[Cassandra Connolly]

The image I have chosen is one from a movement in protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline. One of the conversations that really struck me in class was the idea of written versus oral history and the “credibility” that exists in both. The fact that indigenous customs, culture, history, and knowledge constantly get ignored and brought into dispute because the Western understanding is that the only credibility is that that exists in written documents. Of course, the irony of that is why I chose this specific picture. The idea that after being murdered in genocides, obliterated by diseases, and forced off of the land they had lived on for centuries the Indigenous people along with the American government crafted a document–a contract for land and autonomy–that now the “powers that be” are disregarding is immensely absurd. The intense elitism of companies and the government demonstrates the extreme impact capitalism has had on this country. I will admit I don’t have extensive knowledge on the pipeline and it’s political or economic backers, but the idea that American forces–in the form of police or national guard–are being deployed to “facilitate” the protectors’ efforts further demonstrates the intense hypocrisy of the situation. Ultimately, this week has really opened my eyes to the utter duplicity of the American Government and its interactions with the Indigenous communities.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by Cassandra Connolly.

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[Cassandra Connolly]

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>The image I have chosen for this week is actually one published in one of my local newspapers in 2016. Every year as a school tradition, each person from the graduating class got to design a little ceramic tile that would be assembled into a mosaic representing the class. In each year previous, the tiles were solely individual and always ended up looking like a hodge-podge of 150 or so unique styles, personalities, and designs. However, the class before me–the graduating class of 2016–decided to do something special. They reached out to the whole class and asked individuals to “donate” their tile to be used for a group image. The result was the beautiful image that exists today. This mural also accompanied several other demonstrations throughout the year. The heart-warming story aside, the reason I specifically chose this image was due to the fact that the mural was only one of several Black Lives Matter movements at my school. Because of the proximity to Oakland, my school always felt a strong tie with political and social activism reverberating off of the city. And above all, I feel like this idea relates so intrinsically with the themes we discussed in class because of the strong grassroots motivations and spirit of allies. The way an entire class rallied together in order to attempt to continue the conversation of race struggle, created a permanent legacy, and left an image for generations in the future to look back on an remember.</span>

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[Cassandra Connolly]

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>The picture I have chosen for today is one of the San Francisco State University students protesting for their Ethnic Studies Department. The reason I find this picture so interesting is that as Bay area resident myself I had never heard of this protest. The fact that it has been so recent and such an influential movement makes my obliviousness shocking to me. Learning about this protest in class and researching it on my own time has taught me two things. First, those social movements happen every day all around us and it’s our responsibility to keep our eyes open to that potential change. Second, I learned that when institutions want to hide certain outcomes or moments of unrest It’s relatively easy for them to do so. At the time of this protest, I was in a government class where every morning someone what’s your news from the night before. Every day there was something new and important to share, but this protest was never mentioned. Part of what that shows is the media’s lack of coverage for this event, but it also shows that the person who presented didn’t do ample research or didn’t find this topic important enough to present. Either way, going forward I’m attempting to be more vigilant in reading or watching the news. I think it’s very easy to get buried in the massive avalanche of news every day and my personal goal is to limit my own media fatigue in order to be more present in today’s political atmosphere. </span>

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[Cassandra Connolly]

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>This week I have chosen to talk about Kanye West in the modern Hip Hop atmosphere. I momentarily hesitated when writing this, because of the grand intensity that is Kanye and whether or not I had the credentials to even begin this conversation. But he’s so intriguing to me I thought I would give it a shot. I think the biggest controversy with Kanye now is his association with Trump and usage of the MAGA hat. It seems out of place, ironic, and overall nonsensical that an African American man with such a prominent image and accessible platform would ever support an image related to racism and white power. To be honest, I don’t know why he does it, and I think that’s why it’s so controversial. Some have argued that it’s because without the hat he and his wife would have never gotten to have the conversations they had about incarceration and other race issues with the people that they did. All the while, others argue that it’s not his place as an artist to make those kinds of sacrifices, no matter what the benefit, because that’s not “his lane.” Even further, others argue that it’s all for publicity or he’s having a mental breakdown. Regardless of his actual intentions with the MAGA hat and the meetings with Trump, I think the most important thing is that it has become so controversial. All throughout class last week one of the biggest themes I observed was the hyper-critical eye audiences have on the artists. If they sing about money, drugs, and parties they’re not utilizing their platform to the fullest extent, but if they do use their platform they get criticized for being too “universal.” Ultimately, Hip Hops artists through the generations have employed their platforms in varying ways to make statements and call issues to the public attention.</span>

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[Cassandra Connolly]

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>This week I have chosen a picture from a Black Lives Matter march that centered around the death of Eric Gardner due to unnecessary violence during an arrest. The Gardner case was made popular because of the phrase he repeated while being arrested. As at least four separate officers wrestled Gardner to the ground–at first with a chokehold and then by kneeling with their full weight on his back–the raspy voice of the large Black man pleaded saying: “I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.” This picture symbolizes the depressing fact that violent police aggression and complete overuse of force has made only minor improvements from the days of releasing police dogs or fire hoses on protesters. Some of my fellow classmates have discussed the Black Lives Matter movement and its place in today’s continuation of the Civil Rights Movement so my response on that front will be minimal; but ultimately, both MLK and Malcolm X would likely agree with the woman holding this sign. What’s more, this image with a black and white filter could likely be from the 1960’s marches showing it’s relevance to not only today but also the movements of the past. As her blank, melancholy eyes stare I can’t help but wonder if the two most prominent Black Civil Rights leaders would have been proud or distraught at this beautiful woman still having to fight their fight–still trying to breathe. </span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>
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</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>The image can be found at </span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/most-powerful-eric-garner-protest-signs-i-cant-breathe-black-lives-matter-1478173#slideshow/1413369</span&gt;

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[Cassandra Connolly]

Source: https://slideplayer.com/slide/11776143/

The image I have chosen for this week is a picture of Billie Holiday accompanied by the lyrics to the song written by Abel Meeropol “Strange Fruit<i>.”</i>  Though not typically considered a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, Billie Holiday singing “Strange Fruit” is considered by some as the beginning of the Movement in 1939. Holiday would sing this at one of the only integrated dance clubs in New York and use it to close her sets, despite the controversial topic and dissent of many. I decided to cite Billie Holiday as a Civil Rights leader because, despite the fact she and this song were popular in the late ‘30s, she publicly protested against racism in the south in a time when few chose to discuss the difficult topic. Without a woman like Billie Holiday calling attention to racial tensions some twenty years before the official Civil Rights Movement, there may have been an even greater delay for the demand of natural rights for all races. As such, she is one of the early and first leaders in the battle for equality.

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