Underground, directed and produced by Misha Green, is a TV series that emulates the struggle for freedom black people faced in a country on the brink of a Civil War. This series takes place in Antebellum, Georgia in the late 1800s, where having a slave was considered a white man’s reward. Noah, Rosalee, and Cato are three runaway slaves who are on a mission to seek freedom from their owners. They embark on a treacherous and excruciatingly painful journey to find free territory. Misha Green focused this series not only on slaves, but on the plantation owners, the slave hunters, and most importantly the rare individuals who had goals of protecting and freeing slaves. This tactic and way of storytelling, was very similar to de Beauvoir’s description and theory of the Other. Beauvoir focused her writing and prompts on the idea that someone is always going to hold a higher position than someone else, in this case the slaves versus the masters. The slaves will always be seen as the minority and are considered less than and of no power compared to the white characters. This series displayed clear racism, discrimination, and prejudice to black people in the most hateful way possible, and the struggle for identity and power that these characters faced was heartbreaking.

The fight for power in this series is beyond noticeable, as almost every scene displays the white man’s battle for more money and stature. Plantation owner’s bidding on the most well-rounded slave, full-on fights over who has enough money to win the “prized virgin.” Meanwhile, every black person in this film struggled to claim their own identity. In a specific scene, a young boy named Ben, who was the son of a slave hunter, told Rosalee (the runaway slave), “ I know your name I read it on your slave papers” and she scolded him by saying “ I am not just a name or a price tag, I am a human being worth much more than the 5,000 dollars a white man paid for me.” Rosalee battles this entire series with what she called “ two different faces,” a face for the white men and her own face. The fact that this was something she was taught to stay safe and away from torture is repulsing. She could never be herself because in everyone’s eyes she was nothing but property with no rights, and no voice.

This series has a strong connection to de Beauvoir’s theory of the Other. Through the prominent oppression and racism that takes place in this novel, the black woman and men could be considered the Otherness. They are tortured, beaten, and viewed as nothing but a dollar sign. The slave owners, the plantation owners, and any person who has white skin in this film would be considered the One. They were viewed as superior and the dominant race, describing the owning slaves as a reward to cleanse society and make a profit. I think the main intention of the producer was to emulate the clear racism and injustices that took place in the late 1800s. She wanted the viewers to feel the pain and understand the history of slavery and the cruelty that took place. Green wanted to instill in the viewers a feeling of empathy and hurt when viewing the treatment of the black community during times of slavery. We live in a world now where prejudice, racism, and injustice are still a current topic and issue and I think watching this film makes someone like me angry and hopeful that the black community can be treated equally. It is about time for a change.

Diary of Systematic Injustices Showcase

Earlier this week, I was enlightened by a systematic injustice that was taking place at the restaurant I worked at. I have been working at Smokey’s Restaurant in Vernon, New Jersey for approximately 4 years, and never once did I question to legality of the workers in the kitchen until the other day a conversation came about. My coworker Henry has been at this restaurant longer than I have, he is about 45 years old and one of the hardest workers I have ever seen. I was taken back when he mentioned to me the hours he had been working for all of these years. He began to explain to me that he began his mornings at 4:00am and did not leave the restaurant until 11:00pm and sometimes even later. Like any parent, Henry would do absolutely anything to provide a meal and a home for his family, illegally in the states or not it is not right to expect this out of a human. I myself being a waitress usually only work morning shifts which are 6 hour shifts, and the idea that someone is being forced to work a 20-hour shift for below minimum wage is sickening, and is something that needs to be fixed.

Undocumented workers, have been forced to work these insane hours in order to provide for their families. Not only are they working double a legal worker, but they are illegally making below minimum wage and physically exhausting themselves in order to survive. It is inhumane to expect a human being to work these hours daily, and even more cruel to not pay them equally, and what they deserve. This video on YouTube, of a girl name Viviana who described her life here in America as an undocumented worker describes the struggle she went through to find a job to provide for a family, and more importantly she goes into detail on the hours she was expected to perform. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQO09s_LcUE

This is an injustice in the system that is detrimental to human health and is blatantly disrespectful. The system itself needs to change its ways, and give opportunity to those “aliens” residing in this country. Either the system as a whole need to make it easier and more acceptable for immigrants to come to this country, or the system needs to stop overworking these people for below minimum wage. Henry has every right as a HUMAN to make equal wage in the United States, he works harder than I do and he performs for hours on end with no break. I read an article from the Washington Post about an immigrant who was told he was going to “work like a donkey, and was grateful,” and the fact that these people are grateful for a penny’s worth of money is nauseating. The article is attached below.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/11/they-said-i-was-going-to-work-like-a-donkey-i-was-grateful/

Not being paid equally, and being given inhumane working hours is an example of a systematic injustice, because these people are being taken advantage of. These people’s immigration status is being used to a lot of companies benefit, because many immigrants fear being tossed out of the country. Companies are providing minimal money and overexertion to these undocumented workers and this injustice needs to be addressed. A lot of these experiences I have read about and personally encountered remind me a lot of The Leavers, and Polly’s experience as a Chinese immigrant. Polly moved to New York in hopes of a better life, and after learning she is too late in her pregnancy for an abortion she has her son Deming Cho. Later on, in the novel, Polly is taken by the immigration authorizes and is eventually deported. This situation reminds me of the hardships undocumented workers face, with their constant fear of being sent back. Nobody should live in this fear of constantly checking over their shoulder for ICE, the system needs to change and I hope my friend Henry can soon provide for his family without being taken advantage of.

Igbo Religious Traditions

Ryleigh Winstock

The Igbo people, also known as Ibo, are an ethnic group that inhabits south-central and south-eastern Nigeria and some parts of Equatorial Guinea. The Ibo people are known to speak a distinctive language known as Igbo. Igbo is a language originating off of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family (Brittanica, 1), and is the principal native language of the Ibo people. Igbo people are unique for not only their language but also for their traditional religious beliefs and values. Ibo culture is a sublime heritage, where the act of marriage is a sacred celebration to the Igbo people, where tradition must reside.

Before European colonization, the people of Ibo culture did not live in unison but they lived in self-governing environments. It wasn’t until the mid 20th century that the people involved in this multi-ethnic group developed a strong passion for their culture and began to live and practice collectively as one (Brittanica, 2). The Igbo culture is respected and praised widely because of their eccentric style, art, cuisine, but their religious beliefs are what draws the most attention to them.

The Igbo people express a variety of religious traditions, most of which are accustom to traditional African culture. They believe in one creator, called ‘Chineke’ or ‘Chukwu’, which translates to “God who creates(Bear,1).” Traditional Igbo religion has many similarities to modern-day Christianity, which is why many Ibo people have adjusted and are now practicing Christians. With the similarities being the belief in one god, the belief in a divine affinity with our ancestors, and other important values. It is the tradition of holy matrimony that many people praise and respect.

Marriage under the Igbo tradition does not just involve a husband and a wife, but this ceremony is an all-inclusive venue of extended family. The process of getting married as an Igbo person first and foremost involves the groom asking his potential partner to marry him (Adeboyejo, 2). Which is a pretty common thing to do as the first step of matrimony. Secondly, the groom gets permission and a blessing from the bride’s father, which is not out of the ordinary. Most people tend to ask permission before proposing, that is at least in America. Following this conversation, a celebration is had where the father welcomes the guests, and invites his daughter and asks for her confirmation that she is accepting of the proposal. After this acceptance, the fathers of both the bride and groom continue to negotiate a price for the bride, also known as (Ika-Akalika) (Igbo, 2). Now, this settlement is not simply referring to a money price for the bride, but assets, food, wine, chicken, etc. can be included in the payment. (Widjaja,3). This entire process typically lasts for a few days before a settlement is reached, but once an agreement is put into place a traditional ceremony is held.

In the novel, Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe, the main protagonist Okonkwo who was a leader of the Igbo community, practiced this religion and praised it with all he had. Marriage into an Igbo family comes with many different customs and traditions, and because of how sacred this matrimony is, when Okonkwo accused his wife of negligence and abused her during the Week of Peace he lost respect from the whole community. Tradition and respect are a huge part of the Igbo religion, and when Okonkwo deliberately defies all the values that Ibo people rely upon he destroys his relationship with many. The culture of the Igbo people is enticing, Chinua Achebe does an incredible job displaying the traditions and expectations of a man in Igbo culture. Marriage is a sacrifice and the people of Igbo religion are loyal and commend the values surrounding the culture.

Works Cited:

Adeboyejo, Adejoke. “An Introduction to Nigeria’s Igbo People.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 22 May 2018, theculturetrip.com/africa/nigeria/articles/an-introduction-to-nigerias-igbo-people/.

Bear, Ulli. “.” World Eras. . Encyclopedia.com. 11 Aug. 2020 .” Encyclopedia.com, Encyclopedia.com, 16 Sept. 2020, www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/deities-igbo-religion.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Igbo.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 22 May 2020, www.britannica.com/topic/Igbo.

“Igbo – Art & Life in Africa – The University of Iowa Museum of Art.” Art & Life in Africa – The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art, africa.uima.uiowa.edu/peoples/show/Igbo.

Widjaja, Michael. “Igbo Family Ceremonies and Traditions.” Igboguide.org, www.igboguide.org/HT-chapter11.htm.

Image of a traditional wedding ceremony Igbo Style