After last night's Common presentation, I'm still hype. So, I contemplated how to combine what he spoke on with our last unit. We've discussed Black Lives Matter, Starbucks, Mass Incarceration, the Prison Industrial Complex, Oscar Grant, Jordan Davis and others. We've watched The 13th and Fruitvale Station. Both offer suggestions on how to proceed, but how can we identify our role in greatness within and external to us? Further, I'd like to ask: how will you proceed? What type of action is it time for from you? What can you do to (re)construct the narrative of black folks in the media, and how can this impact into our everyday lives?
Due: During class on Fri., 4/27/18 only.
Please see my video response: https://youtu.be/6sGweJi4Vng
ReplyDeleteWe must see each other as human and practice empathy as we strive to help each other achieve liberation. Both Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay's films emphasized the humanity within all people and how we should acknowledge that and treat others fairly. As we watched in the interview with Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JLpGOhSHYE), both filmmakers strive to share their stories highlighting things that impact society and them personally. More creatives and voices like theirs can help change the narrative of Black people in media.
After watching the 13th I was very surprised about our criminal justice system. Being a black man, I knew that the system was very harsh to my kind and didn't have level playing fields. However, I didn't know how bad this actually was. In The 13th I learned that 1 of 3 Black men will be arrested in their lifetime and only 1 of 17 White men will be arrested in there lifetime. The black community needs to step up and fight this because this is everything but right. Our black men are the biggest target so we need to lead this revolution. We need to organize protest and gatherings to inform people who were like me and unaware of this. We also need to become a part of the system and represent our people in the criminal justice system so our people have a voice. We need to be judges and lawyers in the year of 2018. As a young black male, I will be everything in my power to make sure younger Black males growing up have it easier then I did. I don't want the police to automatically suspect them as a robbery suspect or think they are up to no good because they are simply wearing a hood. Some might disagree, however I also feel that we shouldn't do things to make us stand out more. For example, my dad always taught me to be presentable and never let them know where you come from based on how you speak, dress or behave. If we looked presentable and didn't sag or wear bandanas and spoke correctly, it would be harder for the police to pick on us and falsely accuse us. I will personally advocate to my friends that this country is not ours, so therefore we can't always act how we want and express ourselves without facing consequences. As we saw in Fruitvale Station, Oscar let someone get under his skin and he broke. He started acting out, how some White people think Black men always act. This made him stand out and very noticeable. And in the United States when your Black you NEVER want to be noticeable. This is the reason why him and his friends were pulled to the side. Some might argue that even though what the police were doing was wrong they should have kept their mouths closed and just sat there. If they wouldn't have commented and let the police make them mad, the chances of a shooting would have been very slim. It is time for me to not only become a leader in my community, but also a leader to young children and set a good example. If they see me living a life where I well behave myself and become successful they will be motivated to do the same. Personally, I can do a lot to reconstruct the narrative of African American males. I set myself apart from the "average" or "typical" Black male and show the world that they have the wrong image of us. I study hard and focus on the things in life that will benefit me positively in the future. I do great things to prove the others wrong and show them that I can do as much as them plus some. Doing things such as, not getting incarcerated, going to college, getting a job, keeping a high GPA and receiving engineering internships from many Fortune 500 companies. These are things I do to prove we have value and can do anything. I pray that this motivates my friends to do more and those under me who look up to me. This not only impacts my lives but the lives around me. Hopefully, this could be a great start to erase the negative stereotypes and thoughts of Blacks and specifically the Black man.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.npr.org/2016/12/17/505996792/documentary-13th-argues-mass-incarceration-is-an-extension-of-slavery
Based on everything we’ve covered, I’ve learned that despite the continuous injustices we face, we have to keep striving as a race of people. In proceeding, it’s suggested that we find some way through a sort of “common ground” to get people who are not black to understand in some capacity the things we have to go through. It is up to us to do our best, but they will need to learn about the wrongs being done here on their own instead of ignoring it and claiming equality just because of the small percentage of black people who are doing well. I don’t fully know how I will proceed but what I do know is that I am getting back the desire to try. I honestly got so tired of nothing changing that as best as I could, I ignored it. I don’t watch the news anymore, but I still manage to see how we are continuously being wronged. I also see it in my everyday life when I volunteer and when it is more often than not, black people struggling so much in this community. It isn’t even shocking to people, the rates at which we struggle because it has been normalized; it just is... One of the actions I have kept throughout my entire education is academic excellence. It was instilled in me by my parents and I always had the confidence that I would succeed and be great despite the obstacles . Even now I don’t believe in just getting by academically or in life, it is never enough for me. That being said I have faced challenges to that in recent years where I stopped believing in my greatness because of rejections but I am slowly but surely being reinvigorated. Just like Common mentioned last night, you have to believe in yourself. Many people believe in me and see something but if I continue not to see the same things in myself, I won’t get anywhere. I have a heart to help people and that is another way i can reconstruct the black narrative. The media wants to portray black people killing other black people all the time, but we also help each other and lift one another up. Through continuing in volunteering, one day working doing whatever I’m purposed to do, and just being a genuine loving person to all people, I will achieve all of this. I want to be a good role model for young black kids and to be a good example for everyone for how strong, loving, we’ll-educated, and successful black women really are.
ReplyDeleteAnother one of the ways I am thinking I could do this is by being more outward with my gifts, talents, and passions; I need to share myself more with others. This is a poem I actually wrote a couple nights ago after talking about mass incarceration and black lives throughout class and watching Fruitvale Station:
Black is SO beautiful
And you don’t even know it.
The melanin in our skin
Where yours just won’t show it.
We can’t take it off
But you judge that it’s on us
We live and die by it
Yet you don’t see you’ve wronged us.
When did black equal bad?
When did white equal good?
Why is it Shaniqua from the ghetto
Terrance & Dre from the hood?
All these black bodies floating in death never ending...
How can you recreate “greatness” when there was no beginning?
Why do I intimidate you a young girl short in her stature?
Did I speak to intelligently for you? A slave to her master?
If white is right, then I’m always wrong.
But I’d rather be wrong than blind to all the “right” you’ve done to us.
It’s more than the fountain, the school, or the bus...
It’s more than jail time or calling us equal
Cause at the core of it all, you forget that we’re PEOPLE
And yes... we are black and it’s surely a fact
But beyond the usual, yes I know the feeling is NOT mutual
I concur at the end of the day..that
BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL ©️
https://goo.gl/images/jT57qL
DeleteTodd McCauley --- I believe that ones greatness within directly correlates to ones role regarding external greatness. Once you're able to realize and understand and what you have a passion and talent for, you can use this to make change come to fruition. As for me personally, this will come in the form of an appeal to the youth. Since our posterity is a direct extension of the lessons learned, messages taught, and hardships endured of the existing generation, it's essential that we begin our efforts of change within their minds. By following the blueprint that is crafted within Coolger's story of Oscar Grant, we can begin to reconstruct and rewire the source of our future. Oscar was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, he often made mistakes. Instead of adopting the paradigm of instant criminalization and vilifying that is showcased in the 13th, we teach them the value of learning and growth. Grant was able to turn his life around even in the face of great trial. Instead of succumbing to the pressures of life both relationship-oriented and financial, he chose to better himself. In the 13th, Michelle mentioned that this idea of the black population harboring "super-predators" has even permeated within the black community. It is here that we begin our efforts of change. Instead of ostracizing and fearing our own who have made, often trivial and minor, mistakes, its integral that we're the first to lead them to more more promising future. There isn't really a definitive forum by which we're able to foster change in the mind of white America other than hollywood, and even then the change can be minor or easily undone. With this fact in mind, we start within our body, and expand outward. Once the veil is removed from our own eyes only then can we work to restore the sight of those around us. Everyday life will remain mostly identical with the exception of new efforts to teach and support our youth and to lend a helping hand to those who have been permanently branded as second class citizens by the very country that promises them equality.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about identifying our role in the greatness especially around us, I think about how we need to show more of that greatness through the media. For example, the media will show story after story of how a person from our culture is doing something to be a menace to society, but when black man saves a restaurant of people from being killed by taking down a gunman, why is that story not repeatedly shown? If that man were another race, he may have been interviewed several times by multiple news stations and made an appearance on Good Morning America. Maybe we need a television show that shows the good things that black people do rather than glorifies their bad ways.
ReplyDeleteAs for reconstructing the narrative, I want to start with helping black women see the greatness in them. Black women are pillars in our community and if you can build them, they will build their men and children, and from there the world can be influenced and hopefully changed. I want to promote a program that helps sisters continue to show love and support toward each other; together we can accomplish so much more than if we are divided and tearing each other down. I would also like to make a program that helps our brothers that are felons.
African Americans are able to identify their greatness by the people who surround us. In Fruitvale Station, Oscar Grant was surrounded by family and friends who helped him realize that his path in life was much greater than his mistakes he had made. That external force of greatness by people who care for him is what pushed the greatness within him. As a generation before we could fight for ourselves, there were people who came before us in search of equality and greatness for our race. African Americans like MLK Jr. gave their lives fighting for those who would not be born for decades. The greatness within our past activits is what pushes people like the Black Lives Matter trio to fight for our greatness and legacy. As a race we must continue to put pressure on the issues that seem to be untouched. We must continue to show generation after generation the product of our fight. Media is the stepping stone on how to proceed in identifying our role in greatness. In the YouTube clip that is linked below, Nelson George explains how media takes Black culture and puts it into one category, but you can not take one aspect of our culture and define the entire race by that one category. He mentions that Black culture has multiple aspects and processes. In order for African Americans to proceed to greatness, we must first break down the barriers and categories that society and white people try to put us in. We must use the same media and continue to show them what is happening to our race. From police brutality to the Prison Industrial Complex, we must show America what they are doing to us. In order to reconstruct the narrative of black folks in media we must stop agreeing to be put into positions that are not uplifting to our people. We must also stop putting ourselves into the one category society sees us in. George Nelson also mentions how in his movie Life Support that he did not include that much hip hop in his movie, even though in was a contemporary film with MC Queen Latifah. He continues on to say that he wanted to show that African Americans are not just hip hop oriented. As a people we must share some of these same ideals.
ReplyDelete(YouTube Clip featuring Nelson George)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW4WXFwLCWA
Webster's definition of greatness is "the quality of being distinguished; eminent". The Black community has always been at the center of a significant or life-changing event in history. However, as mentioned in Ava Duvernay's film, The 13th, you can go throughout the history of Whites and not mention the FBI once, but you cannot discuss African-American history without referring to the FBI or other major civil organizations trying to attack and take down the people who took on leadership roles within their community. Those leaders, in my eyes, were the true definitions of greatness. You see it in the way that they walk with their heads held high; you hear it in the way that they talk with confidence & with their facts laid out on the table before they even open their mouths to speak. But how do we continue the legacies that they've started? With recent events that have taken place such as the Starbucks and Waffle House incidents, we are, once again, being portrayed as disgusting and in the wrong in the eyes of law enforcement. Though we may occasionally live in fear due to real-life situations such as these, we are no longer tolerating this very treatment let alone allowing it to stop us from trying to make society see us for what we really are - great. Black folks such as Ryan Coogler and Ava Duvernay have already begun to change the Hollywood perspective of African-Americans in the media, but the real solution in reconstructing our image is to begin carrying ourselves like the kings and queens that we are, treating each other like family & with respect, and just working together as a people such as how we have been depicted in their recent films. Similarly to how Oscar Grant's family was portrayed in the movie Fruitvale Station, we need to show that there is so much more to us than meets the eye and that we can enjoy & be in each other's company, as well as those who are not of our race, without there being any confrontation or arguments to occur. Though the image of greatness ends with society's depictions of different media that is being shown, especially in regards to African-Americans, it begins with us, and our ability to change that.
ReplyDeleteGreatness is defined as the quality of being eminent. Eminent is used to emphasize the presence of a positive qualities. Everyone has certain qualities about them that are unique and positive about themselves, but a quality isn’t something that you can control. This connects with identifying our role in greatness both within and externally. Externally your greatness will be innate, it should feel natural to you. There should be no effort into what your greatness, it is basically something that comes easy to you and proficient at. It’s the same standard placed internally, you will have no problem completing your task of internal greatness. You should feel moved and want to continuously explore and try to find ways to expand your greatness as well.
ReplyDeleteThe question of how I will proceed is very interesting for me, I know what I should do but I have lack in motivation. How I should proceed is having my voice being heard, I am a very quiet person, but it is by choice. I don’t talk much because I rather observe, I’ve became so comfortable in observing and being in the shadows I feel as though the things I want to say aren’t needed sometimes and its easiest for me to let it go and keep it moving. So, the type of action it is time for from me is making myself uncomfortable in every way possible to spark something new in my life. I can still observe but my voice needs to be heard and I need to use it. Like many of my classmates I have siblings but specifically I have a younger brother and he doesn’t understand the ways of the world as of right now I need to be a voice for him. I WILL be a voice for him and making a change for him to hopefully create a change for my little brother and the rest of the young Black boys that cannot be heard right now.
What I can do to reconstruct the narrative of Black folks in the media is by showing all of the positive thing Black people do. Spreading awareness about all of the wonderful things our Black people are capable of. This will impact our everyday lives because everyone uses social media, it is such a wide platform for many others to see and be able to comprehend what white people have been missing throughout the years. Just as many have seen the Black mother on social media that has 5 kids and graduated from law school this year, is remarkable. Social media will be able to tear down all of the negative narratives that have be placed on us which are not true. This will help shed light on many things and shut them up.
https://www.today.com/popculture/all-best-books-featured-today-show-t118448
At Common's presentation last night, he highlighted three key ideas that includes finding your path, believing in your path, and living your path. I actually enjoyed this talk because it is very important to everyone to know their purpose and how they can strive for greatness. I internally identify my role of greatness by striving for excellence every day and be a better person than the day before. We can identify our role externally by making sure we are living our purpose in our community and helping other. This can also help people understand their purpose as well. I will proceed by continuing to do my best and understand more about what my purpose is in life. It is time for me to live my purpose and go beyond my comfort zone to do greater things. We can reconstruct the narrative of black folk's media by informing people of issues in our world and try to eliminate the negative stereotypes in our society. For example, in Fruitvale Station when Oscar was on the train and the police directly pointed him out because he was a young African American male and the treatment towards him when they arrested him. We can impact this into our daily lives by educating people and to staying woke.
ReplyDeleteSources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvY0-V3v9YU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiyYEVcU1tI
Our greatness must come from of place of genuine thought and determination that tomorrow will be better. What I mean, is that through both movies, there is an emphasis on history just repeating itself to cause the downfall of the African-American community. Even living within the masses, that is the same feeling; especially, with a racist, misogynist bigot that runs our country. Yet, there must be some type of hope that things will resolve and get better. For every major setback that we have, whether it is mass incarceration or systematic racism, a fight must be put up to get the rights’ we deserve. These years of fighting may seem tedious, but we should remember the progression that has come forth with that. Most can agree that the progression cannot be done within the African American community. Everyone must be involved and be on one accord to say this is not equal. Furthermore, by doing the right thing to move forward, there can’t be any reason for controversy within the races. This process, however, must start young and there cannot be any blindness to the facts of everyday racism. Sugarcoating the upcoming of AmeriKKKa does nothing for the young teenager coming up in a REAL world. Our duty is more than just advocating for equal rights, it is about the proper education that should be given to EVERY child within our nation, no matter how raw or unfavorable it may be. This is where I will begin my new narrative, by informing children as much as possible about the world before they a pushed into the deep sea of lives like I was as a child. In the beginning, I found myself strongly against informing children of racism too young due to the fact of me wanting to cover them from harsh realities of the world. This is WRONG, and I see much clearer now of what must be done for the sake of the next generation to make the change and not repeat history. Now in my life, I feel as if I am more proactive in the fight then ever! Since I went to a predominantly white secondary school for most of my high school career, I was too afraid of stepping out for the sake of my white friends’ feelings. Now, it is not only my duty to fight for my people, it is my obligation to fight for the next generation (little brothers/sisters’ generation) and give them a new narrative to abide by. By learning at every corner, we will learn how to see and stop discrepancies within our everyday interaction against racism. Lastly, as a race, we should hold one another to a higher standard than normal. Thus, giving every Daquan and Kayla an opportunity to match up with a Jake and Bethany-Lynn. No longer will the narrative be just gaining more statistics from the black community. We can make the change, but it has to start internally before we can release the wrath to the big world.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnn.com/2015/07/31/living/ap-history-united-states-curriculum-change/index.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/third-rail/episodes/episode-2-is-america-becoming-more-or-less-racist/racism-united-states/
Anisa Johnson
ReplyDeleteSilenced:
The first to go was my ears
I couldn't bear to listen anymore
So I cut them off
I didn't scream while I did it
In fact I found relief
I could no longer hear the insanity
The screams of those in pain
Those like me
I couldn't hear the bigotry, the hatred
And for a while I was content
But then it was the eyes turn
The eyes they had to go
I couldn't bear to see anymore
So I scooped them out
And believe me I didn't scream
And for a while I felt relief
I could no longer see those torment
Those raped and abused
Those like me
I could no longer see right or wrong in the world
The darkness of humanity
And for a while I was content
But then it was time for my feet
The feet had to go
I could no longer scream so I was unable to try
I wish I found relief when I did it
Because the urge to run and help was to strong
I had seen too much
I had heard too much
Those like me
I wish they hadn't cut out my tongue and sewn my mouth shut
So at the very least I could say I was there
To those like me
As the blood dries I can only hope for the rains to fall
I guess my tears will have to do
Open:
Eyes that could not see
Ears that could not hear
Mouth that could not speak
Open
See the injustice around you
Hear the pleas of those who struggle
Speak of the atrocities committed in daylight
Those who act inhumanely
So, comfortable in their power and right
Will not care of your position
Your life is easily forfeited
They have come to collect ill-gotten debts
Eyes that could not see
Ears that could not hear
Mouth that could not speak
Is your mind open to the truth?
These two poems are complementary. There are those who can see and understand the abuses suffered by Black people who would rather turn their head and ignore the situation entirely until they themselves are affected. In other people, they were unable to understand the trials of justifying their lives as black people, that sometimes can have their eyes open and begin speaking out about the inhuman treatment by the system that feeds on black people. An example of the second type of person would be Michelle Alexander since she, prior to investing, believed the system to be fair and just. As we’ve read in the New Jim Crow as well as seen in 13th the system has never been fair since it has been built on prejudiced ideals. Around us we’ve seen the effects of an unjust system in the treatment of 2 black men just sitting in a Starbucks. We’ve seen the ending of a life in Fruitvale Station. If we know the system is rigged, we must destroy it at its roots and begin anew. Otherwise no matter what changes we make on the outside of the system the interior values will remain and be exposed in different ways to discredit the lives of Black people.
I’m already working on restoring the narrative of black people that have long been slandered and oppressed. As a history minor I will be working with my family to uncover the roots of my family in America this summer. Our family history is rich but society has convinced many that black people are a “problem”. If I can change one narrative at a time I’m already doing work that many wouldn’t want to do.
To keep my ideals, I keep my media consumption to a minimum since they feed us biased views on my own people. I write poetry to share the injustice experienced although not by me personally, but of those around me. If I can give words to the emotions of my people, then I’m providing a voice to those who can’t speak. So long as I don’t discredit those who are struggling I’m able to already move against the system that would lead me to believe those with skin like mine are criminal, dangerous, a super predator, a threat.
As African Americans how can we identify our greatness within ourselves and externally? I believe it’s important to highlight positivity within our community via media. We should praise our fellow counterparts serving the community, opening businesses, becoming teachers and professors, etc. The media portrays us as thugs, poor, uneducated and more. Stereotypically, we’re seen as individuals only good for sports and entertainment. The way we are portrayed in media is a reflection of how others see us. This plays a role in why others automatically criminalize us. Basically, changing the images of black people they put out in the media could help. Some may say changing our appearance could help. However, I beg to differ. We shouldn’t have to stop wearing hoodies, or dark clothing and whatever else might pose as a threat to avoid “white discomfort.” There are some white people that will still judge you in a suit and tie. You’re still a nigger in their eyes. Training these cops on black culture would help. If all they have been taught is that the hood is dangerous and filled with thugs of course they’re gonna be scary. They should be out in those communities not just when they get a call to “assess” a situation. Proper training on various cultures should be implemented in their training. That is one strategy that could change the narrative of black people as well. Now, how will I proceed from this? As a journalism student I’ve always been taught to be a truth teller, state the facts, and have credible sources. It is my duty to speak our truth. Change the way the media portrays us. We can’t depend on these white Journalists to tell our stories when they’re on the outside looking in. They tend to tell things from their perspective and what they’ve always “known.” Lately, I’ve started seeing more African-Americans highlighting positive moments within our community and actually going viral. Seeing posts on my timeline of people that look like me graduating, starting businesses, serving their communities, etc. is very inspiring. I can only imagine what affect it could have on children that’s on social media consuming this content. The media is the best place to start with changing the narrative of black people. Everyone is constantly following the media. Especially, the younger generations. It is easier to mold their minds and change their perspective of what black people are.
ReplyDeleteBryce Murray-
ReplyDeleteI think we have the identity our role in greatness within ourselves by truly getting to know who we are as people and what we have to offer the world, an individual can do this by experiencing trials and tribulations in their life. Personally I didn’t realize the potential for greatness in myself until I got to my sophomore year in college because I was still unsure about who I wanted to be and who I am as a man, most importantly a black man. But through various situations that started happening in my life my focus and mindset started to change for the better. Externally I think the need for greatness will come from what you see your environment needs or where you can see yourself fitting in or standing out.
Moving forward In my journey of greatness I feel like I’m almost at the end of the first part which is graduating from college in December but I know the hardwork is just starting and I’m not great yet but I’ll trust the process and myself. Considering the action that I need to take now is getting up and getting things done not just sitting around waiting for things to happen but making them happen, that’s the mindset I have now both on the rugby pitch and in school. Because I realized I can’t have million dollar goals and penny work ethic. For me to help reconstruct the black narrative in today’s media, I plan on leading by example with my actions and not with my words. Leading by action for me means working hard to finish up school to layout the blueprint for not only my younger siblings but other young African American boys to show them they just don’t have to play a sport to make it but instead it can be a stepping stone. In my eyes change starts from inside and in your immediate environment such as family, friends, school. This is the path I’m using to help reconstruct the narrative because if we all work to be better in our personal lives then that effort will come together as a whole and move our race forward to greatness. In other words individual greatness can inspire collective greatness.
Like the legend Nicki Minaj once said, "Greatness is what we're on the brink of". In order to achieve greatness, the black community must come together as one and fight for it as a union. It can't be a group of selected people, that's not enough. Once that happens then the community will be able to emit greatness in every which way. As far as achieving it within, I feel like you should automatically feel greatness within you.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to continue my education so that when it is my time I will be able to excert myself in a situation and be able to make a change. It's time I start using my voice for something that matters. People my age often get dismissed because older generations feel like we aren't knowledgeable enough. However, after seeing a group of high schoolers organize a march and the countless other demonstrations led by people my age, a spark of inspiration has motivated me to use my social media platforms to speak awarness to the community.
The narrative of black folks in the media can easily be (re)constructed by replacing negative images and commentary on black people with positive one s instead. Black people do so many good things but it's often overlooked by the media. Once we change the narrative, society will begin to realized that we aren't monster as criminals and that we actually are capable of making magic in the best possible ways.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/24/us/march-for-our-lives.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/05/us/student-protest-movements.html
Isaac McNair-
ReplyDeleteBased on the what we have discussed I believe as black people there many ways to identify our role with greatness. For so many centuries black people have been thought of as “less than” and with that faced so many challenges from slavery, to rights to vote, to mass incarceration, and police brutality. The systemic oppression we face today has caused some of us to hesitate and not uncover our role within greatness. What I mean is that the obstacles we have to face to get to where white people are can discourage and sidetrack us. To identify ones role within greatness one must not put limitations on their abilities. Do not conform to media’s perceptions of African-Americans. To proceed we must come together, encourage each other an uplift each other to reach our maximum potential and discover our greatness. For me I believe I can use platforms like social media to reiterate this message of black greatness and to encourage my peers to help their fellow African-Americans. Because we are so much stronger together than apart. When it comes to black people in media I believe one way we can change the narrative is by posting more positivity throughout media platforms. Most African-Americans use social media for leisure but it can be used for so much more. Everyday wise, we should try to dedicate some of our time on social media to preach positivity and avoid bashing, disrespecting, and humiliating fellow African-Americans. With the intelligence and strength African-Americans have, if we band together we all will reach greatness.
KeAsiah McLaughlin:
ReplyDeleteI think that identifying our roles in greatness is a group effort for our culture, but it’s a personal matter for everyone to achieve. Some people have goals to become doctors to save lives and show Whites that Black people can achieve in the medical field. Some people want to be politicians to show Whites that we can pass colorblind legislation. Others want to be business owners to show Whites we can handle money and impact our community. Everyone has their own destiny in life that, if lived out correctly, everyone’s destiny contributes to the greatness of Black people. Of course, we are able to help each other achieve our goals. But everyone’s goals are different, and change will only come if everyone plays their role in society.
Personally for myself, the type of action that I will take is owning a business to enhance our communities and ensuring I represent Black people well. I want to have a foundation that raises money for arts programs and also provides food resources for those who can’t eat. That isn’t to benefit myself, but others. Also in every encounter I have with whites, i will ensure i don’t as the stereotypes they believe in us. And this is my goal to help achieving greatness in the Black community.
I feel one biggest thing Black people today must do is unite, join civil organizations and nominate specific leaders to speak for us. During the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Bayard Rustin are just some of the specific leaders that generation leaned on as they fought for help. Today, our culture is a little lost in terms of “who” is leading us. We also need to unite by “buying Black” and from our own communities so that the Black Dollar can expand. We can’t only buy Black when White businesses discriminate from us (i.e. H&M and Starbucks). Lastly, we also need to elect more Black judges and politicians so that people of color can be convicted more fairly. These are small ways to achieve greatness and change the Black narrative. Other races would see us as united, economically efficient, organized, and educated.
Other races don’t see us a those things. We are racially profiled everyday for simply being Black, but no other races are taking the time to get to know us. Everyone keeps thinking we are complaining all the time. But our narrative won’t change in the media because the media doesn’t understand the correct story to tell. Oscar Grant was pulled off the train, and eventually killed, for looking “suspicious.” Even as he pleaded for his life, he was still shot. Another improvement to Black greatness is that we have to change the perceptions of Blacks in police training. It’s small things like this to change how we are perceived.
Reconstructing the narrative of Black people in the media would have to consist of small steps everyday for us to achieve that goal.
I think the first step to moving forward is determining what we find to be important to us. We need to figure out a game plan and decide what type of action we feel is most important and if there is a specific issue we would like to focus on.
ReplyDeletePersonally I feel that one of the biggest problems is our lack of self-support. a black people we shouldn’t feel the need to constantly search outside of ourselves for support. This means fully supporting black businesses. We need to try and make our communities self sufficient again and the only way to truly achieve this is to stop shopping and purchasing goods from stores and corporations that don’t value us as individuals. Personally I have already began this by no longer shopping at Asian owned beauty supply stores. We cannot continue to give our money to individuals who don’t respect us out of convenience or tradition.
Additionally, to reconstruct the narrative of black people in the media I feel that we need to be mindful of the spaces that we do things in and post positivity to begin with. If we want people to have a different narrative of us then we can’t support media outlets that exploit us as a people. We need to support individuals who are in fact doing positive things for black community and portraying us in a positive light. Rather than supporting shows such as Love and Hip Hop we should give our support to media that portrays us as being complex and 3 dimensional characters.
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We can identify our role in greatness within and externally by educating ourselves on past and current issues. We see repetitive discriminatory actions made against black men in America, and I feel in order to fight it we have to learn it. Films like the 13th and Fruitvale Station are needed more than ever to shred light on the injustices of our society. The Jordan Davis story has taught us how lethal the power of white discomfort is in America. We also see how racial profiling is persistent today in the Starbucks incident. We see how the Mass Incarceration and the Prison Industrial Complex shows relation to the recent arrest of rapper Meek Mill. We begin to understand why Waffle House shooter Travis Reinking was able to make bail for 2 million after killing 4 people and Meek Mill was declined bail for violating his probation. Injustices are occurring everyday and a call for action is needed. The more we become educated on our constitutional rights and judicial system the more powerful we will become in the battlefield. Personally, I will proceed by educating myself on the current candidates running for office and exercising my right to vote. I will continue reading lecture and watching films that allow me to understand racially motivated events in America. I will also support African American greatness in films and businesses. The action of advocacy is required of me. In order to reconstruct the narrative of black folks in the media, I plan to create content that speaks to the trust and resilience of black culture. Once we see more positive and accurate depictions of our people we will see a transformation in the our mindsets. The cultivation theory suggests that what we see is what we internalize. Once we see our stories, our faces, our struggles, our triumphs we will be more equipped for the fight.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching all these movies, I think to understand the racial sociology and to help this cruel situation is we as a people have to process and understand the historical context of how black men were viewed during Chattel Slavey (1619-1865) which was bestial, subhuman, drunkard, lawless, savage, etc, who only desire were to rape white women and commit crimes. This contention was examined thoroughly in the Documentary 13th.
ReplyDeleteIt would be a positive step in the right direction to mandate and include black history as part of the curriculum in United States Public Schools with the educational objectives and goals of contributing to enhancing racial diversity and assisting in eliminating artificial barriers such as cultural biases, racism, stereotypes and all forms of discrimination within the public school system and the society at-large.
I think that creating models of diversity which I can say is happening more today allows conversations to take place in the media, business sector and within academia whereas people who may differ from each other relative to race, nationality, class, gender, religion, geographical location and culture may better understand each other. These social variables when allowed to coexist, it provides us with the tools to think optimistically about the importance and benefits of contributing to the melting pot.
The narrative the media has about black people has been conditioned into our social construct for centuries. "White Privilege", dehumanization, discrimination, and racism all issues that lead to more issues such as police brutality, mass incarceration, black on black crime and lack of resources in the black community are deemed normal in society. This is because the way society has been conditioned since slavery.
ReplyDeleteThroughout history white people have done their best to tear the black community down. Strip away our culture, ideals, beliefs, right to humanity. Construct society to think our greatness does not exist when in reality our greatness is GREATER so they go out of their way to dim it. Our words are too powerful, our minds too big, our love is too strong, our community is too connected. That is why they beat us, shoot us, lock us up for obscene amounts of time, take away our right to a fair trial, erase our history. Constant dehumanization.
The only way to combat the media's narrative of the black community and show our greatness within and externally is to change the dynamic of society for our future generations. Change the narrative. Get more involved in the community. Create bonds that can not be broken down. Let our younger generations know that we are GREAT and to not stand for anything and/or anyone that depicts otherwise. One big way to show our greatness is to change the way our history is taught at a young age. If we teach our young kids that race is a social construct. Slavery was started because white people were afraid, lazy and cowardly and the depiction white people show of us is a figment of our imagination. If we recondition they way they get information. Teach that black is beautiful. It will begin to change the dynamic of society. Demand to stop dehumanization in the work place in the classroom and on the street. We matter just as much and stop accepting white privilege as a normality.
We can identify our role in greatness within by always striving to be great and doing the right thing. As long as we live everyday up to our true potential then we are striving for greatness. Externally our greatness can be identified by how we carry ourselves in public and how we interact with others. We should be trying to uplift peoples spirits, not degrade them. I will continue to show greatness in my everyday life by always being true to myself and always performing the best of my abilities in everything I do. Greatness should always be shown in the black community but the media often degrades us. You rarely hear about any good things when it involves blacks in the news. When we do something good it is only shown for a moment and then the next segment is shown, but as soon as we do something negative they spend half the time of the show talking about it and it is shown all over the media. I will take action by learning more about my heritage and the history of my people. I need to pay more attention to the current events that happen in our country especially the ones that affect my people so I can stay aware of our constant struggle. One thing that I can do to reconstruct the narrative of blacks in the media is teach black men not to be a statistic. Too many times we as black men fall into the stereotype that the media wants us to be. I could put them on the right path and that wouldn't make them seem like a "thug" or a "threat" to society like the media puts us out to be.
ReplyDeleteTo be born a black man/woman is greatness within itself. The divine creator saw you and I fit/strong enough to handle the trials and tribulations we experience and witness on the daily basis. I don’t view my skin color as a weakness, I use it as motivation to become stronger, smarter, more cognizant. Being a black man in America today means that greatness is demanded and the bare minimum. We have the biggest targets on our backs, but we also have the greatest opportunities. To identify greatness outside of myself consists of constantly improving how I speak, move, love others, invest into myself and others, and whom I associate myself with. The next required action for myself is graduating college with honors, getting into medical school or physical therapy school, becoming more self sufficient, and attaining more responsibility over my own life. In order for us to reconstruct the narrative of blacks in America, we need to start with improving the home turf; rather than moving out the hood, we need to start buying back the hood, we need stronger leadership and representatives of our communities (not just comedians and athletes), and I can never stress this enough, but we dssperately need more financial literacy, we need to invest in more assets and not liabilities. Actions I can take to help in change includes getting relicensed in insurance and mutual funds, blacks in America spend the most money and have nothing to show for it in terms of leaving something behind for their families and creating an uptrend in where we sit in regards to tax brackets. I also need to get into real estate and renovation so where we live becomes prosperous. I need to continuously work within my fraternity to give back to the community. As an entrepreneur I can link with other black entrepreneurs and reinvent Black Wall Street. We as black people have the power to literally make America stop. We’re no longer the minority in terms of population, but we are the minority in terms of power. We have to stop crying to white people to deem us relevant, we know we’re relevant and need to start moving like it. Everything we’re unhappy with starts with us and how we can go about changing it. Protesting isn’t cutting it anymore, it’s time to start hurting pockets and getting more educated about these local elections as well as the House and Senate (myself included). We’ve been held down for so long because everyone else sees the greatness and beauty of black people, and they fear it. So when are we going to see it for ourselves and break free? Let’s start holding each other more accountable, love each other better, keep each other free and out of jail, and do whatever we can to stop filling their pockets and building them up and start taking care of ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAs an African American, I believe that blacks can identify their role in greatness by strengthening their image in the media and by not submitting to stereotypical black roles in films that makes him or her portray hypermasculinity or hyperfemininity traits that don't fully represent the black communities across the United States. As a Journalism & Mass communications major, along with graduating in May, I will soon have the opportunity to create messages through my platforms and constructing more realistic sequences of black love, black family, and black culture within my works through strong character development. Learning from the directors that we discussed in this class, I know that character development is everything when it comes to a good film, you don't want the star of the show to be perfect. This concept that blacks are criminals and not accepted makes black films less stressful to shoot and more entertaining to watch as many blacks are already seen as imperfect or lesser than whites in our overall media coverage. I want my films to reach the youth, similar to the black superhero shows and films that have recently surfaced on the big screen in the last few years. The kids are the future and while they are at the age where window of opportunity is present, I want them to take the themes along with them in their journey and spread the undermined knowledge and culture of African Americans so we may be able to have a better tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteAs the year’s progress, I am learning that it is beyond important to find your WHY and to be yourself! We as black people can identify our role of greatness internal, by knowing our potential and worth. We should have that drive to be better than our forefathers, and desire to be treated as equals to our white counterparts. What we instill in us daily, will be what we externally show. We already know that we are capable. Inventions such as open heart surgery, the stop light, and even the radiator were invented by blacks. As people we not only found a way to survive in a turbulent society fueled with racism but we have found a way to thrive, grow, continuously develop personally with authenticity. To proceed in life, I feel as if it is important for our mindsets to continuously change and develop.
ReplyDeleteIf I must be honest, I haven’t completely found my why or purpose yet but I know it is coming. I have a lot of goals but my one and only purpose, I have not quite seemed to figure that out. When I say this to people, they tend to look at me in a different light. They begin to tell me that I need to hurry up and find my purpose because I need to have my life planned out. I am realizing that my journey will never be the same as anyone else’s. With this being said it is time for me to find my voice but still move on the beat of my own drums and not care so much about what other’s have to say. Confidence is key.
One of my long-term goals is to one day be a film director. I will reconstruct the narrative of black folks in the media by simply showing us in a different light. Showcasing the great abilities that we all have. Why not make a movie on black inventions? I also believe that it is very important to instill this into our youth. I feel very sorry for our younger generation. They want to be grown so bad. It is important for them to have someone to look up to and to be aware of the world that they are living in. I want them to be knowledgeable so they will not have to face some of the things that we are going through today. If mindsets change, we have the power to change.
From what we have gathered from Fruitvale Station as well as other films and shows that work hard to present Black and African American people in a more beautiful and more human light. Movies and shows from popular and more known channels who often have white directors usually portray them in more boorish and criminal like features. They don’t want anyone outside of the US to see black or African American people as normal, they want to show us off as poor, dumb, arrogant animals with little self-control. However, that is not how we are, we are just as human as everyone else in the world either it be white, Asian or otherwise. Making people more aware or bringing out more equal rights and improving the state of police training would be a more beneficial to everyone.
ReplyDeleteBeing an artist, I supposed that why should we stop at movies and films to get the world to know how normal we can be. We can recreate and show off the beauty of our people in so many ways without needing to dirty or sexualize ourselves. Art makes people feel and think about things in a way different light just like movies and shows can. Everyone looks at art, from rich to the very poor, and they notice or start to think differently or start to wonder about certain things afterward. We can do anything we can, and no one can stop us from rising up the mantel and idea that we are human and deserve the equal respect that our past ancestors worked so hard to get to.
Let’s get rid of all those negative stereotypes that have clung onto the name of the black and African American race and put us into a more positive light!
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ReplyDeleteWhen identifying our roles in greatness, I think it's important to understand that the idea of greatness is relative. Everyone could have a different idea of what greatness is, which I think could be a good thing. One persons idea of greatness could be helping to build a stronger and better community through free breakfast/lunch programs. Another persons idea of greatness could be helping to build a stronger and better community through going out and getting people in the community registered to vote. Both are playing their role in greatness based on what they feel is important to them, everyone is contributing in some way. I think that if you can find something that interests you, you should be able to incorporate it into helping support the cause. As for me, what I find important is helping to reach out to people and giving knowledge on topics they wouldn't get from regular public education. Examples of this would be that many people don't know about the destruction of Black Wall Street, which I feel is a really important moment in American history, especially for black people. I feel that I could do this outreach through social media, because so many people are connected through social media. I feel that social media has the potential to be a great place to learn and connect with people you normally would never run into. Most people use social media every day, so it could be a great place for people to see black people in a positive light. Social media is also a form of media, so showing black people in this way would help change the narrative of what people might usually see on the news or on other parts of social media.
ReplyDeleteA major way to actually identify our role in greatness is to aces how we individually view ourselves. The Black Lives Matter movement is the largest scale of blacks coming together for change that my generation has been exposed to. There are many black people that would like to join the Black Lives Matter movement but just do not know how they would individually contribute. Myself included. Joining a movement is not just showing up to the rallies and demonstrations its actually getting involved ans staying involved. So black people really finding out what they themselves can contribute and be the most effective, but you cant do this unless you know yourself and your capabilities.
ReplyDeleteThe best way to proceed with the movement is to find a leader. the reason that white people dont respect or even fear the Black Lives Matter movement is because there is no one central leader to convey to everyone what the movement is trying to achieve and what the movement actually stands for. If the Black Lives Matter movement had one head leader and the rest of us rallied behind him the movement could proceed more successfully.
Its definitely the time for action. The type of action needed by our generation is persistence. The problem to me is the fact that once something stops trending on social media the younger people often forget about it. The way to bring about real change is to keep up the demonstrations, and keep saying the victims names so that the government and law enforcement cant just shrug their shoulders and say "glad that over". Persistence is the key to effective action.
A way that black people can get the media to portray them differently is education. Many times when black people are getting media exposure trying to convey a message the media will make them look uneducated. The media making black look uneducated takes away from the message they are trying to convey. By getting educated I do not just mean go to college and getting a degree. Yes the degree lends credibility to what your message is but it also needs to go deeper than that. Blacks need to educate themselves in our culture, our oppressors culture, scare tactics used by white people, media manipulation and most importantly communication skills. Blacks really coming together and persistently demanding change and reformation can effect our daily lives by establishing true respect and equality.
Alesia Smyre
Our power and Greatness is going to continue to comes through these films that we are releasing. We (Black Folks) have to remain Humble on the inside and out this is one of the main factors to us proceeding this means being successful and effective throughout our work in these films. For example in Fruitvale station,we run into this problem everyday with Law Enforcement you can tell by the emotion Ryan coogler, you typical night out with your boys and your girl at the subway station turns into something dangerous because of the actions of white privilege, something we have to stay woke on these days. We need to get our community’s more more involved if we want to proceed in this world, let’s start supporting black own businesses as Doctor Jackson mention people that’s not only going to give you give you good service but service that’s going to benefit you. Being external in my little siblings life, the community is going to strive me to be the best and to remain humble all i can do now is to be heard let my voice reach others and impact I know i am superior but just because my skin color is black and move a different way shouldn’t put me in the Category of a dangerous person or even a threat to society. We live in these different stereotypes that put us down but through these films that speak for our people gives us a chance to show everyone, what we go through and to be in our shoes, once they get that visual representation and the sound it puts everything in a whole new perspective. We need to continue spreading awareness and staying woke Because Black excellence is going to become the new influence In other country’s not just here in the U.S but to reach out and touch others with the same story.
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