"The Privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."
What does this quote mean? Why do you think the word privilege is used? Is it your right to be who you are? Have you ever been in situation where you faced discrimination about who you are?
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
America: Your Nothing but a Coon
One of the ugly truths of America's past is the enslavement of African Americans. African Americans were seen as inferior and were deemed to be nothing more than property by many Americans. Blackface Minstrelsy is considered America's first form of music. Minstrelsy portrayed African Americans as ignorant, lazy, and foolish.
The website below provides more information about minstrelsy, including the history and some of the minstrel characters.The images below illustrate components of Blackface Minstrelsy. The video below is from Spike Lee's (2000) Bamboozled, which is about the creation of a modern day minstrel show. Based on the depictions of African Americans portrayed by the pictures and videos, can you think of any modern day representation of minstrelsy.
America: The White Negroes
Immigration has been a very hot topic in American history. One of the most hated immigrant groups were the Irish. Nativists portrayed the Irish as poor alcoholic Catholics, who would destroy America. The major reason the Irish were discriminated against was because of their Catholic beliefs. Irish discrimination reached its peak in the 1850s with the formation of the Know Nothing Party.
The graph below details Irish immigration to the US according to year. Can you remember some of the reason the Irish immigrated to America? How do these reasons correspond with the amount of immigration in a given year or time period?
Below are images that were circulated in newspapers and pamphlets. If you had only seen these pictures but never met an Irish person, what impression would you have about the Irish community? On a social hierarchy where would place Irish people? How does the 2nd image relate to the New York Draft Riots?
In case you need a mind refresher or want to learn more about the Draft Riots, check out this website:http://www.virtualny.cuny.edu/draftriots/Intro/draft_riot_intro_set.html
The song No Irish Need Apply is an example of one of the first NINA songs. NINA (No Irish Need Apply) songs were created by Irish communities to express the discrimination they faced in America.
America: Vipers and Terrorists
“A viper is nonetheless a viper wherever the egg is hatched — so a Japanese-American, born of Japanese parents — grows up to be Japanese, not an American.”
Below is an article that details the work done by Dorothy Lange, one of the greatest photographers in the US, about the Japanese internment camps.
The video below was created by the US government in an attempt to justify the need for Japanese Relocation.
Pretend you are a Japanese adolescent living in America during this time period. Write a letter describing what you think life is like in the internment camps. How do you feel about leaving your home? Do you think you are being treated fairly? How do you think you culture is being effected?
Question to Consider: Do you see similarities with the way Muslims and people from the Middle East were treated after the 9/11 attacks?
America: Offensive or Funny
Below is a video clip from the Chappelle Show featuring a Racial Draft. Do you think some groups of people would be offended by the portrayal of their race in this video? Do you find this video offensive or just funny? What are some of the stereotypes displayed in the clip? Considering the racial tensions in American history do you think this could be considered offensive, even if you do not find it offensive?
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