by guest blogger M. Peoples
Is the use of oppression on a social media site enough to charge someone with hate crime charges?
In the article posted in the link below, one of two suspects in Tulsa, Oklahoma posted a very racially charged status on the anniversary of his father's death at the hand of an African American citizen. The two suspects went on to kill 3 African American males and leave 2 in the hospital after shooting them at four different locations. After reading this article which can be found on CNN.com, I would like to know do you feel like after seeing only a few details that this was a hate crime and if so is a facebook status with oppressive language enough to charge these men with a hate crime?
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/09/us/oklahoma-shootings/index.html?npt=NP
Gradual acceptance and tolerance of the other (Latino) into the American screen media! Language of liberation!
Manny’s family is shown as the third set of family. His mom in the show Modern family (link below) is glaringly a very hilarious lady with very conspicuous Latino accent. For her to star in a high profile show like this one sends a message of acceptance of the other (in my opinion).
Do you think this is a total acceptance of the Latino community into the American society where they where they were once ostracized?
http://www.hulu.com/watch/339016/modern-family-send-out-the-clowns
Face of Africa: Why has the western media consistently portrayed Africa in this light? Is poverty polarized only towards Africa?
http://world-poverty.org/povertyinafrica.htmPortrayal of the Latino (others) accent as inferior! Is there a world-class stipulated accent?
http://www.hulu.com/watch/346212/celebrity-apprentice-walking-papers
In this edition of the show Celebrity apprentice, specifically during the exchange of words between Lisa and Dayana in the 8:46-8:55minutes and Aubrey O’Day’s imitation of Dayana’s accent in the 10:03-1013minutes from the above web-clip. Personally listening to the participants' arguments (during the above timings) and paying close attention to their body language raised a red flag of the average Americans' perception of the Lationo (Dayana’s) accent as banal!
What is your take on this?
by guest blogger Uchechi
Research indicates that images of Africans in mainstream popular culture and prime-time programming (from 1996) have traditionally been quite negative and demeaning, often centered on stereotypical portrayals. Example: gangster, poor, jobless, lazy, unintelligent, hustlers, criminals living in ghetto and slums. The expectation is that as a consequence, black viewers will feel like they do not matter, they are unimportant and do not count (Ward, M.L., 2004). Below are two different emails sent to my EMU (school) inbox on the 23rd and 27th of March respectively per warning regarding crimes committed by “only” the African American folks.
MY EMAILS:
1. Timely Warning 12-06 March 23, 2012
Shooting - Area of Jarvis and Lowell St -City of Ypsilanti (off-campus)
A shooting occurred in a parking lot, off campus, near the intersection of Jarvis St. and Lowell St. The intersection is near the Alexander Music Building. Three people have been shot and taken to a hospital, and none of the injuries are considered life threatening. The suspect is described as a black male, white baggy shirt, blue jeans, red baseball cap, scraggly beard, pierced ears. The Ypsilanti Police continue to investigate. The area has been re-opened again to the public. Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Ypsilanti Police at (734) 483-9510.
2. Timely Warning 12-08, March 27, 2012
Reported Crime: Armed Robbery (Handgun Seen) – Off Campus.
The Ypsilanti Police Department is investigating a report of an armed robbery that occurred near Cornell Road and Roosevelt Boulevard at approximately 10:35 p.m. tonight. The victim, who is not an EMU Student, reports that he was approached on foot by two suspects while walking in the area. The suspects demanded the victim’s money and pointed a silver handgun at the victim. The victim says he gave the suspects his wallet, and the suspects fled south on Cornell. The victim did not report any injuries. The victim described the suspects as being African American males in their early to middle twenties.
REFERENCE
Ward, M.L., (2004). Wading through the stereotypes: Positive and negative associations
between media use and black adolescents’ conceptions of self. Developmental psychology, 40:2, 284-294
http://www.emich.edu/publicsafety/police/services/prevention/safety_tips.phpWhy has the image of the average African American man in the city of Ypsilanti Michigan become akin to crime?
by guest blogger Uchechi
According to some scholars an alien is one who has been estranged or excluded. If it is a valid statement that we are all equal as human beings then why does the law consider some people more privileged to enjoy some rights than others?
The link below shows information the alien act and the subtle oppressive language imbedded therein:
I’m a picture person, so the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” really stands true for me. For me, a picture can be a read like a book. When I know even a little of the context of a picture, it becomes even more detailed. I find myself collecting photos (on my computer) that resonate with me for one reason or another. Most recently, I’ve been collecting protest/support photos around the Trayvon Martin tragedy. I’ve collected these photos from all over the Internet. See below for a selection of them.
For YOU, how influential are photos? Could one photo encourage you to act? In regards to gaining support for causes and movements, how persuasive do you think photos are in our country? How do you think photos be used even more effectively to gain support for a cause or movement?
by guest blogger Gordon Shumway
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/opinion/stop-and-frisk-continued.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
I decided to post about this article because I felt like it was related to one of my previous posts on an opinion’s page regarding the NYPD targeting Young Black and Latino Males because of crime rates.
Here’s a little of what the article had to say about the “Clean Halls” program.
“Civil rights lawsuits may now force the (Bloomberg) administration to examine this policy, which has largely focused on minority neighborhoods and has created anger and distrust among black and Hispanic New Yorkers who feel that the police view them as suspects, not citizens.”
Furthermore,
“residents in buildings enrolled in the Clean Halls program are subject to being stopped and illegally ticketed or arrested for trespassing in their own buildings if they fail to produce identification when they take out the garbage, check the mail, duck out to the store for a quart of milk. Young people growing up in these buildings, lawyers say, are routinely searched without legal cause and detained”
Here’s another article, which gives more details on the lawsuit against the NYPD.
Although, I have been posting quite sometime on the current race issues which seem to be happening at a rate in which I can post about them on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, I am scratching my head as to how you could properly train this police department on racial sensitivity. Perhaps the lawsuits as the first article suggests, may force the NYPD to reevaluate the Clean Halls program.
by guest blogger Courtney
Dr. Khushdeep Malhotra works at the Morehouse School of Medicine Satcher Health Leadership Institute where she is a Health Policy Leadership Fellow. Throughout her career she has won numerous awards for her scholarship and service. As we are studying the language of oppression, I was interested in asking her about strategies she might advocate for developing social justice.
CW: I see that you began your medical career as a dentist. Tell me, what made you want to move into the field of public health?
KM: As a dentist, I was frustrated at having to treat the same individual conditions again and again- especially since the same people kept coming back! I understood then that I needed to address oral health on a grander scale. I completed a three-month community dentistry internship in a village in Karnataka, India and thoroughly enjoyed the community-based approach to practicing dentistry. So, I decided to get further training and got accepted to the MPH [Master’s in Public Health] program at WKU [Western Kentucky University].
CW: What are some of the populations with whom you work, and what kinds of health related struggles do they face?
KM: So far, my work has been with youth who are considered to be 'at-risk' in society. I have worked specifically with incarcerated children. Not only are lifelong outcomes poor for these kids if they are not given the right kind of support, but health, which is tied to overall development, school performance, 'success' is often worse in these kids compared to the general population. For instance, rates of STDs, substance abuse, mental health illnesses and oral health needs are much higher in these kids. Achievement gaps in school have also been documented.
CW: What are some of the ways that the language of oppression entrenches health problems for marginalized individuals? When working on creating strategies for health equity, how much attention is paid to the language of liberation?
KM: Sadly, language is something we (even providers) don't pay enough attention to. One may not intend to be culturally or socially insensitive, but lack of training or prior experience working with these special populations may be difficult for healthcare providers, given there is little to no training in medical/dental schools about delivering care to such patients. In addition to resulting in poor patient satisfaction (and in general, outcomes), not getting appropriate linguistic/cultural competency training may reinforce the stigmas associated with a marginalized identity. Although there is a lot more focus now on cultural competency than there ever has been previously, there is still not dedicated training in all healthcare fields to address these gaps. It is imperative that attention be paid to this training, and public health, which is often the safety net provider of many of these 'marginalized' populations, is paying greater attention to their cultural/linguistic needs, but a lot remains to be done.
CW: I know you are very interested in studying forensics education, debate, spoken word, and other pedagogical approaches as a means of advancing public health equity and advocating public health policies. What drew you to competitive forensics as a tool for public health?
KM: My own experience as a debater in school for over 10 years made me realize the importance of communication in regards to the empowerment of communities and people. Since social justice is integral to the foundations of public health, I think it is only natural to use forensics tools such as debate, spoken word and etc. to advance health, especially with young people. Understanding that they have control over their health and the choices they make, and ability to weigh risks versus benefits, allows youth greater control over their health, and therefore towards making better choices. Spoken word especially resonates with these young people. As they critically deconstruct content, they realize how much of it is applicable to their own context, and how much they are in charge of recognizing and exercising healthier choices.
CW: What kind of advice do you have for someone, oh, say a communication graduate student, that is interested in helping to make real change in the community?
KM: Tough one. Real change is slow, and requires persistence. So I would say, first and foremost, persevere. Learn to accept that change will be slow to come and keep working towards it. Communication is a powerful gift to give to another, and so is the presentation of scientific evidence. So find ways in your field to incorporate this evidence into your work, when advocating for a cause.
For further discussion, Dr. Malhotra can be reached by at khushi_jovi@yahoo.com
