[Malik Russell]

The picture I chose for this week’s photo share is from Childish Gambino’s music video for his song “This is America”. The song/video contains a multitude of hidden messages about the state of America today discussing media, racism, gun violence, etc. The photo I chose depicts Childish Gambino in a position that has been noted to share similarities to Jim Crow depictions. This song perfectly relates to our theme of the week, lyrical representation of segregation and that is why I chose this image.

video directed by Hiro Murai

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[Malik Russell]

The photo I chose this week is of “Dog Park Debbie”, just another white woman policing a public space and calling the police on a Balck man. “Debbie” called the police on Franklin Baxley in a Massachusetts dog park this past Wednesday because his dog reported humped her dog. While on the phone with the police, she reported that Baxley verbally assaulted her as well. When the presumed white police officer arrived, he immediately told Baxley that his car, left idling in the parking lot, was a ticket-able offense. He continued to tell Baxley that his interaction with “Debbie” could be considered an assault even though he only is seen recording their interaction, in which the woman initiated. At the end of one video, the woman mumbled “I don’t know why he’s doing this. It’s really annoying” to the officer. At the end of one video, the woman says to the officer, “I don’t know why he’s doing this. It’s really annoying,” in which he replies, “Oh, I’m used to it though.” Baxley soon after left the park. This only goes to show that even when Black people, men especially, are doing literally nothing, they are perceived as a threat and how police are weaponized by white people as a tool against Blacks.

source: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-news-dog-park-debbie-20190301-story.html
date: 2-27-19

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[Malik Russell]

This image depicts an explosion near Yellowstone National Park and an oil spill in Yellowstone River. I chose this picture because it perfectly epitomizes the contradictory actions of the United States when it comes to the use of such “protected” lands. In 2011, 63,000 gallons of oil was spilled into the Yellowstone River and people had to be evacuated because of explosion risks. In 2015, 50,000 gallons of oil were spilled in Glendive and about 6,000 people were told not to use tap water because of the harmful carcinogens found in the water in Yellowstone River. Although these parks were set up to preserve and protect nature, our capitalist society has still found a way to ruin it them for capital gain.

source: caglecartoons.com
by: Pat Bagley
date: February 18, 2015

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[Malik Russell]

Depicted below is Jasmine Richards, an activist in the Black Lives Matter movement, who was convicted of felony lynching after trying to assist a young woman who was being roughly arrested by the police. The irony behind this situation is that Richards was literally fighting the injustices in the system, including false convictions and mass convictions. I chose this image because it goes to show that even when Black people are fighting for justice and equal rights, they are beat down by the system. The lynching law even states, “a person who participates in the taking by means of a riot of another person from the lawful custody of a peace officer is guilty of a felony.” The law as grossly misused, and in the video on the website below, you can clearly see there was no riot and no lynching. Black bodies are constantly policed and in every circumstance, we are constantly fighting for equality.

source: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/jasmine-richards-prisoner-black-lives-matter-article-1.2659110

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[Malik Russell]

This photo depicts Ruby Bridges, the first African-American to integrate an elementary school in the South. The picture on the left depicts Ruby at age 6, the one on the right depicts her alive and well today, over 50 years later. I chose this image because of the conversations we had in class this week about the disconnect between what we perceive as the past and our current world. Ruby Bridges had to be escorted to school every day that year by federal marshalls to ensure her safety, and all but 1 teacher in the school refused to teach Ruby. Again, I chose to use this image just to show how these “historical figures” are still around today and fighting the same fight. Ruby Bridges has her own foundation, The Ruby Bridges Foundation, whose purpose is to “promote respect and equal treatment to all races or all differences.” Ruby is still fighting the same fight against racism and discrimination today that her parents fought for her to even attend school in the not-so-distant past.

source: https://blackdoctor.org/516030/ruby-bridges-the-6-year-old-who-changed-everything/

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[Malik Russell]

Los Angeles County, one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the country, has a great history of segregation. Starting in the 1960s, segregation began to weaken and Blacks began to move out of the poorest housing locations in LA, to other areas in South LA, Inglewood, Carson, Compton, and Gardena. However, over the last 50 years LA has remained relatively segregated by minority groups, and as Blacks moved out, Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and other Latinos began to move in. As of 2010, “John Logan and colleagues at Brown University have calculated that L.A. is the 14th most highly segregated of the 50 U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest black populations.” This may have been the reality, but with recent developments in the Los Angeles area, this may change in the recent future. Los Angeles is beginning to transform into an “up and coming” area, and with rising rent, property taxes, etc. minority communities are again beginning to become displaced. I chose this photo to show the concentration of the Black population in LA, with the intent to find a similar image in the future to compare the effects of gentrification.

source:http://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2016/07/07/south-l-a-is-a-story-of-both-segregation-and-desegregation/

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[Malik Russell]

This image has been used in various history textbooks across the country, and I have seen and studied it multiple times throughout my K-12 schooling. Upon thinking of this week’s discussion of race and space, this was one of the first images that came to mind. The image depicts what seems to be an angel leading westward expansion with settlers on horses and in wagons following, driving natives away, laying telephone lines, with a railroad in pursuit. This perfectly exemplifies the discussions we had in lecture of the believed “pure” space that European immigrants thought they were settling, while completely disregarding and displacing indigenous peoples. I find it interesting that the settlers of the “New World” initially set out to escape Europe and the corruption there, but came to the Americas and perpetuated the same, and even more, destructive patterns than in Europe.

Photo by:

John Gast

American Progress, 1862

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[Malik Russell]

This photo is from the inaugural speech of Alabama governor George C Wallace on January 14th, 1967. In this infamous speech, Wallace states, “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever,” and this line followed his legacy even til this day. This speech was given in 1967, years after many anti-discriminatory laws/cases were passed, including the famous Brown v. Board of Education case that outlawed segregation in schools. Wallace completely disregards these cases in his speech and pushes for the continuation of segregation. I chose this photo because it parallels our discussions in class about how despite legality, segregation and discrimination practices were still pushed for by white Americans. This same rhetoric persists to this day, just not as blatant as in the past. Even today, there are still countless cases of institutionalized practices that keep communities segregated.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2013/01/14/169080969/segregation-forever-a-fiery-pledge-forgiven-but-not-forgotten

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