[Julissa Aguilar]

For this week’s photo share, I chose an image from the film Hidden Figures. The image is of Taraji P. Henson (who is portraying Katherine Johnson) as she is surrounded by her white male coworkers. Katherine Johnson was a mathematician that was instrumental in helping to get Alan Shepard, “the first American man in space) to space. I thought this picture fit perfect into our discussion about the invasion of people of color into white spaces, because not only was Johnson infiltrating a “white space” but also a space devoid of women. In our reading for this week Elijah Johnson describes white spaces as having a majority of white people and in which indigenous people and African Americans are often seen as trespassing, this film illustrates just that. It shows how a black woman was often bullied an undermined because not only was she a woman but also a woman of color. This picture is also significant because it was from a movie that starred 3 black women and spoke of 3 historically black females, which rarely happens.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/how-hidden-figures-got-1960s-kodachrome-look-963042

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[Julissa Aguilar]

This is a picture from the protest that occurred against the Dakota pipeline. It illustrates the role water played in the protest, and how part of the protest was because they feared the pipeline would contaminate their water source. We now see that they were correct and they lack clean water. This picture also brings us back to what we have discussed in other classes about the people who have access to clean water water in the United States. It clearly illustrates the U.S. disregard for other groups that are not white.
picture by http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/3-reasons-the-standing-rock-sioux-can-stop-the-dakota-access-pipeline-20160822

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[Julissa Aguilar]

Pulido defines racial capitalism as “existing capitalism that exploits through culturally and socially constructed differences such as race, gender, region and nationality and is lived through those uneven formations” (Lowe 2015, 149–150). The maquiladoras in Tijuana are a perfect example of this idea of racial capitalism. The corporations are typically American owned business that move to Mexico because of weak environmental laws and cheaper labor. The people working the maquiladoras are given low wages that do not support a decent standard of living. They are also typically forced to live in the immediate area around the maquiladora and are exposed to the environmental hazards that come with it. Most of these people struggle to get clean water and often get sick because of the chemicals in the water that they have access to. The picture I chose for this week is from an area surrounding a maquiladora, it is polluted and unsafe for living but this little girl is there walking around. It illustrates the negative impacts maquiladoras have on both the environment and people of Mexico. Furthermore, it illustrates racial capitalism at play as we see a group and space of being taken advantage of for profit.
Picture by Romel Jacinto
http://www.animalpolitico.com/2013/10/explosion-en-cd-juarez-deja-decenas-de-heridos/

[Julissa Aguilar]

Pulido defines racial capitalism as “existing capitalism that exploits through culturally and socially constructed differences such as race, gender, region and nationality and is lived through those uneven formations” (Lowe 2015, 149–150). The maquiladoras in Tijuana or Juarez are a perfect example of this idea of racial capitalism. The corporations are typically American owned business that move to Mexico because of weak environmental laws and cheaper labor. The people working the maquiladoras are given low wages that do not support a decent standard of living. They are also typically forced to live in the immediate area around the maquiladora and are exposed to the environmental hazards that come with it. Most of these people struggle to get clean water and often get sick because of the chemicals in the water that they have access to. The picture I chose for this week is from an area surrounding a maquiladora, it is polluted and unsafe for living but there is people walking around. It illustrates the negative impacts maquiladoras have on both the environment and people of Mexico. Furthermore, it illustrates racial capitalism at play as we see a group and space of being taken advantage of for profit.
http://www.animalpolitico.com/2013/10/explosion-en-cd-juarez-deja-decenas-de-heridos/

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[Julissa Aguilar]

This picture is from Hurricane San Zenon that hit Santo Domingo in 1930. This hurricane left the people of the Dominican Republic weak and susceptible to a violent dictator that arose from this catastrophe and ruled the Dominican Republic for thirty years. I was researching this regime for a different class, but while doing some research I came across pictures of this hurricane and was reminded of hurricanes Katrina and Maria. It was shocking to see how similar the damage was from a hurricane that occurred in a third world country in the 1930s to ones that occurred in the United States in the 21 first century. This picture reinforced the ideas presented in our readings about how the United States government fails to act accordingly when it come to natural disasters. They fail to enact procedures that would diminish the effects brought on by natural disasters like hurricanes. Cities like Puerto Rico and New Orleans should not be having to deal with similar problems people were dealing with in the 1930s, now a days we have so much more technology to still be lacking the right type plumbing for these disasters or to be in situations where people still lack clean water.
http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/images/ciclon-san-zenon-sept-3-1930-santo-domingo.jpg

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[Julissa Aguilar]

In Stringfellow Acid Pits, was a toxic waste dump in Jurupa Valley, California. In the 80s, it became the center of national news because it was making Jurupa Valley one of the most polluted placed in California. The waste dump was intermixing with the water and harming the residents of Jurupa Valley. Students at Glen Avon Elementary school, which was very close to the dump site, would play in the contaminated water. As a result, many of these children got sick and are still dealing with the affects of this environmental hazard. The picture I chose for the week is a child protesting the Stringfellow Acid Pits. I chose this picture because I was reminded of the incident as we discussed schools and how they are often affected by these environmental hazards. This incident shows the public how environmental disasters not only impact people when they are occurring but long after. It illustrates how children are often left to pay for the mistakes of others. Lastly, it shows that more regulations should be put in place when it comes to building schools and other spaces that children would frequent like parks.
http://www.allgov.com/usa/ca/news/where-is-the-money-going/states_60_million_stringfellow_acid_pits_win_in_high_court_could_cost_insurers_billions?news=762402

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[Julissa Aguilar]

The cartoon is a depiction of the role slavery played in the foundation of Georgetown University. Georgetown University was founded by Jesuits, a group whom as the article describes as having owned a large number of slaves. The slaves as the articles tells, were often sold to the south were living conditions were harsher than the ones they were accustomed too. In the end took 272 slaves to build and fund the university. The article goes on to describe how Georgetown is trying to figure out a way to pay reparations to the descents of these 272 slaves. Whether it be through helping the descendants of the slaves pay for Georgetown or attend for free, Georgetown has begun taking responsibility for their role in the slave trade. As we read in the article by Ta-Nehisi Coates, part of reparations is acknowledging our cruel and violent history towards slaves. Several other colleges have begun trying to research their past as well and accept responsibility for what they have done. They are also trying to help the communities they separated and further oppressed. These universities are setting an example for what should be done for reparations(especially if they find some way to actually help the African American communities).
Drawing by Monica Ramos
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/opinion/sunday/georgetown-and-the-sin-of-slavery.html

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[Julissa Aguilar]

The main topic in our class this past week was segregation, how it began and how it continues to plague the United States. In our reading for the week, Massey and Denton describe how segregation began to rise at the turn of the 19th century as more African American began to migrate to northern cities. They tell of how African Americans were given very few places to exist and most of those places often lacked the resources needed to survive. Although, this began in the early 19th century, we still see this type of segregation in communities of minorities to this day. The cartoon I chose comments on the Flint Michigan water problem. It illustrates how the African American community was the one most gravely affected by the polluted water, since the city was majority African American. The article tells of how city officials chose to ignore the faulty pipes because they wanted to save money and did not care about the people who would be affected by polluted water. These disasters illustrate the way in which our country is segregated and how our country continues to oppress and ignore a group of its citizens.
Cartoon by Benson video creators

Life Of Black Community: Then VS Now

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[Julissa Aguilar]

This picture is from Hurricane San Zenon that hit Santo Domingo in 1930. This hurricane left the people of the Dominican Republic weak and susceptible to a violent dictator that arose from this catastrophe and ruled the Dominican Republic for thirty years. I was researching this regime for a different class, but while doing some research I came across pictures of this hurricane and was reminded of hurricanes Katrina and Maria. It was shocking to see how similar the damage was from a hurricane that occurred in a third world country in the 1930s to ones that occurred in the United States in the 21 first century. This picture reinforced the ideas presented in our readings about how the United States government fails to act accordingly when it come to natural disasters. They fail to enact procedures that would diminish the effects brought on by natural disasters like hurricanes. Cities like Puerto Rico and New Orleans should not be having to deal with similar problems people were dealing with in the 1930s, now a days we have so much more technology to still be lacking the right type plumbing for these disasters or to be in situations where people still lack clean water.
Picture from http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/weather-hurricane.html

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