missiles from Hussein to attempt to achieve his goals.

    In 1994 Arafat and the Israeli Prime Minister negotiated a peace deal that would give Arafat an independent Palestine 5 years from the date. “With no superpower ally, few Arab friends, and near bankruptcy, Arafat seemed to have only one remaining option: to make peace.” (Rubin, page 127) President Clinton invited him to Washington D.C. and they held the peace signing ceremony on the White House lawn. The people in Palestine elected Arafat as their leader and he was one step closer to achieving his goal. “One of the main reasons many had expected the peace process to succeed was the belief that actually governing a territory - being responsible for schools, roads, and garbage collection - would force Arafat to become more pragmatic in order to deliver benefits for his people.” (Rubin, page 153) Arafat preferred his old ways. He tolerated other terrorist groups from occupying his state and didn’t stop them when they created chaos and violence. He actually defended them and turned a blind eye. A second peace treaty on the White House lawn was assembled where Arafat actually denounced terrorism for the first time.

    Back home he ruled with a mix of dictatorship, pluralism, repression, conciliation, weakness, and tight control. He controlled everything from the money in his state to the law and how people would be sentenced. July 24th 2000 Arafat was once again in deliberations with President Clinton where a peace treaty was proposed that would give him everything he ever wanted. He refused which made Clinton extremely upset. He kept offering him more and more to reach an agreement but Arafat refused every single thing Clinton offered. Arafat returned home where uprisings were started and hundreds of people lost their lives. He was unwilling to stop the violence in his state and so unwilling to sign a peace treaty. He rejected every proposal that was sent his way as he wanted it all or nothing. He was not willing to compromise at all and made it well known. He simply requested another summit at a later date to continue negotiations even after he was offered everything he could ever want. “Arafat saw violence as an alternative to negotiations, as a way to get what he wanted either by intimidation or defeating his foe.” (Rubin, page 203) In 2001 Arafat went to the White House to accept a proposed plan. When he got there he pretty much wanted everything changed in the plan before he would accept it. Ultimately the new plan was rejected again. “One of Arafat’s greatest skills was his ability to convince so many that he really wanted peace but had been cheated and victimized by others.” (Rubin, page 215) Arafat had spent many years as a revolutionary, chief of his own group, leader over his people, and a head of government and he had nothing to show for it all. He had shown that defeat could be portrayed as a victory and that he could play the victim brilliantly but that was all. He was a master manipulator who fooled his people for a very long time into thinking he had their best interests in mind.

    “Was Arafat then a successful leader or a disaster to his people? Surely, he took the Palestinians from the depths of defeat and humiliation to receiving extraordinary attention and often sympathy from the world. He almost single-handedly created Palestinian nationalism. He kept the movement going, mobilized Arab support, but ensured its independence. He took the Palestinians through many disasters and even back to the part of the homeland they claimed. He attained international legitimacy and made the world forget time and time his previous reprehensible actions. It was a remarkable work of political art over an incredible length of time.” (Rubin, page 251) The fact that he was rewarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to create peace in the middle east is laughable to me. I consider him to be a terrorist who was good at manipulating those around him. He enjoyed chaos and bloodshed and thrived on being in the limelight. He did not have the peoples best interest in mind as he kept refusing to broker peace. He would throw tantrums like a five year old when things did not go his way. To me Yasir Arafat was a terrorist and never a freedom fighter since he only cared about himself and achieving his goals and not those of the people he governed.


Source:

Barry M. Rubin, Yasir Arafat: A Political Biography (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2003)


Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved

How did the demands and/or experiences of everyday people create today’s America?

    When we started this class we began right after the Civil War had concluded in the United States. Americans already knew what it felt like to fight for their freedoms when their ancestors came to this new nation and established a free country. During the civil war again they were reminded that freedom was something to fight and die for. Those that were not free saw the possibilities out there and knew that they too could fight for this. From the beginning the people that have occupied this nation have fought to be seen and heard as equals. Wars and conflicts have raged about this issue since the beginning and have shaped this nation along the way.

    During the reconstruction era amendments were passed to abolish slavery and give voting rights to many of those who had never had them before. While not everyone was free and equal or could partake of these new changes, we can see that America was slowly heading in the right direction. Once African-Americans saw that they too could have a voice and be part of this nation, they never stopped fighting to be equal. Despite the dangers, southern blacks eagerly pursued emancipation. They moved; they married; they attended school; they demanded wages; they refused to work for whites; they gathered together their families; they created black churches and civic associations; they held political meetings. (Hewitt and Lawson, 464)

    During the Progressive Period women started to find their voice and fight for equality as well. The government went through a lot of reform and added protections for consumers, congress decided to ban child labor and many women's organizations were started. More equality was obtained for workers with 8 hour work days and overtime. The NAACP was established during the Progressive period as well and they fought to make African-Americans more equal as they still were not considered so. Many other organizations sprung into action to also fight for the rights for different minorities living in this nation. Progressives maintained a passion for change as a means of improving the nation. (Hewitt and Lawson, 637)

    A lot more changes for equality came later during the 1960s and 1970s when the civil rights act was passed and the women's movements were in full swing. Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for equal rights for African-Americans up until the day he was assassinated. The work did not stop with his death, it just propelled the cause forward to make sure everyone was seen as equals in this country. The varieties of political protest and cultural dissent emboldened other oppressed groups to emancipate themselves. Women, Latinos, Native Americans, and gay Americans all launched liberation movements. (Hewitt and Lawson, 912)

    The fight for equality and freedom really started well before this country was founded. The reason people fled from England and wanted to establish a new free nation was because they didn’t feel free. I believe the need for freedom and to be seen as equals is a human desire that never goes away. Once we awoke that so long ago we have not been able to stop the flood of events that have happened since then and have paved the way for the freedoms we all enjoy today. While there are still many things in this country that do not make us all equals, we know that we will never stop fighting for them to be equal. This ingrained sense of justice and need for equality is what continues to propel organizations and people to fight for those that are still facing discrimination and injustice even today.


Source:
Hewitt, Nancy A., Lawson, Steven F. (2021) Exploring American Histories, Volume 2 Bedford/St. Martin’s

[Paper written for SOC 1020 class UVU Spring 2023]

Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved

In what ways did married life change for Russian women between 1820 and 1920?

    I read a very interesting and intriguing book about women in Russia during the 19th century and how things changed for them when it came to marriage over the course of 100 years. The book is filled with stories of women forced into loveless marriages, not being able to get out of the marriages even when they were abused. I myself am a divorced woman who endured a 20 year long emotionally abusive marriage I thought I was stuck in and unable to get out of for fear of mine and my children’s future. I could relate very well to the many stories I read in the book. At times it was difficult to read as I saw many similarities in my life and of those women in Russia. The determination and strong will of the women in the book helped me realize that I also survived a horrible marriage and am stronger now because of it. Those women made me realize that I was not alone in my trials and that there are many others out there suffering in silence as well. It also gave me a greater appreciation of the rights I have as a woman living in the United States today. It makes me proud to learn about the women who came before me and fought for the many rights I do now enjoy, but sad to think that others are still living without those basic rights.

    Russian family law states that a husband “love his wife as his own body, live in accord with her, respect and defend her, and forgive her weaknesses and ease her infirmities.” (Phillips, Roderick) A husband in Russia also controls his wife completely and she needs his permission to get a job, go to school, or even to get a passport. A passport was necessary to travel even a short distance away from your home. Life in Russia for a woman in the 19th century was definitely not equal to one of a man and was in need of a major overhaul. Between 1861 and 1874 there was a great reformation in Russia that changed a lot of the old way of thinking. Women were given more rights slowly and life became slightly easier for them, but the control a husband had over his wife was not completely abolished at that time. Because of the great reformation that was going on, women figured out that they were not treated equally and so more and more women decided to stand up for themselves. Towards the end of the 19th-century modernization had infiltrated Russia and women started seeing themselves more as equals as they tried to define their role in society. Women wanted more than what their mothers and grandmothers had tolerated, they wanted personal choices, romantic love, education, and so much more. They abandoned their traditions and embraced western cultures, clothing, and leisure activities. They started reading books, watching plays, and listening to songs about love, and what it was supposed to look and feel like. They realized that their lives had not been fulfilling so far and they started to ask for equality. In order for us to see how things changed, we need to know how things were before the great reformation.

    Most marriages in Russia were forced on young girls barely old enough to get married. They were pre-arranged by family members and usually to men much older. “Although the law forbade marriage by coercion, declaring it illegal to perform a marriage by force without the consent of the betrothed couple, arranged marriages remained the norm for just about everyone except nobles and educated elite.” (Engel, page 49) Love or attraction was not part of the equation back then as they did not believe it to be essential for marriage. Women were married off mainly for economic reasons. Marriage was regarded as holy and necessary. Two families would be joined together and that would increase social standings, pool resources, or make business connections. Matchmakers were used a lot to make perfect matches that would benefit both families equally. The age women got married in Russia was a lot lower than most of Europe in the 19th century. Women made no contributions to their family and so parents were eager to have them get married so the family could benefit. If you were not married by age 25, you were at risk of becoming an old maid. Merchants thought of marriage as a business transaction and so unmarried merchants around age 30 would usually marry someone who was in their early 20’s. Women were mainly treated as slaves back then and men mistreated them a lot of the time. The woman’s family would need to pay a dowry when they married off their daughter to make sure she was taken care of. The purpose of a dowry was to help the new couple settle in quickly without worry about money. Usually, the woman would invest the money so that she would have it in case of her husband’s death or if she were to get divorced. In Russia however, the new husband would quickly take charge of the dowry and usually squander it.

    Domestic violence was really widespread in the lower classes in Russia. “Peasants believed women were prone to excessive behavior, and thus force was necessary to control them.” (Engel, page 102) Women were not allowed to leave and do whatever they wanted. Once they got married their passport was confiscated and their name was placed on their husbands passport instead. If they ever wanted to leave they needed to get permission from their husband to receive a temporary passport for travel. Without this passport the husband could instruct the police to have his wife brought back to him if she ever left, and they did just that, even forcefully if necessary. It wasn’t until 1871 when wife battering finally became a punishable offense. In 1888 the state senate limited the husbands authority over his wife even more, but they still did not give in on the passport issue.

    Divorce was taboo in Russia in the 19th century as well. The Russian Orthodox religion was so powerful and did not allow divorce except for extreme cases. The church pretty much superseded law back then. It was easier and cheaper to separate without getting divorced, but only if your husband allowed you to have a passport. Most denied this and women were stuck in an abusive loveless marriage and there was nothing they could do about it. You could appeal to the chancellery and petition for divorce but this was a long process that usually would not end in your favor. The chancellery was an organization that worked for the Tzar. This organization would have investigators that would look at claims that came to the government and they would sort them out. After the great reformation, between 1884 and 1914, over 40,000 women petitioned for separation and their own passports. A lot of men were not faithful back then, and so women would claim that as their justification for wanting to leave. Since the rights were more in favor of the men, they just needed to produce a witness claiming they were innocent and the chancellery would deny the women’s request.

    With the emancipation of the serfs in 1861, women were finally starting to see a light at the end of a very dark long tunnel. Jobs were available for women outside of the home and they could see a future for themselves without being tied down in a marriage. “Feminists and socialists shared the belief that paid labor was the key to women’s emancipation.” (Engel, page 146) Divorce or separation became a civil process and no longer a church process. During the 1860’s and 1870’s the senate started to rule more in favor of the mother when it came to child support which also gave women hope of being able to separate from an abusive husband and still be able to keep their children. The senate finally started to see that they needed to do what was best for the child instead of granting the husband custody every time. Women were winning small battles and were slowly becoming more equal.

    Finally on March 12th 1914 the law was changed that ended the role of the chancellery when it came to resolving marital disputes as women were granted their own passports. They could now obtain a passport without their husbands permission and thus separate or divorce to live a better life alone.

    Russia still has a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the world when it comes to women’s rights. They are not alone though as there are plenty of other countries where women have even fewer rights than in Russia. Reading the personal accounts in the book of women who lived miserable lives because they were not allowed to make their own decisions was heartbreaking. Knowing that other people can have power over you so that you are completely under their control is sad to read about. I was happy to see small changes along the way that slowly gave women more freedoms. Everyone should be entitled to the same alienable rights we have as citizens of the United States. The freedom of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Notes:

    Engel, Barbara Alpern, Breaking the Ties That Bound: The Politics of Marital Strife in Late Imperial Russia (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2011)
    

    Phillips Roderick, Putting asunder: A history of divorce in western societies (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988)

   

Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved

Half of a Yellow Sun

A saga of the Nigerian civil war in the 1960s by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

    I really enjoyed this book by Adichie. I listened to the audiobook first and then borrowed the book from the library to read it again. When I was listening to the book the first time I had a hard time figuring out the relationships as they developed. The author goes back and forth between two main stories and then also between two different timelines. Re-reading it the second time helped me really solidify the relationships and understand everything much better. A twist is also thrown in with a book within a book that you will see later on.

    The story Adichie tells is one of fact mixed with fiction. There was a Nigerian Civil War between 1967 and 1970 that claimed a lot of lives. This war is also sometimes referred to as the Biafran War. The stories in her book begin before the war and grow as we see them struggle with the rest of the people in Nigeria. She does an excellent job creating a fictional story that fits perfectly with the facts that actually occurred back then. She blends history and fiction so well that the story I read was very believable as one that could have actually occurred.

    The story begins with a boy named Ugwu. He grows up in a poor small village as part of the Igbo tribe. Nigeria has hundreds of tribes but the three biggest ones are Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba. The Hausa tribe resides mostly in Northern Nigeria, the Igbo in the South East, and the Yoruba in the South West. Ugwu becomes a house boy for a very well-educated Igbo man named Obenigbo. He is a math professor at the college in Nsukka where he lives. Ugwu has never been a house boy let alone even left his village before and so he has a lot to learn. Obenigbo makes him a project as he wants to educate him and give him a life he would never have staying in his small village. He teaches him to cook and take care of himself and educates him as much as he can. Obenigbo has a British education and has a very proper way of talking to Ugwu. He addresses Ugwu as “my good man” (Adichie page 7) which Ugwu picks up on and enjoys. Ugwu and Obenigbo have a sweet relationship throughout the entire book that shows they really respect and care for each other. The other person that joins this storyline is Olanna. She is a very well-educated Igbo woman who falls in love with Obenigbo and they eventually marry and have a child together. She received a Masters Degree in London but moves back to Nigeria to be with Obenigbo. Her family is very well off and does not agree with her decision to marry someone below their expectations. They try to get her to marry a high-ranking military official to solidify their own status as well. She defies their requests and follows her heart instead.

    The second storyline we follow does intersect with the first but you don’t realize that right away. It follows a white man from England named Richard. He is a writer and has moved to Nigeria because he loves the culture and Igbo art. He is trying to fit in with the Nigerian people and makes many friends as he tries to find inspiration for his writing. He eventually meets a beautiful Nigerian woman named Kainene. She is a smart educated woman as well with a Masters Degree from London. She is actually the twin sister of Olanna and that is where the two stories intertwine. The story of Richard and Kainene crosses racial boundaries and adds a little tension to their relationship that way. Richard has to choose between the well off privileged life he is accustomed to and staying in Nigeria to be with the woman he has come to love.

    The timeline for the book starts out in the early 1960s. It closely follows both Olanna and Richard and their individual stories as they cross paths here and there. The author goes back and forth a few times between the early 1960s and late 1960s which can be confusing at times. The second storyline that is created in the book happens during the late 1960s while the Civil War is ongoing in Nigeria. Britain has given independence to Nigeria in 1960 but they are still trying to rule over them from farther away. The tribes in Nigeria have always gotten along with each other but Britain puts corrupt politicians in the government that mainly belong to the Hausa tribe which creates tensions in the land. Obenigbo is a math professor but he loves to talk politics and does so frequently with his friends. They believe that Nigeria should be independent completely from Britain and they want to split the country in two to create their own independent state. Britain cannot allow this to happen as they want the oil rights that are in South Nigeria and so they need to keep the country as one. Conflict slowly starts between the main tribes in Nigeria, especially the Igbo and Hausa people. Revolutionaries try to stage a coup to overthrow the current corrupt government but fail miserably. Their leader is Igbo and so most people think the coup was staged by the Igbo people. A second coup is attempted mainly against the Igbo people in 1966 that starts the massacring of many Nigerians. The Southern half of Nigeria splits off from the North which begins the Nigerian Civil War.

    Obenigbo is now a revolutionary fighting for a free Biafra. (The part of Nigeria in the South has split themselves from the North and referred to themselves as Biafrans living in a free Biafra.) Richard calls himself a true Biafran as his life is with the Igbo people and the woman he loves. He has learned the language over the years and chooses to stay there instead of returning to Britain while the war rages on. Most of the world ignores the massacres that are occurring in Biafra, and Britain and Russia actually help supply Northern Nigeria with weapons to fight against the Biafran rebels. The people in Biafra are starving and disease runs rampant. Children are kidnapped off the streets to fight in their army and that is actually what happens to Ugwu at that time. While running an errand he is picked up, his head is shaved, and he is forced to fight for the Biafran army. While he is kicked, slapped, and mocked he realizes that the casual cruelty of this new world of his frightens him. (Adichie, page 359) Obenigbo and Olanna have a child by now and do everything they can to keep her healthy and fed as there is almost no food left in the country. Olanna and Kainene’s parents flee to Nigeria as they want to keep their wealth and status. The entire country is in turmoil as the war now affects everyone.

    The symbol for Biafra is a rising sun. A flag is created with this symbol and Obenigbo is a big part of this as the Igbo people were very loyal to this cause of creating a free state for themselves. The rest of Nigeria saw the Igbo people as the instigators and so a major massacre of just Igbo people occurred during this war. “What mattered was that the massacres made fervent Biafrans of former Nigerians.” (Adichie, page 205) Obenigbo and Olanna had to flee from their home and all their possessions to stay safe. The Igbo people would rather starve and succumb to disease than give up their freedom to reunite with Nigeria again. They wanted to be free from colonial oppression that was still existing in Nigeria. They try for as long as they can but eventually the Biafrans surrender and join together with Nigeria again. It is a very sad time for them as they fought so hard and bravely for their freedoms. Many people lost their homes, wealthy lives, and so much more fighting for something they truly believed in. After the war, Obenigbo and Olanna return to their home that has been completely destroyed and need to start all over again. Kainene disappears during the war as she goes out to look for food and is never heard from again. Richard stays and desperately tries to continue his life and work without her. Ugwu is found and nursed back to health after almost dying in the war. He is welcomed back into Obenigbo and Olanna’s home to take care of them and their daughter. He knows this is his family and he belongs with
them.

    While this story unfolds another story is written and is kind of confusing at first. At the end of chapter 3, a chapter for an entirely different book is introduced. It is called The book: The world was silent when we died. The font for this book within a book is different and catches you off guard at first. Since Richard is a writer and talks about writing manuscripts and such, you first assume this is the book he is compiling as he lives his life in Nigeria. Seven different chapters of this new book are intertwined within the book Adichie writes. You can start to speculate who the author is of this new emerging book as a little more gets added to that story each time. This story seems to be about Nigeria and tells you some of its histories that are not in order. At the end of “Half Of A Yellow Sun” by Adichie, the final chapter is released for the book “The World Was Silent When We Died” and you discover that it is actually Ugwu that is the author of this new book. He dedicates his book with: For Master, my good man. (Adichie, page 433)

    I think that was the most perfect ending to this book as it comes full circle with the relationship the book started with. Ugwu starts the book by meeting his new master for the first time and loves being called my good man by him, and he ends the book by dedicating it entirely to him who saved him and made him who he is today.

    Living here in America we see a lot of what goes on right around us but sometimes we forget there is a whole world outside of the confines of our small state. We sometimes forget that there are entire countries at war and people dying and starving just on the other side of the globe. Reading this book by Adichie reminded me that there is so much more going on in the world than I am aware of. Even though this happened before I was born, reading the fictional story gave me a small insight into an actual conflict that happened where many died fighting for something they believed in. History being my major at school has opened my eyes more and more to what has and is happening in our world.

[Paper written for HIST 151G class UVU Fall 2021]

Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved

Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse in Utah - Short Opinion Paper

    It is kind of weird but I have actually thought about this question before. Where would I live after the zombie apocalypse happened here in Utah? My question has always been a bit broader as I have also contemplated where I would live if a natural disaster would strike, a war would start, or anything else would happen that would make it that I would no longer be able to stay in my home here in Provo. I live right next to the mountains and they have always been a source of refuge for me. I am an avid hiker and enjoy camping and such to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. I consider myself to be a very prepared person and have everything in my home I would need in case of an emergency. I have tents, camping gear, first aid kits, bug-out backpacks, and all sorts of things ready if I needed to load it all into my car to escape to the mountains. The only thing I still lack is a small trailer, but I am in the process of making myself one. I know I would not be the only one to head to the mountains and so the more prepared I am, the better.

    I know the atmosphere in the mountains would be more pleasant. When I go hiking, the higher I go, I always feel like I can climb up out of the inversion that is in the valley to breathe the wonderfully clean air. Going up into the mountains I will be away from the inversion and thus will be able to breathe better. I know if I go further back into the mountains as well, there will be beautiful valleys that will not have the nasty inversion that hangs over Utah Valley.

    The temperatures in the mountains should not be too bad either. Come summertime the higher up I will be, the cooler it will be. I can harness the energy of the sun by collecting it with a solar panel that I have and can have the energy to run electronics if needed, or power cooking appliances. Come winter I could create a shelter with the massive amount of trees found up there and use the sun’s energy that gets reflected on the large amounts of snow we get up higher too. A dark tarp could soak up the warmth of the sun in the wintertime to heat my shelter as well.

    The wind should not be too bad as I will have a lot of trees around me that I could chop down to create my shelter and walls to keep the wind from blowing too much. I am sure there are many caves up in the mountains as well that I could explore when the weather would get worse.

    I am not too worried about water either as a lot of the snow melts and runs down the mountain all over the place. There are lots of small creeks and streams that run down the mountain and find their way to the rivers that lead to the lakes. Water filtration systems will help me to filter the water so that I could use it for drinking and cooking. Our mountains also have a lot of beautiful natural streams that are super clean and can provide me with lots of drinking water when I need it. I can also set up rain barrels to catch water when it does rain or snow and set up tarps to catch condensation.

    In Utah, we don’t have any major atmospheric disturbances like tornados, typhoons, or hurricanes and so I don’t need to worry about those. We do have a monsoon season with plenty of rain combined with wind, hail, thunder, and lightning at times. I will need to make sure my shelter will keep me dry and that I have plenty of dry firewood to keep me warm.

    The climate in the mountains can vary and especially with climate change happening in our world. The summers are hotter and drier and the winters are milder with not as much snow. I will need to be prepared for more extremes as the climate changes each year. There may be less water available than I may realize if the winter before has been milder and it may be significantly hotter in the summer than I will be used to.

    When it comes to the Hydrosphere I will be sitting pretty good I think. I will not have a lake or ocean nearby, but lots of small streams and rivers that flow all over the mountains. There are even some smaller lakes up higher that can provide me with fish. There will be lots of underground water that will be available to me.

    I will be surrounded by green trees and oxygen will be aplenty. The biosphere in the mountains will be able to sustain me when it comes to food as well. I will need to make sure to learn how to set snares to trap small game and be careful to maybe not run into the large game when I am not ready. Utah has some amazingly large predators roaming the mountains. Fishing would be a primary source of food as well as there are plenty of rivers and small lakes full of fish.

    I will need to make sure to study up on plants that are edible so that I can add that to my diet as well. I can dig for roots and eat a lot of plants out in the mountains for sustenance. I could catch deer, rabbits, chipmunks, snakes, and other animals for food as well.

    If I am smart I would take seeds of sorts with me too and I could plant crops for myself. I will have full sun, water, and oxygen to grow plants that could sustain me as well. I could also use the mud and clay found in the rivers to reinforce my shelter and make it wind and waterproof. Growing grasses on the roof of my shelter could also cool down my shelter in the summertime.

    A lot of rocks and debris usually get swept downstream in rivers and I could collect those to fortify my shelter as well. The mountains here in Utah are full of rocks that could be used to build a wall around my perimeter to keep anyone out that would not belong there.

    I know I would be moving to the mountains where a fault line runs and that would be the only major downfall of my location. We sit right on top of the North American plate. If an earthquake were to happen while I was in the mountains it would probably not end well for me, but then again it wouldn’t end well for me either if I stayed with the zombies down below. Luckily we do not have any active or non-active volcanoes underneath us, so we have that going for us.

    Being in the mountains I will need to make sure to watch where I do place my permanent shelter. I need to make sure it is not too close to a stream or river so it can’t fall into the water because of erosion and weakening. I will need to watch the rocks around me closely as well and make sure that they are solid and will stay in place. I will need to stay out of the path of rockfalls and make sure my shelter cannot be damaged by water, mud, or rocks sliding from the mountain.

    There are a lot of streams and small rivers all over the mountains that I need to make sure to watch the fluvial process to make sure that my shelter will remain unaffected by it. I can possibly create barriers or dams on the small streams by my shelter to divert some of the water closer to my camp for cooking or bathing purposes. I know there are a lot of smaller waterfalls as well in the mountains and maybe I can harness some of that awesome energy that it creates from the falling water as well.

    I know a zombie apocalypse would never happen, but it was kind of cool to see what I would need in order to survive a disaster of sorts. I know that there is still a lot I would need to learn or gather before I could head up into the mountains permanently, but here in Utah, the odds of my survival would not be too bad.

[Paper written for GEOG 1000 class UVU Summer 2021]

Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved

The Human Rights Campaign and The Trevor Project Comparison Paper

How do they compare: The Human Rights Campaign v. The Trevor Project

    I chose to look into the social problems that plaque the LGBTQ society today. When researching more about the community I came across two major players that are both very involved in different ways but wanting the same results in the end. I came to the conclusion that both agencies are fighting for equality and acceptance. They cover a lot of bases and have grown in size and popularity since their beginnings. While one chooses to address the issues by changing laws, the other listens and creates life-saving measures to keep those marginalized safe in a society that doesn’t see them as equal yet.

History

    The Human Rights campaign (HRC) and the Trevor Project (TP) have both been around for a while. The HRC was founded in 1980 and the TP in 1994. Both agencies fight for LGBTQ rights and are advocates for change. The HRC really started as a way to endorse candidates and get laws on the docket that are more inclusive. They now also advocate for other minorities and work solely to bring changes to the legislature and hopefully one day get the Equal Rights Act passed. The TP works mainly with youth and provides life-saving council and assistance when needed with their world’s largest suicide prevention hotline operated by thousands of volunteers world wide.

Client Profile

    The HRC leads the fight for LGBTQ rights. Their clientele include all no matter their race, ethnicity, color of their skin, gender, etc. While the TP mainly caters to teens they are also all inclusive as they combine forces with many other agencies out there to make sure anyone who needs their help can get it. Neither agency discriminates as they want equality on all fronts.

Services Provided

    The HRC offers many different services. There are links on their website to other organizations that try to achieve the same things they do. Education, research, work-place equality, transgender issues, HIV and health, Youth well-being, and so much more. The TP really has one main focus as they are the largest suicide prevention agency in the world catered to the LGBTQ youth. They do also provide education and training to teachers and allies and they are continually researching new ways and methods to help those that need it.

Staff Characteristics

    The HRC has an impressive staff with a lot of diversity. They have staff that cover everything from marketing, training, research, litigation, and so much more. These people all have impressive skills to help further the causes the HRC fight for. The TP is run mainly by volunteers who receive intense training to handle all of the situations they can possibly encounter. They also have full-time staff in all areas of expertise to help them navigate the massive amount of help that is requested daily. They have a board of professionals that are just as dedicated as their volunteers to run the day to day operations and make sure that their agency continues to run smoothly.

Successes

    Since both the HRC and the TP have been around for a while they have a lot of successes they can be proud of. Involvement with the passing of the Hate Crime Prevention Act in 2009, winning the fight against the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that was finally overturned in 2011, and so much more.

Current Concerns

    Currently the HRC is working to get the Equality act passed. There are still places of business that refuse to cater to the LGBTQ community. Those belonging to this community are still being discriminated against when it comes to housing, medical care, and so much more. With all the different bills currently in legislation against the trans community, the TP and the HRC are busier than ever and need to help more youth that don’t see their lives as valuable. The anti-trans bills already passed are damaging to the youth who identify under the trans umbrella and see their lives destroyed by those in power to create new laws and legislations against them.

Controversies

    The HRC was in the news in 2022 when they refused to accept money from Disney while they did not fight the controversial “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill currently in Florida. The HRC put out a statement saying they would not accept donations from Disney until they saw Disney’s commitment to fight this injustice instead of staying silent. The TP also is not staying silent when they see others neglect the need for equality. They voice their concerns and let others know that they need to be vocal and not silent when they see the damage the world is currently doing when it comes to the LGBTQ community.

Longevity

    The HRC will be around for a long time. They have already been a part of the fight for equality since 1980 and they still have many more fights left in them. While there is still inequality when it comes to the LGBTQ community, they will be there to push for legislation that will make us all more equal. The TP is also a massive agency that will only get bigger over time as more and more youth need help and support especially when legislation is out to eradicate them from the narrative.


References

https://www.hrc.org/about

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/our-team/

https://www.hrc.org/our-work

https://www.hrc.org/about/staff

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/advocacy/

https://www.hrc.org/campaigns/equality-act

https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/human-rights-campaign-refuses-money-from-disney-until-meaningful-action-is-taken-to-combat-floridas-dont-say-gay-or-trans-bill

[Paper written for SOC 1020 class UVU Spring 2023]

Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved

War & Terrorism Short Opinion Paper

 How will reducing our military and defense budget to increase spending in other areas help in the fight against war and terrorism?

    As we read in this week's chapter, the budget for military and defense has skyrocketed over the years. The author does a great job explaining how the budgets are used to defend our country and also help others around the world when necessary. Having a strong military and all the equipment necessary to defend our citizens is a very important matter and should not be discounted. The US military budget is by far the highest in the world and in fact accounts for 43 percent of the world’s military spending. (War, 16.2) So why is the United States outspending other nations by billions of dollars and do we need to spend that much when others around the world only spend a fraction?

    The author goes on to explain the downsides of all this spending and explains that we could use some of the money allocated for military and defense in better ways. He quotes Oscar Arias by saying: Americans are hurt when the defense budget squanders money that could be used to repair schools or to guarantee universal health care (Arias, 1999, p. A19). Throughout this entire course we have talked about lots of different social issues we face and some of the things we can do to alleviate these problems. This last chapter on war and terrorism is a perfect end to the semester in my opinion as it gives us the answer to all of our problems. I have gathered all the information I have learned throughout this course and have come to this conclusion.

    This entire semester the most relevant answer for me to most of the social problems is education. We need to educate the next generations while they are still young and help them achieve their potential in life. We need to educate them about poverty, having a good education, the potential stresses and triggers that accompany family life, having safe and up to date schools, inequalities in society, discrimination, the pros and cons of alcohol and/or drug use, the prison system and the consequences that will follow them their entire lives if they end up there, sexism and the fact that there should be no discrimination when it comes to gender and identity, our elderly and making sure they are taken care of as it will be their turn one day, gaining good employment, having health benefits, air pollution, the environment, and the effects of war. All of these things can be taught and retaught throughout elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and beyond. We can hire more teachers to specialize in these particular problems that face our society so that future generations can be more aware and able to participate in being the solution. We can break cycles of ignorance, poverty, hate, and discrimination with education that is attainable for all no matter their background.

    How can we accomplish all this you may think? We need to cut our military and defense spending to a reasonable amount that will still protect us as a nation and we use that money instead and pour it into our future generations and educate them to be better than we are now. Defense analysts who think this budget is too high have proposed specific cuts in weapons systems that are not needed and in military personnel at home and abroad who are not needed (Arquilla & Fogelson-Lubliner, 2011; Knight, 2011; Sustainable Defense Task Force, 2010). Making these cuts would save the nation from $100 billion to $150 billion annually without at all endangering national security. This large sum could then be spent to help meet the nation’s many unmet domestic needs. (Preventing War And Stopping Terrorism, 16.4)

    If we start at the source, with young impressionable minds, and teach them their entire life how to be a good human being, they can be the difference in the world. Over time we will see that this investment will make our nation more tolerable, healthier, more educated, less poverty stricken, and a better society overall to battle anything that comes its way. There will be less conflict and we could battle terrorism at home and abroad with sharp minds that have been educated on how to take care of every American and not just those they look like or interact with. These are our future generations that will become our governors, elected officials, and presidents that will make decisions for the entire country and I would have a lot more faith in them knowing they have been educated about all the social problems in the world and the solutions that can solve them. We will have less wars, conflicts, and acts of terrorism when we come together as a global community to fight the same fights instead of each other.

https://open.lib.umn.edu/socialproblems/chapter/16-2-war/

Arias, O. (1999). Stopping America’s most lethal export. New York Times, June 23, p. A19.

https://open.lib.umn.edu/socialproblems/chapter/16-4-preventing-war-and-stopping-terrorism/

Arquilla, J., & Fogelson-Lubliner. (2011, March 13). The Pentagon’s biggest boondoggles. New York Times, p. WK12.

Knight, C. (2011). Strategic adjustment to sustain the force: A survey of current proposals. Cambridge, MA: Project on Defense Alternatives.

Sustainable Defense Task Force. (2010). Debt, deficits, & defense: A way forward. Cambridge, MA: Project on Defense Alternatives.

[Paper written for SOC 1020 class UVU Spring 2023]

Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved

Social Problems, Research, and Analysis Paper on Gun Violence

Defining the Problem

    Around half of Americans (48%) see gun violence as a very big problem in the country today, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in April 2021. All you have to do is watch the news to see why so many people feel this way. Mass shootings happen too often and bring a lot of emotions to the table every time one happens. Many responsible American citizens own a gun and do so with the utmost care for their life and those around them. So why then does gun ownership become such a hot topic when another mass shooting happens that takes the lives of innocent civilians?

Historical Background of Problem
    The constitution of the United States gives each citizen the right to own a gun. "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." This very simple language used in the amendment has sparked debates amongst Americans for years. Many Americans who own guns see this as their personal assurance that they have every right to own a gun and that no one can tell them otherwise. Others read the first line to this amendment and believe it only applies to the military and not to individuals. In 1939 the Supreme Court heard the case of United States v. Miller where they determined that the government can put limits and regulations on gun ownership. This new view on the 2nd amendment lasted until 2008 when it was challenged in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller where the court altered the law and again allowed law abiding citizens the right to own firearms. They only posed a few limitations when it came to gun ownership and left it at that. Today, Four-in-ten U.S. adults say they live in a household with a gun, including 30% who say they personally own one, according to the Pew Research Center survey conducted in June 2021. When asked why they owned a gun, the top reason was for personal protection.

    The issue involving guns and our rights comes up every time there is a mass shooting that happens in the United States. The New York Times recently posted an article on this very topic and gave a credible online source that is run by a non profit group to track all mass shootings. The Gun Violence Archive is a website where you can see all gun related shootings that occur and the casualties associated with each. According to their website we have had 130 mass shootings in the United States since the start of 2023. When asked if guns and the lack of restrictions were the issue, the Pew poll described earlier was very divided on that answer. Depending on your background, place of residence, and ethnicity, the answer to more of less gun restrictions is all over the board.

Identify Key Players Involved in Problem
    The NRA (National Rifle Association) is one of the biggest proponents for limiting gun legislation. They actively lobby in congress and spend a lot of money each year to make sure no real restrictions are put in place that they feel would limit their constitutional rights as citizens. The NRA has been involved in politics since 1975 when they established the Institute for Legislative Action so they could influence policy moving forward. The NRA has a large base of Americans that agree with their policies and actively promote gun rights and feel that access to guns makes us safer as a county. They have pushed for open carry laws and concealed carry laws to make sure that Americans can be as free as they want to be when it comes to their access to guns and the right to wear them out in public as well. On the other end of the spectrum is another large organization fighting for more gun restrictions and laws to keep Americans safe. Everytown is a gun safety support organization that also focuses on legislation and advocacy and has over 10 million registered advocates. They feel there is a strong need for more restrictions and more education as we see the number of mass shootings grow at an alarming rate. They are actively lobbying for more restrictions and accountability when it comes to guns in our society.

Theoretical Explanations
    Structural Functionalism explains that guns can either be good for society and help maintain law and order and be used for protection, or they can cause crime, and violence. In poorer areas guns can be used to commit crimes so that the individual does not need to put forth an effort to make a living.

    Symbolic Interactionism explains that violent video games, movies, and seeing individuals in the home have guns and feel superior with one can make others in the home feel the need to use the gun for the type of violence they have seen on tv or experienced in games. Being labeled as a loser or someone not worthy of love could also give this person a reason to lash out with violence against innocent victims with the guns found in the home.

    Conflict Perspective explains that being in a gang or in conflict with someone in authority gives you the opportunity to take a gun to lash out. Having enough money in the home to be able to purchase whatever guns you want and endless amounts of ammo will make you feel more superior and could add to the feeling that a gun could make everything better.

Solutions
    When it comes to gun violence, there are many speaking up with possible solutions to the problem. Everytown has a plan posted on their website which they feel can put an end to gun violence. Their solutions include background checks on all gun sales, prohibiting people with dangerous histories from owning guns, and repealing gun industry immunity. Currently background checks are required through all licensed gun dealers but not when you purchase a gun from an unlicensed gun dealer. This is a problem that needs to be fixed and addressed. When it comes to prohibiting the sale of firearms to individuals with dangerous backgrounds there are no solutions in place to enforce this policy and so many still get their hands on weapons even when they should not be able to. Another big issue Everytown has with current legislation is that gun manufacturers are not able to be held accountable when their weapons are used during a crime. When we are not able to hold them responsible then the manufacturers will never take gun safety as seriously as they should. While these are all great solutions to a very large problem, the effectiveness of the solutions could be debated as our country is so large that it would be hard to police and have a database large enough to have all the available information there when someone wants to purchase a gun. New ways to manage all this information would need to be created and implemented on a large scale for this to possibly work.

Personal Position
    I was an elementary school custodian for 9 years and reading that a school custodian was one of the casualties of the latest school shooting really hit home with me. I have a concealed carry permit that I got while working at an elementary school because I could see the growing amount of school shootings in this country and wanted to find a way to protect myself and possibly others at my school if this were ever to happen to me. I went through classes and purchased a small firearm legally and through the right channels and then went to the shooting range on a regular basis to be confident enough to actually use it if necessary. Having to live with the fear that someone can come into your place of business and pull a gun on you is not a very good and healthy way to live. Kids should not have to do monthly intruder drills where they hide in their classrooms with the lights off and keep absolutely quiet because someone could possibly come and decide today is their day to die. Our obsession with guns in this country is out of control and I absolutely believe we need to do something about it. I do not have all the answers but I know doing nothing is not the solution either. While we are fighting this battle on the congress floor innocent children and teachers are still getting massacred while all they want is a safe place to learn. Our thoughts and prayers are no longer enough to comfort the families left behind after tragedy strikes, and we need to do the hard part and actually come up with viable solutions that will save lives that are unnecessarily snuffed out. My personal opinion is that restrictions do need to be placed on guns and as a society we need to be okay with this. We need to think less about our constitutional rights as individuals and more about the right of life for all that live in this country. I am willing to sacrifice some of my freedoms if it means we have less mass shootings in this country and all kids have the opportunity to grow up without the fear of someone showing up one day and creating a nightmare situation that they will not easily forget.




REFERENCES:

Pew Research Center (2023) Americans’ views of the problems facing the nation

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/04/15/americans-views-of-the-problems-facing-the-nation/


Cornell Law School (June 2022) Second Amendment

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/second_amendment


Cornell Law School (May 1939) United States v. Miller et al.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/search/display.html?terms=United%20States%20V%20Miller&url=/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0307_0174_ZS.html


Cornell Law School (March 18, 2008) District Of Columbia v. Heller

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/07-290.ZS.html


Pew Research Center (2023) Key facts about Americans and guns

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/13/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/


Victor, Daniel (March 28, 2023) The New York Times: U.S. Mass Shootings in 2023: A Partial List https://www.nytimes.com/article/mass-shootings-2023.html


Gun Violence Archive (2023) https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/


https://home.nra.org/


BBC (May 27, 2022) US Gun control: What is the NRA and why is it so powerful?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35261394


https://www.everytown.org/


Everytown (2023) Background Checks on All Guns https://www.everytown.org/solutions/background-checks/


Everytown (2023) Prohibit People With Dangerous Histories From Having Guns

https://www.everytown.org/solutions/prohibitors/


Everytown (2023) Repeal Gun Industry Immunity https://www.everytown.org/solutions/industry-reform/

[Paper written for SOC 1020 class UVU Spring 2023]

Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved

Poverty & Education Short Opinion Paper

Why is the race gap so substantial when it comes to those attending college?

    After reading the two chapters and watching all the videos associated with this module, I was very intrigued by one of the graphs in Chapter 11. There are three graphs shown in Chapter 11.1 that talk about race & high school dropout rate, income & college attendance, and race & the likelihood of obtaining a college degree. The third graph which shows that White and Asian/Pacific Islanders clearly are the majority who earn a degree was staggering to me. Attending college myself, but mainly online, I had no idea the gap between the races was so big. I worked for Alpine School District for the last 9 years as a custodian and mainly in Title I schools. I have witnessed firsthand the number of kids in each class as I would search the school for more desks each time a new student was added. Most of the schools I worked in were located in run-down areas where you could tell both parents worked hard to provide and the kids were often left alone at home after school to attempt their homework. Chapter 11 talks about this more in detail as it explains that most children who do not go to college come from lower-income neighborhoods. “Sustained exposure to disadvantaged neighborhoods…throughout the entire childhood life course has a devastating impact on the chances of graduating from high school” (Wodtke et al., 2011, p. 731) Kids that don’t graduate high school, don’t attend college. These kids don’t have many adult role models around them to show them that college would be an amazing opportunity to achieve more in life. Most of the parents have little or no education and so they can’t help their kids or show them the benefits of a college education. The schools in low-income areas are older and lack the necessary things for students to excel. I had to deal with many broken desks and chairs, projectors that constantly needed to be fixed, a lack of playground equipment, heating and cooling issues in the buildings that would freeze or overheat the kids as they tried to pay attention to their teachers, and much more. Discipline problems were common daily as there were more students in the classroom than the teacher could manage and an overworked principal and vice-principal that needed to set them all straight.

    The Ted talk given by Kandice Sumner for this module was amazing and I watched it several times to really get what she was saying. She specifically uses the words college-educated when she talks about her parents because that is what sets her apart from other kids in the neighborhood she grew up in. The fact that they had college degrees and knew the system is what made them put her in a different school an hour's bus ride away so that she too could get a better education than the other kids down the street. Her parents were aware of the fact that she would most likely not achieve all the goals they had for her if she stayed in the school in her area. Even as a small child she questioned this and knew it was not fair that those in poorer neighborhoods get less of an education than those in richer neighborhoods. At the 3:36 mark in the video she states “But what about everyone else, there are thousands of kids just like me who deserve this too. Why doesn’t everyone get this? Why is a high-quality education only exclusive to the rich?” (Sumner 3:36) Because her parents understood the system they made sure she did not just become another statistic, they had the resources and ability to provide something more for her and so they did. Because of that, she was able to become an educator herself and help those kids who live in poorer neighborhoods achieve greatness as well.

    “A college degree today is a virtual requirement for a decent-paying job.” (Chapter 11.1) There are so many different factors that create this race gap in college, but somehow it all goes back to poverty and education. If you are poor you most likely live in an area with other people who do not make a lot of money. The schools in that area suffer and are underfunded. The kids that attend those schools don’t have the resources and role models around them to want to do better for themselves. Crime and violence in those areas add to the stress those kids already have in their lives and don’t help them learn while they are in school. It seems like a vicious cycle that will keep repeating itself unless it is stopped.


Sources:

Wodtke, G. T., Harding, D. J., & Elwert, F. (2011). Neighborhood effects in temporal perspective: The impact of long-term exposure to concentrated disadvantage on high school graduation. American Sociological Review, 76(5), 713–736.

Sumner, Kandice (2015) How America’s public schools keep kids in poverty. Ted Talk watched on Youtube. (3:36-3:50)

https://open.lib.umn.edu/socialproblems/chapter/11-1-an-overview-of-education-in-the-united-states/

[Paper written for SOC 1020 class UVU Spring 2023]

Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved

Environmental Issues Short Opinion Paper

What can I personally do to lower my carbon footprint and help the environment?

    I have been waiting all semester for this topic as this is something I have been passionate about for years. Since educating myself many years ago about global warming and the things we personally can do to help it, I have been an advocate and proponent for change in my own family and community. I have researched different ways that I can make changes to how I live my life that will impact my future. I have been met with laughter and resistance by many family members and friends as they do not understand that one person can make a difference. Throughout the years I have not given up being an example and speaking out for my beliefs even when met with ridicule from those around me. I strongly believe in my ability to be a small cog in the larger system to help alleviate some of the damage we do daily to the environment we live in. We are not going to solve these problems until we face the biggest threat, and that’s us, our behaviors. (Doss, 2:00)
    So what do I personally do to make sure that I am not part of the problem? After extensive research over many years I am slowly feeling like I am making a small dent personally with my own behavior. I have implemented recycling in my home which requires me to take time to sort through things, rinse items, and personally take these items that can be recycled to appropriate recycling facilities in my city. It would be a lot easier to not care and just dump all my garbage into the container provided by my housing complex like so many others do, but since I know that I am able to recycle certain things I just cannot allow myself to be ignorant of that fact and so I take the time to recycle. At first it was hard to remember and make the effort but over time it has become my new normal and it is no longer an option for me to not recycle. Living in Provo, I have recycling cans near me that collect glass, paper, metal and plastics and so those are the things I recycle when I do buy them. I had to learn that not all plastics can be recycled and so now I only try to purchase plastics that I can recycle, or I don’t purchase the item. Having done the research and knowing what will help or hinder the environment has been a game changer in my opinion. I am no longer overwhelmed and it is now part of my life. Because humans are responsible for the world’s environmental problems, humans have both the ability and the responsibility to address these problems. Leslie King and Deborah McCarthy (2009, p. ix)
    It was a lot harder to stick to this new way of life when I was married and had a partner that did not share my same view and would not go out of his way to change. My kids also saw my efforts as futile and really did not see what I was doing as beneficial until they got older. But through the ridicule and lone ranger practices I continued my efforts and eventually showed them that caring for our space on this planet was not only beneficial to us but to everyone around us. They are still not as involved as I am but they use my recycling bins when they are at my home so that is a start.
    Other small things that I have done to make my footprint smaller on this earth was to buy a smaller, more economically friendly car, switched all my shampoo and soap bottles out with bars (I love them), and got rid of my toothpaste tubes and switched to “bites”. I bring reusable shopping bags when I get groceries and try to buy items that don’t have unnecessary plastic to contain them. I replaced all the lights in my home with energy saving bulbs and my thermostat is set for summer and winter time to only run when I am home. I tried to limit my meat consumption and had only eaten plant based for a time but that was hard to sustain as well with the rest of my family not on board with my eating habits. Since I now mainly live alone (one daughter lives with me sporadically) I want to go back to eating plant based again and I am slowly making my way there.
    Being aware of our own life and the way we consume and use items around us will help us to be more mindful of how we can be part of the solution and not the problem when it comes to the environment and climate change. Even small little changes in our own lives are helping and educating those around us to do the same and will help our changes have a larger impact. We have the ability to solve these problems by modifying our individual behaviors (Doss, 12:35)

SOURCES:

Doss, Paul K. (2017) Beyond the Science: Environmental problems…Cultural solutions, Evansville Indiana TedTalk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VHPkv8ZQQI&t=793s

King, L., & McCarthy, D. (Eds.). (2009). Environmental sociology: From analysis to action (2nd ed.). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

efforts to improve the environment, often called the environmental movement, constitute a social movement
https://open.lib.umn.edu/socialproblems/chapter/15-3-the-environment/

As they feed antibiotics to animals to keep them healthy, they are making our families sicker by spreading these deadly strains of bacteria” (Kristof, 2011, p. WK10)
Kristof, N. D. (2011, June 12). When food kills. New York Times, p. WK10.

We now have a thing called the Great Pacific garbage patch, thousands of square miles between California and Hawaii where human debris is trapped in a gyre, a very large circular ocean current (Doss, 4:50)
If you tried to clean up less than 1% of the North Pacific Ocean it would take 67 ships one year to clean it… until we prevent debris from entering the ocean at the source, it’s just going to keep congregating in these areas (Doss, 4:35)
Dianna Parker - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Paper written for SOC 1020 class UVU Spring 2023]

Amy Brouwer . 2024 . All Right Reserved