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Multi-Media blog summary:

Overall, I have learned the importance of being open to other cultures that are different from our own even when they may seem confusing or new to us. The world should not be a place that sees others only based on the different color skin or occupations they hold. God created everyone equal in his image including race, culture, skin color, and religious/personal practices. Diversity is what makes the world the place it is today and if everyone practiced the same religion, dressed the same, or had the same choice in career paths, the world would be boring.

However, I was surprised because the issues that the characters in the series or movies faced, drew a parallel to the issues that our world is facing today. These films/social media focused on individuals and applied to the issues of this country like racism and prejudice based on individuals' skin color or occupation. I do, however, feel that we have come a long way as a country when it comes to working tirelessly to try to reduce the stereotypes that occur. For example, as compared to the civil rights era in which “The Help” was based, our society has come a long way. African Americans can hold any job they wish to and for the most part, there is no racial segregation in our country. This doesn’t mean that on a case-by-case basis, racism doesn’t still exist in our country, but it has been much less prominent than it has in recent years. When it comes to power, I think that all cultures have made leaps and bounds when it comes to having their power, being able to practice their specific practices and religions, and holding any occupation that they wish.

In summary, our world has made drastic improvements when it comes to allowing different ethnicities to hold power in The White House, The Senate, schools, churches, law offices, hospitals, and many more occupations that seemed like an impossible dream many decades ago. Multiculturalism is important because it promotes open-mindedness between the different ethnic groups of our country and works to eliminate negative stereotypes from occurring.

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Morgan Freeman (Post) social media

Word count: 426

Morgan Freeman, born June 1, 1937, has always been a man before his time and worked tirelessly to pave the way for other African Americans of his time to fight against injustices that they faced. Freeman has been in a multitude of films in which he portrayed many different characters of many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. He sought to break the glass ceiling when it came to taking on roles that were generally not meant for African Americans to portray. Freeman also served in the U.S. air force, which many people do not know. He’s a very large humanitarian and has made it a purpose of his to speak the truth about the importance of law enforcement and the wonderful job that they do each day. Morgan feels that law enforcement is more than just the weapons they use or the power they hold, but the important job that they do to protect and serve our country. Freeman has always been a man of the people and has always supported speaking out again injustices made toward the black community. He stated “Fighting for equality is a celebration of independence. Fighting for black lives is a celebration of independence. #BlackLivesMatter.” He also supported Martin Luther King and what he stood for regarding showing that all men and women are created equal and should not be judged based on their appearance or race. Morgan states “In these trying times we must remember and uplift the good while rising above violence.” By this he means with all the challenges that the world and the black communities have faced, it’s important to look back to see how far this world has come. He feels we should be kind to one another to continue to work towards a more equal country.

In summary, this applies to my core values of supporting law enforcement, shutting down the injustices in the world when it comes to the injustices that the black community has faced, and doing my part to make the world a better place; one day at a time. By supporting law enforcement, I don’t mean I support the brutal use of force or weapons that have occurred in our country. I also feel that the black community has been targeted since the pandemic and the issues they face need to have light shed on them. The world used to be a peaceful place, and with my efforts, and the efforts of everyone around me, I think we can continue to shift the country into better and more peaceful times ahead.

Sources:

“Morgan Freeman: Always with Purpose │ U.S. Veterans Magazine.” US Veterans and Military Magazine | A US Veterans News Resource, 14 Feb. 2022, usveteransmagazine.com/2021/11/morgan-freeman-always-with-purpose/.

“Morgan Freeman.” Wikipedia, 16 July 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Freeman.

“Morgan Freeman Framed Art Prints for Sale.” Fine Art America, fineartamerica.com/shop/framed+prints/morgan+freeman?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=OD+-+FAA+-+NB+-+DSA&utm_content=Framed+Prints&msclkid=8b09c3bd406217ac21e6a704fd59d042&utm_term=%2Fshop%2Fframed%2Bprints. Accessed 20 July 2023.

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"The Help" (Post) Movie

Word count: 495

“The Help”, written by Tate Taylor and Kathryn Stockett, is based on the civil war era when African American women were housemaids and took care of white families during the 1960s. This film is based on a college graduate and writer interviewing “The Help” about all they have endured from being housemaids to white families of the South, and all the good, bad, and ugly that has come with their titles. Skeeter, the journalist, and main character, writes about these women because she was raised by one of these housemaids and she viewed them as a motherly figure. From the viewpoints of Skeeter, the journalist, and Aibileen Clark, in “The Help”, the picture is painted of what it was really like to grow up being African American in the South and everything it entailed. The movie depicts racial challenges like segregation when it comes to lavatories, wash stations, sleeping quarters, and even how these women got treated daily. Another difficulty the African American women in this film faces is segregation when it comes to accessibility to proper healthcare. When she was younger, her son was run over by a truck during his workday and was dropped off at a hospital specifically for African American people; he did not receive proper care there and died shortly thereafter. This shows that even during this time, when segregation was thought to be improving, southern states were still facing racial segregation of colored people. During the movie, the main family that Aibileen works for, mentions over tea that they should create a bathroom aside from the bathroom in their home, that “The Help” had to use. Hilly, the woman who came up with this separate bathroom, drafted the idea that every white home had to have a separate washroom for “The Help”.  Aibileen Clark hears a sermon in church based on courage and is driven to speak up and do the right thing which is when she decides to allow Skeeter to interview her. Although this was a fictional movie, it was based on real people during this time and all the struggles they face growing up African American in the South. This film is based on race, socioeconomic class, ethnicity, and religion.

“The Help” applies to my life and what I have learned throughout this course because I understand that every culture should be valued because of their differences. There should not be a world that sees the color of one's skin or how much money one makes, either as inferior or superior traits of a human being. God created everyone equal in his image and this includes every culture, race, ethnicity, or social class there might be. From this film, I have dived more in-depth into the discrimination that people of different ethnicities faced and have opened my eyes to the injustices our country has faced. I can wholeheartedly say that our country has come a long way, and we continue to evolve our cross-cultural understanding of others.

Sources:

Pictures:

“The Help Movie Review + CAST Q & A.” Pop Culture Nerd, popculturenerd.com/2011/07/28/the-help-movie-review-cast-q-a. Accessed 19 July 2023.

“The Help.” IMDb, 10 Aug. 2011, www.imdb.com/title/tt1454029/?ref_=ttpl_ov.

Information:

Taylor, Tate, et al. “‘The Help.’” Amazon, 2012, www.amazon.com/Help-Emma-Stone/dp/B006G2124E?ref_=atv_auth_pre&workflowType=Commerce-TVOD&.

“The Help (2011).” ‎The Help (2011) Directed by Tate Taylor • Reviews, Film + Cast • Letterboxd, letterboxd.com/film/the-help/. Accessed 19 July 2023.

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"Jane the Virgin" (Post) Television

Word count: 447

The subject of my film is based on a young Latina woman who is navigating her college life, career, heritage, and lifestyle throughout her whole life. Jane Villanueva, the main character of this Netflix series, holds her religion and family values very near to her heart. She is studying to be a teacher and is engaged to a police officer, and they are remaining celibate until marriage due to her religious practices. Throughout this series, we see that her traditions and love of telenovelas show us that she is appreciative of her culture and all that they stand for. She is very close-knit with her family and lives with her mother and grandmother. She follows religious practices of not living with her fiancé until they are married to abide by her culture's beliefs on sleeping under the same roof before marriage. Religion and family values are very important to her personally and the Latina culture. Although this film effectively portrays her religion, traditions, and family values, stereotypes can be drawn based on her ethnicity by any onlooker.

My selection of media represents racial and ethnic identities relating to images seen in class because both this series and the images shown in class depict ideas of stereotyping and that there is more to a person than what meets the eye. An example of this is the assignment from the Hapa project as it relates to preconceived notions based on visual images the artist provides us. The Hapa project relates to my choice of “Jane the Virgin” series because both elicit to the reader/onlooker that there is more to a person than their skin color, how they dress, or how others see them. In the series “Jane the Virgin”, we begin to understand how and why Jane practices her religion and what it means to her as a person to be proud of her Latina heritage, and how she does this daily. From making traditional meals with her family to practicing her religion and being strong in her faith when it comes to waiting until marriage, she shows people what it means to her to be a Latina woman in the 21st century and all the challenges that come with it. This series, as well as the Hapa project, show cultural diversity by making the world more aware that there are other cultures and traditional practices that others among us practice. Society needs to be more forgiving and accepting of other cultures even when we have preconceived notions based on films we watch, or things people say. Diversity is what makes the world such a wonderful place to be; if everyone was the same the world would be boring.

Sources:

Kip Fullbeck, “The Hapa Project: Ten Years After” (The Asian American Literary Review), 1.

Sandy C. “Watch Jane the Virgin Season 5: Now on Netflix.” Hidden Remote, 8 Aug. 2019, hiddenremote.com/2019/08/08/watch-jane-virgin-season-5-now-netflix/.

Therealshelula. “Jane the Virgin.” Therealshelula.Com, 28 Jan. 2018, therealshelula.com/jane-the-virgin/.

Urman, Jennie Snyder. “Watch Jane the Virgin.” Netflix, 12 Oct. 2015, www.netflix.com/title/80027158.