Source: https://www.sandiego.edu/events/detail.php?_focus=73026

There There is a modern-day novel about the lives of those we typically do not hear about in the media: urban Native Americans. Tommy Orange, the author, is enrolled in the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes in Oklahoma. Set primarily in Oakland, California, There There talks about the intertwining lives of urban Native Americans leading up to a powwow. Set up in chapters from individual perspectives, readers are drawn into the lives of characters including Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield, a woman who spent part of her childhood on Alcatraz when it was occupied by Native American activists in 1969. This novel talks about the complex, contemporary life experienced by individuals while emphasizing why culture is so important.

Orange’s writing style reminded me of Jamaica Kincaid’s in A Small Place. His tone is frank and almost angry at times. Although it is written from the perspective of his characters and not first person, Orange is able to get his point across directly to the reader. In A Small Place, Kincaid discussed how tourism can perpetuate colonialism, specifically on the island of Antigua. She writes that travelers consume the locals and their environment for their own pleasure, not thinking critically about those living there. There There takes this idea of “inappropriate consumption” and applies to how people understand Native Americans and their culture, often using their dress for Halloween costumes and sports teams, among other things. This novel also deals with negotiating identities and how structures of power affect marginalized people, similar to our discussions over The Leavers. In There There, many of the characters explicitly discuss how their culture and lifestyle has been forgotten, sometimes even within their families. One storyline in There There involves Blue, an indigenous woman adopted by white parents, who attends the powwow for the sole purpose of connecting to her heritage.

In my opinion, this novel was written to give a voice to urban Native Americans. Orange is able to convey the importance of their traditions and how much of it has already been lost. He writes about the struggles of finding where to fit in between “two worlds”, and how indigenous peoples are still affected by systemic injustices and power structures today. Instead of the historic, often negative stereotypes of Natives often seen in literature, Orange takes away “the danger of a single story” by conveying a wide range of storylines. I really recommend reading this novel!

Source: ‘Writing out of a loneliness,’ novelist explores the range of native experiences

This year, the effects of the coronavirus have significantly impacted (and continue to impact) many lives. However, these effects have not been felt equally by all communities. COVID-19 has been disproportionately affecting communities of color throughout the United States. This can be seen in Columbus in addition to elsewhere throughout the United States, both in rural and urban settings. These communities have been hit on a much more extreme scale, with hospitalization cases being up to 5.3x higher in American Indian or Alaska Native, Non-Hispanic groups. This is due to a variety of factors, including discrimination, minimal access to healthcare, and wealth gaps.

While it is easy to see COVID-19’s widespread impact, its disproportionate effects on communities of color exhibit systemic racism. This issue is systemic because the reasoning behind the disproportionate effects goes further back than COVID-19. Historically, these communities of color have been barred from equal access to healthcare. There are many factors contributing to the inequality faced by these communities. According to the CDC, people from racial and minority groups are more likely to have essential jobs, in which even being at work puts them in close contact with larger groups of people. This, in addition to limited access to healthcare, puts communities of color at greater risk of contracting the virus and not having the resources to potentially recover from it. Another reason detailing how these statistics are an example of systemic racism is clearly explained by the CDC. They include that communities of color are less likely to seek care if sick because of government distrust.

This can correlate to class through the concept and discussion of the Other, when groups are treated differently and sometimes inferiorly by others simply because they are not similar. COVID-19’s unequal impact on communities of color is an example of systemic racism because it involves a variety of factors (healthcare, socioeconomic status, etc.), in which the treatment of these groups of people now seems to be “normal” or unsurprising in today’s society. To right this situation, society must acknowledge this disparity and fight for action or social programs to support these communities. Specifically, the effects of the coronavirus must be documented in order to combat this systemic injustice, in addition to the disease.

The video above, from CBS This Morning in April, highlights the importance of understanding and documenting the racial disparities of COVID-19.

This video from USA Today gives a closer look into the disproportionate effects of COVID-19. It extends the discussion to include the effects on undocumented immigration in the United States, whose statistics are not clear due to fear of being deported. Due to the current administration and the systemic injustices these people have faced, many are scared to seek medical help if contracting COVID-19.

SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/investigations-discovery/hospitalization-death-by-race-ethnicity.html

This graph from the CDC explicitly shows the rate ratios of COVID-19 cases, hospitalization, and deaths experienced by different communities. The disproportionality is clear.

John Lewis and the Selma to Montgomery Marches: 1965

One of our readings this week was March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. March, a graphic novel, tells the story of Congressman John Lewis from his childhood to his role within the civil rights movement. The first page shows the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the site of one of Lewis’ protests fighting African American voter discrimination. As the novel depicts, the nonviolent march was met with violence from the Alabama State Troopers.

First Selma march: Bloody Sunday

Citation: http://www.oprah.com/own-master-class/rep-john-lewis-firsthand-account-of-surviving-bloody-sunday

In March of 1965, Lewis and 600 others attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery, protesting voter discrimination against African Americans. Voter discrimination included unfair literacy tests, poll taxes, and finding a registered voter that was “willing to say they were good people and would make fine voters” (Schons).  When the protestors reached the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were told to return to their houses or church. The marchers, however, did not disperse and were quickly met with violence. The police used clubs, tear gas, and other weapons. John Lewis suffered a fractured skull from being beaten (Schons).

In response, Lewis said, “I don’t see how President Johnson can send troops to Vietnam—I don’t see how he can send troops to the Congo—I don’t see how he can send troops to Africa and can’t send troops to Selma” (The King Institute). The violence during the march sparked national outrage, and Martin Luther King Jr. soon spoke out about it. Two days later, Dr. King led over 2,000 protestors on the same march to the Edmund Pettus Bridge and prayed at the site before returning to Selma (The King Institute).

President Johnson’s March 15, 1965 Voting Rights Speech to Congress (CSPAN):

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, aiming to remove voting barriers for African Americans, was signed into law by President Johnson on August 6, 1965 (History).

Congressman John Lewis

Citation: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/john-lewis-congressman-civil-rights-icon-dies-80/story?id=68033988

Congressman John Lewis passed away on July 17, 2020 at the age of 80. For the past two decades, he had continued to lead a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, reminding all of the challenges that African Americans faced and continue to face today (Trent).

Citations

History.com Editors. Voting Rights Act of 1965. 9 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/black-history/voting-rights-act.

Schons, Mary. The Selma-to-Montgomery Marches. 15 Oct. 2012, www.nationalgeographic.org/article/selma-montgomery-marches-and-1965-voting-rights-act/.

Selma to Montgomery March. 27 June 2018, kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/selma-montgomery-march.

Trent, Sydney. “John Lewis Nearly Died on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Now It May Be Renamed for Him.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 30 July 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/07/26/john-lewis-bloody-sunday-edmund-pettus-bridge/.

“1965 Selma to Montgomery March Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 2 Mar. 2020, www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/us/1965-selma-to-montgomery-march-fast-facts/index.html.