Final Blog Post

One of my favorite things to do is hang out with my friends. I would not say I have a lot of hobbies, but this is something I do regularly. It doesn’t matter what we are doing, I would rather do nothing with a group of people than sit alone. I find so much enjoyed talking to people. It is crazy what you can do when you know the right people. I feel like social networking is one of the most useful tools anyone can use. Starting conversations can sometimes feel weird, but the opportunities you get when you open up and talk to people are amazing. When I think about some of the coolest things I have done, the majority of those events we caused by a random conversation. I do not think I would even be here at Longwood if it was not for meeting and talking to certain people. I feel like if you do not put effort into meeting and socializing with people you limit yourself. I have been thinking about possibly switching my major from computer science because I am not finding much enjoyment in it. I want to find a career path where I can use my skills in talking and interacting with people. I want to look further into my options over this Christmas break. I do not want to limit myself to a career I will not be happy with in the future. I feel like right now is a great time because I have the opportunity to see what  I want to do and find the path I want to take. It’s never too late to make a change and be whoever you want to be. I want to take advantage of the time I have right now before I look back and wish I made a different decision.

 

Media, It’s Importance.

When it comes to the media, it has always been the best way to spread information. During the Civil Rights movement, the media did not cover the things it should have. Although during the event of “Bloody Sunday”, which happened on March 7, 1965, the news somehow caught the action on camera. After the incident, ABC news center broadcasted the video during the middle of a movie that was playing. The whole nation was baffled by what they had saw, African Americans getting beaten, and struggling their way through tear gas, trying to continue their march onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The bridge had been blocked off causing all the protestors to get caught and abused. The media finally used themselves for good during this time, having the entire nation finally see what was really happening and how bad it really was. Over the years many things have been documented on the news, from war to political discussions. In todays time the media has grown in several ways, social media, television, cell phones, and an ever-growing amount of things are available to spread all of todays current events. Social media is a great way for individuals to grow their topics or ideas and to post as they wish within moderation. I use social media in my everyday life, yet I do not use it to its full potential as I probably should. Many famous activist have found ways to use the platforms they have to spread large amounts of positivity, change, and to motivate others to do the same. Media can be great for spreading amazing things, but also it can be the perfect place to spread false information or to start rumors. Over the decades of having the internet and media many famous individuals have had horrible rumors spread or even some having their careers come to an end or near. For example, in the time that Donald Trump was in office, there was a fake news spread that he had sent his own plane to transport 200 stranded marines. This information was falsely spread by a media show host, but was believed by many. Things like that can cause lots of rumble that is not needed. In modern day we have a lot of positive and negative ways, but when it comes to the impact for change in todays time I feel the media is sort of a great thing for that. As always with things of this sort, there can be negative things to happen but overall, I feel the media is a good way to impact change and hopefully in the future more change can be made with our use of media.

 

What We Don’t Forget

We look back on history with the notion of certain events happening in the distant past. It’s so distant that, more often than not, we forget that the offenders are still alive today. Even though we have moved forward as a society, looking down on the actions of our ancestors. Some people never change. They pass on their radical beliefs down from one generation to the next, which leads us to today.

Their Activity Today

The KKK is known as one of the oldest and most violent hate groups across the states. Nowadays, their hate is not only directed at black people, but also directed towards other minorities. Members of the LGBTQ+, immigrants, and Jewish people have all been targets of the KKK. As of recent years, there has been a decline in active KKK member activity. This can be chalked up to COVID-19, however, there has been a trend of their decline for the past few years.

Now, they work as separate groups and continue to cause each other problems. Infighting, disloyalty among groups, and lack of media coverage were some of the main issues that caused their decline. As well as, in 2021 several cases of members getting doxed. In 2022, many internet forums, websites, and social media but continue to get banned and kicked off different platforms for their continuous hate speech.

We Don’t Forget

As we move forward, we refuse to forget the violence of the past. Deep southern states like Alabama and Mississipi have a tendency to look the other way when it comes to facing their own history of racism. However, in 2018 a memorial was opened in Montgomery, Alabama. This museum was dedicated to the victims of slavery, Jim Crow Laws, and lynchings. This museum aimed to bring these horrible acts of violence to light, but also to let us come to terms with our history.

Corridor in the National Memorial for Peace and Justice

Works Cited

https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial
https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/combating-hate/tattered-robes-state-of-kkk-2016.pdf
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/ku-klux-klan
https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/anonymous-doxing-missouri-kkk-ferguson/

 
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