Race vs Class

Engl 165-16 Fall '22, March Blog Prompt

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I think that the issues then were heavily influenced by race. That is not to say that class had no influence on everything that was happening but white people would not look down on another white person because of their class as heavily as they looked down on a black person just because of their race. I think that both play big roles but during March race would always outshine class because of how strong white people’s hatred of black people was. Even if a black family was in the same class as a white family the white family would still see them as less than others because of their race. I think that in today’s society race vs class can change in importance depending on where you look at. Just last week the blog prompt was about the KKK. How they are still a very active hate group who have the same ideals as they have always held even if they do not kill people anymore. This shows how big race is still playing a part in everyday life. Yet people will make fun of other people for what social class they fall under. People will get made fun of if they struggle to make ends meet. If someone has an old phone they will get made fun of for it. Both race and class are still causing divisions today because people still hold very shallow-minded views about other people. Some people will just look down on anyone they deem “less than” which can be related to either race or class or it can be a combination of both. Class causes divisions because it will change how a person goes through their life and what measures they will take to make sure they or their family is comfortable and not struggling as much. 

 
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Voting Rights

Engl 165-04 Fall '22, Engl 165-16 Fall '22

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Out of all the choices made by the characters in March, I personally think that the choice to get Black Americans to wait in line until they register was the best idea. I think that it was the best because no one died from it and it helped to get the ball rolling more for equal voting rights. It was a good way of showing opposition to segregationist politicians like George Wallace as well. Also, actions like this were an excellent way of saying that the segregationist system was not something that they were willing to live with.

Although at the time when they were planning this it was definitely very risky, the benefits largely outweighed the costs. This is true because if actions were not taken segregationist politicians could have stayed in power for much longer. Not only that but the right to vote is a very important right that should be given equally to all people regardless of race or ethnicity. For example, the right to vote can change the course of history. However, this did come at the possible cost of those standing in line getting hurt or even killed. But even with this possibility I think that without hindsight it was still the right move as there are arguments for voting being a right worth dying for.

With hindsight included it becomes even more of a good idea. Not only did the loopholes to make it very difficult for Black Americans not be able to vote go away but segregation would end due to things like this. Luckily no one died and the goal of getting segregationist politicians out of office would be fulfilled as well. In conclusion, I think that waiting in line to register to vote is one of the best choices made by any character in March.

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What Would YOU Do for F’eedom?

Engl 165-16 Fall '22

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What would you do for the freedom you enjoy every . . . single . . . day!!!?

Think about the pages you’ve read for this week and then think about the following questions to help you decide what lengths you would go to for the right to go to school to get an education, to have the right to vote, to apply to any college you wish, to apply to any job you want AND be considered if your qualify.

  1. Who are you as an activist?
  2. What role/s have you played or can you see yourself playing?
  3. What type of activism do you see at work in today’s society?
  4. Is it effective and why or why not??

I argue that EVERYONE is an activist in one way or another. What is your way?

[picture from https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/06/18/193128475/how-the-civil-rights-movement-was-covered-in-birmingham]

 
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Let Freedom Ring: March Book Two

Engl 165-16 Fall '22, March Blog Prompt

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The Freedom Riders

 

The pages of this week’s reading in March Book Two were violent to say the least. The images in the comic are hard enough to see, but the images of the event are by far harder.

In reading March Book Two this week, think about the phrase “Let Freedom Ring.” What does that mean? And to who? What would you be willing to go through for the freedom that we all take for granted every single day? Where do you see yourself in this text? Do you believe that people today would be willing to go through these sacrifices for freedom, and why?

It’s a lot to digest, but these events are not just important historically. They are important TODAY!! Why?

If these thoughts do not appeal to you, what about this part of the text does?

[Image on the left comes from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/18/us/politics/freedom-riders-john-lewis-work.html]

[Image on the right comes from http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1605]

 

The Battle of Reading

Engl 165-04 Fall '22, March Blog Prompt

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     I’ve always been deterred from any form of reading. I have been like that since I was in the third grade. Why the third grade you might ask? That’s when they start testing your reading comprehension. Whenever I try to read I tend to notice it’s only my eyes that are looking across the page but I’m not retaining any information my eyes see. My brain will think about anything but. This became a problem when reading assignments became a normal thing as I went up in grades in school. 

     Textbooks and old English literature aren’t my first choices for entertainment. Therefore my brain would easily get distracted when assigned reading assignments for school. I never really picked up reading as a hobby so there was never really any practice for reading on my own. Comic books were never something I was drawn to either, mainly because the ones I saw were about Marvel Superheroes and such… don’t hate me, I know it’s an unpopular opinion but to each their own.

     Getting assigned a 125 page reading assignment from a comic book called March, put a little worry into my head because I know there would be 125 pages worth of time where a wandering thought could lead me to a plethora of distractions. I started off the book on a good note, I was in a quiet room, I was optimistic. Five pages in and my first distraction hits. I find myself texting back to my boyfriend. So I start the book over, this time locked in, allowing myself to really read the words on the page. After that I didn’t need to be strict on myself because once Congressman Lewis started talking about the chickens he cared for when he was a child, my attention was his. I was worried the Comic book format would be too much for my brain to digest because of how busy the page looks but as the story unfolded and the more and more pages I read I found it easier to understand the text. The pictures painted a good image of emotion and reactions each character had, making me more sympathetic to each individual in understadnig what they were thinking and feeling while facing such discriminating behavior they faced from society. The story itself was informative and captivating for me as the reader. Because of March I may have to rethink my opinion of Comic books, maybe evening reading overall.

 

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March Reflection and Farmville Va

March Blog Prompt

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When reading March, many past events are brought up throughout the reading. I enjoyed reading them in the comic format because it was more interesting than just words on the page. The pictures alongside the words helped me better visualize the events that happened. I tend to lose track while reading pages of books because they are for the most part not very entertaining. Reading about John Lewis showed me more about the cruelty of the events that took place in the past. I have grown up in Farmville my whole life, Which is a town that is very prevalent in these issues. The town of Farmville shut down all the schools in 1959 to avoid desegregation and opened private schools only for white students. I actually attended middle school in this same building. It was opened in 1960 as Prince Edward Academy only for white students. The idea was to open a school where there was a costly tuition only the white students could afford. There weren’t any other schools in the area open back then so a lot of my family members had to go there to get an education. It was eventually closed and bought by another person and opened as a desegregated private school called Fuqua. Though the racist meaning behind opening Prince Edward Academy is gone the building remains in use today.

These ugly events shaped the America we live in today, so learning about them is very important. I had heard about Martin Luther King and Emmett Till, but I did not know who John Lewis was prior to the reading. We are not taught about all of history, only bits and pieces that make up the whole story. This leads to many very important parts being left out and unheard. As all history repeats itself many of the same problems arise for different generations. We currently are living through times similar to those of Martin Luther King, Emmett till, and John Lewis. To me understanding the past is very important for us to deal with our current problems. Sadly, I believe there is no easy solution for the issues our country faces. I do feel like my generation has less racist views towards each other than those generations before us, so maybe that is a step in the right direction. It is not hard to all live amongst each other with no issues so hopefully, we as Americans can come to a solution to stop racism.

 

 
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Activism Today

Engl 165-04 Fall '22

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My Version of Activism

When thinking of myself as an activist, I believe myself to have strong beliefs and leadership skills to lead other activists. I think I would be a loud but peaceful activist as I don’t believe violence to fix things but instead words. It is important that when speaking up you treat others how you would want to be treated and show them respect even if you do not receive it from them. I believe that part of being an activist is when seeing and standing up for an issue that you also show knowledge and understanding. 

Types of Activism

In today’s society there has been a lot of human rights activism pertaining to racism, gay rights, and gender equality. We have seen this largely through social media, demonstrations, and protests. Including some more recent and well known protests such as the protests for George Floyd. Most recently, the US as well as many other countries are in protest with Ukraine against their battle with Russia. We see this activism on the news, in social media, and even in everyday discussion as it is such a current topic. Gay rights activism has lead to us celebrating gay rights in June during what is known as Pride Month. In this month there are many parades and demonstrations to help bring awareness and support towards the LGBTQ+ and allies. 

Effective Activism

I believe activism to be a very effective method. Through the use of activism in protests, demonstrations, social media, boycotts, strikes, and petitions; we have been able to work out many problems and bring awareness to others. Through activism we have gained many things such as the right to vote, same sex marriage, and diversity. This activism has lead us to achieve so many things that most of us can’t even imagine being without but through perseverance and activism we have gained the things we strive for.

Introduction to Activism

 
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