Before and After

Being part of a minority group I felt that I knew what I was about to get myself into. Often times while talking about race with peers with whom I share the same ethnic background I hear the same concerns and complaints. I have become bored of the same comments when this topic comes up that I have tried to avoid bringing it up all together. My friends routinely bring up the fact that this country is racist, and for that same reason it is commonly too difficult for minorities to carry out a lifestyle that the White community has for the most part privatized. Unfortunately, I have found this statement to be true in many occasions. The reason I avoid this topic is that most times it is brought up, my peers have used race as an excuse for anything negative that happens to them. I am an individual who believes that we are in the land of opportunity, and that if we work hard enough we can attain the socio-economic status that the White public has always hogged.

                While trying to fulfill my last general education course, I realized that my options were limited for the ethnicity portion. I did not want to find myself in a course where students go in and complain about the treatment they receive from the White community, I had seen plenty of that from my friends. Not looking forward to what I expected the class to present, I signed up and hoped that it would all be over quick. I was pleasantly surprised when I attended my first lecture. I realized that my expectations for this course were inconsistent with the material that it would actually cover. I found myself immersed in most of the readings. It was insightful to study why the White race has remained dominant in this culture and how the Black community has fought back to have their voices heard and to be respected as part of the human race. The assigned reading that has been most eye-opening is George Lipsitz’s chapter on “The White Spatial Imaginary”.

                This reading was able to answer many of the questions I had regarding the Black community. Before studying this work, I, like many other individuals, believed that the Black and other minority communities were not taking advantage of the opportunities that they have by living in the United States. To me, minority groups were wasting their time and resources on unproductive activities such as gangs, drug dealing, prostitution, and crime. As part of the minority group however, I realized that only a small percentage of our population was actually involved in these activities. One thing was certain though, most of the individuals that appeared in the news for such crimes where usually part of a minority group, rarely did I see a White individual being charged for these criminal activities. It is frustrating to see that time after time members of the minority group reinforce the stereotypes that the White community has summoned upon us.

                Through the “White Spatial Imaginary” I have finally been able to understand why the minority community has not been able to match the success of White America. I often wondered why, after many years of being “free” and “equal”, the Black and Latino communities were still struggling to be appropriately represented in society. White America was able to maintain the traditions of the slavery age through legislation and economic practices that favored the White individual but only made matters worse for those of a different ethnic background (Lipsitz). Housing legislation for example, is a big component for why White and Black communities have been spatially separated. It is because of legislation like the Federal Housing Authority of 1934 and Fair Housing Act of 1968 that the Black community, as well as many minority groups, has had to condense themselves in cities (Lipsitz). Living so closely together and being spatially separated has left them with little government assistance to better their living conditions. What legislation has created is a poorly funded neighborhood with inadequate access to good quality education and health.

                Through all this new insight, I still hold the belief that we live in the land of opportunity. Unfortunately many minority groups have been blinded by the living conditions that Whites have forced onto them. Because of this I do agree that Whites have an unfair advantage in terms of education, health, and general safety, but I also agree that if we really want to achieve equality we must fight for it and stop victimizing ourselves. To make ourselves heard and respected, it is important to show our power and importance to this country. This can be achieved by realizing that even though we are at a disadvantage, and even though we must work harder, it is possible for us to represent ourselves just as capable, if not more, than the White individual. Whites, like minorities, may not be aware of how this segregated society was formed. Unlike Whites however, people of color have suffered the negative consequences of segregation, and even though we may not be responsible for current conditions, it is in our best interest to educate our race and motivate them to pursue true equality and respect.

Josephine Baker and Black representation

                Growing up, Josephine Baker spent large portions of time dancing on the streets (Brown). Her artistic talent developed through her street performances allowed her to reach a fame only a few other Black artists were able to match. At a first glance, her role as an artist seems to represent the New Negro: an independent individual conscious of their history and their role and contributions to the society they live in (Locke). At a closer look however, her performances reveal and reinforce the White’s views towards African Americans of savages and inferior beings.

                Baker had a goal to “represent the universal ideals of brotherhood and equality” (Brown, 253). Many of her performances however involved her mimicking the movements of animals (Brown).  Although she had good intentions with her performances, a message that could be seen through them is that a black performer was easily able to copy the movements of wild animals; this observation led many to reinforce their beliefs that the Whites were further evolved and that the black race was more closely related to the animal world. Baker was commonly seen as an example of the savage who was civilized (Brown). Baker however was not completely unsuccessful at achieving her goal for the promotion of justice and equality; she was able to use her power as a respected and loved performer to push for these ideals. She was most able to show her  support for equality during World War 2 where she showed her support for de Gaulle’s resistance (Brown). Even when she became ill and bed-written, the de Gaulle’s resistance leaders used her sickroom as a meeting spot where they could plan out their next moves (Brown).

                Her dual role as an artist created contradicting views such as Du Bois’ and Locke’s. On the one side, Baker embodied the White’s stereotypical view of the Black individual. In her performances in the United States she became the wild, stupid, and primitive African American (Brown). She showed the audience, predominately white, what they wanted to see (Stewart, 08/26/2013). Once she moved to France and began performing abroad, her roles changed to represent a sexual object (Stewart, 08/26/2013). Her work in France is mainly her taking the role of a sex object; showing the Black Body could attract White eyes. Most of these details are what Du Bois would observe from Baker’s performances. She was not expressing herself for the sake of expression, but was instead directed as to how she must perform in order to attract the White audience. It appears under this light that Josephine Baker was in the film and theatre industry not to prove a point, but instead was there to entertain the White patrons and reinforce their view of the Black body. Throughout her career she was unable to portray herself as simply an individual with a voice; she was either an object to be fantasized about or a primitive successfully integrated into a White society.

                Locke would have a different perspective in which Baker not only attained the attention of the Whites, but she also won their love. He had a belief that propaganda perpetuates the position of inferiority (Stewart, 08/26/2013). Although Du Bois would consider Baker’s career propaganda more than art, Locke sees Baker’s career for what she was able to accomplish using her artistic expressions and not for what her performances represented. Baker through her performances gained great political and social power, especially in France (Brown). She was able to use this power to pursue equality and representation for her race. One could also argue that Baker was self-conscious of how she and her race were viewed. This knowledge allowed her to use her artistic talent and daring modes of expression to win a White audience which would later support her in her struggle for justice. Locke saw in Baker an artist expressing herself in a way she enjoyed while at the same time using her art in her favor.

                As an artist Josephine Baker underwent several hardships including rejection and criticism. The most difficult struggle she most likely went through was leaving St. Louise. Baker’s early childhood was spent working until finally near her teenage years she began to dance and perform (Stewart, 08/26/2013). Being a Black unprotected young child performer made her vulnerable to many dangers. While performing in the United States she achieved little, she was seen as an “unappealing female subject” (Stewart, 08/26/2013). For her to be able to leave St. Louise she had to conform to the views of the White audience. In addition she had to entertain them by showing them what they expected and wanted to see from a Black performer. To leave St. Louse Baker had to represent her race as ignorant and primitive. Lucky for her, her style of dancing attracted the attention of a producer who would take her to Paris and she transitioned from an unimportant performer into an influential erotic dancer and ultimately an actress and singer (Stewart, 08/26/2013). She had to do what many other African American performers before and after her had to do to become successful in their field, they had to conform to the white normative gaze. This means that in their art they had to project the White race as superior to Black race.  In addition they not only had to accept the false idea that Blacks were uncivilized, stupid, low class, and silly, but they were also forced to promote it if they wanted to be able to support themselves from this career.

Teaching Equality

            A low achieving high school is defined as one which fails to educate its students to be contributing members of society. In addition, they should have an understanding of who they are, what they would like out of life, and where they are going. A high achieving school yields graduates who have been exposed to the various options that life offers in terms of career paths as well personal and cultural growth.  A school which fails to provide its students with these things instead creates individuals with neither direction nor self-awareness.

            An educator working at a low achieving high school should be most interested in created an environment that attracts the student’s attention. The best way to accomplish this is to have the students learn about themselves. Especially as a teenager, there is no individual more important than one self.  Students tend to be interested in where they came from and how things came to place; who governs, which and why things are valued, and who has the control. Locke’s philosophies of education are most adequate in this situation. In a high school composed mainly of beaten down, directionless, inexperienced African American students, what they most need is to learn and be proud of who they are and their value to the society in which they live.

            Locke’s philosophy calls for self-identity. Students in the described school are not motivated because throughout their lives they have been exposed to a society that ignores their value. Since they are not valued by society, they feel like they have no reason to value themselves. Teaching the students how their race has contributed and continues to contribute will allow them to feel more proud of who they are. Creating this personal pride leads to self-respect and a demand to be treated fairly (Locke). Black students have grown in a predominantly white society, resulting in a broad knowledge of the white culture and little of their own. If one expects the students to succeed they must have an understanding not only of the culture they live in, but also the culture the come from: understanding of both cultures is necessary for an adjustment in their lives (Locke). Having self-worth will motivate them to pursue greatness and to create a better place for their loved ones.

            Neither Washington’s nor Du Bois’s philosophies of education will solve the problem. They may help treat the symptoms of poverty, crime, and violence by giving the students enough knowledge to get a job and support themselves, but they will not treat the root cause of the problem, inequality. Washington’s approach focuses on teaching the students skills that they could use immediately after high school. This approach will most likely allow them to easily find a job, however they will find themselves at a dead end: they have been trained to blindly follow directions and to be satisfied with what is handed to them. A similar thing occurs with Du Bois's perspective. Du Bois’s idea of the Talented Tenth only puts a small portion of the community (those who have demonstrated greater potential) through educational growth, but does nothing to mobilize the entire group. In both cases we see advancement, but it is one that will be short-lived and with little room for personal and communal growth.

            Changing to a different setting where the student population is composed mainly of White individuals and the school is highly ranked, Locke’s philosophies could also be applied to encourage student activism to create a more just society. It is difficult to motivate a group to work towards a more equal America when they have not been affected by the injustices. Although many could argue that the previous statement is true, the reality is that even though the White students have not been directly exposed to the racism, they have been affected simply by living in this segregated hostile environment.   

Locke’s approach in their case would also teach them about themselves and of personal pride, but by exposing them to how their race has treated African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, Latin Americans, and other races other than their own, they will be motivated to push for a more equal America. Doing so will increase their cultural pride because aside from being part of a powerful country, they could also be responsible for making this society inclusive. Exposing the oppressing culture to the reality of things will show them that there could be many more reasons to be proud of who they are. They will be able to learn of the appalling ways that their culture has treated others, but the goal here is not to create shame, instead the goal is to give them the opportunity to repair something that their parents and grandparent were not able to fix. By making adjustments on how other cultures are perceived, respecting instead of fearing them, a society could be formed in which diverse cultures work together towards a common goal, a free and happy live.

Mental vs. Physical Slavery

A mental slave is one who is forced to work and is clueless to the existence of another lifestyle. A physical slave refers to an individual who is being used for labor but differs from a mental slave in that he/she is aware of the situation. Now that I have defined the two terms, I will argue that being a mental slave is worse than being a physical slave. Mental slavery not only includes ignorance to the reality of the condition, but with it comes physical slavery and a lack of awareness to be able to do anything about it.

                In Frederick Douglass’ case, he transitioned from a mental slave to a physical slave after learning to read. Reading allowed him to discover a world he knew nothing about prior to being literate. Not only did he become aware of the existence of a world where people of his skin color live as a free individuals, he also learned and understood what he must do to become a free man (Douglass).  Realizing that there were other things he could be besides a slave not always worked in his favor, however. Being conscience of his situation led him to become discontent and at times feel so dissatisfied with his life, something he had not felt before learning how to read. He expresses this strong unhappiness when he states that “learning how to read had been a curse rather than a blessing” (Douglass, 653).

                These sorts of emotions were crucial for him to pursue his freedom. If learning how to read had not changed his feelings towards his status quo, he would have not been encouraged to fight for his independence. European Americans exploited African Americans for such long time because they were able to shut them up in mental darkness and made them believe that this is how things were meant to be (Douglass). Furthermore, the slaveholders would successfully make the slaves believe that there was little difference between liberty and slavery by giving them “freedom” during the winter holidays where they would purposely push the slaves to have too much freedom (drink until they were sick) (Douglass). Douglass was able to notice all of the tricks that the slaveholders used on them to make them content with their lives. Becoming aware of all these details would enrage him to the point where he could take it no longer and had no choice but to run away.  

                Ultimately, becoming a physical slave, where his body is the only part of him that is exploited, allowed him to reach freedom for his own. While he was a physical slave he faced the same hardships that a mental slave encounters such as beatings, labor, injustice, and nearly death; he however had something the rest lacked: identity, knowledge, drive, anger. Being a physical slave is favorable to being a mental slave simply because one has awareness and therefore can seek the tools to create change in one’s life.

                Today things are much different, yet there are things that still remain the same. Although physical slavery has been prohibited, within our society we will still find mental slavery. Unfortunately, the interests of people of color are still not as important as those of the White folks. Our democracy often prioritizes the needs of White Americans. This can be seen in places such as schools, the segregation of neighborhoods, and in elections.  People of color are often pushed to live in poor conditions because they have not been able to attain an education. The lack of education prevents them from reaching the voting booth and making a significant impact to their lifestyles. These three factors contribute to a positive feedback loop difficult to escape.  In a time like this, strong leadership and smart activism is required.

                Of the three individuals we studied for this section, Sojourner Truth seems to have a better understanding of the series of events that must happen for true equality to become a reality. Although she did not organize a movement in her time, her words were of power and truth (Stewart). Such was her power that she was able to stop a riot with her gospel singing (Stewart). Today, what we most need is truth. The White citizens need to know that they are still oppressing the people of color (whether purposefully or not) by limiting their abilities to attain an education. The people of color need to hear that they are now in this situation because they have stopped fighting for their rights and are instead fighting each other. They must unite and fight for a fair educational system in which all students can attain quality education. They must unite and fight for their communities to be as clean and beautiful as those of the Whites. They must unite and fight for each other and educate one another on how they have been satisfied by attaining their physical freedom. Sojourner Truth would be able to speak these truths. She would let it be known that the fight is not over and she, with her firm confident voices, will get the point across that freedom can be seen off in the distance, but there still is some way to cover.

The Experimental College Matters

                Activism, as I would define it, is to perform a task with an ultimate goal of driving social or political change. The task may be fairly unnoticeable such as writing a letter to voice ones concerns to an influential individual or entity. Growing up I was relatively unaware of injustices occurring around my community or even injustices to me. As I grew older and became more conscious of my surroundings, I witnessed or heard of things that I found to be unfair. During High school for example, I remember attending a protest for budget cuts to our educational system which forced the school district to fire several well qualified teachers and staff members. I showed my disagreement to the situation by joining a group of protestors lined up in the sidewalk of a busy street holding signs demanding more funding for schools. In addition, I also joined the youth council (and eventually became an executive officer) of an activist group who fought for equality; focusing on Latinos. As a youth member I would be regularly be aware of projects that the adult group would be working on. In one specific instance I remember the council taking a case where parents of one school were upset because they had become aware of some actions of the principal which showed that he treated Hispanic students differently from the whites. During the meeting I witnessed the anger of the parents and their eagerness to have something done about the situation. The adult council decided to look into the case which also involved confronting the principal and the school district.

                The activism that was going on in 1968 is far more complex than anything I have been a part of thus far. Considering how I have reacted in the past, had I been present in the 1968 riots my role would be minor. I would play the part of a sheep. By this I mean that I would expect to find myself attending riots and protesting; I do not however see myself involved in violent acts such as fights or destroying property. Although I disagree with violence and disturbance of the peace, I think that the strike of 1968 had to have both of these components being how the civil rights movement did not produce the result that the activists had expected. The Black community had to demonstrate that they were unsatisfied and the best way to be heard and acknowledged would be to create a real crisis.

                The series of events that took place during the 1960 in San Francisco align so perfectly that it seems like not one event, person, or group was more important than the other in the adoption of a black studies department. After much consideration I find that perhaps this is not quite true. The experimental college is responsible in large for the establishment of the new department. Although it was not directly involved in the riots drawing attention to the issue it drew in something much more important. The experimental college proved the success that a black studies program would have in the university.

                Students at San Francisco state were able to use the experimental college in their favor. Through it they created the first complete black studies curriculum (Rojas). In doing so, the students made the idea of the program legitimate. They had created the pillars to the new department. The curriculum showed that the students were serious about the program and that they knew what they wanted out of it. Not only did it make the program realistic, the curriculum also sped the process of implementing the department. Without the curriculum, the development of the program may have taken longer because by the time that the university gave in, the curriculum would have had to be made from scratch. Instead the students were well prepared and already had a clear idea of how they wanted the program to function.

                Since the experimental college had been established in the early 1960s, by the time of the strike it had been well established and running smoothly. In fact, college proved to be a great success: “In fall 1966, four hundred students enrolled in twenty-three courses sponsored by the student government”(Rojas 60). Many of classes offered at the experimental college by this time revolved around Blacks and their involvement in society. Universities do not want to establish departments which they may have to later close if it is not bringing in the revenue that the university intended. The success of the courses in the experimental college proved that if the program was introduced in the university it would likely be a highly impacted department. 

                Overall the experimental college was responsible for minimizing concerns that the university may have; mainly monetary. By 1968 when the strike took place, the students already had a black studies program established, it just had to be renamed.  The program was complete: curriculum was in place- with traditional divisions of labor within the university and the success of the department had been proved much before it had been officially established. At this point the university could put forward no excuses: they would not lose any money, more students would be drawn to attend the campus, students of color better represented, and a university which now had more departments from which to choose.