Author: Diana Florissant
I think a serious social issue I would like to bring to the table is racism and black LGBTQ+ individuals who are discriminated against. Even in this growing age of understanding for one another there is still racism that festers in our communities, especially towards Black individuals within the LGBTQ+ community. This is important to me because:
- There are many black people in the LGBTQ+ community that are harassed everyday, myself included.
- Racism as a whole is a serious problem within the United States, and all over the world. The more we talk about it and stop pretending it’s not there, the better.
- Its not talked about enough how black LGBTQ+ members aren’t given the same value as other white members. Their seen more as outcasts and don’t get the same sort of help, even from other black individuals.
You can read more about it in this article: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/lgbtq-rights/news/2021/07/13/501484/black-lgbtq-individuals-experience-heightened-levels-discrimination/
The picture I was given was a picture from American Gothic by Grant Wood in 1942. The subject matter of the picture is an individual in a polka-dot dress holding up a broom and a mop in front of the American Flag. The subject isn’t smiling and looks very tense. It’s also in black and white. The composition is centered, with the individual being slightly off center. The flag is also a little off center, and reversed, with the stars being on the right of the flag instead of on the left. There is a sense of the rule of thirds, where the broom and the mop is the first box, the individual is the second box, and the flag is the third box. With the flag being slightly blurred in the background, it also gives a sense of depth with the use of shallow depth of field.
The photo looks like it had been taken inside of a large room, at least large enough to hand the flag so high. In 1942, the Second World War and racism were the biggest things going on. During this time, racism was still rampant, and woman weren’t allowed to join the war effort, so they had to stay home to cook and clean. The person in the photo is Ella Watson, who was working by herself to support her grandchildren after her husband was shot dead two days prior to one of her daughter being born. This was going on in Washington D.C., and during this time, living conditions for African Americans were subpar, to put it lightly. They lived in trashy neighborhoods with houses that looked like they were falling apart. I believe Watson also allowed for Parks to stay with her in her home while he took pictures of her and the surrounding community. Parks’ intentions for the photo was to show the hardships of African Americans in ties with the government, tying a story of discrimination and prejudice. The photo sort of conveys a sense of hopelessness and sadness that is seen through Parks’ works. This one feels sad because the individual looks defeated, as if she had given up or is just tired of the things going on in her community and around the nation. The hopelessness comes from her smaller stature in regards to the flag behind her. This leaves looking much smaller than the things going on around her.
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