Portfolio IV: Investigating Oppression

African Americans in the United States

History

Slavery

The oppression of African Americans in the United States began, as it did globally, with slavery. Slaves were transported in inhumane conditions and then treated as property by wealthy, white landowners. They were not allowed to learn how to read or write. Many of them were separated from their families. Although not all slave owners treated their slaves especially harshly, they still regarded them as "less than," simply due to the color of their skin. These prejudices have remained in society until today, although in slightly less obvious forms.
Eventually, the Civil War was fought between the Northern and Southern states. The North won, and slavery was officially abolished. However, this did not even begin to end the problems that African Americans faced in American society.

Voting Rights

After the Civil War and the Reconstruction of America had ended, Southern states created laws to prevent African American citizens from voting. They imposed rules about passing literacy exams, property ownership, and poll taxes. These laws removed the means for specifically African Americans to be able to vote. When they attempted to vote anyway, they were physically threatened and/or harmed. 

Voting rights were not granted to African Americans until the 1965 Voting Rights Act was signed into law. 

(Source: https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/voting-rights/)

http://www.utica.edu/academic/ssm/history/vra/

"Separate but Equal"

Oppression continued in the form of unjust laws stating that races - specifically, "White" and "Colored" could be treated as equals but given separate facilities and institutions. In reality, these facilities were anything but equal. White individuals were invariably given better supplies, facilities, and educations. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ghholt/4362417954

Some famous events protesting this ideology included Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on a bus for a white person and the famous Brown v. Board of Education court case. In this case, the Supreme Court unanimously voted to outlaw segregation of schools. Schools were then required to be integrated, but this faced much opposition. 

http://thegrio.com/2014/04/21/brown-v-board-of-education-60-years-later-are-us-schools-becoming-more-segregated-again/

The national government actively integrated schools for a time following the court ruling. They would bus students of color in from outside areas so they would be able to receive the same schooling as white children. However, eventually, this busing stopped. 

Housing Discrimination and Education

If a person of color wishes to move into a predominantly white area, they often face discrimination. This has been a pattern throughout history. Concepts such as White Flights, when white people move away from an area where someone of color moves in contribute to the continued segregation of neighborhoods. However, many people of color face discrimination when applying for housing. Although the instance which the following man describes took place many years ago, the same discrimination happens today: 

https://www.ted.com/talks/james_a_white_sr_the_little_problem_i_had_renting_a_house

In cases where white people and people of color are segregated in housing, they are also segregated in schooling. Because the buses stopped transported students across neighborhoods, they now have to attend schools in their school zones, which for children of color are usually as separate and unequal as schools were historically. This sets the children up to be very disadvantaged for the rest of their lives, because they do not have the opportunities to gain the educations and encouragement they need to gain white cultural and social capital. Because of housing discrimination and segregation, we set them up for failure in the white culture of power. 

(Source: http://thegrio.com/2014/04/21/brown-v-board-of-education-60-years-later-are-us-schools-becoming-more-segregated-again/)

Housing discrimination does not only affect the education which African American children receive. Many white people have distinct ideas about the areas in which they live. They are typically associated with gangs, drugs, and crime. However, since we forced them into these areas and situations with our discrimination against them throughout the entire history of the United States, I do not believe that we should blame them for their circumstances. Rather, we should be sympathetic and fight to avoid perpetuating the negative stereotypes and prejudices which circulate in the white communities. The fact that many African Americans live in different circumstances than the "middle-class ideal" does not mean that we should fear them or fight against integration of neighborhoods and schools.

Jazz Music

Jazz music was created based on African music traditions and singing styles. It began in New Orleans, in a town called Storyville. This area was a red-light district where many African Americans lived and worked. The center of jazz later moved around the United States, but it began in a segregated area where African Americans joined together to preserve their culture and create a new one. 

(Source: https://www.scaruffi.com/history/jazz1.html)

Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday was an extremely famous singer of blues and jazz. While she made tremendous strides against racism, being the first black woman to record and tour with a white band, she also suffered from many racist acts against her. This presented itself in her music. 

(Source: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/billie-holiday-about-the-singer/68/)

Many of us remember Billie Holiday and other musicians like her for their musical talents, but fail to remember the racist society which oppressed them and sometimes hated them. We cannot choose which parts of history to remember, and the history of jazz music is no different.

The Civil Rights Movement

No talk of African American history in the United States would be complete without the Civil Rights Movement. Led by Martin Luther King, Jr., this movement involved peaceful protest and march against the oppression felt by African Americans. Others, such as Malcolm X, advocated for more violent protests. However, the most successful and impactful response to oppression and injustice took place with Martin Luther King, Jr.'s marches, sit-ins, and speeches. The white population did not respond favorably. They used violence, police brutality, and threats against the protesters. However, their violence did not prevail - at least not overtly. The legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. lives on today, with people of all races and ethnicities hailing him as a hero.

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr/pictures/martin-luther-king-jr/martin-luther-king-during-the-march-on-washington

Implications for Teaching

As I move forward in my education and become a teacher, knowing this background will help me immensely. Many people refer to the Civil Rights Movement as a thing of the past, assuming that we have moved past it and do not have a need for it. However, as long as there is discrimination and institutional racism refusing African American children their rights to flourish in their cultures and providing them with the tools to understand the culture of power, our job is not done. We need to advocated for integration of neighborhoods and schools. We need to get to know people who are different from us so we can challenge our own stereotypes and then encourage others to do the same. Because I have been born with privilege, I need to use that privilege to fight the oppression that exists in society today.

Portfolio III: Being the "Other"

For my experience being the "other", I went to Pins & Needles night at the Orem Public Library. The description online said that they would crochet and knit every Tuesday night. I have never done either of those, so I thought it would be a good experience for me.

One lady's book of patterns

I learned that this ball of yard tells you whether you should knit or crochet the hat based on what it says on the package. The one hook means it should be crocheted.

One woman's ball of yarn, showing what the finished product should look like. The two hooks mean that it should be knitted.

My attempt at crocheting

These four pictures are the cultural artifacts which I was able to take pictures of. A lot of the women also had bags, scissors, and large projects which they had been working on.

I was pretty nervous going in to this experience, partially I'm shy and don't like going places alone. Although I grew up in Orem and have been going to its library for my entire life, I didn't know where the room they were meeting in was and I had to ask a librarian. I ended up being one of the first two people there. The other woman was much older than me and I worried that I would be the only younger person there. But she was very kind, and started teaching me what to do with the crochet hook and scrap of yarn that I had found (with a little bit of help from my mom, who loves to crochet). Because she was so helpful, I understood that she, at least, was very welcoming. That was encouraging to me, but I still felt out of place. As others arrived, they were also helpful and welcoming. I felt very relieved. They were all older than me, but there were some young moms and even a few teachers, which helped me feel better, although still kind of out of place. The group also talked a lot about shared experiences. I realized that they have been meeting together for a long time, and are all friends. Some of them were also coworkers. This made me feel more out of place, because they were referring to experiences and events which I did not know about. They also used different terms talking to each other about their crocheting than they did when they were talking to me. I have no idea what a "slip stitch" is. There is a crocheting/knitting language that I don't know anything about. I just knew that I was supposed to make loops and pull the hook through them. This made me feel behind, not as knowledgeable, and insecure.

Even with how welcoming and kind the women at the Pins & Needles event were, my lack of experience in what we were participating in made me feel uncomfortable. There was a definite culture and language the other participants shared which I did not. I realized that this could be such a big problem in my future classroom. People are not always as welcoming of a minority as the women I met are. This could make an already uncomfortable experience even worse, leading to feelings of distance, stratification, and worthlessness. I think that is why developing an inclusive pedagogy is so important. Students need to feel included in the classroom, in any way possible. Even if I end up teaching in an area that is less diverse, students should learn to accept and encourage diversity and understand how to approach situations in which the people are not all homogeneous. Allowing a hegemony to influence teaching styles leads to oppression of minority cultures and people. Students need to feel safe and included at school so they can have the best possible environment for learning.