Author: ryan.1724

Text Review

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The text that I decided to review is the Netflix series “All American”. This TV show is based on a true story about the NFL player Spencer Paysinger who must juggle two worlds. The main idea of the show is to not only show the high school drama but also the Black youth experience in America. The main character Spencer James represents this idea of being successful and proud of your background while also being discriminated against and judged. Both the main character Spencer James and his half-brother Jordan are seen as “Others” in certain situations due to their racial background.

 

One example from the show that sticks out to me the most is in the third episode of season one, both Spencer and Jordan are pulled over by a police officer In South Crenshaw for speeding. Spencer being from South Crenshaw, a more African American and underprivileged town, knew how to act towards the police officer since he knows the way that he is going to be treated because of his race. However, Jordan being from Beverly Hills began talking back to the police officer and did not realize how his race would affect the outcome of the situation.

 

The sad reality of this scene was that Jordan’s father Billy had never had a conversation with his son Jordan about facing the discrimination seen by some Police Officers as a black man. Although, he should not have to have this conversation with his son in the first place, African American men are discriminated against by Police officers because of their stereotype of being violent and dangerous. When the boys were pulled over Spencer informed Jordan to “keep his mouth shut and his hands visible at all times.” Another idea that was suggested in this scene was that Jordan and his dad never had to have “The Talk” since he had always lived in his Beverly Hills bubble. Since Spencer lives in South Crenshaw, his town is discriminated against even more since it is highly populated by African Americans. In the eyes of the police officers, both boys are seen the same since racism is the main equalizer in the African American community. We have seen in the United States the past couple years police brutality against African Americans has been highlighted on the news as well as in many forms of media.

 

 

George Floyd Case

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One result of systemic injustice that recently appeared in global news is the Murder or George Floyd. In May of 2020, a video of a Minneapolis police officer holding George Floyds neck with his knee, circulated the nation. Floyd was shown gasping for air, while the police officer continued to hold him down until eventually, he could not breath anymore.

After closer investigation of this case there was evidence that showed that Mr. Floyd has fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system as well as underlying health conditions. Nevertheless, the police officers’ actions ended up murdering Mr. Floyd. The acts of this police officer enraged African Americans across the country. This led to major protests and riots against police brutality and racism. This led to a renewed racial injustice movement: most commonly known as “Black Lives Matter”. There was a flood of African American outcry in politics, sports, art, culture, and media. This was the biggest movement since the Civil rights movement in 1960. The tragedy of George Floyds death not only led to equality movements but also shed a light on the systemic realities of African American life.

This can be considered systemic injustice since George Floyd not only was born African American but was also born right after the civil rights movement came to an end. As a result of this, he is seen as the poster child of Hegel’s “Master/ Slave” philosophy. Hegel’s philosophy states that people naturally hold power (masters) over the people they subjugate such as slaves. This creates a divide between the two different groups and how they understand themselves and each other. Throughout history African Americans have been discriminated against and even were segregated from Whites during a point in time. Watching the video of Mr. Floyd had a major impact on African Americans who may have had loved ones or even had first- hand experience of being victimized or singled out because of their race.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/george-floyd-america/systemic-racism/

Here this article explains how George Floyd was set up for being a victim of a systemic injustice as a result of his status.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

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One of the readings our class will be looking at this week is “Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”. This reading describes Martin Luther King’s point of view on the criticism that African Americans were receiving in response to their nonviolent protests. He expresses his concern for justice and idea about how the church should be helping the African Americans rather than just standing by. He feels that the church is just observing the discrimination and injustices meanwhile they should be more proactive in response to the civil rights movement.

The title of the letter is “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, which was written after he was arrested for protesting in Birmingham Alabama. These protests surrounding the discrimination of African Americans goes all the way back to the abolishment of slavery, or some may say even before that. After the thirteenth amendment passed in 1856, slavery in the south was abolished. Soon after, many abolitionists did not know where African Americans would end up in society Until slavery was abolished, they had been considered “property” of their plantation owners. Initially, the black codes were set in place which decided where African Americans would live and work. In addition to the black codes, the biggest case involving segregation came from the Plessy vs. Ferguson. This case decided African Americans were granted “separate but equal” rights. This caused them to have to live, go to the bathroom, go to school or even drink out of a water fountain that was different from whites. Consequently, the introduction of the civil rights movement as well as organization such as the NAACP began in response to the continued discrimination and segregation.

Just about 6 months later August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King delivers one of the most famous speeches in the history of America. Martin Luther King stood up in front of about 250,000 people at the March on Washington to express his ideas about how his dream that African Americans will be regarded equal to whites. He states, “I have a dream that one day right there in Alabama little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” His famous quote that was repeated in the speech and ultimately became the title of the speech is ‘I Have a Dream” in reference to the dreams he had for African Americans for the future. Along with this speech, the chant “We shall overcome” also expressed hope for equality in the future.

Martin Luther advanced the equal rights movement even while he was in jail. Today, much equality exists on the surface but in the past year we have seen that there is still prejudice against the African Americans in this country. Martin Luther King Jr, accomplished much in his lifetime as he is recognized for the start onset of this movement.

 

 

Works Cited:

 

History.com Editors. “’I Have a Dream’ Speech.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 30 Nov. 2017, www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/i-have-a-dream-speech.

History.com Editors. “’I Have a Dream’ Speech.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 30 Nov. 2017, www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement/i-have-a-dream-speech.

History.com Editors. “Segregation in the United States.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 28 Nov. 2018, www.history.com/topics/black-history/segregation-united-states.

Rothman, Lily. “Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail-Why He Was There.” Time, Time, 16 Apr. 2015, time.com/3773914/mlk-birmingham-jail/.