For my text review assignment, I wanted to dig deeper into the concepts of racism we learned in this class while also reviewing my choice as a whole. To do this, I decided to review Race Matters: America in Crisis, a PBS news hour special. It is probable that not many of you know what PBS news hour is, as they are more known for their TV programming for children. However, the purpose of the special was to inform the American people of the systems set up to directly disadvantage Black people and provide an explanation for the recent outrage after the death of George Floyd among others this past summer. They provide an interesting argument that previously, the apprehension of black people had only been through bodycam footage of police officers and lacked reliable bystander footage. Since George Floyd’s death was recorded by a bystander, it provides another perspective and is the reason why white America is “taking it more seriously” as many would agree his death was unlawful if not murder. The news hour called upon many African American professionals that have experienced if not been the first-hand witness to the injustice rooted in the American society. By doing this, it brings credible stories to move the focus on why America is still racist. In one instance, they brought in Dr. Lauren Powell, an executive director at Times Up Healthcare to bring up the fact that despite the global pandemic, protests are emerging, and as she said it is a “privilege” to be able to do it during this time. She believes it is likely attributed to the fact that there is no convenient time to “dismantle” racism as a whole, so, she suggests that people should take health precautions when protesting (i.e: masks, distancing as much as possible, etc.). In my opinion, she couldn’t have explained it better because even if we weren’t in a pandemic right now, these protests would still have to happen to show lawmakers that people have had enough. Either way, it is not the most ideal time to ever start getting rid of the structures set against Black people because lawmakers are aware of the power structure it holds. (She by no means said that you should protest, rather, she said to evaluate the risks and determine if it is right for your health and safety). In this special, PBS touches on many areas such as educational disparities, policing, COVID-19, and the protests that occurred over the summer. By doing this, it gives people more insight as to the roots of where racism began and how it is possible to get rid of the structures set up in American society that were designed to disadvantage people of color. In my opinion, this is an amazing 56-minute watch as it builds on many concepts we learned in class such as “other” vs. “self”, subaltern, etc. I would venture to say it was one of the best documentaries I have watched on racial issues to date that was released by a media outlet. Overall, the news special was very informative and addresses a lot of concerns people should have about why there is a racial crisis in the United States.
Maddie Shackleford 0:04
Welcome, everyone. My name is Maddie. I’m from Dayton, Ohio area. I am a second year and my major psychology.
Uppalapati, Sri 0:16
Um, hi, my name is Sri. I’m from a little outside of Cleveland small town called Beachwood pronouns he him his I’m a third year and my major is Engineering Physics.
Ben Mewhinney 0:27
Hello, my name is Ben. I’m also from a small town outside of Cleveland called Brunswick. He him his I’m a second year study accounting.
Maddie Shackleford 0:37
Think I forgot my pronouns, it’s actually really important she her hers.
Ben Mewhinney 0:44
As far as our first topic, today, we’re talking about higher education preparedness, how our high schools sort of set us up to be successful in college.
Uppalapati, Sri 0:54
Um, I know like, all of us come from like, pretty different areas in terms of like preparedness. I know, for me, I came from like a really small High School surrounded by a lot of like, private schools. So like, we got a lot of resources, but there also weren’t a lot of like, kids within my school. So preparedness was like, pretty at like high level in terms of getting ready for college, because academics was a huge part of school. But I definitely think that there’s like noticeable differences between my school district and like public school districts, like around us. In terms of like resources available to like kids for preparing them for college.
Maddie Shackleford 1:35
Oh, yeah, I definitely feel that. So when I was younger, I moved to a bigger like, you know, like more like suburban small town school. And there was more opportunities there then, like my old friends had at my older, like school district, like, you know, it was like they were pushed a lot to go to meet Community College. And like, they weren’t really given any other opportunities besides that, because they didn’t even have AP classes for majority of the classes. I think they only had like, two. So it’s like, there’s a huge barrier there, and like, availability of like resources, if that makes sense. for college, so yeah.
Ben Mewhinney 2:16
I know, like, I went to a pretty large school system. I graduated with, like, 650 kids.
Maddie Shackleford 2:24
Oh, my.
Ben Mewhinney 2:25
Yeah. But we, we actually were like, given opportunities. Like we had a expansive AP program, we had a community college in the same parking lot. So like, I started taking community college classes as a sophomore, which is obviously something that I would believe a majority of schools in Ohio probably don’t have that possibility. But I mean, even my school district compared to ones around us, we were considered like, unprepared to some of them. I know, schools like Solon, Ohio, they take they take college credit plus classes through Case Western Reserve, which is, yeah, whoa, compared to my Cuyahoga Community college classes.
Maddie Shackleford 3:13
Dude same, because I, again, went to that small town, suburban kind of atmosphere, right. And we also had CCP through Sinclair, which is our community college. And it’s much different than when you get on campus. It’s a completely different ballpark, like, you know, so it’s really interesting to see how,like, there’s a gap between different districts, I guess, if that makes sense. And the whole, like, urban areas versus suburban versus rural areas, I think that’s definitely like, a huge factor.
Uppalapati, Sri 3:55
I definitely think in terms of like, relating to like some of the stuff that we’ve, like worked on in class, a lot of it comes down to like structural injustice, because even though like a lot of inner city schools may be closer to like, for instance Case, I live like 15 minutes away from the campus. And like, I know, there’s a lot of like schools that have like, even closer access to Case, but actually getting students like into that program and making sure that like they’re well supported in like their high school, because I know like one big thing for kids in my school took CCP was like, they usually they had cars to get themselves to that class. Having the resources, sometimes it’s like, really difficult, especially if you like, work after school because like, you use a large part of like, your family’s finances. I feel like structural injustice like works into limiting that like access that you have before you even get to college of how prepared you.
Maddie Shackleford 4:50
Yes, I feel that I had a friend that like she tried to go to community school, but it just wasn’t feasible for her because she didn’t have transportation and plus, she had work too, so.
Ben Mewhinney 5:01
As much as you can argue that higher education is, like accessible by all types of people, it really comes down to like, being able to like… yeah, it might be possible for you go to school, but not if you have to work that job or if you don’t have transportation, like any, anyone can go to a community college, maybe you might not go to Ohio State, but still on the community college level, like taking time out of your schedule to do that when you might not have that time.
Maddie Shackleford 5:32
Yeah, for sure. Cuz I mean, fun fact, I don’t have my license. So for me, the only way that I could do college credit plus and those programs was if it was online. So thankfully, in our digital age, that was possible for me, but then I remember there’s some people that don’t have Wi Fi at home. Well, you know, so either way, you know, are they really getting the same opportunities that I am? No, and that’s sad, in my opinion, and I think it needs to change a little bit.
Uppalapati, Sri 6:06
I think it really goes into like, once you even get to higher education, like now that we are in OSU. Like, there may not be like specific things that like show like someone’s from a different school system, the school says like, how and how that school system like, prepared them. Um, I mean, obviously, those issues tend to, like plague marginalized identities more due to like, the, again, it goes back to the structural injustices that like, are very deep rooted, like, it definitely gets that dangerous story where it’s like, if the only story you know, is like, your path, up to higher education with like, right, like, maybe you were super prepared. So like, you had all these AP classes and stuff. So then, when you get to school, like you get to college, you feel like college is like, manageable, and like you’re getting through it, but like, it’s somewhat difficult. And like that feeling is like, all of a sudden, you’re judging other people based off that.
Maddie Shackleford 6:57
I completely agree. I think honestly, I definitely think it’s dangerous to, um, another theoretical, like, idea that I’m thinking of is like this whole idea of other right, it comes back to what we see ourselves as, like, you know, and like, we have this instant instinct to, like, compare ourselves to others, and it or compare others to ourselves, and it just doesn’t work. Like, you know, it really doesn’t work in terms of the higher education system, because it’s so broad, like, you know, and there’s so many barriers for different people, whether it be language, whether it be anything is like we just talked about.
Ben Mewhinney 7:41
Yeah, all three of us are taking the same class at the same point in our education. And on this 10 minute conversation, we can already see like, how different our paths to get here have been
Uppalapati, Sri 7:53
It’s definitely very eye opening. Like when you think about it, I think like even looking at, like, self vs other one of the big, like, issues that I talked about in one of my discussion posts was like immigration. If you look at immigration for the higher education system, there’s a ton of barriers of entry between, like, international students have to pay more money. Like in their tuition, there’s more, um, you know, barriers in terms of applications and when you apply and how you get in, like, what your grades have to look like. Yeah, and I think like, one big thing that is very similar to the difference in like, levels of college preparedness is like, the standards of education. So it’s like, oh, yeah, if you’re in different countries, and like, you might expect, like, um, like your work to be structured in a certain format. Because, like, that’s how it’s always been. Um, and yeah, lack of connection makes it like, significantly difficult. So I think like, it’s definitely a lot of like, dangers of assuming that like, everyone at least has a similar experience to you in terms of like, even just that like old workload.
Maddie Shackleford 9:05
Yes, that’s so dangerous. I remember when I was in middle school, throughout high school, I had met one of my best friend actually, she moved from Jordan, in the Middle East to the United States when she was five years old. First of all, she had language barrier. It was really hard for her to learn English. You know, and I mean, thankfully, I’m really good at it. So that’s kind of Yin and Yang kind of.
But it was so hard for her because she wasn’t able to focus on their academics as much as other kids because other kids were so focused on singling her out, like, you know, and that has a severe psychological impact, obviously. And that leads to lower performance in school.
Ben Mewhinney 9:50
I mean, like, just last week, we read the Leavers, which was about like, Daniel moving from New York City to upper New York. And that was such a culture shock in itself, like, I can’t imagine completely moving continents as a child or even continents as a, I’m sorry, a student in college like completely coming into a different culture while you’re also like, going to a higher level of education like right it’ll make compounding factors just really like getting.. and getting in your way just becoming obstacles one, someone from Columbus, Ohio might be going to Ohio State, it’s really not that big of a change, like, everyone has their own story.
Maddie Shackleford 10:36
Right? That must be extremely scary. I can’t imagine, like, you know, going through that I think I’ve witnessed what it does to someone, but I don’t know what that feels like myself. So it’s one of those things where it’s the whole idea of Other it comes back to everything that we’ve been learning in class and grand scheme of things. And I think it’s really important to talk about so.
Uppalapati, Sri 11:01
Yeah, I think like, overall like the biggest dangers are just like, exactly like what we listened to like the very start of class like the danger the single story. Like you have to be active, trying to like learn more about other people’s situations and like their pasts and like paths to get to wherever you met them. Because I think without doing that, you end up making a lot of assumptions about people that like actively impact more marginalized identities.
Ben Mewhinney 11:30
To me like what I’ve taken away most from this class and like kind of what Sri said, just like making sure you’re not complacent in your thinking like always adapting to every single situation, because every single situation is different.
Maddie Shackleford 6:02
No, and I especially, yeah, sorry, no, no,
Sources:
Jay P. Greene and Paul E. Peterson Sunday, March 1, 1998
As of recently, I have seen headlines and such in regards to the Uighur genocide. I at first thought it was a hoax. Until I dived into the information this week. Not only have they been sent to concentration camps but it is estimated that this genocide is one of the worst since the Holocaust. Yes, you heard me right. Since the Holocaust. Something I find that most nations have strived to prevent since the tragic deaths of millions of Jews. Yet, why isn’t the same being done for the Uighur Muslims? Although the Holocaust is taught in most American schools, we fail to recognize what defines a cultural genocide and an actual genocide.
In China, the Uighur women’s reproductive rights are removed as of right now. This is key according to China as they want to prevent the continuation of Uighur Muslim offspring. In fact, this is one of the criteria the United Nations describes as a part of identifying a genocide. So formally, it is listed as a genocide. Uighur women are also forced to take birth control, if they do get pregnant are forced to abort, and if they have children currently they are sent to schools where they are forced to convert to another religion.
China set up neighborhoods/concentration camps to isolate them from the “pure” population. In China’s example, they are isolating the Uighur from the rest of the population and using the word “internment camps” as a way to re-educate the Muslims and force them to change their previous ideals. In a way, similar to colonialism just focused on cultural reform.
China enacted forced labor camps by naming them “re-education camps” in which people in these camps could have a variety of labor jobs. The most significant one in China is Xinjiang’s cotton industry. Workers pick cotton, package tea, and other goods to send to countries such as the United States. But according to the U.S Department of Homeland Security, it has been decided to reject goods from this region in an attempt to boycott their practices.
Here is a video outlining what is inside these camps:
This has sparked outrage across the globe through the use of protest and even rioting. In the image below, you can see an overwhelming outcry for the issue at hand by the Uighur women in China:
The image is a result of Uighur women trying to protest their treatment but was confronted by the Chinese government through brutal government policy.
Allegedly, the Chinese government doesn’t plan on eradicating them despite overwhelming evidence suggesting that there isn’t access to health care or other services needed to keep the people in these camps alive. Additionally, there is a mass amount of violence and oppression set upon them. Instead, it is claimed that they just want to reform/change their way of thinking through re-education camps. It isn’t a surprise as they are communist and feel the need to control every aspect of your life. From your job, to how many children you can have, education, and many other things. China is a completely different country however the injustice at hand is still noteworthy to mention in this showcase. As the injustice here goes beyond oppression in a way it is a control system that continues to impact the lives of the Muslim people in China. Injustice to this degree requires a system to actively detain and change the way these people think, therefore, making it a systemic injustice in the sense that it is a systemic effort to get rid of the culture altogether.
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart highlights the impact of British Colonialism in Nigerian tribe culture. The Igbo people were meant to immolate the culture of Chinua Achebe. While, the setting in Umofia is a fictional place. In this novel, Achebe highlights the beliefs of the Igbo as well as their way of life by focusing on the main character, Okonkwo. Okonkwo in the beginning we see that he has to climb the social ladder to be seen as a respected man in the Igbo culture. This helps to add to his hypermasculinity throughout the story. However, the main focus is the impact of crop growth, wives, children, the communal justice system and finally the belief that there are multiple Gods/Goddesses. The picture of Umofia and the Igbo people help readers establish the pre-colonial society.
Later in the story, there is a time where Okonkwo is sent to exile for his participating in the accidental killing. The villagers in the community served justice by exiling him for seven years. However, when Okonkwo returns he is met with the British Empire and the work of missionaries. The introduction of Christianity, government institutions and new education systems seemed a bit overwhelming for Okonkwo. Okonkwo and a few other tribe members act to preserve their culture, however, in the end the British empire becomes too much for Okonkwo, leading him to suicide. The introduction of British culture shows that the introduction of their society in a way caused more harm than good.
In fact, the introduction of new life in the eyes of the British causes the end destruction and loss of the Igbo culture. Often times in the novel, the British Empire is compared to that of locusts. Locusts are insects that are known for consuming everything in their path. The British Empire’s introduction of new ways of life ended up destroying the Igbo tradition. In an analysis I read, it highlights the way British discredits their tradition by saying “All the god who have names are not god at all. They are gods of deceit who tell you to kill your fellows and destroy innocent children. There is only one true God, and he has the earth, the sky, you, and me and all of us” which implies that Christianity is superior (ISJR, 2015). The loss of culture at the hands of the British is a key factor in the fate of Okonkwo and helps to establish the long-term destructive impact of post-colonial society in Umofia.
The idea of pre-colonial society in the eyes of Britain helped fuel the stigma of third world countries. This false idea that there are different worlds based on their traditions, ways of governing, and many other factors is destructive to the culture of many people. In fact, it causes many of us to assume or have preconceived associations about other people based on their religion, appearance or identity. By Chinua Achebe sharing this story of his people it helps us to understand the impact of post-colonialism and why it is important to preserve culture for the sake of communities all around the world.
Words Cited:
Rhoads, Diana Akers. “Culture in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.” African Studies Review, vol. 36, no. 2, 1993, pp. 61–72. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/524733. Accessed 19 Sept. 2020.
(IJSR), International Journal of Science and Research. “The Impact of Colonialization and Cultural Change on the Igbo People: A Study of Chinua Achebe’s Novel Things Fall Apart.” (2015). Accessed 19 Sept. 2020.
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1995. Accessed 19 Sept. 2020
