Posts

Refugee Resettlement 

Immigration is a topic widely discussed in today’s society especially with changing policies and it can almost always be seen in breaking headlines. A more recent tragic headline related to immgration is how the ongoing battle in the middle east between Afghanistan and America came to an end. Since then a large portion of Afghan civilians are trying to escape the country but only a few thousands were offered asylum to come to the U.S. Many are coming with no belongings to start a new life here in America. Many people are welcoming and supportive about the idea of thousands of new immigrants resettling here but there are still those that argue it’s very dangerous to let them in. Their main argument is racist because they believe that these individuals are not coming to this country to better their life but they have other motives related to acts of terrrisom. This is an example of how immigrants are constantly being told they’re unwelcomed because of the one story narrative. In society you can see how people love to tell a single story about immigrants regardless of what country they come from. Adichie talked about the danger of a single story and how such stories are very harmful and can affect people’s perspective. These narratives wouldn’t exist if people took the time to do personal research to educate themselves about topics related to immigration or hearing stories first hand. 

Mistreatment at the U.S Borders

One main concern when it comes to immigration in the U.S is how undocumented individuals are constantly mistreated. In 2018, Trump enforced a policy called “Zero Tolerance” at the U.S borders where immigrants who tried to enter the U.S through an untraditional route were arrested. This included all people of all ages including families and children. During the time of arrest, a large number of children were forcefully taken away from their parents and held in facilities in what looked like cages. It wasn’t until news outlets were able to capture pictures of the situation and children behind fences is when the issue came to light. They also were able to show how people were being treated unlawfully. Trump immediately ended the policy and ensured to not separate families anymore. It’s so sad to hear that the administration didn’t think for once that what they were doing wasn’t right and the only reason they stopped doing this was because they were called out for their actions. It makes you question how people are treated when cameras aren’t there to capture such situations. What’s more heartbreaking about this situation is how children who were taken from their parents have yet to reunite with them. It’s been documented that around 3,913 children were involved in this case but only a small portion of this number of children were able to meet their families again. There’s still 391 children whose parents have yet to be found. The current administration is working to help these children reconnect with their parents. This is one of many cases where U.S Borders Control has acted unlawfully towards immigrants fleeing their country to seek a better life in America. These individuals deserve justice for not only being treated this way but how they have inflicted trauma to children by separating them from their families. 

Ways People Have Helped Immigrants 

There are many ways people have shown support for immigrants coming to America. This can be seen when it was announced that immigrants from Afghanistan were coming to the U.S some companies offered to help. Airbnb hosts around the world and in the states were willing to provide housing for thousands of Afghan refugees to stay. Transportation companies like Uber and Lyft have also provided their services to help Afghan refugees get rides. It’s also been reported that different organizations are stepping up and are willing to find ways they can support new settlers. It’s refreshing to see how people have come together to help and support in different ways. There are many ways people can support immigrants such as donating to organizations that help targets in aiding individuals resettle.

Immigration

Immigration has long remained a hot topic issue, from the political stage to classroom debates. Solutions ranging from an open border to constructing a wall have been proposed, but through heated disputes, the fact that real living people have become talking points often goes overlooked. The issue of xenophobia is in desperate need of a new approach, one that analyzes anti-immigrant rhetoric before addressing it.

CAUSATION

Reasons for immigration vary by age and demographic. Many Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants seek the “American Dream,” moving to the United States in hopes of providing their children with opportunities they never had. Higher standard of living and improved employment opportunities allow these people to accumulate wealth to pass down to their children. For other Middle Eastern and Latin American people, immigration poses itself as the only option. Political corruption, war, and religious persecution drive citizens out of their home countries, leaving them in need of refuge and financial security that the US offers. Other factors like natural disasters, family reunification, and higher education are common reasons for immigration as well. 

THE TOUGH PROCESS + DACA

Although the promise of entrance into the US is often the difference between life or death for many, immigration is a rare prize afforded to only a lucky few. In 2019, approximately 70% of immigration applications were denied. The process of US citizenship is notoriously rigorous, featuring a lengthy and difficult citizenship test. When applicants are often still learning English, this test becomes a barrier to citizenship, rather than a path to it. Ever-changing domestic policy and government leadership change immigration practices frequently. In September of 2017, former President Trump terminated the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). DACA actively protects about 800,000 people under the age of 31 who immigrated to the US unlawfully under the age of 16. When news of DACA’s termination spread, thousands of college students who relied on DACA’s protection panicked, in fear of losing their education and citizenship. Immigrating at such a young age, these people knew the US as their home over their birth country. 

ANTI-IMMIGRANT RHETORIC

Today, the US is rife with anti-immigrant rhetoric. Whether it’s a fear of losing jobs to foreigners or the pure entitled belief that this country belongs to them and them only, Americans have frequently expressed their desire for closed borders. When immigrants enter this country, lawfully or unlawfully, violent and racist encounters ensue. In March of 2017, Sikh American Deep Rai was told to go back to his country and shot at by a masked man. In my own hometown of Dublin, Ohio, Indian families living in a local apartment complex were harrassed under claims that they were stealing IT jobs. Regardless of race, age, and citizenship status, immigrants are repeatedly and violently cast off as outsiders. 

SELF VS. OTHER + IMPLICIT BIAS

This deep-rooted enmity and exclusion stems from the concept of “us” versus “them”. Americans holding xenophobic beliefs label immigrants as the “other”, painting immigrants as different and even less than individuals born in America. The creation of labels that separate people based solely on their form of citizenship prioritizes differences over similarities, and convinces Americans born here that their economy, society, and country are better off without new additions. Simone de Beauvoir’s concept of the “self” and the “other” specifically in the context of immigrants can be seen in many of the works we have read. The first being, Perspolis, where when Marji travels to Austria, she was painted as the ‘other’ for being an Iranian woman. Within The Leavers, Deming is seen as an ‘other’ for being Chinese- American. 

What truly makes xenophobia an injustice is the fact that immigrants are viewed as stealing jobs and bringing in drugs and crime, making immigrants appear as if they only ruin our country. In reality, America was built by immigrants, making continued discrimination against them an injustice that is especially disheartening. Bringing new skills, languages, and cultures into the country should be treated as a gift, not a crime. For example, within The Leavers, China-town is a perfect example of all the culture, the delicious food, beautiful stationary and clothing. 

This injustice is structural, ingrained in America’s culture and history, visible through the terminology we use when discussing immigration. Immigrants who entered the country unlawfully are often coined “aliens”, an incredibly dehumanizing term that dismisses the underlying reasons people immigrate unlawfully. When these people are criminalized for skipping the citizenship procedures, yet the citizenship procedures remain unreformed, America traps immigrants in an unrelenting process. Immigration has continually been a hot-topic within this nation and this concludes the wrap of Yo, is this racist… Immigration edition. 

References: 

Refugees International. The Trump Zero Tolerance Policy: A Cruel Approach with Humane and Viable Alternatives. 2019 Sep 11. https://www.refugeesinternational.org/reports/2018/7/31/trump-zero-tolerance-policy

Miroff N. ‘Kids in cages’: It’s true that Obama built the cages at the border. But Trump’s ‘zero tolerance’ immigration policy had no precedent. 2020 Oct 23. https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/kids-in-cages-debate-trump-obama/2020/10/23/8ff96f3c-1532-11eb-82af-864652063d61_story.html

Spagat E. US identifies 3,900 children separated at border under Trump. 2021 Jun 8. 

https://apnews.com/article/az-state-wire-donald-trump-immigration-lifestyle-government-and-politics-54e2e5bbff270019d8bda3c81161c7c7

Beitsch MCand R. Republicans criticizing Afghan refugees face risks. 2021 Sep 26. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/573927-republicans-criticizing-afghan-refugees-face-risks?rl=1

Board E. Opinion | Afghan refugees will know indifference, bigotry – and also kindness – in America. They will also make it better. 2021 Aug 31. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/08/31/afghan-refugees-will-know-indifference-bigotry-also-kindness-america-they-will-also-make-it-better/

Carless W. The Hate Report: ‘Go back to your own country’ becomes anthem of hate. 2017 Aug 15. https://revealnews.org/blog/the-hate-report-go-back-to-your-own-country-becomes-anthem-of-hate/

DACA and DREAMER Resource Page. 2020 Aug 6. https://justiceforimmigrants.org/what-we-are-working-on/immigration/daca-resource-page/

Romo V, Stewart M, Naylor B. Trump Ends DACA, Calls On Congress To Act. 2017 Sep 5 [accessed 2021 Nov 16]. https://www.npr.org/2017/09/05/546423550/trump-signals-end-to-daca-calls-on-congress-to-act

https://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/588/

Yo, is the Pink Tax Sexist? by Lauren Pokonosky

Podcast Script

George Floyd and now-former Officer Derek Chauvin

A famous late night TV show host, Tara Timsina had two well-known experts Matt Zassick and Jayant Singhal on his TV show to talk about African American Rights and Systemic Injustices. The whole transcript of the show is provided below:

Tara: Good Morning Everyone, I am your late night host Tara, and today I have two experts, Dr. Jayant Singhal and Dr. Matt Zassick with me to discuss African American Rights and Systemic Injustices. Now I’ll give them both a moment to introduce themselves. 

Jayant: Hello Good Morning Everyone, my name is Jayant Singhal. I have a PhD in Social Injustices from Harvard and I have written multiple books addressing these issues.

Matt: Hello Good Morning Everyone, my name is Matt Zassick. I have a PhD in African American Studies from Princeton, and I have also written multiple books addressing these issues.

Tara: Okay amazing, let’s get started then. So as we all have heard on May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck for nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds while he was lying face down handcuffed on the street. His death, and many other horrifying acts of social injustice both before and in the wake of his passing, have rightly led to international moral outrage and plenty of peaceful protests in the name of justice. There are countless other cases where courts give higher sentences or bail to minorities and African American offenders. This has been going on for a long time anywhere from pulling innocent people over for no apparent reason, to killing innocent African Americans. Fueling this are the attitudes associated with racial profiling. The biggest form of systemic injustice in modern day America ranges from Police brutality in the streets to the sentencing in the criminal Justice System particularly against minorities especially those of African American descent. Therefore, do you guys think this was a form of racism? More importantly, what is racism? The defination per dictionary states: Racism is the prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior .

Matt: Now that the full details of the incident and the resulting court cases are complete, we can be sure about what exactly happened on May 25. The lack of concern for George Floyd’s life has revealed a presence of systemic racism in the Minneapolis police department and American police as a whole. The officers who are responsible for Floyd’s death used unreasonable force to deal with the situation for no reason. 

Jayant: I believe what happened that day was surely an act of racism. Racism is treating others differently just because of their race, and that is exactly what happened on May 25, 2020. George Floyd was brutally killed just because he used a fake $20 bill, however, many other people of a different race have done worse and were not killed. Therefore, yes this was an act of racism. 

Tara: Okay, now do you guys think  George Floyd threatened the policemen’s life? Because we can’t tell what George had said to the police officers. We can’t be sure if George threatened the policemen’s lives by saying something that indicates that. However, from an objective evidence point of view with the available videos, the FOUR police officers had full control of George’s movement and there is no reason to overreact to anything that he said. Police actions were simply immoral, Floyd’s life is being taken away for unjust reasons. Now what do you guys’ think? 

Matt: Thankfully there was appropriate video footage released, both from body cameras and witness’ cell phones. The body cameras of the first officers on scene reveal the context of the situation. A corner store manager called the police because George Floyd and another man supposedly tried to use a counterfeit bill to purchase items. While this is illegal, it is such a minor offense. I have worked in multiple grocery stores for years and have dealt with many counterfeit bills. Usually when someone had a counterfeit we would just confiscate it, and depending on the reaction from the person giving it, we would either refuse their purchases or give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they did not know it was counterfeit. Regardless of whether the shop owner should or shouldn’t have involved the police is not the point. The officers knew exactly how insignificant the situation was and acted completely unreasonably. At the very most, the officers could have just written a ticket for George Floyd, but as we know, that is far from what actually happened. Moreover, Store owner, Mike Abumyyaleh, recounted that Floyd was a regular customer saying he, “may not have even known that the bill was counterfeit.”

 Corner store that initially contacted police

Jayant: I totally agree with Mr. Zassick here. At no point was George Floyd a threat to the police officers. Moreover, he only used a fake bill which should only cost him a ticket, not his death.

Tara: Okay, now what would you say, Was racial profiling involved in that incident and do you call this a systemic racism?

Matt: Like Tara said, people do in fact make harsher judgements about black people. Unfortunately stereotyping is prolific in America, especially with police. It goes so far that police use racial profiling as a technique to make contact with suspects. Stereotyping is indoctrinated in modern police tactics which creates major problems. Chimamanda Adichie, the author of the very famous “The Danger of a Single Story” Ted Talk can offer some support here. In her talk, Adichie explains that single narratives of a person because of how they look or where they are from can dictate their treatment by other people. Her definition of the word ‘nkali’ is important, “It’s a noun that loosely translates to ‘to be greater than another.’ Like our economic and political worlds, stories too are defined by the principle of nkali. How they are told, who tells them, when they’re told, how many stories are told, are really dependent on power.” In the case of George Floyd, the Minneapolis Police department indoctrinated the idea of ‘nkali’ into their officers. The officers were taught that because of a person’s skin color or criminal record, they are not worthy of humane treatment. Once a person has the wrong profile from a police perspective, they are not assumed to be innocent until proven guilty. They are guilty and need to be proved innocent. 

Jayant: I think that people unconsciously make harsher judgments about African Americans. In a study it was proved that Black people are 3.5 times more likely than white people to be killed by police when they are not attacking or do not have a weapon. I consider Floyd’s death as an example of systemic racism; treatment of George Floyd was objectively immoral since Floyd’s natural rights were completely disregarded. Floyd, who was handcuffed and struggling to breathe, obviously posed no threat to Chauvin and the three other officers at his side. Floyd clearly seemed profiled and received ill treatment. I believe if it was another gentleman of another race then that individual would not have been dead right now.

Tara: That really shows how wrong our society is. Now, what do you think happened to the culture of the police department? Why have they lost sight of its mission to serve and protect?

Matt: Peoples’ beliefs regarding equality would need to change, and the police would have to refrain from acting on instincts, such as shooting a person just because they are deemed to be suspicious, but rather be rational and use logic before making life-or-death decisions.

Jayant: I agree, even though people have gained positions of power and authority does not mean they will carry out their duties in a righteous manner. Things would need to change to help put an end to this discrimination against African Americans.

Tara: Mhm, how do you think we can enhance police accountability in the US?

Jayant: Most people perceive that if a police officer did something, he or she was doing it for their protection or the greater good of society. So, the bar for charging and convicting police officers is higher than the bar for regular citizens.

Matt: I agree Moreover,  Police officers who have acted unlawfully or in a case that is considered police brutality, those officers are being let resign instead of getting fired which gives those bad officers ability to work in another department and injustice against victims continues. This needs to change.

Tara: Amazing, thank you so much for sharing some insights and opinion on these issues with our audiences Dr. Zassick and Dr. Singhal. We really appreciate it.

Jayant and Matt: You are very welcome Tara

Tara: And for my Audience, a quick summary would be:

African Americans have always been low down and victims of racism in their daily lives. In this segment we only talk about African Americans, however, we know racism is all over the world. More than African Americans, every other race is a victim of racism. How do you think you can help while sitting home? A simple solution is to be just nice to others, smile when you see each other, help when you see someone in need and just by doing that you will be making a change in society. That’s all for tonight guys have a good night.

References

Counterfeit bill: 

Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas and Wright, Will. “Little has been said about the $20 bill that brought officers to the scene.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/us/george-floyd-bill-counterfeit.html, Accessed November 11, 2021. 

Store Owner Testimony:

Burke, Minyvonne. “Owner of Minneapolis grocery store says he told employee ‘call the police on the police’ as she witnessed George Floyd death.” NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/owner-minneapolis-grocery-store-says-he-told-employee-call-police-n1216461, Accessed November 11, 2021. 

Cup Foods Image: 

“Cup Foods.” Google Maps. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cup+Foods/@44.9341344,-93.264591,16.85z/data=!3m1!5s0x87f627de182a8011:0x300d50dfaad63d78!4m5!3m4!1s0x87f627de19ee94ad:0x656965ff9de6fce5!8m2!3d44.9342949!4d-93.2622641, Accessed November 11, 2021. 

Single Story Ted Talk:

Adichie, Chimamanda. “The Danger of a Single Story.” TED Talks, Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg, Accessed November 11, 2021. 

NM: Nicholas McIntyre  

TL: Trey Leroux  

AL: Alec Levine  

NM: Hello everybody, my name is Nicholas McIntyre, and I will be the host for this episode of “Yo, is this Racist?” I’m joined by Trey Leroux and Alec Levine. Trey, Alec, if you wouldn’t mind, can you introduce yourself.  

TL: Hello, I’m Trey Leroux   

NM: Thank you for that, and now Alec, can you introduce yourself?  

AL: Hey, I’m Alec Levine   

NM: Alright, with the introductions out of the way, let me start with the meat of the episode. So today, we will talk about Missing Indigenous Women and White Woman Syndrome. We’ll do a deep dive into how people perceive this as racist towards the Natives and the other minority communities such as LGBTQ and non-white people. We’ll also cover what we can do to help resolve this issue. I’ll start by giving a short description of what the whole Missing Indigenous Women thing is. So, in short, data and research have shown that the indigenous people (meaning native Americans) people and specifically the indigenous women tend to get murdered or go missing without a sound in the media. Their missing cases are exponentially higher than a white person in the same state, even though the Natives make up a small percent of the population. They’re less likely to be reported in part due to a stigma, and they very rarely tend to make country-wide news. So, Trey, if you wouldn’t mind, can you give us a short description of what is going on with the White women syndrome?  

TL: Well, White Women Syndrome, which is a term that Gwen Ifill coined, is like the missing Indigenous people, but it covers a broader range of communities. It involves the LGBTQ community, any non-white people; it even dips into people’s wealth class. White women syndrome says more media coverage, specifically on the news or on TV in general, on missing person cases involving white women in the upper-middle class. Recently, there was a case involving a woman named Gabby Petito, but we can get into that later.  

NM: Alright, thank you for explaining white women syndrome and how it ties into the Missing Indigenous Women.  

AL: If you wouldn’t mind, can I ask a question real quick?  

NM: Sure, go-ahead  

AL: Okay, so we’re talking about the missing indigenous women and the White women syndrome, but how do we have a chance of changing anything here. I mean to me, it sounds like it’s something that few cities can’t influence. I think it has to be a complete country-wide change.  

TL: Well, you aren’t wrong; it does have to be a country-wide change, but it has to start somewhere, which is a person in a town, and hopefully, the city will catch on, and reform will spread. The best place to begin bringing notice to this is a state with a high Native population like Oklahoma. People could start pushing to have the missing cases of native people for the news to cover. Then other states will begin to follow along, and eventually, missing persons from all ethnicities and backgrounds will be top news. Perhaps they’ll get unique hashtags, and recognition like Gabby Petito did.  

NM: I have to bring something up; for the Natives, they have their justice system, the Tribal Court, they have jurisdiction over their land and all the crimes that happen on that land, so maybe they don’t want any outside help. I haven’t been able to find any articles where people ask Natives to help find their missing people, but it wouldn’t hurt to do a survey or something like that in the future. If it is an overwhelming “no, we don’t want or need help,” I guess we tried, and that’s the best we can do. But if they do want help, we should have a system in place that can assist in that. As for the LGBTQ, other minorities, and lower wealth classes, I think it’s clear that they want their voices heard and their people found just based on the news articles and the newly established online presence. So really, everything should be reformed to become more accepting of non-white people even if they don’t want it.   

AL: that’s true from what I know; nobody has asked the natives if they need or even want our help. Hey, Trey, didn’t you say in the beginning that you wanted to share a story about Gabby and how it brought to light the lack of attention for the missing minorities?  

TL: Yeah, thanks for reminding me about that. So recently, a case emphasized the systematic injustice for those reported missing who are non-white and in the LGBTQ community. Honestly, the recent issue was a slap in the face for those families who have had no attention brought to their loved one’s location by the authorities or media. An article from the Washington Post states this very well that “Her (Gaby’s) case deserves attention and justice. But all the missing deserve this. And so, the wall-to-wall coverage of the Petito case has been an added slap in the face to the loved ones of non-White and LGBTQ people who haven’t gotten it.” (Attiah). It was an attack or slander on the missing female, only to be found as murdered days later, but rather this seems to be a case of white woman syndrome.   

AL: So, what does this mean on the coverage for non-white or LGBTQ females and males?   

TL: Well, usually, people associate minorities who go missing to be involved with a crime, which takes the attention away from the real problem: they’re missing. Now I understand that this can come across as me saying that white people going missing doesn’t matter, but rather, my point is that the cases of minorities are just as important as the cases of white women.   

NM: I want to touch on the fact that you said that people think of minorities as being involved in crimes as the reason they went missing. That is one of the reasons why Natives report their missing people at a lower rate. There is a stigma that they were involved in a crime. If autopsy reports or the details of the body are released, the news/ media tends to report about the bodies more graphically as opposed to white people, where they are the primary focus. Details are minimal; I suppose to show respect to the victim.  

AL: So, as a bit of recap, we discovered that Minorities such as the LGBTQ community, non-whites, and people of a lower wealth class tend to go missing without any media coverage, and the only thing that can be done to change this is bringing to light the completely biased system and convincing people to change their ways. It is undoubtedly a tall order for anyone, but I believe it can be done with a lot of hard work by everyone around the country.  

NM: Thank you for that little recap of this episode, so unless any more questions should be it. I’m glad that we had a fairly in-depth conversation, and there were some eye-opening facts and points.  

AL: Yeah, for sure; I’m glad that we covered this topic.  

TL: I agree  

NM: Finally, I want to thank all of you, the listeners, that tuned in to this episode of “Yo, is this racist?” with Nicholas McIntyre, Alec Levine, and Trey Leroux. Have a good day, everyone.  

Attiah, K. (2021). Gabby Petito deserves justice, but ‘missing white girl syndrome’ hurts us all. The Washington Post.  

https://osu.zoom.us/rec/play/ExZ-KjAiXsg4Gmh9EF9aqsnVb-ggGFQSTLDq1AbZB8SseXaaXOZ2KTk8niySamgl04OGeCTLWDdgn_Ei.CY68ELxboriEfr7-?autoplay=true&startTime=1636931712000 

• Konnor Gay

Okay, so we’re gonna be doing our “Yo is this Racism” podcast. I’m Connor and I’m gonna let my two other teammates introduce themselves here.

• Cherish Grant

I’m Cherish.

• Jaelen Ham

And hi, I’m Jaelen and I’m just going to start out here today and we’re going to be talking about some of the inequities we see in our education system and some of the repercussions that this has on larger society. And I’m just going to start off by explaining some of the funding that we use for our education system and how that kind of feeds into these inequities. So essentially, although, you know, segregation was ruled illegal and brown versus board a really long time ago in like the, what six, I don’t know, 1960s? But going forward, we kind of still had this segregation that we see in our suburban and our urban communities where we have more diverse communities and our urban areas, and these are areas that, you know, aren’t kept up as well. And they’re not as nice, their properties aren’t as expensive, and then in our suburban areas we have these nicer properties, higher property taxes and essentially, most of the funding for our schools comes from the property taxes. So obviously in our suburban areas where these properties have more value there’s going to be a larger property tax, which means that that school is ultimately going to get more money, and that means it gets more resources and a better education for its students and in the bigger picture. So this is where we start to see inequities between some of our different races and our different cultures in the country based on where they live.

• Konnor Gay

I think that was very well put. I also found a video that explains this topic pretty well. It’s a video by Act.TV, it’s on YouTube. It basically says what Jaelen just explained there. It also does a good job, explaining how redlining in the past has kind of led to the current inequalities in the education system. Like you were saying, it’s about the wealthy neighborhoods providing more funding to the schooling, because they are wealthier neighborhoods it’s based off of the Taxes. And so, in the video, it was talking about how the redlining in the past has led to a lot of minorities being in these less fortunate, less well off neighborhoods. And that causes inequality in the education system.

• Jaelen Ham

I actually also looked, for one of our diaries I looked at these deed covenants that used to be existing in Columbus and this kind of goes into this, bounces off of this, redlining idea. There used to be, like actual, like cut, like D covenants and laws, saying that in certain areas of Columbus, you know, black people couldn’t buy and sell land. So those covenants stayed in place for way too long, it was like until the 21st century, like.

• Konnor Gay

Really?

• Jaelen Ham

Recently, a couple years ago, like maybe 510 years ago, I want to say that they were actually abolished. So, systemically, like African American people have not been able to buy land in some of these nicer areas of Columbus where they have access to better schools.

• Konnor Gay

That’s crazy I didn’t know it was ,like, it was that much of a recent thing that caused these, because in the video I had watched it was talking about how it’s an issue that’s passed through generations, right? And that’s how you can see that even the, like, as far back as ,like slavery, right? And Jim Crow laws that’s what perpetuates the issues now because the generation before them wasn’t wealthy enough to get them into a nice neighborhood and there’s not an easy way to get out of that loop. I did want to say, Cherish, when I was reading your diary of systemic injustice on this, I’m glad that you pointed out that, like, people that live in America in general are pretty privileged. Because even though that is the case, I don’t think that doesn’t mean that we don’t have anything to fix here. So.

• Cherish Grant

I think that’s a very important thing to point out, especially when talking about anything that has to do with systemic injustice just because I feel like a lot of times we’ll talk about if it’s more so, like we’re playing this black and white game when, really, like even as a black person, even as a white person like, a minority, we can go to school on the bus, we can get paid a decent amount of money. Sometimes, so I feel like it’s a very important thing to talk about and, like you guys were pretty much like saying earlier, it’s like a general generational thing, because I can personally speak on the experience of being in schools that didn’t have that funding like I literally went to a school where we had to share laptops between classes and then I went to a more like predominantly white school and everybody has pretty much their own laptop able to take it home kind of thing so. It just pretty much starts as a generational thing in a family, but it also starts as a whole worldwide system issue as well just because there are not a lot of programs to help schools get that kind of funding, because they’re used on other things that sometimes we feel like we don’t need more so.

• Konnor Gay

Yeah, did you want to get into that? Because I also did want to ask you about your proposed solution to the problem which you had written in your systemic injustice diary.

• Cherish Grant

I think more so that there are a lot of things that I think more like tax dollars kind of go to that could more so, like going to the children who need it to schools, who need it. And I also, in my diary, I kind of talked about this pressure of economic mobility and the students who come from poorer families, more so. And, just like schools that don’t have enough textbooks they don’t even have enough teachers to even help out. So I, and I feel like more so gearing it towards that there should be more programs in schoolings to help out families who don’t even have the money to send their children to the schools to get a better education. Even there was another assignment that we had pretty much connecting our injustices and our diaries with to books that we read and it was Persepolis and it’s pretty much like the same exact thing you know. We as a family are trying to save up all this money to send off one kid to get a better education to pretty much help our whole family get out of this system. And I feel like the government and people in the communities around us should be able to input that kind of money into their students, just as much as they do in a more like white neighborhood as they do for private schools.

• Konnor Gay

Yeah, I think Jaelen in your diary you’d kind of talked about how that would like to come about. It was, I believe you talked about was it um, I guess, making it less having the funding for schooling be less dependent on the neighborhood and more, you can go ahead.

• Jaelen Ham

Yeah, so my major is public management leadership and policy so i’ve taken a lot of like government classes and basically i’m an education policy and Like really the funding for schools is so dependent on the properties and how expensive the properties are because just for some reason in our system like they decided it would be a good idea to fund the schools, based on the property taxes so like a very large percentage of the funding for like any given school district is based on the properties that are in an area so obviously some resources are allocated by the state and even a little bit by the Federal Government, but the federal government really is not very involved with the funding of our schools in the country, so a lot of it is based on the State it’s probably like I don’t want to give like wrong  numbers, but I would say generally the state is like 30% responsible, and then the local governments and, like the cities are like 70% responsible for the funding, so if we brought that to a larger like state level and might be able to and we’re less dependent on the properties and the value of the properties that’s where it might be able to even out some of that inequity that we see in like those significant differences in the amount of money that our schools or schools have in general.

• Konnor Gay

I think that’s a great way to wrap that up.

  I heard the word ‘hair discrimination’ before and was shocked at this kind of discrimination. Hair may be used as a form of self-expression. People grow hair, cut hair, roll hair, shave hair, color hair, and sometimes, we put other people’s hair on our heads. Culture plays a big role in how we view hair as it relates to gender. Curvy, smooth skin, thick eyelashes and long hair are all typical feminine features. The importance of healthy hair to female identity may be based on its role in the survival of the species. However, discrimination appears among such common item. I’m a person who hate discrimination and is willing to learn any topics which describe discrimination or against discrimination. The topic of hair discrimination has connections with this situation. A friend of mine told me a story years ago and she was a person who had different hair styles compared with other girls. There was one time that she was on the subway and a three or four years old boy pointed to her and asked his mother, ’Is this a man or a woman?’ His mother gave my friend an embarrassed smile and didn’t answer. My friend was embarrassed at that time. A boy with short hair and a girl with long hair might be the most common thing in the world. However, after some further research I truly found that some people will criticize others because of others’ hair style don’t match the ways that they think others should have. ‘The other’ and ‘self’ are a pair of relative concepts. Discrimination might appear among people and gender, class and race as main elements have large parts in it. Being one of the most sensitive topics in our lives, discrimination isn’t a strange word.

  Firstly, I will be focused on the hair discrimination among races as my main comments. The law passed in California banning discrimination against black people because of their hairstyles. For years, too many black employees and job applicants in the US have been rejected or fired because of their hairstyles. This is very unfair and also seriously affect the pace of life. I would like to find more information about the law and hope they can have any kind of hair styles they like. ‘Don’t get it twisted: Untangling the psychology of hair discrimination within Black communities’ is the work created by Mbilishaka, A. M., Clemons. Systems of oppression have shaped the prejudicial treatment of Black people based on the appearance of their hair, from the era of chattel enslavement to present-day America. Hair discrimination is a social injustice characterized by unfairly regulating and insulting people based on the appearance of their hair. A sampling of 90 African American community members narrated memories of hair discrimination using the guided hair autobiography method. While the hair narratives revealed texture, length, and style were the most common entry points into discriminatory behaviors, color, hair augmentation, density, and product choice were also tools of ‘othering’ within a Eurocentric aesthetic value system. Sadness was the most frequently reported emotional response to these rejections. These findings extend the current literature on the psychological significance of hair within Black lives and pleads for policies of hair protection at work. This information isn’t very complicated and is related to the discrimination of black employees about their hair styles. I think this will boost me to have a better understanding about the situation and the laws which will be published. Rhetorical questions can also be raised in order for me not to twist the the reasons of why employer hairstyle prohibitions are racially discriminatory.

In addition, ‘Bias, Employment Discrimination, and Black Women’s Hair: Another Way Forward’ is the book written in 2018 by Crystal Powell. It’s also focused on the discrimination among black women employees.Racial discrimination against Black women is real and based on deep-rooted and long-standing racial biases and implicit stereotypes. Moving forward requires understanding this history and its contemporary effects on the status of Black women in employment. In recent years, people of color have been discriminated against because of hairstyles. In 2013, BP fired an executive because he had dreadlocks and cornrows, according to The Guardian. In 2018, a woman in Alabama sued the company for requiring her to cut off her braids in order to work; In December 2018, a black high school wrestler was forced to cut off his “reggae look” in order to compete. For years, too many black employees and job applicants in the US have been rejected or fired because of their hairstyles. This is very unfair and also seriously affect the pace of life. This resource will be used as an evidence to improve the credibility of the situation.

  For a long time, hair styles represented by dreadlocks have been discriminated against in the United States. In order to resist this phenomenon, Montgomery County, Maryland, has officially become the first county in the United States to prohibit local discrimination against hair styles. Montgomery County Council unanimously voted to pass the new ban under the crown act, and then the county expanded the scope of its human rights legislation. California governor signed the crown act to prohibit discrimination against employees and students in workplaces and schools on the grounds of hairstyle, becoming the first state in the United States to prohibit discrimination against natural hair. The bill was drafted by Senator Mitchell of Southern California. She hopes to create a respectful and open workplace. Mitchell stressed that the crown act is about tolerance, pride and choice. The law protects the rights of African Americans who can change the natural appearance of their hair without following Eurocentrism.

  The next part of my comment will be focused on the hair discrimination among gender. Short, bald hair may be more common for man, but for women, it’s a rare and complicated option. While some famous stars, like Amber Rose and the singer Jessie J, have made it fashionable for women to have short, bald hair for women, this option will never be considered feminine. Because hair is associated with femininity, if a woman decides to cut her hair, some people may think she is sick. (Although Britney Spears was an example in 2007, when she was dealing with mental health issues and shaved her head.) I agree in some ways the long hair might be the protection of women, having short, bald hair will truly made you differently from others. However, the most important thing is your view of yourself. If you care about others’ opinions all the time, you can’t be happy even if you have beautiful, long hair.

  I really admire Hari Nef. Hari Nef is a transgender American actress, model, and writer.Hari began attending Columbia University in 2011 and graduated with a degree from the theater program in May 2015. She once made a TED talk video named ‘Hair, makeup and nails keep us strong and safe’. As a transgender women, she may often received unkind words from others online. However, she showed great confidence and didn’t care about others’ comments. ‘Woman is an option, being trans is an option, and they’re options that appeal to me. We need to listen to people, not labels, not semantics’. In a deeply honest essay last year, Hari Nef dissected the prevailing misconceptions about transgender women. ‘Most trans women struggle to shape/frame their bodies in accordance with patriarchal beauty standards — not because these standards are good or valid, but because they preserve dignity and even save lives,’ she wrote. The actress and IMG model has now expanded on these thoughts in a searing TED Talk that name-checks everyone from Caitlyn Jenner and Lana Del Rey to radical second wave feminists like Eleanor Burkett, all in the space of just 12 minutes. Titled #FreeTheFemme, Nef’s talk is a powerful lesson in the dangers of shaming femme ‘aesthetics of survival.’ For the record, though Nef has a lot to say on Jenner’s ‘conservative politics and bumpy advocacy,’ she’s not here for criticism of the reality star’s fashion choices. 

Hair discrimination also will appear among male people. Magnolia independent school district is a school district located about 40 miles northwest of Houston. There are 13000 students in the school district. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas on behalf of seven boys aged 7 to 17 in the Magnolia independent school district. It accused the school district of prohibiting boys from having long hair which was based on gender stereotypes, a discriminatory gender policy. The lawsuit said that the school’s managers also treated differently in implementing the school rules. The seven plaintiff students were punished by the school because of their long hair, some were suspended, some were arranged to participate in the ‘disciplinary alternative education program’, and even some were expelled, which caused ‘huge and irreparable injuries’ to them. 

  In conclusion, based what we talked above, hair discrimination is very serious nowadays. We mainly discussed about the discrimination through gender and races. During school time, other boys have short hair and you also need to have short hair. Teachers of course, believe that the more common the better. In addition to the general view of the society after adulthood, following the theory of school days, boys still follow the common trend and make no difference. As the girls who have short hair, others will also have various opinions about them. It’s the same thing like boys with long hair. But I want to say that ‘just because you stand out among a lot of girls with long hair, you automatically don’t fit in with the crowd, and you’re not like them. There’s a subliminal barrier between you and them, so it’s natural for them to think you’re abnormal. Personally, don’t care about the eyes of others, stride forward and go your own way.’ By illustrating so much, I definitely found that there is still a long way for the society to change their opinions. This topic is truly important for us to learn and this how surroundings judge others. Like I learned in the class: The other is a reference that is both different and related to the subject. By choosing and establishing the other, we can better determine and understand ourselves to a certain extent. Without the contrast of the other, a subject cannot recognize and determine himself at all. Everyone is an independent individual. We should accept, tolerate and understand the sense of being different from ourselves and respect the value of others. The existence of individual free subjects cannot be ignored.

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