A Personal Update... From A Human Scientist In The Making

Hey everyone! Wassup. Like my "about me" blurb has been saying for some months, i've been going through some changes. All very much about growth, but it has still been challenging to shed skin. But i'm beginning to see shiny new skin for sure. And i'm thankful. I’m probably going to be posting even less, but for good reasons.

This week I started my new grad school program at a distance learning graduate school called Saybrook. I am pursuing a Masters degree in Human Science. I was really challenged with choosing this field, because although it speaks to me (with courses like Social Systems Transformation Theory, Intervention In Human Services & Community Development, and various other courses that look at race, class, gender, immigration, global issues, and basically figuring out how to create healthier new social constructs to counteract the oppressive ones. After all... social constructs are constructed by people! Ok, long parenthetical statement there)...Although HS really speaks to me, I was continually haunted by the notion that i would not be able to create a living for myself with this degree. Should I just get a Psychology degree, since i have so much experience there? But i want to work with communities, not just the individual. And Human Science has a psychological approach as well as a social justice approach. The social justice approach was really lacking for me in my previous Expressive Arts Therapy MA program, but at Saybrook- there’s even a course called Expressive Arts For Social Change! Perfect.

I also plan to do an independent study on Black Feminist Masculinities while i am at Saybrook, as well as take courses that would help me specialize in doing Expressive Arts centered therapy with couples and polyamorous folks. Excitement!!

I feel great about my choice. Ever since I was young, I had a fascination with the idea of being a “scientist”. The archetype of the eccentric scientist that appears in so many children's books and movies really appealed to me from early on, and i remember playing with a chemistry set and microscope with glee. I only recently realized that i will be able to call myself a scientist after i finish this program! Instead of turning chemicals from green to blue and looking at a butterfly wing under a microscope, i will be breaking down paradigms and social constructs down to their most fundamental elements, scrutinizing them with a critical lens, and reconstituting them into something that can help communities, and honors humanity, healing and justice. The science of what creates a change agent and paradigm shifts. Yes. This is what I want to be doing.

So yessss.... although i am sure that i will be finding amazing stuff through HS research that i can post here once in awhile, I will probably not be as active as i once was (i was posting almost twice a day when i started, almost 2 years ago!). I am considering this to be a move intended to deepen good work around issues of healing and social justice. In the meantime, I encourage folks to scroll down, and also to look through the links right here on the right for some of my fave posts/discussions, and also to peep the links to other really good feminist identified sites.

I am thankful to every single person who has read, skimmed, lurked and commented on this site, and passed it on to others... as well as those bloggers, colleges, women’s interest sites and others who have linked and recommended me as well! I am aware and respect that not every woman necessarily wants or needs a male ally or for a man to identify as feminist, so i definitely appreciate those of you who find what i do to be of worth. This site is for brothers too, I am still looking for y’all man!! We got a lot to ground and talk about. I know hetero brothers who are conflicted, trying to find love... but how can you truly love someone you don’t respect, someone you think is not equal to you? This is only a little piece of the healing I am talking about that men need to do. I am convinced that the path of the male feminist is a path of healing and justice for all.

Aiight? Till soon y’all, bless up!!

~richard