The Roles of Media

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

Media has played a big part in the spread of news ever since it was invented. Newspaper, radio, television, all these are great forms of media that impact the spread of news around the world. The media has not always been as advanced as it is now or with the amount of variety but everything has a start. The oldest form of media is the newspaper. Newspapers are not the best for spreading news over larger areas, but they are good at spreading news over small towns. The best form of media at the time was radio. Radios are better at spreading news over larger areas but not too large.

Media coverage played a big part because it allowed information about the events that were happening at the time to be spread throughout the community. The use of media allowed everyone to be aware of what was happening and be able to react to things accordingly. Media coverage back then was limited and not as advanced but radios did a great job of reporting on what went on in the community. The events that this book portrays are devastating events that played a big part in history and led to the lives African Americans live today. If we did not have media then the events would not have received the attention they deserved and the world we live in may have been different.

The fear of not knowing what is happening is sometimes worse than knowing what goes on. Things happen in the world every day and it will always be important for everyone around to be aware. The media spreads news around the world no matter how big or small the issue may be. The media can be used in many ways to influence how people view different issues in the world. Sometimes the media is used for good and other times it may be bad. I use media as just a way to share pictures of my life and things of that nature. If it came down to me advocating for or against something I would not be afraid to use the platforms that I have to voice my opinion and fight for what is right. The media is there for many reasons so why not use it for good?

Tamya November 18, 2022 1 Comment

Race vs Class

Engl 165-16 Fall '22, March Blog Prompt

Tags: Class, March, March book 3, Race, race vs class

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.

Ariana November 13, 2022 1 Comment

Is It Class or Race?

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

Tags: Class, March book 3, Race

Is the divide between white Americans and African Americans based on class, or race? Lower, middle, and high-income families determine someone’s class. Back then the divide was based on class. Africans being brought over to America to be used as slaves instilled that they were nothing more than objects. This caused a class divide between slaves and white people. This class divide was brought upon African Americans because of slavery. African Americans were put at a disadvantage from the start in America. They had harder upbringings because their access to education and simple human rights were limited. How is someone supposed to fight for their rights when they have no say? African Americans were put at a financial disadvantage during slavery and even after. They were forced into slavery and had no way of making money. Even after African Americans were free, they were still being underpaid. White people took advantage of the idea of slavery and forced African Americans into it without them having any say.

In today’s time the issue is more about race. African Americans have rights now and they have a say in who, or what they want to do. Everyone in today’s time can see an African American and realize that they are their own person, and they are entitled to their own opinions. African Americans are still fighting today for equality. The race issue begins with discrimination and how African Americans still face racism. People can recognize African Americans as individuals, but that does not stop racism unfortunately. African Americans still face disparities in America as well. They face healthcare disparities, as well as financial disparities. African Americans are still put at a disadvantage, which is why there are still BLM protest and movements. African Americans face more of a race issue now, rather than a class.

“Race vs. Social Class Essay.” Bartleby, https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Race-vs-Social-Class-F3WSESYTJ#:~:text=THESIS%3A%20Race%20differences%20in%20identity%20and%20social%20position,of%20social%20division%20and%20stratification%20in%20North%20America.%22.

Bradley November 13, 2022

What We Don’t Forget

March Blog Prompt

Tags: change, history, kkk, March book 3, memorial, social media, violence, violence against minorities

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.

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/

Nicolle November 6, 2022 1 Comment

The Horrors of June 21, 1964

Engl 165-16 Fall '22, March Blog Prompt

Tags: Activism, Andy Goodman, James Chaney, March book 3, Mickey Schwerner

Mickey Schwerner, Andy Goodman, and James Chaney were all civil rights activists who were working on a project for the Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE for short. One of their main goals was to get black people to register to vote in Mississippi. Mickey Schwerner was married to Rita Schwerner Bender who was also a civil rights activist in Mississippi. Before moving to Mississippi, Schwerner led a CORE group in Manhattan and was also helping in trying to desegregate Maryland. Andrew Goodman had grown up in a community that was very big into activism and socially progressive. James Chaney was very big on activism from his teen years and continued into his adulthood. He had been a part of the freedom bus rides that traveled from Tennessee to Mississippi.

They were attacked by KKK members and were killed while traveling back to Mississippi from Ohio. They were first stopped by a deputy for speeding and once released they continued on their way back to Meridian. The deputy followed them all the way to the county line where he once again pulled them over but instead of taking them into the station he took them to a deserted area. The deputy turned them over to the KKK where they were severely beaten and shot then they were buried and remained undiscovered for over 40 days. They were traveling to a church that had been burned down that they were planning on using as a freedom school. It was as they were returning from the church that they were harassed by the deputy and taken to a secluded area. There were 18 men arrested in regard to their murder yet only ten were actually convicted of anything. None of the men arrested had a trial held for murdering Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney.

Ariana October 31, 2022

One Step at a Time

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

Tags: Civil Rights, John F Kennedy, John Lewis, March book 3, President Johnson

The Impact
One thing that this book never fails to do, is shock me. Perhaps it’s ignorance, perhaps it’s me forgetting everything I learned in my history classes, but the story that it tells feels so personal. It’s a different and fresh perspective from how we usually learn about these events, and it does an amazing job at putting us up close and personal with these tragedies.

The Horrors
Starting this week’s reading was heartbreaking. The very first few pages were dedicated to the bombing and the four tragic deaths of those innocent girls. Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair had their lives ripped away from them. Knowing that these four girls never got to grow up, really puts things into perspective. The aftermath of the bombing was also a shock. The multiple casualties that all linked back to this event just added a layer of horror. What really bothered me most however, was the fact that all of the deaths were of kids. It showed that even after all this time, things had yet to change. That they are about to enter an era that they know will bring a number of casualties like the ones caused on that day. Reading through these pages felt like a downward spiral from one awful event to the next.

The Assassination
Even if they showed steady progress, it all came crashing to a stop when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. This was a huge turning point, especially since the one in charge now was President Johnson. John Lewis however, wanted to give him a chance. Although President Johnson didn’t have the best track record when it came to helping with passing civil rights legislation. The only thing I wish he’d done differently is that he would’ve asked John Lewis to continue the protests. They would add more pressure to the up coming election, sure, but that wouldn’t be a problem if you had the people you are fighting for, be able to vote for you. That’s why I found it kind of counterproductive, when he was asking civil rights activist groups to halt their work.

Nicolle October 21, 2022 3 Comments

A Sunday to Remember

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

Tags: Civil Rights, equality, March book 3

The book starts on a normal Sunday morning and everyone was doing their normal Sunday routine. The day ends in a terrible fright as someone throws a bomb at the poor church. The news spread like wildfire over the radio and everyone knew about it in no time. Imagine waking up that day and planning on doing what you do every Sunday. The church was full of innocent people who just wanted to worship their God that Sunday. What kind of person would bomb a church full of innocent people? Innocent lives were lost that day to the hatred someone had for black people. Many families lost their loved ones and with that, they gained a lifetime of grief. I do not know what I would do if I was ever in a situation like that. To be living my life like I do every day and for something so bad to happen so suddenly would be something I would never recover from. What could I or anyone else have done to make the bombing affect the town any less? How do you make it easier for someone to live every day after that knowing that someone they loved is now gone? Nothing could change the hatred this person had towards black people nor could it bring the victims back. What could anyone have possibly done to stop something like this from happening? People fought long and hard to make a change in the world and this was the response they got. After the bombing happened the violence got so much worse. More innocent lives were lost and the only real reason for it was because the victims were black. If this was not enough to show the world that black people need help, then what will really show them?

Tamya October 21, 2022 1 Comment

Putting Myself in Their Shoes

Engl 165-16 Fall '22

Tags: Civil Rights, March book 3, walk a mile in my shoes

When looking at all the events that took place during the time frame of the Civil Rights movement, many took place. The beatings, murders and various other horrible actions took place on those who were fighting for their rights. The one that took the cake so to speak, was the time bomb that exploded in the basement of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. This time bomb killed four African American girls, and injured twenty-two other children in the act. That morning those children were just attending Sunday school, they were not doing anything wrong, yet some lost their lives as well as some left injured. It was a room full of eighty children, who would ever think to set a bomb off in a room full of children attending Sunday school? It was only one of the wrong things that had been happening to the African Americans of that time. An individual by the name of Fannie Lou Hamer, an African American woman who went to the court house to register to vote. Following her attempt she was fired from her job, arrested and severely beaten. After this incident, she later joined the SNCC, and became one of the most passionate activist under the organization. For many people Fannie became the heart and center for the organization. If I were in Fannie’s shoes, I would’ve done just the same as her. Although she was arrested, fired and beaten, she still continued to do everything she could to make a change to the world she was in, she joined an organization that she knew by joining she could make a difference in. If I were her, I would not have let what happened to me, put me down or make me stop. Just as her, I would have went and found any way I could’ve to continue what I was foreshadowing to do. As in her shoes, I would’ve put up a little bit more of a fight, when the police arrested me, I would have cooperated, but following I would have tried to cause a case. A case being that of suing the police department for arresting an African American woman just for simply trying to vote, because in my eyes perhaps a civil case might have made a significant change in that time. In every other aspect of her, I would not have done anything differently, she was an amazing woman, who went to make many, many important changes in the world of equal and civil rights.

April October 21, 2022 1 Comment

Marh Book 3-Death Abound

Engl 165-04 Fall '22

Tags: Death Abound, March book 3

The event I am going to talk about is the bombing at the sixteenth street Baptist church in Birmingham in the beginning of the book. This event was covered on the on the radio during that time and I can draw correlation from them and now. Back then it was just on the radio, and everyone got phone calls about this new and everyone got so worried about it. In today/now’s perspective people look back at this situation and seeing how much we grew over this bad situation, and it affected people that saw this news and was looking back at it, and they kept letting them see this. The choices that the characters made after this event were cruel and unfair by throwing stuff at people on the side of the streets and at people’s cars. When the book keeps going on they have the military singing the star-spangled banner, they made a choice by singing this to the world. I would put myself in the military’s shoes because they have to deal with all of this bad stuff happening at that time. Some of the military was going through rough times when the bombing at the church was happening and some of the military was going to the bombing to figure out what was going on. That would make me look back at this point in time and make me feel upset at that time to believe that this happened back then, and this should be remembered forever and maybe be remembered with a good movie or even a documentary that has the whole story explaining what happened from the beginning of when the bombing happened then to the end when it ended. This was an inspirational book, and it gave me a lot to think about when doing this blog post

Kaden March 19, 2022

Baptist Church Bombing: A Tragedy

Engl 165-04 Fall '22

Tags: 16th street church bombing, Activism, March book 3

One event in March book three, pages 1-61, that stood out to me the most was the 16^th street church bombing. This event was tragic and heartbreaking. Since the church was a meeting place for civil rights activist groups, it was unfortunately targeted. This makes the event even more disheartening. The news coverage it seemed to get at the time is also somewhat unsettling.

In the book, the news report said that the church bombing was breaking news and that no causalities had been reported at the time. However, as we know, there were four causalities and many injuries. Today, any causalities or injuries would be known almost instantly and would get worldwide attention for weeks. If you look up the bombing today, there are countless reports and pictures and videos about the four girls that unfortunately lost their lives. They are honored and respected and even still mourned. Where was that national coverage for them in the 60s?

I personally think that no matter where the activists decided to meet, the same thing would have happened. Their actions were pure and honest, and they were only working for the human good. They could not have changed their actions or choices in order to have a different outcome. As unfortunate as that sounds, I honestly believe it was true. Sadly, people filled with hate will carry out actions of hate no matter what.

The people that witnessed this bombing had a choice as to what to do with the information they knew. After the bombing, there were four suspects, but due to witnesses being too reluctant to talk, they weren’t convicted until many years later. If I could put myself in the shoes of one of the witnesses, I would tell the truth about what I saw and work my hardest to get justice.

Emma March 19, 2022 5 Comments