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Blog Entery 3

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The Ghetto Activist is an instagram account that works to identify forms of racism in modern society, while also providing education information on the history behind aspects of racism. Additionally, this account calls out inappropriate actions by public figures and even the government. Lastly, this account identifies are teachers viewers about prominent Black heroes and influential Black activists. This account does as many of our readings and resources have done; both educating others of the prominence of Black culture and working to fight back against injustice related to race. 

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The Ghetto Activist represents Black culture in so many different ways. From profiling white supremacists to praising Black activists to providing opinions of when to educate children on the history of racism, this account generates countless conversations regarding race, diversity and equality. As this is an instagram account, viewers are welcome to comment on all posts stating their opinions or adding additional information. Often times, posts provide background information followed by “What are your thoughts?” (The Ghetto Activist, 2023).

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This instagram account reminds me of the resource we utilized in week 8 of this course, the 30 Americans art exhibit from the Rubell Museum Miami. Both sources are focusing on historical and contemporary depictions of Black culture and influence. This account also has similarities to the work of Judy Baca, who motivated students to use are as a form of activism (Activism & Potential of the Digital). The Ghetto Activist utilizes artwork to further his argument around race and its history, but also to encourage viewers to resonate even more with the content and goals. 

The Ghetto Activist (2020-present). [Instagram profile] @theghettoactivist.

Johnston, Tamara (2023). Week 12 Activism & Potential of the Digital. [lecture ppt] ART 150.

30 Americans (2008-2022). Rubell Museum Miami. https://rubellmuseum.org/30-americans.

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Blog entry 2

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Get Out created by Jordan Peele, explores several concepts regarding modern day racism, while also connecting it to history. The film identifies the mindset of white liberals who think the opposite of Black people then their ancestors. The white people in the film glorify the physical abilities of African Americans, and they go so far as to compete to experience it. The films main character is very aware of the oddities he experiences around these people, and starts to sense something bigger going on than simply socializing with blunt, liberal, white people. This film depicts modern day racism and the entitlement of white people. Although the white people believe they are fully accepting of Black culture, they are still degrading Black people and using them however is convenient. There are many connections to the ART 150 content throughout this film between culture, racism and white privilege.

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Get Out represents the life of a Black person in modern society. Throughout the film we see the main character disregard inappropriate questions and comments on his race and gender, often containing African American stereotypes. In the film, the white characters glorify the capabilities of African American genetics such as speed and strength. In week eight, we studied the ethnic notions regarding African American people as the civil rights movement progressed. This included notions such as the “Mammy” and pop culture stereotypes (ART 150, 2023).  Get Out reminds viewers that defining yourself as a Black ally does not remove the racism from your brain. The characters in the film not only support Black people, but they glamorize them.

Viewers are exposed to the culture differences between the two races and the blindness of white characters. Not only are the white characters unaware of their inappropriate opinions towards Black people, but they are also blind to their own privilege. When considering Peggy McIntosh’s white privilege checklist, we can assume that the white characters would check yes to every single privilege.  In 1619 African people were brought to North America to work as indentured servants (ART 150, 2023). Much has changed since then, but the movie circles back to the concept of white people forcing Black people into indentured slavery. In one scene, the protagonist (a Black man) picks cotton out of an armchair and uses it to his advantage while escaping. This scene brought up really interesting thoughts because we see the symbol of slavery assisting a Black person against white people. 

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The underlying concepts in Get Out can be connected to most of what we have learned throughout this semester including civil rights, white privilege, African American history and power. The main character is extremely aware of his own racial identity and how that may impact his meeting of a white family. In many scenes, we see the protagonist act because of his conditioning regarding his racial identity. He brings up letting his girlfriends white parents know of his race to avoid surprises, he does not hesitate to give a cop his ID when the motivations were racially motivated. Many more examples of this exist throughout the film. Lastly, the fixation experienced by the white characters towards Black people relates to Fusco and Guillermo’s Couple in a Cage (Fusco, Guillermo, 1993). However, I interpret the main character as the person in the cage unwillingly, and everyone else gawking at his blackness from the outside. 

Johnston, Tamara (2023). Week 7/8 African Americans and U.S. Visual Culture. [lecture ppt] ART 150.

Peele, J. (2017). Get Out. Universal Pictures.

Taylor, Dianna (1998). A Savage Performance, Couple in a Cage. New York University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Blog entry 1

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When They See Us is a true story following five falsely accused black and Latino teenagers who were victims of our country's corrupt politics, which ultimately allowed this absurd accusation to develop and damage the lives of all five boys and their families. “The Central Park Five” is the title the public gave these innocent boys who were convicted of the rape and attempted murder of a young woman jogging in the park while the boys (and many others) were also there. When arrested, all five boys were coerced by law enforcement to give false statements blaming each other for the rape that none of them witnessed. This case was argued in front of the jury by the New York district attorney, who was very aware of the lack of evidence and illegal actions that occurred to get confessions. Nonetheless, all five boys were sent to juvenile detention or prison and were forced to endure extreme suffering for crimes they did not commit.  

This short series does an excellent job of pointing out one of our focused topics throughout the semester; awareness of what “white” means. We see this through the inhumane treatment of the boys by law enforcement, who seemed to genuinely believe that they did nothing wrong. This concept throughout the show allows viewers to check themselves, maybe asking, “how would I have acted in that situation” or “would I have agreed with this”. Being white is a privilege as we have learned in this course. The color of your skin naturally dictates people's opinions of you in addition to the privileges you are freely given. This concept is demonstrated by the law enforcement official's ability to believe innocent boys were guilty simply because of their skin color. Officials had preexisting biases and judgements that made it extremely easy for them to place blame on someone who fit their imagined description. 

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Throughout When They See Us, several different racial and ethnic identities are portrayed, allowing viewers to look into the intersectionality that works against the Central Park Five and other characters. Specific examples from the series the demonstrate intersectionality include race, gender, sexual orientation, occupation and disability. Race is the first and most outstanding example. Countless times during the four episodes we see racism at work, whether it is structural, interpersonal, institutional or internalized. In week seven, we learned about stereotyping in pop culture and the post-civil rights African American stereotypes, which include the pimp, drug addict and convict (African Americans and U.S. visual culture, slide 47). It is my understanding, that law enforcement and all who found the five guilty, were doing so based on their understanding of racial and ethnic stereotypes, not their understanding of the case and evidence. The series also touches on the cultural diversity within the prison system. One of the children is adopted by the Muslim group and is taught about his religion. Later this group is compared to the general juvey population.  

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When They See Us does an excellent job at pushing viewers to question the actions taken in the situation, and point out the acts of racism, elitism and white privilege. During ART 150, students are encouraged to reflect on personal experiences to identify forces working for or against them. While watching this show, all I could think of as a viewer was that I wish some of the characters could reflect on themselves and what factors are influencing their opportunities and beliefs. During some scenes, the white characters reminded me of the “Couple in a Cage” performance we reviewed in week 7. Based on the extreme assumptions white law enforcement characters were making, led me to imagine them looking at the five boys as the couple in a cage. The white characters observing the children from a perspective of power and authority and believing that the children did outrageous acts just because of who they are visually.  

Johnston, Tamara (2023). Week 7 African Americans and U.S. Visual Culture. [lecture ppt] ART 150. 

Taylor, Dianna (1998). A Savage Performance, Couple in a Cage. New York University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  

DuVernay, Ava, et al. When They See Us. Netflix, 2019.