[HOLLY LUNG]

I chose this image of a woman holding a sign that says “legalize black!” for this weeks theme of trespassing because in many of the cases that we discussed in class (such as the Yale grad student napping in one of the lounges, or the man shot and killed in his own apartment, or the two men waiting inside of a Starbucks), the only justification for their “removal” of perceived white spaces was their being black. As such, simply being black in a white space is such an offense that people often feel an obligation to protect these spaces, whether it be by harassment of the individuals or calling law enforcement to do so. Thus the implication of the sign that being black in a white space is, in essence and in practice, illegal, is valid and in dire need of being addressed and corrected.

 

Bastiaan Slabbers, April 2018

• This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by HOLLY LUNG.

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[HOLLY LUNG]

In this photo of protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, members of “Rezpect Our Water”, a movement made up of young indigenous people, hold up a sign that says “Mni Wiconi”, which means “water is life” in the Lakota Language. This group sought to gain public attention and support against the DAPL by holding rallies and by hosting a 2,000 mile run from North Dakota to Washington D.C., which gained national attention. The group’s ability to garner support laid especially in their being primarily made up of youths. Their efforts parallel those of the 21 children suing the U.S. over climate change, as both groups are protecting their inalienable rights to life, of which water is essential.

Source: Community Commons; https://www.communitycommons.org/2016/11/beyond-the-pipeline-standing-rock-sioux-tribe/

• photographer and date unknown

• This reply was modified 5 years, 12 months ago by HOLLY LUNG.

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[HOLLY LUNG]

This is a photo of a poster calling for reparations and justice for Flint. It is particularly interesting as it marries our discussions of reparations and the injustice in Flint and reveals that not only have reparations not been met, but basic human needs, such as water, have not been provided either. This goes to show that past wrong are not the only thing black communities deserve atonement for, but that  the ways they continue to be neglected and exploited are also deserving of reparations. Additionally, the posters’ reference to Malcom X…

• “We declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence <i>by any means necessary</i>.” — <cite>Malcolm X, 1965 </cite>

reveal the similarities between the fight for clean water in Flint (as water is a necessity to life) and the fight for the ability “to be a human being”, to live, during the Civil Rights Movement.

 

M. Stan Reaves, <span id=”automationImageDescription” class=”caption-text-content”>New York, USA. 13th March 2016</span>

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[HOLLY LUNG]

This photo is a side by side comparison of the damages from Hurricane Katrina (on the left) and Hurricane Harvey (on the right) that was accompanied by a Huffington Post article that compared various aspects of the hurricanes. These comparisons revealed that while both hurricanes were comparable in terms of levels natural destruction (windspeeds, amount of rain fall, storm radii, etc), the aftermaths were dramatically different and telling of which areas and their communities were a priority for aid. Katrina had a death toll of 1,836 while Sandy had one of 109. Katrina saw 1,000,000 people displaced while Sandy saw 100,000. President Bush visited 5 days after Katrina hit while Obama visited 2 days after Sandy hit. And Katrina saw $123 billion in destruction while Sandy saw $60 billion. Not coincidentally, Sandy mainly affected predominantly white, middle-class neighborhoods that had better initial infrastructure and greater political voice while Katrina primarily affected lower income African Americans. Thus, it is evident that it was not a difference in the storms in and of themselves that caused such dramatic disparities in destruction, but a difference in ethnic makeup, socioeconomic status, and subsequent political will.

source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/04/hurricane-sandy-vs-katrina-infographic_n_2072432.html  (photographer of both images are unknown as are the dates)

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[HOLLY LUNG]

This is a photo of a man protesting for the closure of a trash to energy incinerator in Detroit, Michigan which has been known to known to cause higher rates of asthma and other health problems within the neighborhood that it pollutes. This slogan on the sign stuck out to me especially because it places the systems/individuals/policies/corporations in a active role in the environmental hazard inequalities that disproportionately affect   communities of color. The statement ties back to the Taylor reading, in which she discusses the futility of the chicken-or-egg debate (whether polluting structures were already in place before communities of color moved in or whether neighborhoods of color are targeted for these polluting structures) as racial zoning significantly limits the number of places available to people of color to live, making them easier targets for polluting structures on the whole.

 

Photo taken by Jim West; 16 June 2009

• This reply was modified 6 years ago by HOLLY LUNG.

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[HOLLY LUNG]

This is an image of a 2010 census dot map of Milwaukee in which blue represents white residents, green represents black residents, orange represents hispanic residents, and red represents asian residents. I chose this image because the racial divides in this map are very concrete and disturbing. This map brings into perspective the large scale of stories like that of Clyde Ross’, as this map reveals the lasting impact of institutionalized segregation. Additionally, upon studying the map, it is apparent that there is much more of a gradient between white and hispanic/asian spaces whereas there is a much starker contrast between white and black spaces, further illustrating the idea that African Americans are the only group to be ghettoized in American history.

https://www.thecut.com/2016/08/milwaukee-shows-what-segregation-does-to-american-cities.html

Map made by the University of Virginia

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[HOLLY LUNG]

This photo, taken in 1962, is a clear visual representation of our discussions from this past week. The message that the sign broadcasts demonstrates efforts by white communities to prevent black folks from moving into their neighborhoods, thereby trapping them in the ghettos. The sign alludes to the importance of racial demographics in determining property values by contending that an increase of black families in the neighborhood would cause it to become as neglected and underfunded as the ghettos that they are trying to leave. This sign may also be considered one of the “civilized” tactics used by whites to keep black people in the ghettos in that it is, at face value, a “suggestion” of sorts, but in actuality services to intimidate and threaten potential black buyers.

https://www.ncronline.org/books/2017/08/ghetto-asserts-complicity-white-americans

AP Photo, April 1962

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[HOLLY LUNG]

This photo by Tuca Vieria has gain worldwide recignition for it’s accurate and visual representation of the wealth disparity in Brazil. However, much of the social commentary attributed to this photo has been focused on the differences in land use between the rich and the poor and has failed to acknowledge race as a major driving force in said disparities. Research shows that 78.5 percent of those in Brazil that are in the tenth percent lowest income bracket are black or mixed race while only 20.8 percent are white, revealing that the systems that create the dramatic land inequity in Brazil unproportionally affect people of color and reenforce colonial ideas of what races can occupy certain spaces.

 

https://www.tucavieira.com.br/A-foto-da-favela-de-Paraisopolis

Tuca Vieira, 2004

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