The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration

Throughout American history, African Americans have been mistreated and abused systematically. The film 42, directed by Brian Helgeland, summarizes the life of Jackie Robinson, a baseball player in the 1940s, who stood against such discrimination. Many African American men were returning from the emotional victory of World War II, where they served in support of the same country, striving for the same goal as the rest of America. At home, however, African Americans had another war to win, as they returned to segregation and Jim Crow laws. In baseball, African Americans were forced to play in the Negro Leagues, entirely separate from the Major Leagues. That was, until Jack Roosevelt Robinson emerged on the scene. On the

Leaving last week’s class, my mind was darting in all sorts of directions. While the “Eyes on the Prize” excerpt gave me a concrete understanding of the historic events of the desegregation of Little Rock High School, “Little Rock Central High: 50 Years Later” brought up all sorts of observations and questions on race in America that I hadn’t necessarily thought to address before. I think these two films were particularly interesting to view back to back because of their difference in style, content, and execution.

We must come to see the day… not of the white men, not of the

It shows how race and other social factors can have a huge impact on your life. Using a real life example was more beneficial than reading from textbooks. It shows readers that these things do happen and also gives them a chance to visualize it. The only issue I had with his writing and telling of the story was when Hobbs refers to himself as an “honorary black man” (page 130). I found it a bit problematic because he has privilege that black people are not afforded. He should not be calling himself that because he does not know what it is like to be a black man nor will he ever understand. On the other hand, he does acknowledge his privilege. In one part, he feels guilty for not being able to comprehend the struggles that Robert goes through (page 152).

Untangling the truths behind not only the reality of segregation but the implications of it through various pop culture examples, has been a long time struggle. Martin Luther King Jr. was an inspirational public speaker who was not afraid to state his mind. During this time it was frowned upon to say your opinion if it was in opposition to segregation. Throughout various films, segregation is shown in a multitude of ways. It is apparent that whether it is blatantly shown or implied the idea of segregation being a social norm is obvious to the viewers.

The film, Milk, was a story about one man named Harvey Milk who changed history. He was the first openly gay man to be voted into major public office in America. This was a giant victory for gay rights and his courage changed a lot of people’s lives. Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to fight for human rights and especially gay rights. When I was watching this movie, I was reminded about the #Black Lives Matter campaign. Harvey Milk was fighting for something that some people either didn’t know about or just didn’t care. We can see this in society today with different campaigns that people are either not educated enough to understand or just simply don’t want to spend energy to learn about it. This films reveals a lot about

Another part of the film that I found interesting was the sit-in movement. The sit-in movement was started by four black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Let Freedom Ring) This group of black college students refuse to leave the whites-only lunch counter that denied them service. Jim Crow Laws made it impossible for African Americans to be equals in the South. The Jim Crow Laws virtually separated races on every imaginable plane. These laws added layers to the declining of society by making one race feel inferior to another. Sit-In movement begin to spread throughout the South and in February 13, 1960, the first of the Nashville sit-ins began targeting segregated lunch counters at the city's largest stores. (Let Freedom Ring)

First off, I must say, this was one of the first movie I watched with the main hero being black. The only other film, I can remember with a black hero would be from Blazing Saddle. I feel this film has some of the elements that address issues of contemporary. I felt like film switched race roles in old western movies. This film portrayed people of African descent as just trying to make a living just like both white people and Native American at the time. But one can say that Black Westerns was just marketing to bring black viewers in, no different from the Blaxploitation movies like Shaft.

In the first part of the film that I found interesting was Separate but equal thinking in America. Brown v. Board of Education was the architect in launching the modern Civil Rights Movement. Brown vs. Board of Education reputed the “Separate but equal” thinking in America. The Supreme Court controversial ruling stated that separate educational facilities were inherently unequal and that segregation was unconstitutional. (Let Freedom Ring) This decision initiated educational and social reform throughout the United States. The Brown v. Board of Education ended segregation in public schools. Another catalyst that help end the separate but equal thinking was the Montgomery Bus Boycott which was led by one of the most inspirational leaders of

Contrary to popular belief, racism is still well alive in the United States, even in the 21st century. Many attempts have been made to terminate of the unwanted social injustice, but its presence is still plainly evident today. Still, there have been many citizens who have become blind to racism. Despite slavery being abolished, and segregation outlawed, racism still exists. A minority in the United States would easily be able to explain in detail the evident facts of racism today, while most white persons will tell you that the country has reached racial equality. Sadly, this is not the case in America today.

Both the students and the parents in the film experience major changes in their community. The way racism was perceived changed drastically. For years, there was a segregated prom. The parents of the current students grew up with segregation, so they want their children to experience high school the same way they did. However, the students attend an integrated school. All the students are always together regardless of race. The one lingering act of segregation was the prom. Despite segregation being outlawed and that the rest of America had integrated proms, Charleston high school still had two separate proms. These proms were not sponsored by the school, so, they were allowed to exist. However, once the school started working on an integrated

The film Shadow of Hate shows how Americans have struggled with intolerance towards other ethnic groups. This movie is important because it gives a bleak look back at the darker side of America. From the enslavement of African Americans to segregation we see a history of oppression. Furthermore, you can argue that even today African Americans still have to deal with negative attitudes and in proportional incarceration rates than whites. Almost all groups migrating into our country have faced problems with assimilation and acceptance. The Irish were denied jobs from businesses that boosted signs of not hiring them for work. Women had been left out of voting for nearly two centuries. Besides women, the denial of the right to vote has affected

Although the characters counter numerous stereotypes, the movie fails to portray the events and climate that informed these experiences. Throughout Hidden Figures, the directors have chosen to paint the civil rights movement into the story 's backdrop, ultimately downplaying its eminence and the significant ramifications that would impact the lives of these women. In doing so, the film portrays the pursuit of justice based on merit and not humanity alone. Humiliation, insult, discrimination, and embarrassment filled the lives of blacks all around the country. They were living as second-class citizens in a misinformed time of separate but "equal". The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics 's [NACA (NASA 's predecessor)] computers were considered to be "sub-professionals", earning around $1,440 per year (When the Computer). Black computers earned even less, as it repeatedly emphasized throughout the film. Census statistics agree, showing that colored women earned just over half of what their white counterparts earned every year (African Americans in the Twentieth Century). During Katherine 's poignant rebuttal when confronted about her lengthy bathroom visits, she reveals the ridiculous expectations that are placed upon her, "My uniform: skirt below my knees, heels, and a simple string of pearls-well I don 't own pearls, Lord knows you don 't pay coloreds enough to own pearls!" Though a valid point, this remark proves to be rather incongruent with the rest of what we see

Should kids read To Kill a Mockingbird By, Harper Lee or not is the big question. It is a very good question and many people have many different answers. There are many reasons why people think that we should not read To Kill A Mockingbird, and many people have reasons why we should. I believe that students should read it because it teaches students about the past and it connects to real life and real families.

Any representation of, well, anything, is always going to be criticized for how it does the representing. The different ways different mediums tackle the same issue is particularly interesting to note because they ultimately have the same effect. Edward Jones’s The Known World tackles slavery and community by showing unconventional circumstances of power. The 2017 movie, Get Out, tackles slavery, racism, and white power by showing how the history of racism and slavery practices are interwoven with underlying practices of modern society. In The Known World, the concept of history’s connection with the present is also evident through modern media portrayals,