For my response paper this unit, I wrote about how Phoebe Robinson brilliantly portrays what life is like for African-Americans in America today. She shows how racism is still thriving systematically and in an omnipresent way. I also focused on her section about anecdotal microaggressions and how these affect how black Americans see themselves in relation to their society. In other words, how they form their identity.
This particular reading was extremely timely with what has been going on in our country lately. If you have kept up with any of the news in the past week or so, you have probably heard about the peaceful protests (which are overshadowed by the media’s focus on riots) being held in response to the death of George Floyd. A black man in Minneapolis who was murdered by a police officer, which was all caught on video.
Robinson emphasizes repeatedly that we do not live in a “post-racial society” and that racism is still extremely prevalent in our times. It is systematically infused into our justice system, our economy, and our popular culture. All one needs to do is look up the name George Floyd to see this truth. Or Ahmaud Arbery. The black man in Georgia who was shot and killed by a white ex police officer while going on a jog.
Not only does racism manifest in microaggressions like I talked about but in my response paper, but black men are still being lynched in the year TWO THOUSAND TWENTY. I am not going to pretend I know the solution to these issues, but I know that the system is broken and must be changed. I would encourage you to watch these two videos which can offer more answers and insight.
This is an 8 minute speech given by a popular civil rights activist known as “Killer Mike”. Please watch this video. It is worth the eight minutes. *Warning* it will bring tears to your eyes.
This video is Phoebe Robinson, the author of the book “You Can’t Touch My Hair” and who I wrote about in my response paper. She talks to Jimmy Fallon about true social justice. It is only 9 minutes and 100% worth your time.
(Houston police officers paying tribute to George Floyd)
I love reading through your response and how you compared Robinson's writing and beliefs to what's going on currently in our country! A lot of what Robinson states about racism is really showing right now. Thank you for including the speech and video as well!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. I liked seeing you make connections between the current climate in our country and the reading we've done this week. I think it was a very important connection to make and it was heartening to see/read.
ReplyDeleteLike others have said, a great and timely post, Chandler.
ReplyDelete