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Afi-Odelia E. Scruggs
Digitial journalism and multimedia
Copyright © 2011-2013 Afi-Odelia E. Scruggs All rights reserved.
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22 Comments
This may seem a little odd but I am making up a class I took several years ago but I managed to throw away the texbook. Was looking online to find a free pdf since it is an older version. I saw that you had commented on it through Amazon and was wondering if you still had it. The book is called The Interpersonal Communication Book 12th Edition by Joseph A. DeVito. All I need is the four critical thinking questions from chapter 7 page 177. If you could email these to me I would be extremely grateful!!!
Thanks for stopping by. I finally got ride of that book about a year ago. Sorry I couldn’t help you.
Ms. Scruggs. I recently read your article in Cleveland magazine regarding race relations and the recent presidential election. I don’t agree with much of what you wrote but applaud your eloquence nonetheless. Let me start by saying that I am a biracial male (my mother is black, my father is white). I purposely don’t ally myself with a specific political party and believe labeling oneself in that way merely creates a society of slaves. I did find irony in you associating whites who oppose Obama as being racists (or at least closet racists) while in the same article stating you were one of the 93% of african-americans who voted for Obama. I wonder what the reaction would be to the white citizenry had 93% of them voted for a white candidate. That bloated of a percentage in and of itself denotes people voting for someone solely due to the color of their skin. I do not agree with all of the President’s policies. Nor do I disagree with all of his policies. That being said, insinuating that my white Father may be a racist because he didn’t vote for Obama and doesn’t agree with his politics is borderline racist itself. I do not espouse all that Newt Gingrich spews, I can think for myself. However, it is a fact that more people are on welfare under this president than any other. Pointing that fact out does not immediately equate to some sort of “racial code speak” (as coined on MSNBC). Additionally, if your white friends (and non-friends) may be racist due to their issues with Obama, then what does that say about blacks and the awful things said in direction of the previous president (Bush)? Again, I enjoyed reading the article and am a full supporter of our freedoms of press, expression, and opinion. I just found some of what you wrote biased and unfair, which is ironic since you were hinting at the biases and unfairness of whites.
Thanks for your comment. But I wasn’t talking about your father especially since I don’t know him or of him. I was speaking of the difficulty in relating to my friends because of the way racism has infected the political discourse.
It’s wonderful work and I’m so glad I caught it – I’ll definitely share with link with others. Thank you!
Hello. A couple days ago I heard your piece ‘Family Members as Property’ on Marketplace and wanted to say I’m really glad that you produced it & also that Marketplace aired it.
Thank you for sharing this, and it brings up many many feelings. As a white person (I’m a European mix of Polish, Irish, German), I believe I (and other whites) don’t ever like to feel uncomfortable when confronting the realities of racism and white slave-owning culture (and privilege based on skin color), even those of us identifying as “liberal”. And although I don’t want to assume you were doing that, the piece challenged me (and I hope it challenged Marketplace, and Marketplace listeners, too) and brought me out of my comfort zone. I think that’s what good radio and good work does, even though it’s hard at times, and can be uncomfortable, too.
I loved the piece and really look forward to hearing more of your work in the future.
Warm wishes.
Thanks for taking the time to find me and post. I’m happy the piece is making people think about slavery and possessions. That’s what I hoped it would do. Feel free to share the link with others. I’m not trying to run a guilt trip. I’m trying to share the feelings I had when I realized my ancestor truly belonged to someone.
Hi, I was listening to NPR on my way home tonight and I heard your essay on personal property. I don’t yet have words to describe how it moved me.
My organization is putting together a conference and I would love to talk with you about it.
Thanks.
I just heard your ‘Personal Property’ commentary on NPR, and I just wanted to say how poignant it is. It’s often difficult to fully appreciate the plight of slaves–I know slavery was hateful and criminal and awful, but it was so long ago that it’s hard for me to make the emotional connection. You made it real for me. Thank you.
Hi,
I just wanted to comment on the article that I just read in the Cleveland Magazine, Race Results. The article speaks truths that infuriated me throughout the election, as they still do. Though relatively young (34). I have never seen my country so divided. The “haves” and the “entitled”. The Republican ticket was more than comfortable with racism being a major voting issue. This is 2012 (now 13), how is this an issue that still divides us. Maybe I’m nieve, but I thought this outright racism was reserved for those uneducated backwoods individuals….I couldn’t have been more wrong. Just as you felt the tension as you spoke with your white friends, I feel the unease when I talk to my black friends. It’s like guilt by association. Though my friends no where I stand in the issues and candidates, I can’t help feeling that sharing the same skin color with those of such hatred has tarnished my image to them. I applaud you for your article.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and post.
Hello,
Are you interested in covering the connections and parallels between Cleveland and the rest of the world? We’re looking for journalists to work with us at Latitude News, a new approach to international journalism for American audiences.
Have a look at our site http://www.latitudenews.com – I think you’ll find the piece on the international response to Trayvon Martin interesting.
look forward to hearing from you
Maria, I’ve replied to you by email. Thanks for getting in touch. Let’s talk.
[...] Afi-Odelia E. Scruggs is a content producer who lives in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. You can hear more of her pieces on PRX . Afi Scruggs is looking for collaborators. If you’d like to work with her, drop a line at http://www.aoscruggs.com/contac/ [...]
Tina, I sent an email to you. Please let me know when you get it.
Hi, I am hoping you can help me. I am working with a group of African-American senior citizens in Franklin, Tennessee. We are putting together their stories and trying to trace their genealogy. Five of them are all descended from Mariah Scruggs, a slave. Two of her sons, born while she was a slave, have their father listed as Ned or Ed Scruggs. Rick Warwick at the Heritage Foundation thinks this is your family. I have your book – in fact I bought six copies and gave them each a copy yesterday – but I still can’t connect the dots. I would love to chat or email if you have a moment. I loved the book by the way. Tina Jones
[...] Contact me [...]
Hi Afi,
Thanks again for participating in the “Writing About Cleveland” panel we hosted at the Happy Dog a couple weeks ago. I wanted to pass along an invite to another unique event we’re hosting next Monday, January 30th from 7-8:30pm. Rick Robinson, a Cleveland Institute of Music graduate and recent alumni of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, is touring the country with his new project, CutTime Simfonica.
CutTime is a project Rick developed, with support from the Kresge Foundation, to expose new audiences to classical music. Rick was recently interviewed on NPR’s All Thing Considered in a piece called, “Taking Classical Off the Pedestal, Into Black Communities” (available at: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/24/144193341/taking-classical-off-the-pedestal-into-black-communities.
Rick played the Happy Dog in the fall as part of Classical Revolution Cleveland, a series we’ve been supporting for over a year. We partner with Classical Revolution Cleveland to present free classical music concerts on the third Tuesday of every month. It makes the music more accessible to the people in our neighborhood, and it allows the musicians to reach audiences they otherwise wouldn’t in the concert halls. Here is a clip of Rick playing at the Dog with a group of local musicians: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hMPJOpMe6k&lc=yxGCyC0Zm-jtGJLqBeMktgfk4uXYe3Yr6zayU_K2ly0&context=C33e164aADOEgsToPDskJAL2sFItdwq7r9-jo3Z_Er
Best regards,
Sean Watterson
Co-Owner, The Happy Dog
Hello,
Here at Oberlin College, a group of students is working to put together a symposium entitled “Activism and Voice – Feminism in New Media.” Currently, we are in the beginning planning stages of the symposium putting together a series of speakers, workshops, panels, and exhibitions. Our tentative dates are the second and third week of April and we are inquiring of your availability at that time. Given the range and content of your work, it would be great to have you on board.
Please let me know if you have any interest in participating. I hope to hear from you soon!
Best,
Stella Byrne
email: activism.and.voice@gmail.com
Hi Afi,
My name is Danielle Benavides. I am currently studying M.A. in Journalism at California State University, Northridge. As part of a short interview project this semester I have to investigate and understand motivations for participating on crowd-funding sites such as Spot.Us, Kickstarter.com, and Ulule to name a few.
I noticed and read through the different projects on Spot.Us, and your project on “Hard Time on the Unemployment Line” really stood out to me. I understand your project has already been funded and you have already completed the first series.
With all that being said, I am hoping if you would not mind in answering a short list of questions for my interview.
Please email me back at your convenience if you would be willing to do so. I understand that in doing so you would be taking time out of your schedule and I want to sincerely thank you ahead of time.
Best regards,
Danielle Benavides
benavides_danielle@yahoo.com
Dear AO,
I would love the opportunity to speak with you abut the upcoming 28th anniversary
of the Miami Book Fair International
Nov. 13-20, 2011-
the oldest and largest gathering of authors coming from all over the world to
read from their books in English, Spanish, French, and Haitian Kreyol, answer questions from the audience, and sign autographs.
Such luminaries confirmed to attend this year are Harry Belafonte, David Brooks, Roseanne Cash, Dr. Paul Farmer, Senator Bob Graham, Nicole Krauss, Patti LuPone, John Sayles, Alexandra Styron, novelists Diana Abu-Jaber, Elizabeth Berg, David Bezmozgis, Alan Cheuse, Mark Childress, Tim Dorsey, Jeffrey Eugenides, Jaimey Gordon, Lev Grossman, Ann Hood, William Kennedy, Jim Lehrer, Bobbie Ann Mason, Joyce Carol Oates, Ana Menendez, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Michael Ondaatje, Teá Oberreht, Robert Olen Butler Chuck Palahniuk, Robert Pinsky, Karen Russell, Esmeralda Santiago, Javier Sierra, Leslie Marmon Silko, Dava Sobel, Colson Whitehead, … these are just a few of the confirmed authors scheduled to appear at the 2011 MBFI.
I would love to work with you to share
the MBFI with you and your viewers, listeners & readers:
one that brings readers from all over the world with
authors from all over the world to meet, talk and share ideas.
There is a lot to talk about,
and I look forward to speaking with you soon,
Lisa Palley
Palley Promotes
305 642.3132
lpalley@bellsouth.net
Lisa, I’ll give you a call. My former agent, Janell Ageyman, was associated with the book fair when she lived in Miami. I was there several years ago to promote my memoir. Thanks for finding me.