Final Discussion

America is a country known for its opportunity for a better and more financially stable life. As an 18 year old woman who lives in America and was raised by a family of immigrants I have seen pros and cons of the country. However what I have realized is that my pros and cons may be different from somebody else's. I was born a white female and brought up in an upper middle class primarily white town. I have never witnessed poverty or financially unstable areas. I do not know what it is like to be on the other side of the fence. In our conversation in our final class, a classmate of mine made an important point that I have still not been able to get out of my head. "The police talk", this is something she brought up that I have heard of but have never had to experience or witness this. I never knew that parents actually had this talk with there children and to always keep your hands visible. This is all due to the color of my skin, and we are in the year 2022. Should we really be justifying people still on the color of their skin? Sadly, this skin color is still one of the first things that people notice about a person which is just plain sick.

Living in America, you get the privilege of living amongst different people who come from different cultures. We have heard and seen racism for as long as we have been alive. I personally find it so sad that I have peers who feel as if they do not belong due to their skin color. Another one of my classmates pointed out how gender is also something that divides one another. Women support women, yes I will always support women. I will not although support someone just because they are a women if I do not agree with them on whatever it may be, no I will not support them. This is one thing I do not agree with, that say you share similar features with the person such as skin color, gender, or culturaly they should not just receive your automatic vote and support. This is one thing that people in America seem to do a lot which I quite frankly do not agree with. 

We also touched upon ideas of inflation which is something that if affecting Americans daily. For the people wanting immigrate to the United States in the next year are going to struggle with balancing the costs it has to live in this country. Since I am a member of an immigrant family from Greece I will use Greece as an example. In Greece, they use the Euro as their currency which currently is basically equivalent to the U.S. Dollar. You would think that 5 dollars would be equivalent to 5 euros but it is really not. In Greece you would spend 2.50 Euros on a coffee, here in America we spend over $5 on a coffee from Starbucks. The lifestyle shock that greeks have when they come to this country is crazy. So with inflation now it will make it a lot harder for them to come to this country for a better life.

What we need to understand is that everyone is different. Whether it is from sexuality, gender, race or anything, not one person is the same. It is something that people need to come to terms with. In the discussion we had in class we made it all very clear that none of us will ever experience the same things as one another. This doesn't bother me one bit. I love the way I am, I will not wish to experience anything different. What I have and will experience in the future makes me the person that I am. 

Overall, I think that our discussion was informative and eye opening. Listening to different perspectives of the ideas of inflation, social norms, and racial issues really helped me see other sides. I know what I have witnessed in my everyday life, but I did not know what it was like for someone of another race to feel like in there every day life. I now know that my normal is not someone else's normal. I would like to thank Professor Dean Smith for allowing me to partake in such an informative conversation like this and for creating a comfortable environment for me to open up about my opinions to the class.

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"

 "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" is a film based on showing mixed racial couples and how the couples family's react to the relationships. As this was a time where racism was slowly moving to the shadows, white families still had issues with it.

As the film went on we saw how each go their parents viewed the relationship. The mothers of the couple learned to accept the relationship and saw how the couple loved each other. The way the mothers viewed it was that as long as their kids were happy then it didn't matter there opinion. The fathers of the couple on the other hand disapproved of the relationship extremely. They did not believe in marrying outside of their races  and wanted to try and protect their children from making that mistake. John's father was seen as more selfish, he kept on repeating to John that he had done a lot of work in trying to raise him correctly and he did not want him to throw it all away. This then made John feel guilty.

John shows his love for Joanna countless times but also feels guilt for potentially breaking up Joannas relationship with her parents and his. Joanna is madly in love and would jump at the opportunity to marry John as soon as possible if she could. As a white privileged girl, Joanna has not been thinking about the consequences and back lash her and John will be receiving for having a mixed marriage.

Watching this film, I began to think about how difficult it must have been during this time. I am a strong believer on that you cannot help who you fall in love with. So being in Joannas position I would not know what to do. I may believe that I can't help who I fall in love with but I also put the respect of my parents before anything. If my parents don't agree with something, then I respect it and look the other direction. In my culture this is just what we have been accustomed too. Watching John hesitate marrying Joanna I feel for him because I would not want to disobey my family either.

Overall, I can see how John respects his father and I also see how much he truly loves Joanna. This film shows how difficult it was during this time period to be accepted if you married outside of your race. We could see each characters true selves and how lives were at the time.

EOTO #4 Reaction

 In class we had the opportunity to hear about the case known as Board of Regents vs. Bakke which took place in 1978. This case was well known throughout the United States. It helped shape the country when it came to the college admissions process. It helped with opening university's eyes when it came to looking at a persons credentials to get accepted to the university.

This case has to do with a white man named Allen Bakke who wanted to attend the University of California and had beyond the credentials to do so. He wanted to go into medicine and attend this university. Bakke applied the first time and was rejected but not only did he reapply he was also rejected for the second time.He was claimed to have been rejected because of his race. He then began to fight this rejection and didn't believe that the reason for his rejection was valid. He then learned that the university had a special program where they can only allow a curtain about of people of each race to reach the diversity they were trying to portray. He didn't agree with someone getting accepted into the program over him due to the color of their skin.

This then caused Bakke to file a lawsuit against the University of California. The court then decided that the decision to deny Bakke violated the Equal Protection Clause and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The school then began to argue that the reason for the program was to make sure that the program of medicine is including minorities in its program. The Supreme Court then ruled that "race can be one the several determining factors in determining college admissions policies, but it rejected the use of racial quotas as unconstitutional." 

I believe that college admissions should not be based on race. The Supreme Court made the wrong decision with this case. If you have the credentials to get into a school then you should be accepted. Not denied because they let in too many whites or to many of a curtain race. We are taught to have goals and dreams from a young age, and many of us work hard to achieve them. One of these is to get into a college with a curtain program and if we are denied due to the color of our skin then what's the point of putting countless hours of effort in? Now that I think back on my college admissions process and the schools that I have been denied from. Was I rejected because I didn't fit the diversity role that the school wants to have? Could I have gotten in if I was African-American or Latino? I will never know but it could be a possibility. What is the point of having dreams like this if what I as my race off on a box can decide whether or not my dream of going to a curtain school or even a job is the deciding factor. 

This case was an extreme eye opener for me personally because I just completed this process a year ago. In the years to come this could affect me when applying to jobs and or a curtain program for school.It is 2022, you should not be judged on your race. Your credentials and experience are what should be the deciding factor. This case should be used as a reference for fellow Americans and especially people who review students applications in the college admissions process. As someone who will be continuing their education after receiving my bachelors degree, I would hope that my decision to get into whatever program is judged on my experience and resume.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/regents_of_the_university_of_california_v_bakke_(1978)

https://www.britannica.com/event/Bakke-decision

Klansville USA

 

This film was created to inform viewers of the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan was known to be a very violent group of people who targeted African Americans. They believed that slavery should not end and that whites were superior to all. In the documentary we hear about Bob Jones who was the leader of this Klan in the United States. A little background information on Jones, is that he was raised in North Carolina by a poor white family. He was in the navy but was kicked out due to him refusing to salute to a black officer. Later he became the leader of the North Carolina chapter of the KKK.

Bob Jones had a fear of being overpowered. He was the speaker for the North Carolinians and would voice the concerns of the people. The North Carolina group grew to 10,000 members in the course of two years. This shows how Jones was not afraid to get his voice out there and was a very strong influencer. Bob Jones reminds me of a dictator. He was a leader of a group that was targeting a specific race. He was feared. All of these things fall under the category that other dictators also hold such as Hitler. They share many of the same views just targeted towards different groups.

This documentary allowed you to deep dive into what the Ku Klux Klan really was and what they stood for. We have all heard of the group before and how they were known for being white supremacists. What most people didn't know is how big it was in the state of North Carolina. The group received the name "Klansville" after Jones obtained leadership and expanded the group around the state. The film was really informational for me especially because I do live in New England. Due to me living up north segregation was only briefly talked about in history class, I learned what the KKK was but never went into extreme detail like the documentary did.

Overall, I think learning about the KKK is something that needs to be focused on more. It is something that we need to make sure doesn't repeat itself. All men are created equal, and no race is superior to another and by watching the documentary I realized how dangerous this group really was. We learn about Hitler and his hate towards the Jewish community but rarely ever discussed someone identical to him in our own country. We were shown how people were brain washed by Jones' ideas and how they went along with white supremacy. 

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/klansville/

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/13/arts/television/klansville-usa-explores-the-ku-klux-klan-of-the-60s.html

Hazel Scott Reflection

 

Back in the day Black women were involved in television shows or movies to play the role of the maid or the "mammy". By playing these roles they were given a sense of independence by making there own income. It gave them a sense of independence. In my opinion, this was a huge step for women in the black community to step outside of their comfort zones.

Hazel Scott was a woman who voiced her self worth, she would tell producers in order for her to be in there him she would need to be herself. She would not be put in rugged clothing and be hit by white superiors. Scott in fact would make sure that in her written contract it stated that she has control of what she wore and what she sang.

Scott was also extremely talented in music as well as her acting. By the time she was thirteen she was performing professionally throughout New York City. After graduating high school, she began to sing at New York City's top night club. Interesting enough Billy Holiday three weeks before had stopped singing there and vouched that she be the one to take her place. People saw Scott for more than just her skin color, she was talented and never held back. People knew her name.

Fast forward to the year 2022, and some of the biggest hits in music are black, such as Cardi B, Mariah Carey, Beyonce who are some of the most successful black women in music today. They are famous because of there talent and there skin color doesn't play a role in there success. In the modern days today it doesn't matter if you are black or white. In Hazel Scotts day, she was judged and criticized throughout her whole career for her skin color. She did not let this affect her, she continued to sing and act and hold herself to her values. Hazel was one who understood her worth and was a main factor in her success.

Overall, Hazel Scott was such an influential woman especially to young African-American girls. She showed society that you can do what you want no matter the color of your skin. Hazel Scott proved to everyone that even though she was black, she was incredibly talented. Showing that skin color doesn't define you and at this point in time, someone needed to prove it.

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/hazel-scott

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/piano/hazel-scott-jazz-entertainer-fought-racial-segregation/

ΕΟΤO#4

 

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential and symbolic leaders of the civil rights era. He came from a long line of baptist preachers By 1954, King served as a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People which at the time was the leading organization in the entire nation. King was also the youngest man to have ever received the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of thirty-five.

On Thursday April 4, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was shot standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis ,Tennessee.King was in town of Memphis to prepare for a march that was set to be held on that Monday for the striking of Memphis sanitation workers. As he was stepping out of his motel room his assassin James Earl Ray shot fire at King. He was convicted for Kings assassination and was given a ninety-nine year prison sentence.

Kings assassin

The night before his death King gave a speech at the Mason Temple Church in Memphis. Here is where he gave his famous "I have been to the Mountaintop" speech. In this speech he was claimed to have foreshadowed his own death. In his speech he says: “I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

On April 8, Kings wife Coretta Scott King and other family members joined in on a march in Memphis lead by thousands of other people in honor of King. This march was the one that King was originally in town for. It now was held in memory of King and also the support of the Memphis Sanitation Workers. His funeral was held in Atlanta at the Ebenezer Baptist Church where many fellow Civil Rights activists and political figures attended to pay there respects to King.

Coretta Scott King and other members of Kings family on April 8th leading the march.

Sources:https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/assassination-martin-luther-king-jr

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr-assassination

https://www.britannica.com/event/assassination-of-Martin-Luther-King-Jr

In the Heat of the Night

 

The film "In the Heat of the Night" took place in the 1967 and is about a mysterious murder that occurred in a small town in Mississippi. Unlike the past films that we have see in class, this was more of an investigative/mystery when the others were dramatic love stories. The film is about a wealthy man named Phillip Colbert who was murdered and the local sheriff named Bill Gillespie and a police man from the North named Virgil Tibbs try to discover what happened.

What stood out to me in this movie was that unlike the others one of the lead characters was a Black man. Eventhough this film and the last one we watched were produced 10 years apart you can see how times have changed in terms of segregation. The producers made a black man the lead role and is used to show the audience and society that they are just as intelligent as whites. Virgil Tibbs was who led the investigation and was able to use the evidence in order to figure out who convicted the murder.

Virgil Tibbs in the beginning of the film was falsely convicted of the murder due to him having a large amount of money in his wallet. A moment in the movie specifically that I remember was when the sheriff didn't believe that the money belonged to Tibbs. He then goes on to explain that he is also a police officer and that he makes the money himself. The sheriff didn't believe that he got payed as much as he did. This then goes to show him that Tibbs may be a more respected man than he originally thought. In this time period showing that a Black man may be more qualified than a white man was odd and unlikely.

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As we can see throughout the movie Bill Gillespie starts to treat Virgil Tibbs as more of an equal instead of a low class man. In the beginning he thinks that Tibbs is just a Black man that fits all the pasts years stereotypes. He didn't believe that he could be such a well respected officer. Virgil does not care that the sheriff sees him this way and he continues to try and figure out the investigation. We can see that as the movie proceeds the sheriff starts to respect and change his perception of Tibbs. Tibbs really wants to get to the bottom of this case and Gillepsie begins to realize how worthy his determination is. As the two start to work more as a team, this shows society that no matter the color of ones skin they can come together and work as one.