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The image that I chose for this week relates to our conversation on white fragility. In this cartoon, a woman of color is attempting to have a discussion about race with a white woman. However, the white woman is very defensive and continuously shuts down the other woman’s comments. This does a great job at visually representing the ways that white people are triggered when put in a situation surrounding race and racism. As discussed in class, white people often get defensive when talking about race because they mostly live segregated lives. As a result, many white individuals are not properly equipped to talk about race and racism, or feel uncomfortable when they are forced to do so. Often, people of color take the initiative to help educate white Americans about racism, but the responsibility should not fall in their hands
Illustrator: Barry Deutsch
Source: https://www.patreon.com/barry
Date: 24th July, 2018
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The image that I chose for this week depicts a sign reading “violence against land is violence against us”. This image relates to the ongoing destruction of sacred Navajo land for the purpose of drilling for oil. This has been an ongoing issue, but activities were momentarily been halted in March due to widespread discontent among Navajo leaders, activists, and environmental groups. This example relates to class our discussion on the Dakota access pipeline, as both instances involve the exploitation of indigenous lands for capital profit. Just as happened in Standing Rock, the government supported the robbery of sacred land so that individuals other than who actually owns the land, predominately White Americans, could benefit. Exploiting the land hurts the Navajo people as their way of life is disturbed and displaced. This image also relates to the Patrick Wolfe reading and how land is so important to indigenous people that contests for land are often contests for life. Land often plays an integral role in identity, so degrading scared land can be equated to degrading cultural practices and indigenous ways of life. Exploitation for oil also contributes to global trends of increasing temperature, which could be reduced by protecting and securing sovereignty of indigenous land, as Dhillon suggests.
Source: Wild Earth Guardians, John Horning
Date: March 27th, 2018
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The image that I chose for this week depicts people protesting against the poor water quality in Flint, Michigan. This picture relates to our class discussion on how individuals living in Flint are often viewed as expendable, and unimportant. It is atrocious that the people of Flint had to protest the horrible conditions in order to be heard, because the poisoning of Flint’s water source should have never happened in first place. However, the incident took place because the people of Flint are viewed as surplus. That is the government views little value in the people of Flint, expect for their value in being expendable. That is, the people of Flint are viewed with such little regard that they are valued for the fact that people in power can exploit the Flint population. It was evident that changing Flint’s water source would cause issues, and even after General Motor complained that the new water source was too corrosive for vehicle engines, the city still subjected its people to horrible water conditions. One of the signs calls Flint’s fiscal manager a serial killer, which relates back to the fact that Paulido described the catastrophe as a deliberate poisoning rather than a contamination.
Source: Caitlin. E Joseph
Date: January 2016
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The image that I chose for this week shows the Administration’s failure to properly send aid to Puerto Rico following the devastating hurricane. In this image it appears that President Trump is “attempting” to save the Puerto Ricans, but they are just out of reach. As we discussed in class, the United States government failed to respond following the disaster because most mainland Americans did not understand Puerto Ricans as Americans. Therefore, the cartoon does not depict genuine empathy for the people in trouble, nor does it show legitimate efforts to provide relief. In fact, the caption seems rather condescending, which can relate to our class discussion on how the death toll was mocked by the President. Once again, this shows how individuals viewed Puerto Ricans as inferior and inhuman. If the image included victims from the Texas or Florida hurricane, we could expect that the situation would be very different. That is, perhaps the golf club would actually reach the victims, because as discussed in class, Americans tend to sympathise more and act more effectively when tragedy occurs on mainland soil.
Source: MercuryNews.com
Artist: Steve Benson
Date: October 5th, 2017
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This image depicts an electrical power plant located across the road from an elementary school. As it can be seen, the power plant produces a smoke stack, which pollutes the air that the school children must breathe. The article associated with this image explains that Dearborn Industrial Generation wants to expand the already existing complex, which would produce an additional 913 tonnes of carbon monoxide per year. However, the company believes that the additional pollutants will not have any harming effects. As discussed in class, children are not as protected as one may hope, and many times this is due to greed or “inconvenience”. Although the expansion of the plant will provide more jobs and electricity, it will put many people’s health at risk. Additionally, the article notes that the power plant is located in an area that is predominately Arabic and nearly 70% of residents are low income. Therefore, this also shows how race plays such a major role in influencing decisions that put certain individuals at risk.
Source: Detroit Free Press, https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2018/01/16/utility-wants-add-1-000-plus-tons-air-pollutants-dearborns-skies/1029332001/
Photographer: Bill Laitner
Date: Jan 16th, 2018
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This image stood out to me because of the sign the man is holding. I thought that this was impactful because the phrase, “How about we start with reparations?”, implies that reparations are just the first step in redeeming the horrible actions of our past. Today, many people believe that they can say they aren’t racist and essentially sweep the issue under the rug. However, denying one’s actions does not right the institutionalized racism that has impacted so many African Americans over the years. As Ta Nehisi Coates explains in his piece, responsibility and ownership of our past is the most important form of making amends. That is, “Intellectual reparations” are the first step in recognizing the issue at hand, and from there then the conversation can be centered around material and monetary reparations. </span>
Source: Inquisitr, https://www.inquisitr.com/3089614/slavery-reparations-could-soon-be-coming-to-u-s-if-millennials-have-a-say/
Photographer: Tyler Merbler
Date: October 6th, 2011
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This image depicts blockbusting, which took place in the early to mid 1900s. As it was discussed in the American Apartheid chapter, blockbusting is a tactic used by real estate agents to scare white people into selling their homes, which are often re-sold to African Americans at a cheaper price. The sign in this picture is a great example of how a real estate agent could do just that. Because whites had such a strong desire to live in homogenous communities, a sign like this would cause fear that people of color may be moving into the area. As a result, white flight would take place and the newly vacant houses would be sold to African Americans. This was a tactic used to create racial spaces that often put African Americans at an unfair disadvantage.
Photographer: William. H Mortimer
Date: 1962
Source: Baltimore Sun -
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>This is an image of San Francisco Peaks. The San Francisco Peaks are sacred to the Navajo people, but federal authorities allowed it to be developed into a ski resort. This example often came to mind this past week when we were discussing the Patrick Wolfe and George Lipsitz readings. This picture exemplifies the stark difference between the relationship we share to the land and the relationship indigenous people share to the land. The Navajo people view the mountain as sacred and therefore treat it with the utmost respect. On the other hand, European settlers, and those that inherited their legacy view the land as a resource or economic means. Just as the settlers imposed their way of life on the land and eliminated the Natives, modern day individuals did the same to the San Francisco Peaks. </span>
Source: <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>https://www.glassdoor.com/Photos/Arizona-Snowbowl-Office-Photos-IMG360532.htm</span> 2011. Southeast Aerial Photo
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