[GABRIELLA WATKIN]

For this week’s topic, I am looking at the song “Don’t Shoot” which is performed by The Game and includes many other famous musical artists like 2 Chainz and Rick Ross. The message behind this song directly relates to the title, as it was written as a response to the horrific shooting that occurred in Ferguson that resulted in the murder of Michael Brown. The entire song is extremely thought-provoking, and includes references to the current events of 2014. I’ve included a few of the lyrics below, that encapsulate the overarching message of the song. The lyrics reflect the cruelty and unfairness of police brutality, and prompts the listener to act instead of sit and watch from afar.

Source of lyrics: Genius (Author Unknown).

 

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[GABRIELLA WATKIN]

This is a photograph of a group of women who were asked to leave a golf course in Pennsylvania last year. Police were called on a group of African American women playing golf after the owners of the course complained that they were not playing quickly enough. The owners of the gold course were white men and they asked the women to leave multiple times, but gave no valid reason. When the women did not leave, the police were called. This is an example of a racist incident where unfair prejudices were used and the women were unfairly treated. The police decided that the women had done nothing wrong, and so as a result, there were no charges filed. This incident represents an example of how racial biases can be used to target individuals and make them feel unwelcome.

 

Date: April 25, 2018

Photographer: Myneca Ojo

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[GABRIELLA WATKIN]

This is a photo of some of the national park land in Alaska. There is a current debate going on about whether this land should be given back to Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans. Some are arguing against this idea, as they claim that it would do more harm and benefit less individuals. However, this fails to recognize how this land, and national parks in general, were originally taken away from many groups of Indigenous people. The bill that is trying to be passed is the Natural Resources Management Act of 2019, and it will determine whether 160 acres will be given to these veterans.

 

Photograph by Laurie Smith

Date: Unknown

• This reply was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by GABRIELLA WATKIN.

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[GABRIELLA WATKIN]

This is a photograph of Alice Marie Johnson and Kim Kardashian. Alice Marie Johnson is a 63 year old African American women who spent the past 22 years in prison for charges of money-laundering and drugs. She served these 22 years in prison, which was initially a life sentence (with no possibility of parole), before Kardashian involved herself in the case. Johnson was finally released from prison in June of 2018, which has shed light on many issues surrounding the corruption of the justice system in this country. This case raises the question of why someone would be sent to life in prison from a non-violent crime, and how many other individuals are unfairly given a life sentence.

Source: The Washington Post

Photographer: NBC News/Today

December 10, 2018

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[GABRIELLA WATKIN]

This is a photo from a video that depicts police officers in Chicago using an unnecessary and cruel amount of physical force against an African American female student at Marshall High School. While the details of the situation aren’t clear, we can be assured that officers using a taser and punching a minor student is completely across the line. According to the facts that we do know, the reason the police had initially come was because Dnigma Howard had not agreed to the terms of her suspension and had come to school anyway. The school did not do anything to intervene to help the student while she was being tased by the police. As a result of all this, Dnigma could potentially have 2 felony charges, and is no longer allowed back to her high school. The larger question here is whether or not the officers were cruel based off racial biases? There are ongoing investigations currently.

 

Photo from “The Root” (who got the photo from Chicago Sun-Times)

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by GABRIELLA WATKIN.

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[GABRIELLA WATKIN]

This is a photo that encapsulates how engrained segregation was in society back in the 1950’s. This photo is from 1956 and is situated in Alabama. While from afar, one might not notice the signs that are hung from the ceiling of the restaurant, after taking a closer look, you can notice the signs that are designed to separate individuals based on race. In today’s society, it is almost unbelievable that this type of racism was so common 60 years ago, but photos like this one illustrate the horrible mistreatment that existed back then.

 

Photographer: Unknown

Website: The Gordon Parks Foundation

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[GABRIELLA WATKIN]

This photo documents the environment that Dorothy Counts encountered on her first day at Harry Harding High School in 1957. This photo is significant as she was one of the only African American students to be allowed entrance into a previously only white school in an attempt to desegregate schools. Unfortunately, however, the school environment and her peers were so hostile that she eventually left the school after a couple of days. This photo relates to the theme of the week of “segregation” as it emphasizes that even when laws of segregation changed, the segregation perpetuated by certain members of society unfortunately remained for years after.

Photographer: Don Sturkey

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[GABRIELLA WATKIN]

I chose this image as I feel it relates to the structural racial divides of our nation. This photo is one of the many heartbreaking images that documents the cruel treatment that transpired at the US border this past year. It connects to the idea of race and space as it reflects how this country’s administration can often overlook the humanity of individuals, if they aren’t from the same “place” as them. This photo brings back the humanity to the situation, and emphasizes how at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where an individual is from when it comes to their safety and wellbeing – suffering is still suffering. If we don’t treat all individuals with the respect that American citizens are given, then we have really lost what fundamentally matters as a nation.

 

Source – The Washington Post – June 21, 2018. Photographer: Brendan Smialowski.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by GABRIELLA WATKIN.

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