PODCAST GROUP
DIDAS KATO
SHILONG LI
My name is Didas Kato. You go ahead and.
My name is Shilong Li
Didas speaking;
For today, we are so privileged for this podcast. first and foremost, we should have to appreciate the fact that the United States of America is one of those countries that have tried so hard in the fight against racism, discrimination, and all the kind. when you look at the history of the 18th century and 17th century when the slave trade was legal in the United States of America. Millions and millions of black people were tortured, suffered against their humanity in the hands of the white people. when we look at what we had in class. When Spivak was talking about ‘Can the subaltern speaks’ for sure they have no right to speak. They had no right to their humanity. But again, as centuries went by, we see that America started involving itself in the struggle, like the civil rights movement, which we have a remarkable start with Martin Luther King, wherefrom his letter from Birmingham jail, it sparked the beginning of the signing of the Jim Crow laws that transformed that era to the era we see right now, where at least the black people were given a chance to talk about their rights.
And when we go ahead, during the signing of those Jim Crow laws, we have the congressman Jonathan who also got involved in the fight for civil rights. Those movements continued and continued until we see the America we have today, but however, we have had systemic injustices that have moved on, some of them they go unnoticed, we do not even recognize them. For instance, income inequality has been there for many years in the United States of America. When I took about income inequality, I’m looking at the affordability of a parent having children at home. Being able to afford to take his children to good schools. Take them for good healthcare they would deserve. Claiming good neighborhood such kind of life. But what we see what I realized when I was reading a certain article, that the percentage of the black people of more than 60% live in slum areas, because they do not have the capability to stay in good neighborhoods, and sometimes on the weekends, I go on to drive delivery. But every time I go in those good neighborhoods. I hardly find black, people in such areas
. So that leaves me wondering why it like that is. Do you think we have anything we can do as people leaving the United States of America? Do you think we have something we can do to change how things seem to be? So, if you have anything you want to say about that. You are more than welcome to contribute because am having a lot of questions in my head.
unknown speaking;
Okay, thank you so much, Didas. It is a pleasure to have a discussion on one we call systemic racism that arises due to income inequality for African Americans. In the few times that I have been here. I have witnessed many of the things that possibly would make me cry for sure. what the African Americans can do to bridge the gap between the white and the black.
A case in time I was visiting, Sharon woods park, I happen to see one white guy, possibly he was recording something What I thought was a summary sermon because I had ever seen him doing so, I later I found out that it was a sermon for the church. And he was a preacher just as I am, Now, I wanted to identify myself with him. I drew closer because I wanted to say I, but even before approaching him, he yelled back at me that I have no money, it puzzled me I was not waking him because I needed money. He thought I was asking for assistance. Still leaves a question of stigmatization of the black by the white men. They think every black man is a beggar which is not cool sometimes.
Didas speaking;
Yeah, that’s the problem.
unknown speaking;
Point number two, when you look at most of the jobs that we have in the United States of America. That doesn’t matter whether the African American is more educated than white men, for promotion, it’s always the white man first. Yeah. So promotion is not based on your education label, which to me, I think, has called for an income gap between the two communities.
Then another point when you go to downtown areas, almost all these slum places you find African Americans no whites, that are there. Whites that are there, maybe they on drugs, or they have challenges in one away or the other, its mostly the black American that you find in such places and I also witnessed this that many of the people that struggle for food stamps, People who go to food pantries, they are African American, imagining for more than 200 years while it’s happening for sure, So we need to wake up and talk about this in detailed discussion, for sure. It’s something that we can do, and we keep on sounding it. And finally, we will get a solution because if not Martin Luther had not come out to speak about it
yeah. Where do you think we would have been at the moment in time, So it’s our duty and responsibility to talk about it in any way we can, and if we don’t talk about it, then our children and grandchildren will face the same thing.
Didas speaking;
When we were struck by the outbreak of coronavirus, it accelerated a lot of issues, disagreements and augments were on arise, discrimination, violence, and racism among many people, To my understanding, I was reading one of the articles that were published by the New York Times. It was spoken about how this virus was a china virus and even people went ahead condemning this was China virus. So I want you to talk about, do you think that was being racist in some way or the other, or you think it was okay, that they could talk about it in any way it seems?
Shilong speaking;
Yeah, I agree with your perspective about racism. I am an international student from China. The Coronavirus Outbreak also greatly gave rise to my reflection on racism. We have to admit that 2020 is a very harsh and special year due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. When the coronavirus firstly broke out in Wuhan, China, I was very worried about the safety of my family and never imagine a larger outbreak in the United States. As an Asian, I also did experience and hear a lot about discrimination against the Asian community.
taking myself as an example, when the coronavirus started to break out in the United States, my friends and I planned to go to the supermarket to buy supplies. There were not many Americans wearing masks at the time, but when they saw us coming in with masks, they were careful to keep us at a considerable distance, and some people were even yelling at us, called us “damn carriers of the virus”, which was a humiliating experience. I also found discrimination on social media, President Trump, in his blog called coronavirus a “Chinese virus”. This behavior was a kind of racism. I think as a community with a Shared Future, mankind should forge ahead to overcome difficulties like the Coronavirus Outbreak instead of shirking responsivities to each other. The President’s speech is free on social media, but it is not worth advocating to comment on coronavirus with colored eyes. His comments as a national leader would incite tremendous public opinion pressure on the Asian community, which made many people start to recognize coronavirus as a “Chinese virus” and discriminate against the Asian community. Racial discrimination oppressed African Americans and other so-called colored people and minorities, but it victimizes the entire American society. Numerous people have left their homes to come to the United States in the hope of the American Dream, in the hope of so-called democracy and freedom. Just like the experience of Changez in Hamid’s novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist, the lasting racial discrimination in American, especially more serious when some big incident happened, made the minority community became the “other” and outsider to the society, which made them feel out of place in America. As said in the novel, after 9/11, the Muslim community was considered as mobs and dangerous people. As with the Coronavirus Outbreak this year, many Americans regarded the Chinese as carriers of viruses and even humiliated them. In the face of racist and prejudice, the Muslim community, black community, and Asian community were regarded as the marginal community and “Subaltern” who were unable to speak and claim their rights.
So, racism must be resisted. That is my standpoint. Thank you!
Didas speaking;
Thank you so much for that wonderful analysis. I think if we kind of relate to what we have discussed, to what we were asked. We have seen sometimes things we think they are not being racist or acts of racism. Sometimes they are because they bring a negative influence and negative impact on the lives of the big two. So, for that. I want to thank you for your time. Does it for now.