Obviously, racial inequality in the U.S. was a real problem for America’s self-image in the early Cold War. Presidents like Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy especially wrestled with striking a balance between presenting the U.S. as a place of racial equality while maintaining the support of their white base. Both presidents were concerned that they might appear too ”radical” if they adopted a too progressive approach. In some circles, an advanced civil rights approach was even labeled as sympathetic toward communism. In the context of the Cold War, both the U.S. and the USSR saw the world as their audience. They were, in effect, competing with one another for influence. Third-world countries (many of which were racially diverse) found themselves torn between allying themselves with either the soviet union or the U.S. to help persuade many of these third world countries, propaganda from the soviet union or the U.S. was used to make them selves appear racial diverse and accepting. For example, One propaganda poster from 1948 depicts an African American male tied up after being beaten. In the background is the Statue of Liberty and at the bottom the caption reads: ”Under capitalism”. Even stamps were used for propaganda purposes. Another propaganda image depicted joyful Soviet citizens of all races and backgrounds linking arms and marching together underneath the hammer and sickle. Yet another poster from 1932 reads: ”Workers from all countries and oppressed colonies raise the banner of [Soviet founder] Lenin.” In these posters, the Soviet Union sought to present itself as a bastion of racial harmony. 
Month: May 2018
Racism during Barack Obama’s presidency
Barack Obama’s watershed 2008 election and the presidency that followed profoundly altered the aesthetics of American democracy, transforming the Founding Fathers’ narrow vision of politics and citizenship into something more expansive and more elegant. The American presidency suddenly looked very different, and for a moment America felt different, too. The Obama victory helped fulfill one of the great ambitions of the civil rights struggle by showcasing the ability of extraordinarily talented black Americans to lead and excel in all facets of American life. First lady Michelle Obama, and daughters Sasha and Malia, extended this re imagining of black American life by providing a conspicuous vision of a healthy, loving and thriving African American family that defies still-prevalent racist stereotypes. But some interpreted Obama’s triumph as much more.
The victory was heralded as the arrival of a “post-racial” America, one in which the nation’s original sin of racial slavery and post-Reconstruction Jim Crow discrimination had finally been absolved by the election of a black man as commander in chief. For a while, the nation basked in a racially harmonious afterglow.
A black president would influence generations of young children to embrace a new vision of American citizenship. The “Obama Coalition” of African American, white, Latino, Asian American and Native American voters had helped usher in an era in which institutional racism and pervasive inequality would fade as Americans embraced the nation’s multicultural promise. Seven years later, such profound optimism seems misplaced. Almost immediately, the Obama presidency unleashed racial furies that have only multiplied over time. From the tea party’s racially tinged attacks on the president’s policy agenda to the “birther” movement’s more overtly racist fantasies asserting that Obama was not even an American citizen, the national racial climate grew more, and not less, fraught. If racial conflict, in the form of birthers, tea partyers and gnawing resentments, implicitly shadowed Obama’s first term, it erupted into open warfare during much of his second. it shows us as a country we still have much more to do to gain true equality in America
Lynchings Today
On April 17, two black men, Alize Ramon Smith and Jarron Keonte Moreland were found dismembered in a pond in Oklahoma. Both men were 21. Four people have been arrested for their murders.
Knowing that these kinds of things are still heavily present in today’s society is not only painful but terrifying. I’m glad to know there have been arrests, but the fact that black people are still being lynched in 2018 is unacceptable. No one deserves to die like that. It’s also disturbing how little news coverage this is getting. Many of the major mainstream media news sources haven’t even touched it, and I think that’s a shame because awareness is the first step to putting a stop to it.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/four-arrested-smith-moreland-killings_us_5aece2b9e4b041fd2d26c641
Why This Mascot Figure Needs To Be Ended
Why This Mascot Figure Needs to Be Ended
Peyton O’Laughlin
Hello classmates! This subject may not be aimed toward a focus of African Americans but is focused around the discrimination and treatment of different ethnic group by the American people, Indigenous Americans.
I am from Mechanicsburg, Ohio. I went to Mechanicsburg High School, a public high school, and the high school mascot has been the Indians for a very long time, I tried to find out when the school adopted the Indians mascot, but I have been unable to find adequate records. I would assume that the mascot has been the Indians since the 1940’s because of pictures in the high school that depict “The Mechanicsburg Indians Football Team.”
Recently, individuals in the Mechanicsburg community have been arguing about the school mascot. Some argue that the term Indian is offensive to the indigenous people of the Americas and that the depictions that are used to represent ‘Indians’ as mascots are also racially intolerant and stereotypical. Let me ask you, do you think the Indian mascot is racially intolerant?
Well first off, the fact of the atrocities that have been inflicted on the indigenous peoples of this land is unfathomably large. Since the discovery of this nation, native groups in the Americas have been subjected to foreign diseases, theft by foreigners, rape of culture, rape of bodies, expelled from their homes, and murder toll that expands to the thousands. By the time Christopher Columbus reached the Caribbean in 1492, historians estimate that there were 10 million indigenous peoples living in U.S. territory. But by 1900, the number had reduced to less than 300,000.1 The death toll of Indigenous individuals from the United States alone are genocidal.
Using indigenous figures as mascots lead to the perpetuation of stereotypes. In a study done by Justin Angle, University of Montana, when a sports team uses an image of an indigenous figure as a mascot, individuals begin to associate “warlike” qualities with indigenous people because that is a stereotype that is leveraged by sports teams, accordingly, a high school that uses an indigenous figure as their mascot, for sports, would result in the same effects.2 When an ethnic group is perceived “warlike” for reasons like attempting to have the appearance of being fearsome and menacing, then the indigenous people that the mascot is modeled after are then perceived as being more not only fearsome and menacing. If the mascot is associated with a violent sport, The Washington Redskins, and football, for example, them the indigenous people that are modeled for that mascot are perceived as more violent. This perpetuation of stereotypes leads to a bias towards indigenous people in areas such as job applications and housing. In a study done by NPR, they asked “Native American citizens” if they had felt discrimination when applying for jobs, 31% had reported that they, “have been personally discriminated against.” The survey then asked the participants if they felt like they had ever been personally discriminated against by police, 29% reported that “they did feel personally discriminated when interacting with police.”3
In 2005, the APA called for the immediate retirement of all American Indian mascots, symbols, images and personalities by schools, colleges, universities, athletic teams, and organizations. Research done by the APA found that images, symbols, and personalities of indigenous people have a negative effect on all kinds of students in a learning environment. The APA states that “The symbols, images, and mascots teach non-Indian children that it’s acceptable to participate in culturally abusive behavior and perpetuate inaccurate misconceptions about American Indian culture.” This statement is evidence that the portrayal of indigenous people in educational facilities undermines the educational experiences of all community’s members, distinctly those who have little or no contact with indigenous peoples. On that note, Mechanicsburg High School is predominately Caucasian, the Mechanicsburg Community is predominantly Caucasian, and neither the school or community has a public outreach program to any organization that affiliates to any indigenous groups. Mascots that portray Indigenous figures can also establish a learning environment that is, “unwelcome and often times hostile,” for students of Indigenous heritage. Mascots that present stereotypical images of indigenous people are examples of prejudice by dominant culture against racial and ethnic minority groups and this form of discrimination can lead to negative relations to indigenous groups that are being discriminated against. 4
When do we say that enough is enough when it comes to racially intolerant mascots like Chiefs, Chieftains, Braves, Redskins, and Indians? I say the line gets drawn when these images, names, and portrayals create toxic learning environments and perpetuate racism and intolerance in our schools.
People in the Mechanicsburg community will argue that the mascot name isn’t about disrespecting indigenous groups but is to refer back to our rich history. I will not go into the history between the indigenous groups around Mechanicsburg and the individuals that created my town because I do not know the full truth of the events, but I can give suggestions for new mascots that aren’t racially insensitive and that are equally representative of Mechanicsburgian history than Indians.
Suggestions for alternative Mechanicsburg High School Mascots5:
1) It is said, from the history of our town, that one of the men that founded Mechanicsburg, Captain Culver, was a mechanic, that is where Mechanicsburg gets its name from. So, a possible change of the mascot could be to the mechanics or a term that is synonymous with the title mechanic is Engineer. Being the Mechanicsburg Engineers would be a triumphant change because the term isn’t offensive to ethnic groups and an engineer can be a fierce mascot. Engineer as a mascot is also fairly rare which add originality to the mascot while incorporating historic significance.
2) In the 1850’s, Mechanicsburg became a hub for railroad commerce. Farmers from Mechanicsburg were shipping their toil all over the United States. We could change the mascot to the Mechanicsburg Locomotives. Mechanicsburg also assisted runaway slaves to freedom during the times of the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad had no literal trains but being the Mechanicsburg Locomotives could be a reference to the towns history of assisting an enslaved people to freedom. Instead of our mascot refer to an ethnic group, it refers to a shining moment in our town’s history.
3) James Roy Hopkins was a famous painter that graduated from the Mechanicsburg High School back in 1895. James Hopkins excelled in artistry and his main focus of work featured individuals from the Midwest United States. In 2017, The Springfield Ohio Museum of Art did an exhibition on the artwork that was created by Mr. Hopkins, the exhibition was titled “Faces of the Heartland” because all the individuals that Hopkins painted were from the heartland (Midwest US). A possible change of mascot could be from the Mechanicsburg Indians to the Mechanicsburg Heartlanders, a tip of the hat to an exceptional Mechanicsburg citizen that related his life to the arts. Wouldn’t it be great for a school to show that it not only cares about advancing the physical and intellectual prowess of its students but that the school also incorporates an appreciation for the arts?6 7
Once again, these are only suggestions that I could create after looking into the history of my town. Naming the mascot for Mechanicsburg High School the Indian might have been socially acceptable a long time ago, but it is far from acceptable today. It is and will forever be racist and it is time to retire the Indian mascot from Mechanicsburg.
The Disturbing History of the Suburbs
“This is not fair. I did not get to pick which colour I was.”
“That’s right. Noone does.”
Adam Conover, a cast member and writer at a comedy site, CollegeHumor, published a video on the history of redlining of blacks in America.
This video discusses the major role that the government played in redlining by implementing “racist Federal policies”. The government deliberately drew out maps of cities separating areas based on race. They then gave loans for housing to predominantly white communities. No loans were available to black communities.
One could argue that by “working hard” a black person could acquire wealth and own a house in the white suburbs. But this was not possible because there were actual constitutional laws to prevent blacks and minorities from owning houses in white communities. Only people of the Caucasian race were allowed to live in certain neighbourhoods.
Over time, the advantage of whites became clearer. White neighbourhoods attracted businesses and economic productivity. They were able to build upon and increase their wealth because of the property they owned and could pass on this wealth to their future generations.
Although the laws were eventually changed, the effect of redlining is still felt. Predominantly black communities are poor and can hardly afford the homes and amenities in white neighbourhoods. Sadly, schools are affected too. Segregation exists in schools because children can only attend schools that are close to their neighbourhoods. Therefore black children will attend the predominantly black schools and white children will attend predominantly white schools.
How can this problem be solved?
I believe that over time, with individuals within the black race finding agency for themselves and fighting to reach the top, the effect of redlining will eventually wear out. Can we rely on time to heal this wound alone? The answer is no. Since the problem began with institutions and government policies, they would have to solve the problem as well. Banks and financial institutions have to be fair when giving loans to whites and blacks. Everyone must be truly equal before the law.