I choose this article because it ties history with the present. Roy Veal's body was found hanging from a tree with a blue-flowered pillowcase over his head. Hunters came across his body in a wooded area in Wilkinson County. Veal's body was not far from his Ford F-150 pickup truck, where many of his personal papers were discovered. Alvin Blakes claimed that Roy Veal was his cousin and hinted that he may have been lynched because he was in court fighting to retain ownership of his family's land, which a white family had somehow laid claim to.
Karen Carrillo, New York Amsterdam news reporter, “The shocking news that a 55-year-old African American was found hanging from a tree near Woodville, Mississippi, April 23, 2004 has once again brought back memories of what many thought was that state's racist past.” This story easily relates to our class. We have seen numerous pictures, watched a short clip, and discussed in length the how lynching/hangings have shaped our countries northern and southern states. A lynching was used by the White people to keep black people in line in drastic measures, if a slave escaped, if a slave fooled around with a White girl, or just any black person they despised. “Vesey, and 35 other blacks were planning on burning Charleston, South Carolina, but we ratted out, and they were all hanged. Zinn (pg. 131)” That was in the past and those things were said to over after the civil war. That is why there are many uncertainties about the modes of this event. "A lot of stuff in that email was untrue," Oliver asserted. "Like, for instance, the email says his family's land had oil, but it was actually timber. And there were no marks of trauma on his body. That was not true." Oliver was the second police officer on the scene. “Wilkinson County has not had many racial incident cases recently, which is another reason Oliver is cautious about calling Veal's death a lynching. In fact, case evidence so far has led authorities to believe Veal committed suicide.” Even though this event maybe suicide, the fear of a lynching as haunted this town.
A thorough investigation is going and I would like to hear the final verdict of what exactly went on. I’m not sure what to think about this. I haven’t heard of a lynching in decades, but the south is known for them and I wouldn’t be surprised that these kinds of things go on uncaught. I have heard that the K.K.K. is still lingering around, so that is why I don’t doubt this is a lynching. It’s got all the makings, Black man fighting for his land back from a White family, and then he’s mysteriously found dead? No one can jump to conclusions but I think this is a done case.
SUMMARY
"A lynching and a regular hanging are two different incidents - if you didn't grow up in the South, you might not know the difference," he explained. "[Mr. [Roy Veal]'s] feet were only two to three inches from the ground. But in a lynching you would usually be at least six inches from the ground, and you would have a dark or colored hood cast over your head and your hands would be tied behind your back."
Wilkinson County has not had many racial incident cases recently, which is another reason [Byron Oliver] is cautious about calling Veal's death a lynching. In fact, case evidence so far has led authorities to believe Veal committed suicide. "It's tentative right now - we won't be able to say for sure until we get our evidence back from the [Mississippi] state crime lab - but we have evidence right now that he may have committed suicide," the deputy noted. "We have lots and lots and lots of literature that he sat in his truck and wrote - journals and paperwork that he wrote himself."
"Unless the family officially does something, unless there's an independent pathologist brought in there, it's going to be ruled a suicide," warns Ben Chaney of the James Earl Chaney Foundation. Ben is the younger brother of James Earl Chaney, who, along with civil rights workers Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, was killed by Mississippi policemen and local Klan members on June 21, 1964. In the 1990s the James Earl Chaney Foundation worked with the Mississippi Coalition for Justice to spearhead investigations into the suspicious hanging deaths of Black males in Mississippi. Under former Pres. Clinton, the Justice Department closed down four jails and ordered that 18 others be upgraded. But there has never been a decisive determination as to what has led to the "suicide" deaths of so many Black men in Mississippi.
AMSTERDAM NEWS
Locations: Woodville Mississippi
People: Veal, Roy
Document types: News
Publication title: New York Amsterdam News. New York, N.Y.: May 6-May 12, 2004. Vol. 95, Iss. 19; pg. 1
Source type: Newspaper
Document URL: http://0-proquest.umi.com.maurice.bgsu.edu:80/pqdweb?did=652772591&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=3340&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Jim Crow Cartoon
This picture is absolutely perfect for this class, it depicts exactly the kinds of things we’ve learned about and that is exactly why I have chose it to discuss and present. The picture practically defines racism. The Jim Crow Laws were state and local laws enacted in the Southern and border states of the United States and enforced between 1876 and 1965. They mandated "separate but equal" status for black Americans. In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were almost always inferior to those provided to the privileged White Americans. The Jim Crow period refers to the time during which this practice occurred.
That is why this picture is soo cool; not only is this picture from a newspaper in the mid 1900s when the Laws were still around and strong, this picture is a new version of racism. Instead of creating drawings of scary beastly black men or heavy-set black women this takes the racism to the level of the Crow. Which to me insinuates the fact that the whole Era was a joke to the White people. “Separate but equal” after this picture says that black people are equivalent to a crow. But wait! Not just any crow a crow from Australia that doesn’t even know how to speek correct English. According to Richard Wright said, “ It was assumed that after a Negro had imbided what scanty schooling the state furnished he had no further need for books.” “DE” “OB” I guess White people think that since the African Americans were very uneducated this was how they would pronounce the words “THE” and “OF”. This picture can’t get any more racist. Right? Wrong. Take a close look at the boys mouth, it’s a beak! Even his eyes are excatly the same as the crows. Much like the Jim Crow Laws we’ve learned about in Richard Wright this picture has no respect to the African American race. Richard Wright said, “ It was assumed that after a Negro had imbided what scanty schooling the state furnished he had no further need for books.”
I’m surprised we didn’t use this picture in class. I typed in pictures from the Jim Crow Era and this out of all the others that came up caught my eye immediately. I like this picture because of the different levels of racism all wrapped up in one picture. We should’ve used it in class. I know that the Jim Crow Era was suppose to create separate but equal amongst Americans, but we all know that this wasn’t the case and this picture is a proven fact.
www.positiveliberty.com/jimcrow.jpg
That is why this picture is soo cool; not only is this picture from a newspaper in the mid 1900s when the Laws were still around and strong, this picture is a new version of racism. Instead of creating drawings of scary beastly black men or heavy-set black women this takes the racism to the level of the Crow. Which to me insinuates the fact that the whole Era was a joke to the White people. “Separate but equal” after this picture says that black people are equivalent to a crow. But wait! Not just any crow a crow from Australia that doesn’t even know how to speek correct English. According to Richard Wright said, “ It was assumed that after a Negro had imbided what scanty schooling the state furnished he had no further need for books.” “DE” “OB” I guess White people think that since the African Americans were very uneducated this was how they would pronounce the words “THE” and “OF”. This picture can’t get any more racist. Right? Wrong. Take a close look at the boys mouth, it’s a beak! Even his eyes are excatly the same as the crows. Much like the Jim Crow Laws we’ve learned about in Richard Wright this picture has no respect to the African American race. Richard Wright said, “ It was assumed that after a Negro had imbided what scanty schooling the state furnished he had no further need for books.”
I’m surprised we didn’t use this picture in class. I typed in pictures from the Jim Crow Era and this out of all the others that came up caught my eye immediately. I like this picture because of the different levels of racism all wrapped up in one picture. We should’ve used it in class. I know that the Jim Crow Era was suppose to create separate but equal amongst Americans, but we all know that this wasn’t the case and this picture is a proven fact.
www.positiveliberty.com/jimcrow.jpg
Alabama Dancing Negro
I have chosen this video segment of a “Coon Jigger” for a few reasons. The broad reason I chose this toy is because the history and value this particular toy has. Even though on the side of this toy it says Alabama Dancing Negro this toy was actually made in New York. This antique was not made recently It was actually made in 1912 during the Jim Crow Era. So besides all the pictures and videos we’ve seen, now we get a look at what kind of toys the young, white, boys and girls played with.
In class we’ve learned much about the Jim Crow era and we also have learned much about racism through many articles including the book Kindred. This toy is unique all the way from the manufacturing location down to the details of the toy itself. The dancing antique has the facial features of a perceived black man such as: big red lips, extremely dark complexion, and last but not least the plain fact that it's calleda coon jigger. These features we’ve learned about during that video of Jim Crow. But one thing I thought was weird was the man had on a nice suit, pants, hat, and shoes. After our many debates of what White people thought of African Americans I would’ve never guessed that. Only a few blacks of that time had the money to buy those kinds of clothes; how could a toy that portrayed the average black man be so dressed up and sophisticated looking? This slightly contradicts our views. We’ve read in Kindred where all the slaves wore raggedy, torn, dirty clothes from working in the field and from being beaten. Did this toy resemble a free, educated black male? That is a question only the manufacturers or an owner of this toy can answer.
In this video you see a White person owns this toy and many people have commented negatively about the race of this object, so clearly it was meant for a young White child. This toy is meant to be racist in the fact that the way the toy dances is clearly not how anyone dances, only through the dance of the sambo that Jim Crow made up is this relatively close. This dance he made was to mock the black people and entertain the Whites. To make a toy out of it only farther deepens the kind of humor that White people had for African Americans.
I find this toy to be very fascinating. In all my years of playing with toys as a kid and seeing the toys my dad and my grandparents have played with I have never came across such an interesting item. I researched the value for this toy and it is rare. There were only a few hundred made and if you find one today in mint condition you are sitting on about a $350+ item. These things are being auctioned for by many different organization and also many collectors. I only wish I had one to bring into class for demonstration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P34Ua4z3qug
In class we’ve learned much about the Jim Crow era and we also have learned much about racism through many articles including the book Kindred. This toy is unique all the way from the manufacturing location down to the details of the toy itself. The dancing antique has the facial features of a perceived black man such as: big red lips, extremely dark complexion, and last but not least the plain fact that it's calleda coon jigger. These features we’ve learned about during that video of Jim Crow. But one thing I thought was weird was the man had on a nice suit, pants, hat, and shoes. After our many debates of what White people thought of African Americans I would’ve never guessed that. Only a few blacks of that time had the money to buy those kinds of clothes; how could a toy that portrayed the average black man be so dressed up and sophisticated looking? This slightly contradicts our views. We’ve read in Kindred where all the slaves wore raggedy, torn, dirty clothes from working in the field and from being beaten. Did this toy resemble a free, educated black male? That is a question only the manufacturers or an owner of this toy can answer.
In this video you see a White person owns this toy and many people have commented negatively about the race of this object, so clearly it was meant for a young White child. This toy is meant to be racist in the fact that the way the toy dances is clearly not how anyone dances, only through the dance of the sambo that Jim Crow made up is this relatively close. This dance he made was to mock the black people and entertain the Whites. To make a toy out of it only farther deepens the kind of humor that White people had for African Americans.
I find this toy to be very fascinating. In all my years of playing with toys as a kid and seeing the toys my dad and my grandparents have played with I have never came across such an interesting item. I researched the value for this toy and it is rare. There were only a few hundred made and if you find one today in mint condition you are sitting on about a $350+ item. These things are being auctioned for by many different organization and also many collectors. I only wish I had one to bring into class for demonstration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P34Ua4z3qug
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
American Jew
When I was looking for a picture that describes how “Jews Became White Folks” this picture automatically caught my eye. This picture symbolizes all of America’s colors, stripes, and stars. This picture also represents Jews in the sense that it is shaped as the Star of David.
In class we studied all of the ways different races have become a form of the American community: Japanese, Asians, Mexicans, Africans, Jews, etc. In one of our recent classes we have read an article by Karen Brodkin called “How Jews Became White Folks.” We’ve discussed their travels, their hardships, and their struggle for the American Dream. Karen wrote, “It is certainly true that the United States has a history of anti-Semitism and of beliefs that Jews are members of an inferior race.” To overcome this belief is mind boggling. The American Dream for a person of Jewish decent is to survive in the United States while maintaining their culture. For a Jewish person to be successful he not only needs to endure the racism, hardships, and labor, he needs to bring his family and heritage into this melting pot of a country. That is where this picture comes into play. The all-known Jewish symbol mixed with the colors and stars of the American flag covers the American Dream with a little bit of Jewish culture thrown in.
I literally typed in American Jew and this picture came up. That tells you right there what people think about when they think about Jewish Americans. And another quick fact is that someone had to draw this picture. That means that in someone’s mind the combination of the American flag the number one representation of the American Dream mixed with the Star of David equals an American Jew. But as far as struggling for the dream I believe that the Jews had the least hardest time. They already had the white skin pigmentation they just came from another country and had a slightly different religious belief. But none-the-less they were discriminated against over and over. I think that racism will never end but hope is still alive.
alexandrusantu.files.wordpress.com
In class we studied all of the ways different races have become a form of the American community: Japanese, Asians, Mexicans, Africans, Jews, etc. In one of our recent classes we have read an article by Karen Brodkin called “How Jews Became White Folks.” We’ve discussed their travels, their hardships, and their struggle for the American Dream. Karen wrote, “It is certainly true that the United States has a history of anti-Semitism and of beliefs that Jews are members of an inferior race.” To overcome this belief is mind boggling. The American Dream for a person of Jewish decent is to survive in the United States while maintaining their culture. For a Jewish person to be successful he not only needs to endure the racism, hardships, and labor, he needs to bring his family and heritage into this melting pot of a country. That is where this picture comes into play. The all-known Jewish symbol mixed with the colors and stars of the American flag covers the American Dream with a little bit of Jewish culture thrown in.
I literally typed in American Jew and this picture came up. That tells you right there what people think about when they think about Jewish Americans. And another quick fact is that someone had to draw this picture. That means that in someone’s mind the combination of the American flag the number one representation of the American Dream mixed with the Star of David equals an American Jew. But as far as struggling for the dream I believe that the Jews had the least hardest time. They already had the white skin pigmentation they just came from another country and had a slightly different religious belief. But none-the-less they were discriminated against over and over. I think that racism will never end but hope is still alive.
alexandrusantu.files.wordpress.com
We serve White’s only no Spanish or Mexicans
I chose this picture because it represents much discrimination not only to race but ethnicity. We serve White’s only no Spanish or Mexicans. First of all, no one is “Spanish.” A person may speak Spanish or maybe they came from Spain, but their racial background is not Spanish. This shows the lack of respect white people had for the Mexican race/ethnicity in the early 19th century. That leads me to how this picture ties into our class material.
In Takaki chapter 12 “El Norte: The borderland of Chicano America” we discussed the many mechanisms of social construction. From education where many Mexican Americans were denied jobs because they were perceived as lazy, poorly dressed, dirty, ill educated, and thieves; To limited education and the know-how only of how to work and survive in the fields picking corn. In the end, many Mexican men and their entire families worked in the fields, farms, and ranches and their children did the same with little or no education. This sign surprisingly is written in correct English there were no “purposeful” mistakes making fun of the Mexicans for their lack of education, but that’s only one step up. For this sign emotionally scars Mexican people in other ways. It brings them down to the level of the Blacks. Both the Mexicans and Blacks had to eat with their “own-colored people.” Having the skin color of black was a more of a disgrace than having a lighter so-called tanner color. For as we discussed in class the darker your skin tone the lower class level you were in. There is an example on page 326 chapter 12 of Takaki saying, “A group of us Mexicans who were all dressed once went to a restaurant in Amarillo, and they (white people) told us that if we wanted to eat we should go to the special department where it said ‘For Colored People’. I told my friend that I would rather die from starvation than to humiliate myself before the Americans by eating with the Negroes.” This quote depicts the exact conversation we had in class. Mexicans were offended to eat with black people and this humiliated them. That is why this sign is very cruel. Not only do the Whites discriminate the “Spanish or Mexicans” they are overall telling them that because of their color they are thought of as inferior just the same as the Negroes were. They even go one notch in up and make fun of their nationality. Like I said before “Spanish” is not an ethnicity or a race it is a language. Maybe White people thought if they put Spanish and Mexican on the sign they could avoid all people who looked Mexican or spoke Spanish I’m not sure.
I think this sign is very unique. You don’t see any signs saying We Serve White’s only no hood or blacks. I’m not sure what a good example would be there but I think you get my point. I’m not surprised that these kinds of signs were put up keeping people who are not white out of a restaurant, but this is my first sign I’ve seen specifically excluding Spanish or Mexicans. I’ve gone through many history classes learning about segregation of blacks in restaurants and other places, this is my first really full learning of how much more discrimination and separation there is in America.
www.somosprimos.com/sp2007/spfeb07/weserve.jpg
In Takaki chapter 12 “El Norte: The borderland of Chicano America” we discussed the many mechanisms of social construction. From education where many Mexican Americans were denied jobs because they were perceived as lazy, poorly dressed, dirty, ill educated, and thieves; To limited education and the know-how only of how to work and survive in the fields picking corn. In the end, many Mexican men and their entire families worked in the fields, farms, and ranches and their children did the same with little or no education. This sign surprisingly is written in correct English there were no “purposeful” mistakes making fun of the Mexicans for their lack of education, but that’s only one step up. For this sign emotionally scars Mexican people in other ways. It brings them down to the level of the Blacks. Both the Mexicans and Blacks had to eat with their “own-colored people.” Having the skin color of black was a more of a disgrace than having a lighter so-called tanner color. For as we discussed in class the darker your skin tone the lower class level you were in. There is an example on page 326 chapter 12 of Takaki saying, “A group of us Mexicans who were all dressed once went to a restaurant in Amarillo, and they (white people) told us that if we wanted to eat we should go to the special department where it said ‘For Colored People’. I told my friend that I would rather die from starvation than to humiliate myself before the Americans by eating with the Negroes.” This quote depicts the exact conversation we had in class. Mexicans were offended to eat with black people and this humiliated them. That is why this sign is very cruel. Not only do the Whites discriminate the “Spanish or Mexicans” they are overall telling them that because of their color they are thought of as inferior just the same as the Negroes were. They even go one notch in up and make fun of their nationality. Like I said before “Spanish” is not an ethnicity or a race it is a language. Maybe White people thought if they put Spanish and Mexican on the sign they could avoid all people who looked Mexican or spoke Spanish I’m not sure.
I think this sign is very unique. You don’t see any signs saying We Serve White’s only no hood or blacks. I’m not sure what a good example would be there but I think you get my point. I’m not surprised that these kinds of signs were put up keeping people who are not white out of a restaurant, but this is my first sign I’ve seen specifically excluding Spanish or Mexicans. I’ve gone through many history classes learning about segregation of blacks in restaurants and other places, this is my first really full learning of how much more discrimination and separation there is in America.
www.somosprimos.com/sp2007/spfeb07/weserve.jpg
Friday, November 2, 2007
Sadakas
On December 20, 1906, a group of Filipino sugar plantation workers, known as Sadakas, arrived in Honolulu, marking the first major wave of Filipino migration to what is now the United States. Sadakas came here much the same as Japanese people. They came here on hopes and dreams of success, money, and a new free life, little did they know they were being brought here for hard labor and to segregate the workers of the sugar plantations. These Filipino workers first earned 10 cents working 12 hours a day in the cane fields a god awful amount of income that no one could survive on. The Sadakas suffered from stooped backs gnarled fingers, and cauliflower ears inflamed by bundles of sugar cane being carried on his shoulders. This was not the life they hoped for; these were not the conditions in-which they heard about before the came to Hawaii. These traumatic events are exactly why I chose this article. We discussed the travels and hardships of the Japanese people, but we kind of over looked a group of people who endured the exact same conditions only a few years later.
Much like the Japanese we read about in Takaki’s Chapter 10 “Pacific Crossings: Seeking the Land of Money Trees”, Filipino workers endure long tough back breaking work-days. Also, the sadakas were lead astray from their so-called “poverty living” homelands to this place where they could restart their life and have great success and equality amongst other people of the land. All these instances seemed like a painful mistake. What did they get themselves into? Was the opportunity of a new life the optimum choice for the Sadakas? That is a question only they could answer. They had small privileges of bringing some of their home culture to Hawaii with them such as: food, decorations, lifestyles, and living ways. Apparently they weren’t, as the Filipino’s went on strike along with all the other Asian decent people to demand better living conditions and higher wages. In the end they got what they asked for, but still there was no sign of pure equality.
These occurrences in America’s past are something everyone looks down on. Plantation owners did what they had to to keep their income flowing and their profits growing. Workers did what they could to stay alive and yet keep some dignity to their name. I believe that everyone has to start somewhere. When you do something for the first time you don’t necessarily know how to do it the “right” way. You learn from your mistakes and you move on. America is still learning and growing, and because we had a rough start doesn’t mean we can’t try to make things right in the future.
http://starbulletin.com/2002/06/07/news/story2.html
Much like the Japanese we read about in Takaki’s Chapter 10 “Pacific Crossings: Seeking the Land of Money Trees”, Filipino workers endure long tough back breaking work-days. Also, the sadakas were lead astray from their so-called “poverty living” homelands to this place where they could restart their life and have great success and equality amongst other people of the land. All these instances seemed like a painful mistake. What did they get themselves into? Was the opportunity of a new life the optimum choice for the Sadakas? That is a question only they could answer. They had small privileges of bringing some of their home culture to Hawaii with them such as: food, decorations, lifestyles, and living ways. Apparently they weren’t, as the Filipino’s went on strike along with all the other Asian decent people to demand better living conditions and higher wages. In the end they got what they asked for, but still there was no sign of pure equality.
These occurrences in America’s past are something everyone looks down on. Plantation owners did what they had to to keep their income flowing and their profits growing. Workers did what they could to stay alive and yet keep some dignity to their name. I believe that everyone has to start somewhere. When you do something for the first time you don’t necessarily know how to do it the “right” way. You learn from your mistakes and you move on. America is still learning and growing, and because we had a rough start doesn’t mean we can’t try to make things right in the future.
http://starbulletin.com/2002/06/07/news/story2.html
Monday, October 29, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Slave Mentality- Actual poem
I think of times when my parents use to say
They have to pick cotton in the field each and every day
They would tell me how it made them feel
To know how race in the south back some 40 years
They speak of the injust and to be thought of as slaves
When they would do their best to make it through another day
My mom would say the temps would be in the 90 degrees
And they would take short breaks sometimes just to eat
I wonder to myself how could they go on
To know God's Grace help them with a song
I tried to imagine how things use to be
To be considered less than dirty by the majority
Know I know the feelings they must have endured
To be abused and mistreated and still struggled through
To know their race had to played a huge part
In segregation, racism and hateful things from the start
I faced just those not those so simple things
I thought it can't been happeing till I heard Let Freedom Ring
I think to myself how can this be
No justice, No freedom, No democracy
I see people of my own race
Disgrace me with their participation events that take place
I use to think I'm black and I'm proud
Until I look around and see the crowd
I see people of my own race
Not white, but black participate
Racism was a way to unleash one's fear
Not to let blacks have a say or any tears
I see people of my own race
To engage in injustice and slave mentality in my face
They seem to forget where black slaves had to endure
Lynching, hanging and being abused
I think to myself they choose not to see
What happen to slaves, continues to be
One can look the other way and pretend not to see
Racism, injustice and inhumanity
I see people of my own race
I feel sadness, heartbroken and Disgrace
I know my words may seem not the case
But when you look in Mirror what do you say
I'm not a Racist, that's what I see
But far from the truth for you and for me
Maybe, one day blacks will come to see
Racism didn't start in the black community
It started when slavery took away your name
No fame, No fortune and others were to blame
I think of the feeling I have today
A Black woman against Racism and Slave mentality everyday
Only with time can Racism heal
No matter how hard you fight on the battlefied
It's a word that means fear against one's race
I already know what has taken place
A great man once said 'Let Freedom Ring'
Back when all slaves could do was sing
So I keep in my heart a solemn prayer
Let freedom Ring everywhere
Angel Sent
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/slave-mentality/
They have to pick cotton in the field each and every day
They would tell me how it made them feel
To know how race in the south back some 40 years
They speak of the injust and to be thought of as slaves
When they would do their best to make it through another day
My mom would say the temps would be in the 90 degrees
And they would take short breaks sometimes just to eat
I wonder to myself how could they go on
To know God's Grace help them with a song
I tried to imagine how things use to be
To be considered less than dirty by the majority
Know I know the feelings they must have endured
To be abused and mistreated and still struggled through
To know their race had to played a huge part
In segregation, racism and hateful things from the start
I faced just those not those so simple things
I thought it can't been happeing till I heard Let Freedom Ring
I think to myself how can this be
No justice, No freedom, No democracy
I see people of my own race
Disgrace me with their participation events that take place
I use to think I'm black and I'm proud
Until I look around and see the crowd
I see people of my own race
Not white, but black participate
Racism was a way to unleash one's fear
Not to let blacks have a say or any tears
I see people of my own race
To engage in injustice and slave mentality in my face
They seem to forget where black slaves had to endure
Lynching, hanging and being abused
I think to myself they choose not to see
What happen to slaves, continues to be
One can look the other way and pretend not to see
Racism, injustice and inhumanity
I see people of my own race
I feel sadness, heartbroken and Disgrace
I know my words may seem not the case
But when you look in Mirror what do you say
I'm not a Racist, that's what I see
But far from the truth for you and for me
Maybe, one day blacks will come to see
Racism didn't start in the black community
It started when slavery took away your name
No fame, No fortune and others were to blame
I think of the feeling I have today
A Black woman against Racism and Slave mentality everyday
Only with time can Racism heal
No matter how hard you fight on the battlefied
It's a word that means fear against one's race
I already know what has taken place
A great man once said 'Let Freedom Ring'
Back when all slaves could do was sing
So I keep in my heart a solemn prayer
Let freedom Ring everywhere
Angel Sent
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/slave-mentality/
Slave Mentality
Slave Mentality by Angel Sent is an inspiring poem. It is a poem calling out to God and all others who read this moving piece. This poem has touched me unlike any other readin in our class. I want to share this experience with all of my classmates that is why I choose to post this poem. Angel has written this poem threw her eyes, a young Black woman who is beginning to learn about her past and experience life through a slaves view. Her parents have taught her and told her stories of life as a slave on the plantation. Working and struggling daily to make it another day. How could they withstand 90 degree weather and only one or two breaks a day just to eat small scraps of food? She is growing older and is starting to endure some of the hardships of being black in America today. She sees her people being mistreated and shunned upon in society and she can’t believe her eyes. Slavery still lingers in the hearts and minds of some White non-colored people today. There is only one song that has been passed down from generation to generation that she remembers and thinks about when times are rough. The song, “Let Freedom Ring.”
In the recent weeks of our Ethnic studies class we have learned of the hardships blacks have endured and how it all came about, this “racism.” We have been taught about the blacks in the plantation life and the beatings and long days they went through. We have also discussed how slavery still lingers today, actually that is the topic we are currently on right now. The major question of will “racism” ever end? Will there be complete peace amongst all races and people of all colors and backgrounds? There is one thing though that we have not really talked about, and that is life actually threw a black persons mindset, especially a woman. We have talked about how blacks are under privileged and black women are on the bottom of the last, but how does this all contrast through a black woman’s eyes? This is poem from a black woman’s perspective is a great read for our class and another approach to this topic.
I have never read an article coming from this view besides the book Kindred. I have always been taught through a white person’s view. “Oh things were really hard; we did a lot of things we regret now. We started racism and now we can’t stop it. What are we going to do?” Now another perspective comes into play. Like Kindred a book about a young black women trying to figure out ways to stay alive in the years of slavery and racism Angel comes from the same perspective. Angel Sent wrote, “No matter how hard you fight on the battlefield. It's a word that means fear against one's race.” Angel is talking about racism and slavery. She further says, “It started when slavery took away your name, no fame, no fortune and others were to blame.” She is speaking out to other black people trying to enlighten them on the past she has come to understand. Angel and Octavia Butler, the author of Kindred, both represent young black women in the power struggle to stay alive. They are also both her to imform and teach all who read what they have to say about racism. Angel has one hope a hope that as a young white male I share a hope that many Americans believe and pray for. The end of racism and as Angel puts it, “Only with time can Racism heal.” As of now we both come together on the same issue, which is a HUGE progress compared to years before when this situation would never happen. LET FREEDOM RING!
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/slave-mentality/
In the recent weeks of our Ethnic studies class we have learned of the hardships blacks have endured and how it all came about, this “racism.” We have been taught about the blacks in the plantation life and the beatings and long days they went through. We have also discussed how slavery still lingers today, actually that is the topic we are currently on right now. The major question of will “racism” ever end? Will there be complete peace amongst all races and people of all colors and backgrounds? There is one thing though that we have not really talked about, and that is life actually threw a black persons mindset, especially a woman. We have talked about how blacks are under privileged and black women are on the bottom of the last, but how does this all contrast through a black woman’s eyes? This is poem from a black woman’s perspective is a great read for our class and another approach to this topic.
I have never read an article coming from this view besides the book Kindred. I have always been taught through a white person’s view. “Oh things were really hard; we did a lot of things we regret now. We started racism and now we can’t stop it. What are we going to do?” Now another perspective comes into play. Like Kindred a book about a young black women trying to figure out ways to stay alive in the years of slavery and racism Angel comes from the same perspective. Angel Sent wrote, “No matter how hard you fight on the battlefield. It's a word that means fear against one's race.” Angel is talking about racism and slavery. She further says, “It started when slavery took away your name, no fame, no fortune and others were to blame.” She is speaking out to other black people trying to enlighten them on the past she has come to understand. Angel and Octavia Butler, the author of Kindred, both represent young black women in the power struggle to stay alive. They are also both her to imform and teach all who read what they have to say about racism. Angel has one hope a hope that as a young white male I share a hope that many Americans believe and pray for. The end of racism and as Angel puts it, “Only with time can Racism heal.” As of now we both come together on the same issue, which is a HUGE progress compared to years before when this situation would never happen. LET FREEDOM RING!
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/slave-mentality/
Canceling Columbus Day Points Up Ironies of Multiculturalism
The title explains it all. In 1907 Colorado was the first state in the union to declare Columbus Day an official holiday. Now, there is much controversy on the subject. Should we continue to celebrate Columbus Day? Is he a "symbol" of the genocide perpetrated by white Europeans on Native Americans? On the other hand, is he the first discoverer of this newfound beautiful country that we call America today? This article is another controversy on Christopher Columbus that ties to our class when we studied him and his "unknown" facts in the first week of class. That is why I choose this article, it is proof that there is still much debate on this subject.
In this article, the very first state to start celebrating Columbus Day is now second-guessing their actions. As we have recently learned in Ethnic studies Columbus did discover new land, but he stole, beat, killed, massacred, and burned many Indian villages in the process. Whether Columbus was to blame for all this is up to debate. Even many Indians captured and enslaved other Indians so this practice was not uncommon. Today it is just more significant to us because you are punished for such actions. If Columbus were to blame for this genocide, than he would be assumed to racist right? Well that is where more facts come in to play. There is no evidence in any known journal, document, or paper about Columbus or that Columbus has written him-self that could accuse him of being racist at all.
You read one view about this topic than you read another and your personal views change with the more you get into it and the more information you obtain. After reading Zinn's new spin on Columbus with his "history of conquest, slavery and death"; and with Takaki's further description of the tortures, beatings, and disease spreading colonists, I have concluded one thing. Columbus may have been the fearless leader and the discoverer of the America’s, but overall he was just an adventurous man. He was not an animal or a killing machine. He was simply a man who practiced all the same practices as anyone else in his time. He cannot single handedly be held accountable for the on-slaughter that took place in capturing part of the Americas. I believe he should just been known for discovering Americas with a few capturing on the way. Just because Columbus's men brought along some diseases that the Indians couldn't survive from was not on purpose. They should not cancel a holiday that has been celebrated over 100 years. Even the article points out, “If we can have Martin Luther King Day, and Cinco de Mayo, we ought to be able to have Columbus Day, too. That is true multiculturalism, which is what America has always been about, anyway.” We have learned numerous new facts in the first couple of weeks of Ethnic studies from Takaki's teachings of Indians as canibals that needed to be straightend out to Zinn's knowledge of capturings and burngings that took place. No-one person know the whole and exact truth on what took place. To abolish a holiday that majorities of children have been born, raised, and taught about is absurd.
Abstract (Summary)
The view successfully forwarded by "revisionist" historians of the Americas in recent years is that the statues and tributes to Columbus must be effaced, because he is "symbolic" of the genocide perpetrated by white Europeans on Native Americans.
Racist values and attitudes on the part of whites toward Native Americans reached its apogee in the nineteenth century and was found primarily among Protestant Europeans, who sought to exterminate the "red devils," rather than among Catholics, who intermarried with the local inhabitants and developed a mixed, or "mestizo," culture throughout the Americas. In fact, the Indians of the Southwest invented the expression "white eyes" to distinguish the Anglo-Americans from the Spaniards.
When Italian-Americans pushed for the establishment of Columbus Day at the turn of the century, it was to honor another "forgotten" legacy that had been ignored by the cultural orthodoxy of the day. The "hyphenated Americans" of that day had also been bruised and humiliated. Remember the Ludlow Massacre, when Colorado's Governor sent the National Guard to murder Italian-American (and other) coal miners for the crime of going on strike.
Author(s): Raschke, Carl
Publication title: La Voz. Denver: Oct 5, 1994. Vol. XX, Iss. 340; pg. 6
Document URL: http://0-proquest.umi.com.maurice.bgsu.edu:80/pqdweb?
did=482121131&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=3340&RQT=309&VName=PQD
In this article, the very first state to start celebrating Columbus Day is now second-guessing their actions. As we have recently learned in Ethnic studies Columbus did discover new land, but he stole, beat, killed, massacred, and burned many Indian villages in the process. Whether Columbus was to blame for all this is up to debate. Even many Indians captured and enslaved other Indians so this practice was not uncommon. Today it is just more significant to us because you are punished for such actions. If Columbus were to blame for this genocide, than he would be assumed to racist right? Well that is where more facts come in to play. There is no evidence in any known journal, document, or paper about Columbus or that Columbus has written him-self that could accuse him of being racist at all.
You read one view about this topic than you read another and your personal views change with the more you get into it and the more information you obtain. After reading Zinn's new spin on Columbus with his "history of conquest, slavery and death"; and with Takaki's further description of the tortures, beatings, and disease spreading colonists, I have concluded one thing. Columbus may have been the fearless leader and the discoverer of the America’s, but overall he was just an adventurous man. He was not an animal or a killing machine. He was simply a man who practiced all the same practices as anyone else in his time. He cannot single handedly be held accountable for the on-slaughter that took place in capturing part of the Americas. I believe he should just been known for discovering Americas with a few capturing on the way. Just because Columbus's men brought along some diseases that the Indians couldn't survive from was not on purpose. They should not cancel a holiday that has been celebrated over 100 years. Even the article points out, “If we can have Martin Luther King Day, and Cinco de Mayo, we ought to be able to have Columbus Day, too. That is true multiculturalism, which is what America has always been about, anyway.” We have learned numerous new facts in the first couple of weeks of Ethnic studies from Takaki's teachings of Indians as canibals that needed to be straightend out to Zinn's knowledge of capturings and burngings that took place. No-one person know the whole and exact truth on what took place. To abolish a holiday that majorities of children have been born, raised, and taught about is absurd.
Abstract (Summary)
The view successfully forwarded by "revisionist" historians of the Americas in recent years is that the statues and tributes to Columbus must be effaced, because he is "symbolic" of the genocide perpetrated by white Europeans on Native Americans.
Racist values and attitudes on the part of whites toward Native Americans reached its apogee in the nineteenth century and was found primarily among Protestant Europeans, who sought to exterminate the "red devils," rather than among Catholics, who intermarried with the local inhabitants and developed a mixed, or "mestizo," culture throughout the Americas. In fact, the Indians of the Southwest invented the expression "white eyes" to distinguish the Anglo-Americans from the Spaniards.
When Italian-Americans pushed for the establishment of Columbus Day at the turn of the century, it was to honor another "forgotten" legacy that had been ignored by the cultural orthodoxy of the day. The "hyphenated Americans" of that day had also been bruised and humiliated. Remember the Ludlow Massacre, when Colorado's Governor sent the National Guard to murder Italian-American (and other) coal miners for the crime of going on strike.
Author(s): Raschke, Carl
Publication title: La Voz. Denver: Oct 5, 1994. Vol. XX, Iss. 340; pg. 6
Document URL: http://0-proquest.umi.com.maurice.bgsu.edu:80/pqdweb?
did=482121131&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=3340&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Bid Em In
Oscar Brown jr. is the creator of this flick. He is a poet, playwright, singer, actor and humorist who traveled the United States, telling stories of African-American history. Over the decades, he has worked with many famous people including Miles Davis, and some of his songs have become classics. His video Bid Em In is meant to promote awareness, self-appreciation and knowledge of black history. He plays the role of an auctioneer who tries to sell a young black woman for slavery. He points out all her great qualities such as: being young and ripe, smart, attractive, healthy, strong, good worker, and can cook and sew. All of these qualities make for a much desired servant in the old days and many white men would pay top dollar for a woman such as her. I choose this flick because it is very powerful and well intertwined with the past and all its downfalls. This video also has a catchy tune that you will probably hear yourself singing over and over. This means this video sticks in your mind very easily, and at the same time paints you a great picture of the past.
The title is great because it describes the speed and efficiency when auctioning black slaves. They just pick healthy slaves; point out their best physical qualities, so that they can be sold at maximum price. They want this process to be fast so as you can tell it only takes the auctioneer a max of two minutes to pick, describe, and sell this slave woman. There is no need for more time to figure out her name, where she’s from, or if she has any kids. There is only time for her description of her attributes so she can be sold quickly. We talked class many a times about how the slaves poured into the Americas by an increasing number every year. We also talked about how they were treated on the plantations. That is why I choose this video because we get a detailed scene of how the slaves got from the ships to the plantation something we didn’t cover specifically in class.
There are many lines in this short segment but one that caught my attention was the line, “makes a fine ladies maid when properly whipped.” These auctioneers didn’t shed one single tear or hesitate to say anything about a slave to get them sold fast. I guarantee you this girl doesn’t want to be whipped into being a maid, but the thought of the possibility in the white elite man’s mind could persuade him spend that little extra money for a young and healthy slave such as the girl being auctioned in the video. I think all of this is sick and wrong. There is no way that kind of thing would happen today. This video reminds us of our dreaded pas; and to me is an influential piece that helps present and future Americans make this world into a freer, slave-less, environment. We are without a doubt still a segregated America and with more influence like this video and more support we can help mold this country into a place of equality and hope.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wnR8WDD2aoQ
The title is great because it describes the speed and efficiency when auctioning black slaves. They just pick healthy slaves; point out their best physical qualities, so that they can be sold at maximum price. They want this process to be fast so as you can tell it only takes the auctioneer a max of two minutes to pick, describe, and sell this slave woman. There is no need for more time to figure out her name, where she’s from, or if she has any kids. There is only time for her description of her attributes so she can be sold quickly. We talked class many a times about how the slaves poured into the Americas by an increasing number every year. We also talked about how they were treated on the plantations. That is why I choose this video because we get a detailed scene of how the slaves got from the ships to the plantation something we didn’t cover specifically in class.
There are many lines in this short segment but one that caught my attention was the line, “makes a fine ladies maid when properly whipped.” These auctioneers didn’t shed one single tear or hesitate to say anything about a slave to get them sold fast. I guarantee you this girl doesn’t want to be whipped into being a maid, but the thought of the possibility in the white elite man’s mind could persuade him spend that little extra money for a young and healthy slave such as the girl being auctioned in the video. I think all of this is sick and wrong. There is no way that kind of thing would happen today. This video reminds us of our dreaded pas; and to me is an influential piece that helps present and future Americans make this world into a freer, slave-less, environment. We are without a doubt still a segregated America and with more influence like this video and more support we can help mold this country into a place of equality and hope.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wnR8WDD2aoQ
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Definition of Racism - The Poem
He is a victim of racism and all forms of discrimination
When blacks and the police meet at the same time
To the racist you have committed a crime
Right now the racism is in its prime
Right now the discrimination is in its prime
It appears it’s wrong for him to earn his dime
It appears it’s wrong for him to be in the lime-light.
Racism does not start
When you worship the racist
It is when you cease to
He or she will strike you with an open fist.
Racism does not start
If you are perceived as a dullard
Or have a regular simple job then turn drunkard.
Racism does not start
When you are aiming low
It only starts when you want to grow
Grow in a high-flying career
Then it becomes quite clear;
The racist thinks you should never be there
It starts when you want to grow in wisdom
It starts when you mix with others in their kingdom
Does it mean he has no right to aspire?
Or look up and aim higher
Or have any form of ambitious white desires
Does it mean he can’t have white friends?
Or mix and mingle with the white elites?
At work puppets are used as tools for mobbing
Everything around him happens so fast
He is the only one to hear about it or last
In manipulated isolation he becomes the lone outcast
The techniques are modern vast and will continually last
Till he makes his exit and becomes a thing of the past
What they are actually doing is robbing
Robbing him of his dignity
Callously without any pity
Robbing him gradually of all his credibility
Publicly, disguising them in actions of witty
Creating an atmosphere of hate
There is no need to debate
Been black and a man is his fate
Constant discrimination is forever on his plate
Racism is not always obvious
Discrimination to those who do not care is oblivious
Discrimination to those who have never been there is oblivious
They will say he is imagining
Making things up and fabricating
Many will never understand how he feels
Until it is too late for the wounds to heal
Just because he is black and not a pretty white woman
They look down disrespectfully at him like a felon
In their hearts they consider it reality
They are all over-superior to black
Zaheed Patel
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/definition-of-racism/
When blacks and the police meet at the same time
To the racist you have committed a crime
Right now the racism is in its prime
Right now the discrimination is in its prime
It appears it’s wrong for him to earn his dime
It appears it’s wrong for him to be in the lime-light.
Racism does not start
When you worship the racist
It is when you cease to
He or she will strike you with an open fist.
Racism does not start
If you are perceived as a dullard
Or have a regular simple job then turn drunkard.
Racism does not start
When you are aiming low
It only starts when you want to grow
Grow in a high-flying career
Then it becomes quite clear;
The racist thinks you should never be there
It starts when you want to grow in wisdom
It starts when you mix with others in their kingdom
Does it mean he has no right to aspire?
Or look up and aim higher
Or have any form of ambitious white desires
Does it mean he can’t have white friends?
Or mix and mingle with the white elites?
At work puppets are used as tools for mobbing
Everything around him happens so fast
He is the only one to hear about it or last
In manipulated isolation he becomes the lone outcast
The techniques are modern vast and will continually last
Till he makes his exit and becomes a thing of the past
What they are actually doing is robbing
Robbing him of his dignity
Callously without any pity
Robbing him gradually of all his credibility
Publicly, disguising them in actions of witty
Creating an atmosphere of hate
There is no need to debate
Been black and a man is his fate
Constant discrimination is forever on his plate
Racism is not always obvious
Discrimination to those who do not care is oblivious
Discrimination to those who have never been there is oblivious
They will say he is imagining
Making things up and fabricating
Many will never understand how he feels
Until it is too late for the wounds to heal
Just because he is black and not a pretty white woman
They look down disrespectfully at him like a felon
In their hearts they consider it reality
They are all over-superior to black
Zaheed Patel
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/definition-of-racism/
Definition of Racism
This poem is unique and one of a kind. Zaheed Patel shows the many situations in which racism comes about. Discrimination doesn’t just come about for any reason; someone has to initiate this view/thought, this why I choose this poem. It mainly starts when colored men or women strive in life to be something. Something more than eternal slaves on a white mans premises. In this poem, essentially anyone who is not black would agree that colored people are not to gain wisdom and congregate with others than their own kind; when they do they are discriminated against. There is thought to be no place for a colored man making decisions in a white mans world. The last paragraph in the poem says that:
Just because he is black and not a pretty white woman
They look down disrespectfully at him like a felon
In their hearts they consider it reality
They are all over-superior to black
Over history woman have become more of an importance in the white mans life, therefore, becoming more accepted. Unfortunately, for the black people this is not true. Some white people would say that they don’t’ see this discrimination happening. There privilege of denial has overcome their thought that racism is a dead thought.
The whole poem relates to our class, but this obliviousness is what I am going to focus on. In our class we have discussed the basics of how racism became and how it spread all over the world, but that’s not all we’ve learned. We have focused on many side facts about race. Like in this poem how racism still continues today with no end in site. One of the main factors to this is the absolute obliviousness of white folks to discrimination. The poem quotes:
Racism is not always obvious
Discrimination to those who do not care is oblivious
Discrimination to those who have never been there is oblivious
What this section is saying is that people who don’t care about racism may have this belief because they either don’t witness it, or because they have the “privilege” to not care. As we discussed in Getting Off the Hook: Denial and Resistance if you are a white male or female you posses some privileges over black men and women. Choosing to ignore discrimination because you can is a privilege, but some whites are just fortunate to not even witness racism at all. Many white’s who have this belief tend to live in the north where there was/is less slavery and more segregation of blacks and whites. If a white child was born with blacks in his neighborhood as his friends then he would have no reason to discriminate.
Either of these ways tries to constitute the fact that discrimination is oblivious. From denial to straight-up ignorance people can try to put this topic off as long as they want. But, after sitting down and taking the time to look around, and as I discovered through this ethnic studies class, racism has been here for a while and will tend to linger around for a long time to come.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/definition-of-racism/
Just because he is black and not a pretty white woman
They look down disrespectfully at him like a felon
In their hearts they consider it reality
They are all over-superior to black
Over history woman have become more of an importance in the white mans life, therefore, becoming more accepted. Unfortunately, for the black people this is not true. Some white people would say that they don’t’ see this discrimination happening. There privilege of denial has overcome their thought that racism is a dead thought.
The whole poem relates to our class, but this obliviousness is what I am going to focus on. In our class we have discussed the basics of how racism became and how it spread all over the world, but that’s not all we’ve learned. We have focused on many side facts about race. Like in this poem how racism still continues today with no end in site. One of the main factors to this is the absolute obliviousness of white folks to discrimination. The poem quotes:
Racism is not always obvious
Discrimination to those who do not care is oblivious
Discrimination to those who have never been there is oblivious
What this section is saying is that people who don’t care about racism may have this belief because they either don’t witness it, or because they have the “privilege” to not care. As we discussed in Getting Off the Hook: Denial and Resistance if you are a white male or female you posses some privileges over black men and women. Choosing to ignore discrimination because you can is a privilege, but some whites are just fortunate to not even witness racism at all. Many white’s who have this belief tend to live in the north where there was/is less slavery and more segregation of blacks and whites. If a white child was born with blacks in his neighborhood as his friends then he would have no reason to discriminate.
Either of these ways tries to constitute the fact that discrimination is oblivious. From denial to straight-up ignorance people can try to put this topic off as long as they want. But, after sitting down and taking the time to look around, and as I discovered through this ethnic studies class, racism has been here for a while and will tend to linger around for a long time to come.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/definition-of-racism/
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