Inquiry of NAACP
Tanesha Clausell
(ready to use)
About the ethnographer
I am a African-American female student. I find myself always trying prove stereotypes wrong by discussing issues, keeping an open mind, and understanding social interactions among all races. I also think about families and the ways in which the members need to work out differences that are critical in developing one's self more and how people are unique in their own way. Not only am I a feministic, but I am also a romantic. |
Unit Keywords
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NAACP, black organizations, minority organizations, minorities, charity organizations, fundraising organizations |
INQUIRE
Rationale of the Unit
What subculture have you chosen to research and why? What do you know about this group and what do you want to know? List your intial research questions.
The subculture I chose to inquire is the NAACP (The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). They are a group of minority students and staff who work on different programs to create stronger bonds among minorities and awards those with outstanding achievement within their academics, careers, and community services. They meet on Wednesdays at Florida Residence Hall at 7:00 pm, which is a residence hall on the southeast side of the university, making it easier for everyone to attend due to its positioning close to bus transportation. The meetings are very formal in that they appreciate if you conduct yourself properly during discussions and they also encourage business attire to be worn. They strongly enforce attendance at all meetings for their members, unless there is an emergency. They don’t too much like to discuss the usual individual criticisms and struggles of social issues dealing with race and ethnicity, because they feel that that topic is too common with minorities who continue to surface their personal experiences of racism and poor treatment during the meetings. Therefore, their meetings work on different ways to alleviate racial tension by discussing more important moralities within the work place and school, and also coming up with solutions to help others that are in need of guidance especially within the black community. I chose this subculture because I appreciate what it has done for my people and the alliances it has gained throughout the years. The members conduct themselves properly and can answer any questions that a person may have about minorities developing a place in society if they have not already done so.
Initial Research Questions:
What is significant about the organization's history?
What are the goals of the organization?
What role does the organization play here at the University?
Do the meetings address real issues?
Is the organization successful here on campus?
Is the organization's work useful?
Does the university's branch of the organization represent themselves the same ways as the national organization?
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Project diary
The NAACP is an organization geared to toward creating stronger ties and promoting unity among minorites. It is one of the most prestigious minority organizations worldwide and is known for its charitable and fundraising events that helps students, families, and those who are pursuing careers. Not only does the organization help people through donating and raising money, but the NAACP helps communities by sponsering workshops and various programs for those are in need for emotional support, encouragement, and awareness. Because the organization is so global and massive in size pertaining to its members, branches of the organization are networked within counties and different cities among the United States. These branches have their own chosen leaders who work towards what is best for minorities within their specified district. This is supposed to make sure that the organization does not look over those who may be in need. With so many branches in different places across the country, is the branch here at the University of Illinois playing a key role in creating stronger ties and promoting unity among minorites? Are they developing different programs that are really useful and significant for minorities here on campus? Are they representing themselves well by upholding the image of prestige that the national organization reflects? Based on my research and findings, these questions have been answered. |
Research Plan
Discuss your initial research method. How will you begin to seek out answers to your research questions? Where will you begin taking field notes? Who are you considering as a possible informant?
First, I wanted to write some history of the organization as an introduction. Because my main inquiry of the organization is whether they are significant in their endeavors here on campus and successful in their attempts to helping minorities, the intro will be used as a compare the successes in both attempts and determine whether the organization still needs to be active. Looking into books that include things about the organization, articles in the past, magazines (specifically JET) which always comment on the organization, and members of the organization here on campus. I will begin taking fieldnotes at one of their meetings, which will be on 11/05/03, observing not only the obvious which is the members and the room, but exactly what they discuss and the conduct within the room. I also want to get a feel for the atmosphere at the meeting and to see if people are really engaged. The president will be the informant for my inquiry because he is someone I always see on campus and is very social, making him more than willing to answer any questions I may have. I have taken out two books from the undergraduate library which both discuss topics about the NAACP and how they began and is continuing to be a national organization that upholds prestige. I have also an article from the Daily Illini on the reformation of the branch of the NAACP here on campus and this will be used in conjunction with the books when answering the questions pertaining to their relevance and significance on campus. When I go to the meeting tomorrow, I will take the agendas that they will give out and any flyers that they may have for future events and incorporate those in my readings. |
Project diary
Readings, Keywords, and Constructs
Discuss what sources, other than your own field notes, that you consult for your project.
I have a friend who is a member of my subculture that I will be interviewing at the end of this week. He is the president and will allow me to come to a few meetings and observe what goes on and topics of discussion. The organization will hand out agendas at all of their meetings, so that will be useful in evaluating their involvement. I have decided to attend one of the meetings in order to create fieldnotes that will help me with my initial interpretations and to better understand my ways of analyzing what I see. This will help me to be more involved in my subculture when writing the paper. I have obtained three articles from the online version of the Daily Illini. The first article was published March 9, 2001 titled "New Student NAACP branch holds first meeting" which discusses the reactivation here at the university since 1983. This article will help me to evaluate the cruciality of the organization and why it was reactivated. The second article was published on September 12, 2002 titled " Unique opportunities for African American students" and will details the purpose of the organization and how it is working for minorities here on campus. The last article was published on April 1, 2003 titled "University students to march on D.C." and will point out a successful approach by the organization by create bonds and bringing minorities together for a good cause. I have taken out a book from the library titled NAACP: A History of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People by Kellogg which entails the complete and full analysis of the organization, its universal purposes and goals that are to be achieved, and the events created to serve those purposes. |
Project diary
11-04-03
The main aspect I am inquiring about my subculture is whether the organization serves a meaningful purpose for minorities here on campus. Because the university population of minority students is 6 percent, it is important that the organization, which is a very prestigious and charitable one overall, is maintaining those same goals. That does not require that the NAACP's small branch here at the university perform the same type of highly political and economical functions as that of the the main organization. It simply means that they should be geared toward the organizations methods and foundational roots when coming together here on campus. We see it all the time in magazines, newspaper articles, and media: great fundraising and accomplishments the NAACP has performed, so it is important to me to at least uphold that image of being a helpful, prestigious, and more charitable type of organization. If the small branch of the NAACP doesn't uphold the same image that are related to the recognition of the father organization which serves a purpose here on campus, are they, in actuality, living up to the standards and being representative of their father organization in their entirety? |
Field Notes
Use this space to discuss what interesting, significant, revealing, and/or strange information you've recorded in your field notes. What are you learning about your chosen subculture? You might also begin to synthesize the information you are getting from your observations and the other sources you consult.
When I went to the NAACP meeting, I noticed that a lot of people were there. The meeting took place at the Florida Residence Hall in the main lounge at 7:15 pm. I arrived there about 30 minutes early, so I took fieldnotes on the physical arrangements in the lounge and as people began to enter, I noted their attitudes and demeanor. The lounge had a very comfortable setting, with soft chairs as well as plenty of folding chairs aligned in two sections of seven rows of five seats. I was one of the lucky ones to get a soft chair. There was a crew setting up the speakers and microphones and a small stage big enough to seat the five executive members and a long table up front. The floor was carpeted and the temperature was warm. As people were entering the lounge, many were carrying on private conversations as they sat down and some were looking at pieces of paper whose subjects were unknown. Around 7:10, I noticed that everyone began to get a little impatient because the president and his executives were running late and hadn't arrived, but five minutes later they walked in. The President and four other executive members were dressed in formal attire and very few of the members were dressed casually. They walked directly to the stage and began the meeting. The president welcomed everyone and the secretary who was a female began to outline the topics that were to be discussed throughout the course of the meeting. The agenda will be used in this paper as an artifact. After the secretary was done, the president began discussing the topics indepth which were three projects that he felt would help minorities on campus and left room for all comments from the members after discussing each project. They all decided on doing the three projects and began to set up committees for each one. There would be one project per week and the dates for the projects were scheduled. What I found very enlightening was that at the end of the meeting, everyone held hands and the president gave a prayer to thank God for all of their accomplishments and the abilities to help others. This is one of their rituals performed at every meeting. The atmosphere was very pleasant, and there was a lot of input from the members. There would be times when there would be a lot of noise from outside, but that never distracted the attention span of the members or caused interruptions. This organization was all about business and dedicated to perfection. No one was rude or interrupted another while speaking and everyone seemed to have open minds. I learned that the organization is always creating projects for minorities even though sometimes one may have never known who was in charge of creating the project. In reading the book by Kellogg, which is a complete analysis of the National Organization from the beginning to the present, I now see that the branch here is trying to live up to the same expectations and maintain the same image. |
Project diary
Findings
Discuss your findings.
I found that the organization is definetely emplementing the National organization by maintaining an image of prestige and trying to achieve the same realm of goals. They do this through different community service projects, networking with other organizations, staying updated on the lasted news in both the U.S. and Africa, and fundraising. They also tutor minority students and create projects that would bring minorities together. |
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Refer to other EOTU work
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