Race and Criminalization

Watching the videos and reading the readings taught me a lot about mass incarceration in the United States. Mass incarceration began shortly after reconstruction but took off after the late 70s and 80s (Davis, 1997). According to Michelle Alexander, "Poor people and people of color are locked in cages and treated worse than animals and the stripped of civil rights like the right to vote, public benefits, and education." The criminal justice system is completely corrupt. They put away the people that "deserve it" but they also put away those that fit the look of people that "deserve it" which leads to people of color being wrongly put away. Our criminal justice system is more or less a cast system (The Future of Race in America). Learning this made me realize that the justice system is not based of justice at all, its simply based off of race and those in power wanting to stay in power.

The fact that the criminal justice system is biased is truly what has stuck with me the most. There are more black adults incarcerated than were enslaved a decade before the world war began. At the peak of the drug war, 80-90 percent of drug offenders sent to prison were African American but it has been proven that white youth are more likely to use and deal drugs. This topic relates to current events because currently, there are more people in prison on drug convictions than there were people in prison in 1980. Even though it is clear that race is what drives police, it is hard to prove because you cannot claim for racial discrimination unless there is "evidence" of bias (The Future of Race in America, Alexander).

White Privilege Blog Post Assignment

White skin privilege is a transparent preference for whiteness that saturates our society. White privilege provides white people with "perks" that are not earned and that people of color do not enjoy. White privilege allows white people to be immune to many challenges and it shapes the world in which we live and how we navigate and interact with one another and with the world (Crandall, Dostie & Douglass Books, Inc., 2000).

On the Privilege Point Questionnaire, I scored a 12 which means that "In U.S. society many obstacles will be put in place that will interfere with you getting the things required to have what the society considers a good life, simply because of your race (Carol Cheney, Jeannie LaFrance and Terrie Quinteros, 2006)." I believe this is true because white privilege exists and because I am black, I am instantly pre-judged in certain situations. Though this may create certain struggles, I believe that I am capable over overcoming them.

Reading "On Racism and White Privilege" I gained insight on what white privilege truly is. One example of white privilege that I never realized is that when a white person needs a band-aid, they get one that is flesh-colored and generally matches their skin tone. Another "perk" that is gained from white privilege is that a white person's skin color does not work against them in terms of how people perceive their financial responsibility, style of dress, public speaking skills, or job performance (Crandall, Dostie & Douglass Books, Inc., 2000).

On the other hand, white privilege can be used to empower those who are denied of the privileges. For example, in the video we watched in class about the woman who was facing racial discrimination in the grocery store, her white sister-in-law used her white privilege to help her sister. I believe that white privilege can be used in positive ways like this one.

Reconstruction Reflective Response Assignment

In 'A Red Record' by Ida B. Wells, she points out that "the first excuse given to the civilized world for the murder of unoffending Negroes was the necessity of the white man to repress and stamp out alleged "race riots." This excuse is invalid for various reasons. One reason being that for years immediately following the war, there were an appalling number of colored people being slaughtered. Also, it was shown that during these race riots, only Negroes were killed and all white men escaped unharmed. This shows that the true perpetrators of the race riots were the Whites (Wells-Barnett, 1925).

Historically, race riots were a result of conflict caused between black and whites due to black wealth and home ownership (History Channel, 2015). Another reason for the race riots was a fear of "Negro Domination" due to it being maintained that "This is a white man's government". In all, the race riots were caused by racism.

In 1921 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a substantial race riot occurred. Within Tulsa, Oklahoma, was the town Greenwood created for blacks which caused conflicts between black and whites due to the black wealth and home ownership happening within the town. The spark of the riot was on May 30, 1921 when Dick Rowland, a black man, allegedly assaulted Sarah Paige, a white woman, in an elevator. News reports led citizens to believe that Rowland raped Paige which led to the gathering of numerous citizens at the courthouse where Rowland was being held. Armed African American men also gathered at the courthouse in an effort to provide extra protection for Rowland. The riot began when shots were fired at the courthouse and continued into Greenwood. The police sided with the white rioters and began to deem random white citizens deputies giving them the power to arrest and detain any black citizen. These riots destroyed the community and there was an estimated 5 million dollars in physical damage, 6,000 blacks put into interment camps, and 1,000 black homes and businesses destroyed. Not only was Greenwood negatively impacted by these riots, but Tulsa was as well because the economy came to a halt due to the vast numbers of black workers being locked up or killed. The number of dead is uncertain, approximately 300 (History Channel, 2015).

Regarding the concept of freedom, during the reconstruction era, freedom was unattainable. Blacks were placed into internment camps and during this time they were segregated with no aid. Also, the government put a road/ highway through the town which did more permanent damage than the riot. Overall, freedom was unreal.

Black Excellence

A well documented history can benefit a race thought to be "without a worthy culture" in many ways. For example, in Arthur A. Schomburg's essay, "The Negro Digs Up His Past," he says that he was constantly told by his teachers that blacks had no history and this drove him to wholeheartedly embrace his African heritage (Schomburg, 1952). He also states "The American Negro must remake his past in order to make his future" (Schomburg, 1952). By remaking the past, the American Negro can see what greatness he or she came from and strive to recreate it. 

Acknowledging this history can inspire new ideas and traditions in this generation. Schomburg brings up a good point when he says, "History must restore what slavery took away, for it is the social damage of slavery that the present generations must repair and offset" (Schomburg, 1952). The many obstacles that American Negros have overcame maybe thought of as the only history they have which will not stimulate pride, but looking back even further and realizing the beauty and success of African culture before slavery will. Lastly, Schomburg also says "...an ounce of fact is worth a pound of controversy" (Schomburg, 1952). People will deny the history of black people because they don't want to acknowledge the truth. In conclusion, Arthur A. Schomburg was a bright man who knew what it would take to make black people see their true excellence. 

Community, Social Justice, and the Arts as Social Activism

'Community' can be described as many things. To me, a community is a group of like minded individuals working together to maintain a lifestyle they enjoy. Also, I believe that a community is a family; something that you can lead on in a time of need. 

Social justice is defined as "justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society" according to Google. In my final project I plan to focus on the equality of opportunities given to each race and sex. I chose these two points to key in on because I'm very passionate on black rights and also the demise of sexism. One issue that stands out to me is police brutality against African Americans. I believe that this is an issue that has gone on for far too long and it needs to be stopped. Relating to the issue of equality among sexes, my main focus would be slut shaming. This is also something that has gone on for far too long but people are working to end it. 

In class we went over various forms of social activism. These were spoken word, story telling, music, writing, dance, sports, fashion, and art. When we explored social activism through storying, we heard "Danger of a Single Story" by Chimamanda Adichie. In her story she spoke about how misconceptions are formed due to a person only knowing one side of a story. She tells about her life in America as an African woman and her time living with a female roommate in college. Her roommate had several preconceived notions about the life Chimamanda lived in Africa because of what she had previously heard. Chimamanda explains to her roommate that not everyone in Africa lives in poverty and that her life in America was similar to her life in Africa (Adichie, 2009). When studying social activism through spoken word, we listened to a piece titled "Sean Bell". Listening to this poem I learned about Sean Bell's story and how he was wrongfully murdered by the police due to his skin tone (Brave New Voices Philly, 2011). It was a very powerful piece that I would love to recreate. The last form of social activism that stood out to me was social activism through art. An artist that we took a deeper look at was Kehinde Wiley. He took old influential paintings that featured white people and recreated them using African Americans he recruited off the streets. By doing so he really addressed the issue of equality among races (Rogers and Mann, 2013).

I really enjoyed all of the forms of social activism that we looked at but my favorites were social activism through spoken word and story telling. I liked these the most because they seemed the most powerful to me. Also, I loved listening to the way they both were presented. For my final project I would like to include spoke word because I've always been good with poems and also presenting them. 

Race Matters

Conventionally, race is defined as "The idea of race assumes humans come divided into several distinct groups, each of which carry a set of innate traits. Those who are members of one race are more genetically similar to each other, and more different from members of another race." In the film "Race: The Power of an Allusion" several students participated in an activity that helped them find out their "race" or nationality. Doing this activity the students found that there are no genetic markers that define race and race is not based on biology but is an idea that we subscribe to biology. Looking at genetics, humans are not very different (Herbes-Sommers, 2003). Also in this film, we learn that in the past, scientists used their own opinions to form what were thought of as facts. On the outside, people of the same race look very similar but genetically, 85% of any difference is within a race or culture (Herbes-Sommers, 2003). The conventional definition of race is incorrect and not based on fact. The fact is that race is a human invention.

Race and racism has led to the oppression of black people as a whole. The preface of Race Matters states that "No other people have been taught systemically to hate themselves...for nearly four hundred years." The Jim Crow laws, slave trading, and slavery itself are all things that have been used to oppress and assault black humanity as a whole. In the film we watched we learned that people believed African Americans were actually born to die and that they were inferior to white people in all ways (Herbes-Sommers, 2003). Another negative effect of race is racial profiling, drug convictions and death row executions (West, 2001). Due to the preconceived notions formed over many years, black people have suffered hugely.

Watching the film and reading the preface I have learned many new things about race. I now believe that race does not exist and that it was created specifically but white people so they could feel superior to everyone else. I also believe that the idea of race can be reversed if people enlighten themselves and learn the facts.

Who Am I?

Growing up with two brothers has made me into the person I am today. At a young age I was always trying to follow in my older brothers footsteps or in the footsteps of the older girls in the neighborhood. While following in my brother's footsteps, I became a huge tomboy. In 2005, I joined my first basketball team and played for the Suns at Shepherd Nazarene Church. I instantly fell in love with the game and from that point on, basketball was my life. 

Also in 2005, was the birthday of my baby brother. Our connection was instant and we've been attached ever since. When he was little, I was the only that was able to understand what he was saying due to his speech impediment so this also caused us to be very close. In addition, my family calls me "The Baby Whisperer" because I was always able to understand him and I was also very good with all of my younger cousins. Taking care of my baby brother and cousins has caused me to be the sort of overbearing yet loving second mother to him that I am today. 

Today in society I believe that there a re many problems both visible to society and some that have remained hidden. One current issue that I have been following and that has really impacted me is all of the violence going on with African Americans and the law enforcement. I believe that this is a recurrent issue that will never stop unless we all come together as a whole and talk about it and find a solution. I hope that one day all of this violence will come to an end and I hope that I will be able to be apart of the solution. 

In the future, I see myself becoming very successful. After high school I plan to go to college, I am not sure exactly where I want to go yet but I know that I want to go. Currently, I would like to study to become an occupational therapist. Last year I did a lot of research on this job and I believe that it best suits me. Occupational Therapists help people which is truly all I want to do while helping to better our society as a whole. To conclude, a quote that I have always loved is "Be the change you wish to see in the world" which has caused me to become the strong minded leader and young woman that I am today.