Blog #4

           I chose to upload a photo that represents the problem of segregation in the schools of Selma. I was very surprised to find that Selma’s private school only consists of 1% minority students, whereas the public school consists of 99% minority students. Not only are their schools not integrated, they’re not even desegregated.  When we watched the RATCO documentary, we learned that, for many of the kids, RATCO is the only time when they play with kids of a different skin color. How sad is it that in 2015 it’s still acceptable to have schools that are so blatantly segregated.

            I’ve had interesting experiences with school integration in my hometown. In Eagan, the elementary school you go to depends on where you live. My elementary school encompassed a lower-income neighborhood and had a much larger percentage of minorities than the surrounding schools. I never thought anything of it until I went to middle school and heard everyone refer to my elementary school as “ghetto”.  My elementary school received the exact funding that the other schools received, and was the exact same model as the others, but the only difference that mine had more minorities.

             Additionally a couple years after I’d left the elementary school, the district was getting into legal trouble because of the radical concentration of all the minorities in a single school. Instead of trying to do a better job at integrating the schools, the district had a different idea. They converted my elementary school into a “magnet school” which meant, legally, it could have a larger number of minorities than the other schools in the area. Racial segregation is present in many different forms all over America.

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Day 1
Every time that Hollywood makes a movie based on a true story, it is important to watch it critically, and see whose story is being told and whose is being left out.  While I greatly enjoyed the movie Selma there are many inaccuracies and people who were not represented.  I think it is necessary to realize with any movie that is made, it is going to be based around a main character.  Selma is no acceptation.  Martin Luther King Jr. was an incredible man who made large strides in the Civil Rights Movement; however, so many others were crucial in aiding him along the way.  The movie did talk a little about others who helped King along the way.  For example they included some of the struggles Coretta Scott King experienced.  It is important to remember that there were so many other people who made the march happen, behind the scenes, and many foot soldiers.  Without these people supporting King and other famous leaders they would have never been able to accomplish all the great things that were done.  I think it is a problem when movies leave other important members out, because many people now a days get their information from media and film, and if someone is not represented they may never know all the great work they did.  Selma like other movies also portrays historical inaccuracies to make the move more dramatic.  For example in the movie Jimmy Lee Jackson was killed by police and died right there, while he was protecting his mother and grandfather.  In reality Jimmy didn’t die until several days later and went back out on the streets that night to protest.  Hollywood chose to change that scene in order to create emotion and drama, but we must realize as viewers that this scene, as well as others, is not accurate.  Another example is the entire relationship between the president and Martin Luther King Jr.  They have a conflicting relationship in the movie but what actually happened was Johnson supported King and wanted to help him in his work with Civil Rights.  Movies are wonderful and it is a great way to shine light on important points in history, but as viewers we must critically consume media and look into both sides in order to obtain accurate and knowledgeable information.

Photo-(Frank Dandridge/Getty Images; Atsushi Nishijima)

BreakBlog #7

                                               

These two images help represent my reflection of the past eight days on the Civil Rights Pilgrimage.  The one on the left is of the footprint castings of the foot soldiers that marched from Selma to Montgomery over Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965.  It reminds me that it takes ordinary people doing extraordinary things to achieve social change.  The image on the right is of the dome in the Alabama State Capitol building in Montgomery.  This image represents some of the hindering forces against social change.  The murals around the base of the dome are misrepresentations of historical events shown to young people everyday, to conceal the guilt and shame of those who oppressed in the past.  This is no way to confront social issues and hinders change because it can never be learned from. 

When I get back to Eau Claire I want to listen better.  This is a skill that everybody potentially has, but can always better it. I feel that I can very easily be motivated to do and act upon things, but to assess the real need of action is the base of social change.  This requires listening, which I will try to better as a skill in myself.  I will assess situations first before trying to help, so that I will only bring positive change instead of forcing it back. 

BreakBlog #6

At the Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas we learned about the necessity for education as it pertains to social change.  As I reflect on the “Little Rock Nine”, I am appreciative of my educational opportunities.  The Nine recognized how important education is for the fundamental basis of equality.  Education allows a citizen to be informed so that they can use their right to vote properly.  It also develops skill sets in individuals, which allows them to contribute to the economy and use their consumer dollars wisely.  Lastly, it increases the level of dignity and self worth that a citizen has, which encourages them to speak out in their community and strengthens the group as a whole.  I believe this is why the “Little Rock Nine” fought so hard for their right to an equal education. 

We also saw Heifer International, which provides a unique example of a different way to fight for human rights.  This is a different model for social justice because I think it is a means of servant leadership instead of leadership in the traditional sense.  Heifer International provides resources and education, but after this base of service, leaves the people helped to go live their new lives.  A base of help is all that is needed in this case because it provides a sense of pride for the people it is helping. 

BreakBlog #5

New Orleans, even from the very beginning was a city of rich diversity.  The French and Spanish had control over the land before the United States declared their independence from Great Brittan.  The mixture of cultures caused a culture of acceptance from the beginning, since the two rules had to live in peace with each other on the same piece of land.   The area was also very urban, so that there were no large forms of agriculture such as cotton plantations, which were prevalent in the rest of the south.  These two factors contributed to the difference in black history in New Orleans.  Since multiple cultures, languages, and skin tones were already the norm between the French and Spanish, blacks were included in society with much more ease than in the rest of the south, which was predominantly white.  In addition, the work for black slaves to do was not so endearing as picking cotton in the hot sun all day.  Slaves had tasks indoors serving or constructing buildings.  These tasks took an amount of education, well-mannered behavior and skill.  Since these jobs were more dignified, the slaves who preformed those tasks were also seen as more dignified.  This resulted in more respect in society, the ability to earn and save money as well as to participate in free enterprise.  This is why New Orleans was so different than any other area in the time of the Civil Rights Movement.  The movement was a step backwards from what rights blacks were already experiencing in an earlier time period. 

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