[TYRAH SAUER]

Hip hop grew from America’s war on drugs in the 20th century. Many artists used this genre to speak out against the oppression held again the black community, and often incorporated their feelings into their music. One well known artist who did this was KRS one and his song “sound of the police.” He used this song to speak out against the growing incarceration of black people, and how non violent crimes were taken advantage of to lock away their community. In this song, he speaks out against this form of oppression, and explains the effect it has caused on how the community now views law enforcement.

 

This image age was a screen shot of “sound of the police” from KRS one from 1993

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[TYRAH SAUER]

In this weeks theme of white space, I chose an image picturing Mrs. Pat Brown. Recently, she created a group called “White Women Yoga” for women of white background to meetup and have their own group excluded of other races. This group was created in retaliation of other race only groups, specifically targeting another yoga group called “yoga is 4 black girls”. Facing immediate backlash, Mrs. Brown defends herself by saying that she was tired of the exclusion of white people from other race groups, and wanted to create a white only group to show how these groups signified more segregation. Pat lives in Bowie, a large black community that is made up of 56% black people and 36% white. She has a black husband, and 2 biracial kids and an adopted black son. She uses them, and many of her other non-white friends, to defend her position. What pat does not understand is the significance of why these race-only groups were created. Although from a white position it may seem segregated and exclusive, these black groups are providing more security to black communities, acting as safe spaces. By being within their own race, Black persons participating in these groups are protected from the racism and oppression they experience from other races. While White Americans also experience racism, it is not to the extent that other races face in America, and thus don’t need safe spaces for them. Mrs. Pat Brown doesn’t understand this yet, but hopefully her community teaches her why it’s not necessary for white safe spaces to exist currently in America.

picture from February 26. 2019

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/local/social-issues/white-womens-yoga-how-a-meetup-experiment-exploded-on-the-internet/2019/02/25/07fc2d80-3452-11e9-a400-e481bf264fdc_story.html

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[TYRAH SAUER]

During the Jim Crow era there were many laws implemented to further the divide between African Americans and white people. One might think that national parks would be excluded from this segregation, but in fact they were as much as a part. Culturally, white people have been known to visit national parks more often than African Americans. This is because of the exclusion in America’s history that disabled African Americans from visiting these parks. In the picture seen, there is a sign representing the picnic areas that only African Americans could sit at.

 

Photo: 1900s, https://www.nps.gov/shen/learn/historyculture/segregation.htm

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[TYRAH SAUER]

In regards to this weeks theme about incarceration, I’ve found a image displaying facts about marijuana arrests among black, Hispanic, and white people. I believe that the true issue in influx of minorities being incarcerated lies not within the prisons themselves, but the courts. The war on drugs has turned from keeping a drug free society into an excuse to lock up Black people for minor offenses. Coming from California, where marijuana is now legalized, it’s hard to fathom that some people are still serving sentences for just carrying. Looking even closer, it’s obvious to see that most of those incarcerated for this offense are Black.  Only 2% of white people and 9% of Hispanic are convicted in comparison to 89% of black people, despite usage being equal among all backgrounds. In fact, this hasn’t been a recent issue. Head of the DEA in 1930-60s Harry Anslinger has made multiple comments proving this institutionalized racism, including that marijuana will make white women “want to seek sexual relations with negroes”. It’s hard to look past this apparent issue with marijuana becoming less taboo for a majority of our society, but yet a ticket to incarceration for Black people.

Picture: January 2018 by Ben Zalatan

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[TYRAH SAUER]

In regards to school resided segregation, a 1st grade African American boy, Jonathan brown, was recently subjected to an in-school suspension for not following Spring Valley Elementary School’s dress code policy.  This policy states that no male student may have his hair longer than the bottom of his ears. When his mother sent him to school after winter break with dreadlocks, he was quickly sent home with the paper pictured below highlighting the dress code. This policy can be problematic to those of religious or cultural background that desire longer hair or the inability to cut it at all. The school released a statement after the mother publicized this issue outlining any conflicts with this policy, explaining  “Any parent may submit documentation to the campus administration requesting a possible exemption to the dress-and-grooming standards for a sincerely held religious belief. These letters are reviewed carefully by campus administration and determined on a case-by-case basis.” Although it does not guarantee it, the school does give exemption to this with religious beliefs. However, just like Jonathan encountered, this statement does not pertain to those of cultural backgrounds. Dreadlocks take a large part of history in multiple cultures and dates all the way back to 2500 b.c. Having no effect on Jonathan’s ability in school or any of the other children, this policy can be seen as discriminatory against black culture in America.

Photo taken Jan 4th, 2019 from @Books_roger

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[TYRAH SAUER]

Black suffrage was legalized by the 15th amendment in the 1870s. However, despite the amendment, this right was disenfranchised to African Americans through systematic racism. This was implemented through literacy tests throughout the Jim Crow era. This racist tactic was formally implemented in the 1890s to exclude African Americans from one of the most basic rights, despite its legalization. Unable to attain the same education as white Americans, African Americans would not be able to pass these literacy tests forced upon them, removing them from the democratic process in which the US government runs. The use of literacy tests was challenged in court in 1959 in Lassiter vs. Northampton County Board of Elections, but was not concluded to be a violation of the 15th amendment. Instead, it wasn’t until 1970 when the Voting Rights act was amended to ban literacy tests throughout the country. These tests were just one of the many ways society has excluded people of color to participate in a predominantly white country.

Attached below is a political cartoon from 1879 on the use of these tests to criticize the uneducated white superiorizing themselves from people of color

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[TYRAH SAUER]

Despite the illegalization of laws that directly implemented racist tactics to fuel segregation, a clear line between races is still very much apparent today. The image attached is a graph the the white to black student ratios in various high school with one specifically standing out as the most segregated: Peoria county. Peoria county experiences a situation called white flight. Dunlap Hugh school has a student population of over 1,300, with  2/3rds of the population being white and only 7% being black. However, most of the students don’t reside in Dunlap, but instead they come from Peoria. Taking a look at Peoria’s own school district, the schools are highly problematic, with only 36% of the student graduates ready to do college in work in comparison to Dunlaps 79%. Peoria also has a low income rate of 70% and the student body contains mostly black students. This situation that is occurring is called white flight. Higher income families, which are mostly of white race, are able to use their wealth to escape these inadequate inner city school conditions of Peoria and move to Dunlap. However, many low income families, which are mainly minorities, are unable to move and are forced to stay within the Peoria district. This white flight that occurs is furthering the segregation between whites and other minorities, showing how segregation not only occurs within neighborhoods, but also school districts.

 

Image is from 2015-2016 http://www.governing.com/topics/education/gov-segregation-schools.html

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[TYRAH SAUER]

In correspondence to this weeks theme, I’ve chosen a one of the many picture that result from a google search of ‘suburb family’. The reason why I chose this is because of the lack of diversity that results from this search. Upon the images that appear, rarely any of them contain people of color. This is because the opportunity to live in these areas are excluded from many families because of their race, and although many laws have been removed that directly discriminate against non-white people from buying property, the impact it created still lasts. This is because many families of color have been forced into low wealth incomes, unable to take out loans to move into better housing. Although white families who live in these suburbs don’t have the intent of racism, they are contributing a part in this quiet self-segregating society

 

image is taken from October 13, 2011

A Tale of Two Suburbs – The concept of suburb lifecycles and how it can help us forecast possible futures

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