Author: rudzinski.9

Text Review of The Television Show- All American

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All American is a television series involving sports and drama, which features a young All-Star football player, Spencer James. The series lets viewers in on Spencer’s story, which is inspired by true events. Spencer is an African American football player from a small town in California, Crenshaw. He is offered a spot on the Beverly Hills football team, and he accepts the offer because this team allows him to open his profile to big recruiters and top football schools. During the transfer between schools, the viewers are introduced to many characters and close people/friends in Spencer’s life. The TV show does a great job of displaying Spencer’s relationships with many of the characters and expresses the impact that each character has on his life and football career.  

All American puts a lot of emphasis on Spencer’s transition from a small-town school in a rough area of California to Beverly Hills. The TV show proved how much of a drastic difference there is between the two cities. When Spencer arrives in Beverly Hills, we immediately see how wealthy the area was. The first thing we see when he arrives is high school students driving expensive cars, wearing nice clothes, and massive houses in the background. All very different from what Spencer was used to.  

The series talks about several social issues and in(justices) including race, mental health issues, gang violence, addiction, and poverty. All American gives viewers an inside look at all of these very important and relevant issues today. Throughout the show, we can see how much all of these ideas (race, poverty, addiction, violence) affect people’s mental health. I think the show does a wonderful job of spreading awareness and bringing attention to these important topics. All of the topics mentioned are things that impact people’s everyday lives and after watching the entire series, I felt that I had gained knowledge on a lot of these issues and it made me more aware of how common these things are. It also showed how the characters on the show were able to talk about what was hurting them, making the relationships between the characters so strong. All in all, I just really loved how eye-opening this series was and how much it was able to relate to everyday scenarios. 

All American Video - Testify | Stream Free

Diary of Systematic Injustices: We are all Equal

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A topic that has really caught my eye lately involves the rising number of hate-crime cases towards Asian Americans. Racism is completely unacceptable and extremely saddening when it is against any race, however the rising number of cases related to Asian Americans is a topic that I feel is not discussed nearly enough. Although hate-crimes against Asians make up a smaller amount of total hate crimes reported in America. Their number rose from 49 in 2019 to 122 in 2020, in America’s 15 largest cities. It is important that we address the hate that this specific group of Americans receive because with enough attention we may be able to stop or slow the rising rate of senseless comments and actions towards Asian Americans. The rate of hate-crimes noticeably began rising at the beginning of the pandemic. Although hate-crimes against Asians make up a smaller amount of total hate crimes reported in America. Their number rose from 49 in 2019 to 122 in 2020, in America’s 15 largest cities, according to statista.com. Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice told npr.org that many incidents are not even reported. Many of the attacks towards Asian Americans are unreported because they are afraid to speak up or there is a language barrier that prevents them from being able to speak up.

Infographic: Anti-Asian Hate Crime in U.S. Rises During Pandemic Year | Statista

Npr.org provides many examples of these incidents. One incident that recently occurred involved a 27-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran, who was attacked by two men while walking down the street in the Koreatown neighborhood in LA. The man was left injured, but that was not all. Not only did the men attack him but they were yelling things through the neighborhood such as “all f-ing Asians gotta die.” This is very saddening to me because Asian Americans must feel so helpless and unheard. The way that Asian Americans feel right now reminds me of a topic that was brought up in multiple of the readings throughout this course, and that idea is “The Other”. My interpretation of “The Other” is someone or a group of people that feel as if they are outsiders or do not feel like they belong. It is crucial that as a country we work to fight this stigma against Asian Americans and learn to love all Americans, as we are all equal. I am very happy to have recently seen more attention being brought to this topic. There was a post that circulated Instagram this past week promoting love towards Asian Americans and expressing the growing rate of hate crimes towards this group. One Instagram post is not enough to stop people from doing awful things to Asian Americans, but it is a step in the right direction. In my opinion, the best thing we can do for these fellow citizens is bring attention to the topic, speak up if we see something inappropriate, and try to get the government involved.

NYC, NYPD to battle hate crimes against Asian American community | PIX11

Sources:

http://https://www.npr.org/2021/03/11/975592502/asian-americans-experience-far-more-hate-incidents-than-numbers-indicate

http://https://www.statista.com/chart/24442/anti-asian-hate-crime/

 

 

Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.

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In Martin Luther King Jr’s writing, “A Letter From Birmingham”, he discusses many ideas around racism and the horrible ways he was treated as a person of color. After reading this piece, I wanted to focus in on the idea of how Martin Luther King Jr and other African American people stood their ground to combat racism. In this writing, he discusses the various ways of segregation between white and black people. Not only were African American people unfairly treated and segregated on the streets, but they were also mistreated in court. People of color constantly felt and still feel misunderstood and ignored. 

 It is important that as a country we listen to them and understand that we are all equal. It is also important that we look at the historical steps and achievements made by African American people. In 1954, “the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its verdict in Brown v. Board of Education, ruling unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th Amendment’s mandate of equal protection of the laws of the U.S. Constitution to any person within its jurisdiction.” (Histoy.com, page #1) Another huge moment in black history was went sports began to no longer be segregated. Blacks at the Net is a source that singles in on tennis. “The black players and coaches of the 1940s and 1950s transformed professional tennis by opening doors for players of later generations. They challenged the racism in both the game and society in order to participate in an exclusive sport.” (Sundiata page #27) Protests, sit-ins, and march ins also caused huge changes in black history. For example, Recent U.S. protests have tackled various societal, economic, and political issues, evidence of the continuation of movements against patriarchy, racism, economic discrimination, and social injustice. Movement and protests in history all the way to modern day have sparked change in our system. Although we are not where we need to be with equal rights, each day is a step closer. It is important that we all come together to fight for equality and realize that we are all in this together.  

Djata, Sundiata. Blacks at the Net: Black Achievement in the History of Tennis, Volume One. United Kingdom, Syracuse University Press, 2006. 

History.com Editors. (2009, October 14). Black History Milestones: Timeline. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-milestones 

Danielle K. Kilgo, S. (n.d.). Protests, Media Coverage, and a Hierarchy of Social Struggle – Danielle K. Kilgo, Summer Harlow, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1940161219853517