{"id":31755,"date":"2023-03-10T05:58:43","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T13:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=31755"},"modified":"2023-03-10T05:58:43","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T13:58:43","slug":"the-devil-is-everywhere-ni-hehe-abizera-bazajya-kuba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/the-devil-is-everywhere-ni-hehe-abizera-bazajya-kuba\/","title":{"rendered":"The devil is everywhere – Ni hehe abizera bazajya kuba?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pragya, In SWAY, responding to what inspired him to write the book about unconscious bias, said, \u201cWhat we are seeing around us in most parts of the world is that partisan politics is taking Centre stage, dividing people, and causing rifts and conflicts.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

In this post, as in many others, I might have more questions than answers!<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I thought about some of the details of the book and thinking of where to start, I received a short letter from one of the men that I serve; he suggested in his letter that since he was not provided with his requested items (for his Jewish religious practice), it was beginning to seem like an anti-Semitic attack. Some of the conversations I received as I started serving the incarcerated were that some of them are very litigious; they have all the time and will find all reasons to use their time creatively. The genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda is said to be the most extreme example of state-sponsored persecution and killings in our recent history after the Holocaust against the Jews by Nazi Germany.<\/p>\n

The individual\u2019s claims to hold his orthodox Jewish faith are understood. Now getting him what he needed right away as we follow the policy for the safety of the institution and his fellow inmates have nothing to do with anti-Semitic sentiments.<\/p>\n

As a survivor of the horrible genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the likelihood of harboring any hostility or prejudice against the Jewish people would be something I will never do. The inmate suggested he would reach out to outside organizations for advocacy.<\/p>\n

He was probably testing me to see how I would respond, and for some reason, I was very disturbed by his remarks, not for anything related to work or the litigious nature that I was told.<\/p>\n

I was taken aback by how damaging some of our recent histories have been and still are.<\/p>\n

Keeping the black men locked up in their mission.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, this book will help people understand that we are all biased, and we all carry stereotypes and be more\u00a0aware of how these biases affect our perception of other people, and how it\u00a0affects\u00a0our actions\u00a0and interactions.\u201d<\/em>[2]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

As I drove by Fry\u2019s to pick up a gallon of milk on my way from work, this African brother saw me and started a conversation. \u201cIt is rare to see us around here; where are you from?\u201d We started the conversation and exchanged the numbers to meet for coffee sometime. In the 10 minutes or so that we spent together, he almost convinced me Biden and Democrats are the worst leaders for America. See, he is just a hypocrite, and he does not care about us; he had been the architect of all the segregation laws, my new friend had so many accusations against democrats in such a short time that I wondered how our coffee time will be spent.<\/p>\n

Leaving stories aside, I would like to look at our politics slightly more. The truth remains that the politic of our recent past and even the present time continue to pray on the wounded still bearing traumas of various atrocities. Is this accurate for me to suggest that the most victimized members of our society end up facing the worst punitive measures resulting from atrocities perpetrated on them by State and evil politics?<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2021, the incarceration rate of African Americans in local jails in the United States was 528 incarcerations per 100,000 of the population \u2013 the highest rate of any ethnicity. The second highest incarceration rate was among American Indians\/Alaska Natives, at 316 incarcerations per 100,000 of the population\u201d.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI also interviewed many experts and researchers, as well as looking at the current myths and misconceptions around bias. I have also included personal stories because real-life stories and narratives matter to ground the scientific studies.\u201d<\/em>[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>This is on a hymn that kept coming back as I sat and wrote, Ni hehe abizera bazajya kuba? Or where will the believers relocate to live? The Kinyarwanda song continues to lament that in this world, there is no place for safety since the devil is everywhere. Unconscious bias can be very hard to deal with, especially since sometimes we have no idea what is happening. This reading like some others we have covered brings to light some of the toughest challenges humanity has to deal with. \u201cI do bring some personal anecdotes into the book to support and supplement, as they are integral to the story here and important in understanding\u00a0the personal impact that unconscious bias can have on individuals.\u201d<\/em>[5]<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Pragya is correct; personal stories will always be integral to seeing things. I also find myself wondering what happened to me so that I can\u2019t forget the tragic past and move on like nothing ever happened; the effects of my childhood and the history of injustice seem to have become embedded because of the life I lived.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>[1]<\/a> Pragya Agarwal, \u201cFrom First Page to Last,\u201d Spotlight on authors, April 10, 2020, accessed March 10, 2023, https:\/\/fromfirstpagetolast.com\/2020\/04\/10\/dr-pragya-agarwal-qa\/.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Erin Duffin, \u201cJail Incarceration Rate of Confined Inmates in the United States in 2021, by Race\/Hispanic Origin\u201d (January 3, 2023), https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/816699\/local-jail-inmates-in-the-united-states-by-race\/.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Pragya Agarwal, \u201cDr Pragya Agarwal \u2013 Q&A.\u201d<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pragya, In SWAY, responding to what inspired him to write the book about unconscious bias, said, \u201cWhat we are seeing around us in most parts of the world is that partisan politics is taking Centre stage, dividing people, and causing rifts and conflicts.\u201d[1] In this post, as in many others, I might have more questions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":164,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2252],"class_list":["post-31755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-pragya-agarwal","cohort-dlgp01"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/164"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31755"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31757,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31755\/revisions\/31757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}