The elephant in the room

We don't always recognize racism we pretend as if its not there. Racism is often internalized by society. In class we discussed Peggy McIntosh and she expressed thoughts of why this happens in her article "White Privilege Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack"

Colonialism Today

Pirates in Somali? These so called pirates are citizens trying to keep protected what is theirs. They are trying to keep other big foreign fishers and ships out of their waters. These foreign fishermen tries to over power those in Somali and over fish in their waters leaving them little or nothing to have. Furthermore huge cruise ships come in a pollute their waters with waste from the ships. This causes a grave health issues such as diseases for them so they decided to defend their waters. Because of this they are known as Pirates.  

It seems most people in Somalia see piracy as either a necessary act of defense (Volunteer Coast Guard) or as a way to make a living by charging a “tax”

Racism Today

Browsing on facebook one day I came across something VERY interesting that proved that racism still exists today. 

A 50-something year old white woman arrived at her seat on a crowded flight and immediately didn't want the seat. The seat was next to a black man. Disgusted, the woman immediately summoned the flight attendant and demanded a new seat. The woman said “I cannot sit here next to this black man.” The fight attendant said “Let me see if I can find another seat.” After checking, the flight attendant returned and stated “Ma’am, there are no more seats in economy, but I will check with the captain and see if there is something in first class.” About 10 minutes went by and the flight attendant returned and stated “The captain has confirmed that there are no more seats in economy, but there is one in first class. It is our company policy to never move a person from economy to first class, but being that it would be some sort of scandal to force a person to sit next to an UNPLEASANT person, the captain agreed to make the switch to first class.” Before the woman could say anything, the attendant gestured to the black man and said, “Therefore sir, if you would so kindly retrieve your personal items, we would like to move you to the comfort of first class as the captain doesn't want you to sit next to an unpleasant person.” Passengers in the seats nearby began to applause while some gave a standing ovation.

In my opinion this is ridiculous. A simple plane ride next to a black guy was an issue for the woman. What the captain did was the right thing. If he allowed the woman to take the first class seat it would have made her think that she had the upper hand in the situation.

Racial Stereotypes

 This ad created racial stereotypes. The white guy sees to have everything under control while the black guy is surprise that such a meal is at a low cost. The stereotype here is that black guys love chicken and cheap food. The white guy seems fully aware of this and isn't as surprise or exited as the black guy. Black males are seen more likely to like chicken more than the next guy. This is seen as racial stereotyping. The black guy was given a voice with a high pitch and a southern accent because of the Southern Blacks who are racialized most. While the white guy speaks properly and well educated. There dress code also says a lot. This reminded me of Winant's definition of race, which is an idea, practice, identity and social structure. Race is constructed. Because of society and the social structure we racialize others experiences. The blacks are seen as less fortunate than the whites so in this case a good deal on a burger and fries is exactly a black guys dream come true.  

Racial Segregation

I watched the full movie "Prom Night in Mississippi" and it was a very interesting film. Morgan Freeman offered to pay for the senior prom at Charleston High School in Mississippi under one condition: the prom had to be racially integrated. His offer was ignored. In 2008, Freeman offered again. This time the school board accepted, and history was made. Morgan Freeman created the opportunity for Charleston High School first ever integrated prom. Racism was a very common issue for the small town. The parents were unhappy about the idea of white kids mix and mingling with the blacks. On the other hand it was the complete opposite with the students. White students were friends with black students and black students had no problems with the white students, they were all friends. The white students were placed in a very awkward position in choosing which prom to attend. They wanted to obey their parents but also wanted to have a prom together with their black friends. Although the student's parents had a racism problem both white and black students tried not to go down that same road. They wanted united and peace. This related to our class about Racial Segregation in the U.S. We looked at maps of racial and ethnic divisions in U.S cities. According to Mills, the most common way to address racial inequalities is by ignoring race altogether. “Just as the white citizenry increasingly insist that the surest way of bringing about a race-less society is to ignore race and that those (largely people of colour) who still claim to see race are themselves the real racists” (p.1385). Schools in the U.S. are now more racially segregated than before the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision that legally desegregated schools. Residential segregation in big cities with large black populations is virtually unchanged. 

Toronto's 1st Africentric school set to open

'Black learners in Canada' by Rosalind Hampton  

This article examines the concern and desire for Africentric public schools, particularly in Montreal, Canada. This movement generated a great level of controversy. The author argues that a community based educational program for Black youth would be a great idea. Black youths would gain significantly because it would allow them to root their learning more closely in the life experiences and needs of their community. These Africentric schools were seen as opportunities given to students to participate in inclusive and ethno-culturally- centered learning environments. Black youths will be encouraged to learn more about their life experiences and provide them with new ways of understanding and responding to the world around them. This can be seen as a positive development for their community. It will also allow knowledge and reality of education that responds to the crisis in the public school systems.  

Senegalse Tirailleur around 1920. This image related to one of Goldberg's conceptual themes, The Third World.

Kwame Ture on the Importance of Pan Africanism Part 1 

This reminded me of a class we discussed Howard Winant's pragmatist approach whereas race is constructed. Race and racism being linked to the rise of European Imperialism. Winant explains that racism is a social action that produces inequality. 

Frantz Fanon, Black Skin White Masks

Racial epidermal schema 

In his book Black Skin, White Masks, Frantz Fanon mixes clinical data, literary allusions and personal reflections to explain the feelings of dependency and inadequacy that Black people experience in a White world. He looks at personal experiences and our affect as explanations for social phenomena. We discussed Fanon in class to the  In chapter five he discusses 'The Fact of Blackness'.Through a re-telling of his own experiences of racism, Fanon is able to show how a black person in a racialized context eventually internalizes the ‘white gaze’. The chapter starts of with ""Dirty nigger!" Or simply, "Look, a Negro!" I came into the world imbued with the will to find a meaning in things, my spirit filled with the desire to attain to the source of the world , and then I found that I was an object in the midst of other objects." Here he explains how he moves through time trying to be modern. The statement 'object in the midst of other objects' is how he describes himself in the world. "But just as I reached the other side, I stumbled, and the movements, the attitudes, the glances of the other fixed me there.." Fanon describes the obstacles he then encountered while trying not to be just seen as black. He was stuck in the past. Typecasting and stereotyping came into play which made it visible that he belonged in a certain space. The behavior, Fanon argues, is even more evident in upwardly mobile and educated Black people who can afford to acquire status symbols. Black was seen as a social advantage and some how removed from the social environment. "Black in relation to the white man" , explains this is a way of organizing knowledge ,being marked racially. Fanon humanness was replaced by his skin color. Throughout history it is different how the body is seen in a space.Fanon highlights both the historical contingency of ‘blackness’ and the ways in which the oppressed can re-narrate their subjectivities. Fanon uses the phase "racial epidermal schema" which is the racialization of someone because of skin or speech. Fanon uses his schemata to explain the creation, maintenance, and eventual rigidification of white-scripted ‘blackness’. Fanon left out of place and saw himself in the third person. He didn't felt as though he belonged.