Hi Students:
Thank you for your well-written and informative self-introductions. It’s clear we have a class of diverse talents, experiences, majors, and pet lovers. I expect that we will learn a great deal more about each other and our course topics as the semester progresses.
I want to begin this week’s lesson acknowledging that there is a “war” in the United States right now over basic human rights and the teaching of factual American history and culture. The death of Mr. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, who had been brutally beaten and pepper sprayed by police officers after a traffic stop on Jan. 7 is one example of this.
Another example is the attack in Florida on the proper teaching of African American Studies, causing the College Board to pare down its A.P. Curriculum.
It’s sad to note that in some ways this country is where it was just after the Civil War. During the period of Reconstruction (1865-1879), the South – even though it lost the war – tried to cling to anti-black policies and maintain separation and segregation (and inequality) of the races.
In order to better understand the history and literature of this period, I ask that you review the following. These readings/viewings will help to provide context for next week’s reading (the opening chapters of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn) and the racial issues our nation continues to confront.
Read:
Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (1863)
13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments (The Reconstruction Amendments)
“New York Protests Over Death of Tyre Nichols Continue”
Featuring a statement by Timothy Hunter (City Tech graduate 2020 and Founder of Strategy for Black Lives)
View:
Reconstruction: The 15th Amendment and African American Men in Congress
Critical Race Theory (Pass It On) by City Tech Student Arnold Ludd
Post: By Tuesday, Feb. 7, post a one paragraph response to one (or more) of the above readings/viewings. You may focus on what you learned (that you did not know before), what you found interesting and/or moving, what you found disturbing, etc.
TO POST: GO TO “COMMENTS” ON THE TOP OF MY POST. SCROLL DOWN TO THE TEXT BOX BELOW AND WRITE YOUR RESPONSE. BE SURE TO ALSO “PUBLISH.”
I read about the gruesome Gettysburg’s civil war, I knew some parts about the war, it was the boldest war, it only lasted 3 days and there was 51,000people dead, but this article went into depth of Abraham Lincolns address.The speech tied the current Civil War to the principles of the Declaration of Independence, including liberty, equality, and the abolition of slavery. I found very interesting that the address was delivered after a two hour speech by Edward Everett, and it only lasted 2 minutes. But it was so meaningful that its come to be recognized as one of the most important expressions of freedom and liberty in any language. It was nice to learn and read more about this civil war, I really only new about the death and destruction that came out of this not what came as a result
Good overview of the Gettysburg Address Anthony. Let’s see how well our nation lived up to “the new birth of freedom” during this period.
Re: NYC protests over death of Tyre Nichols
Unfortunately race relations have been a major point in the division of opportunities and allowances afforded to the African American population in the entire history of the United States. Myself, identified as an African American male unfortunately have been on both sides of the argument on numerous occasions. On many occasions having worked as a licensed security guard for various venues and celebrations I can be honest and say that the events circling the activities of minority-based venues have been much harder to control. Of course, it is not always the case and I’ve had my share of experiences elsewhere but if this was a game of poker and I had to rely on personal statistics, I honestly go into these events more on edge than elsewhere.
The challenge of law enforcement is a real one, being able to control a situation while still protecting the rights of someone who could be the cause of the situation. Did those cops take it too far? Should those cops be punished for what they did. Absolutely. Too group all cops however based on the actions of the few is doing the same thing for which we are accusing the cops of doing.
Thanks for your enlightening and nuance post Michael. It’s interesting to note that your well-balanced critique of policing is somewhat similar to how President Biden expressed it in his State of the Union last night.
Week 2
From viewing the “Reconstruction: The 15th Amendment and African American Men in Congress “1619 Project” I am left with mixed feelings. Obviously, I am filled with admiration of those men who gone up against the system, stood their grounds and became voices for the entire race on the political level while not so long ago they were considered nothing but a property. The inspirational stories of people such as Robert Smalls of South Carolina or Hiram Revels of Mississippi can not be overlooked when it comes to showcasing the definition of dedication to the cause and pulling through all the hardships on the way. I can’t overstate how important those people were in shaping what American freedom was actually supposed to be from the beginning and this video was very eye opening in terms of describing how challenging it was to stand up against all the odds. However, my conflicting feelings from the video come from the realization that there was only black men that were represented in congress (or at least in this video). I can’t help but be saddened by the fact that black women’s voices are yet to be included in the conversation of that level even though all this time had passed. America still has long ways to go to become truly lend of the free but I can only hope that we will get there eventually.
You make a very important point here Akmaral (about forgotten African American women), one we’ll be addressing soon.
Week 2
The pandemic has made me continuously monitor updates on what is happening in the United States. I am disappointed that the “war” is happening in our beloved country. With crimes of African Americans getting beaten by law enforcement are sickening and damaging to the field’s reputation. As a student who took an American history class, I am aware of African Americans’ adversities during the 19th century, such as not having the right to vote and racial discrimination. Figures like Abraham Lincoln have helped shape America’s social atmosphere for the better through his acknowledgment of how slavery was not right and the significance of maintaining our democracy. With the progression of more African American individuals joining the government, it continued to promote our nation as diverse. The article about the A.P. curriculum of African American studies was interesting to read as I was unaware there would be a course for this subject. Although I know the College Board is an important organization in our education, I am not fond of even introducing this curriculum in the first place. The reason is that as someone who has taken six A.P. courses before, the knowledge I would gain from the classes does not consist of conflicting information. With sensitive topics of critical race theory, Black feminism, and black conservatism, it leads me to a question; how many credible scholars can teach this subject? Would there be no bias towards these concepts? Ultimately, if we are trying to learn from our mistakes based on history, why are the mistakes of racial discrimination still present today? I hope that more educational materials can be presented to our audience so we can continue to contribute to shaping diversity in the United States.
Thanks for this nuanced and thoughtful response Nim. Getting history “right” is no easy matter. A few wonderful American writers have tried to point this out — as we’ll soon be discovering.
Week 2
After reading “NYC Protests over death of True Nicholas continue” it’s sad to see that although this country has made progress in allowing same sex marriage they can not do so in racialism. It’s devastating to see police brutality against African American people. Although, unfortunately racism and police brutality has always been around and it’s only getting worse. Being beaten by people who’s job is to protect you is appalling. I listened to the podcast featuring a statement by Timothy hunter who is a founder of strategy for black lives. I found the podcast informative he speaks about people killed at the hands of police the high amount of people dying in police custody with out even getting a fare trial. The organization he founded strategy for black lives has four main core goals which are education, healthcare, housing, criminal justice. I feel like everything goes hand in hand. As he mentioned in his podcast we have to stay united against all this racial inequality.
That’s very cool that you listened to Timothy Hunter’s podcast, Argelia. I really like your emphasis on his organization’s four main core goals (education, healthcare, housing, criminal justice), and your line that ” everything goes hand in hand.” How true.
After reading I realized that I had been “forced” to constantly check for information on what is happening in the US especially after the pandemic hit. I worry that the “war” is actually occurring in our nation. It’s sad that race must be brought into today’s world when That should be the least of our problems. The articles were interesting to read about what was really happening in the late 1900s.In these past couple of years, racism has been so brutal. It truly sucks that it is happening every day and not many are speaking up about it.
One of the articles “NYC Protests over death of Tyre Nicholas” proved how brutal the police have been towards people. It showed how brutal they were being and how they didn’t wanna release body camera footage bc it was a racially motivated action the police have done again. People from NYC have been protesting for the body cam to be released so the cop can be held for his own actions. I strongly hate how we need to fight more and protest more just so racism like this with cops can end. They never have fair trials sometimes the cops who kill these victims don’t get held for their actions which is the saddest part of constantly living in fear because these happen on a daily.The article had a lot of information I learned and explains everything in detail. thoroughly
Tasneim,
You’re absolutely right. Police have been killing Black and Brown people for a long time and their actions have gone unchecked. But I think because of body cam footage and everyone recording them with their smartphones. Cops are starting to think twice.
Even though the brutal murder of Tyre Nichols is yet ANOTHER example of just disgusting law enforcement can really be, they were actually held accountable this time (although I’m still kind of wondering if it was because they were all Black officers?) Anyhow, I’m hoping things do continue in the direction of accountability.
Jamil
You raise great points here, Jamil.
Thanks for your thoughtful response on this difficult topic Tansneim. Yes, indeed, it NEEDS to end.
Of the offered readings the one that immediately caught my eye was the death of Tyre Nichols as it’s a relatively recent event and one that I heard about thorough osmosis but never anything too in-depth so I decided to use this opportunity to research as to why the seemingly innocent 29 year old teacher(as the rumors I heard painted him) had to die the way he did as I’m someone with a relatively open mind and like to believe that there are multiple sides to any story. The article provided mostly focused on the protests against police brutality detailing how the protests happened and some of the steps protesters took to defending themselves with their message as stated by one of the organizers: Timothy Hunter, from a coalition of youth activists named strategy for black lives, “This isn’t the first time it happened. But I hope we can make enough noise that this will be the last time.” A video of the officers final confrontation was uploaded to the internet and to truly understand what went down on that day, I decided to view the contents. It is depressing to consider the police force who are paid by our taxes to offer protection can act in such an abhorrent manner. The officers conduct against the helpless Nichols in said video was quite difficult to watch and upon viewing it I can truly understand activist Jasemyn Peterson’s apprehensions. That being said I still choose to disagree with her stance and feel that too truly understand and support something we have to make it a point to tackle with the truth as painful as it may be. This is because I believe the line between true activists fighting for positive change and ‘clout chasers’ attempting to twist a sad event into their own favor is quite thin and the stance of wanting to, ” Be among the people who were passionate and driven to make a difference”, falls dangerously within the latter category of ‘Activist.’ It is sad to consider that tragedies like Tyre Nichols are not only present within our current world but are all too common.
I like your honest approach to this topic and incident, Mohammed, and I’m glad you looked into it some more. In the end, such tragedies, are “all too common” as you say, and need to be properly addressed.
In the Gothamist article about the murder of Tyre Nichols, one of the demonstrators at the Washington Square Park protest, Timothy Hunter, was quoted as saying:
“This isn’t the first time this happened. But I hope that we can make enough noise that this will be the last time this happens.”
I think his heart is in the right place and I salute him in solidarity. But I guess I’m wondering— How much more noise do we need to make at this point? I mean like the decibel level we need to reach in order for the state’s violent law enforcement apparatus to stop murdering us in cold blood. How many of us need to harmonize in one voice to chant down the machine that dehumanizes us? How many more lives have to be taken by the police for us to declare in one voice that this is enough? Everytime I see this in the news or read about it somewhere, I’m inwardly furious. Outwardly, I feel checked by a perceived authority that can’t justify itself or its actions. It should be clear now to everyone that it’s not just White officers who have a disregard for Black life; it’s the system in general. As the police continue to murder and maim Black and Brown folks disproportionately and with impunity, I’m mindful of the fact that the system isn’t “broken.” Rather it’s working exactly as designed.
You offer some power critique here in stirring language, Jamil.
“How many more lives have to be taken by the police for us to declare in one voice that this is enough?” This can’t be said better.
Week 2
Reading through the readings that were given I started to remember things I’ve learned in the past, The Gettysburg address which addressed “liberty and the proposition that all men are created equal” and the abolition of slavery which contributed to the civil rights movement. In the reconstruction of amendments, three additions were added the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. In the 15th amendment, black men could not vote in any state which was later ratified by congress making it illegal to refuse black men from voting. Protests over the death of Trye Nichols who died at the hands of Five Police officers have been happening all over the city to push for change. The death of Trye Nichols is an example of a civil rights violation and still, no progress has been made. To this day the fight for racial justice and equality is far from over.
Well said, Linnette.
After reading the article about the NYC protests over Tyre Nichols I am not shocked or surprised about the things that have transpired over the past few weeks. It’s a shame that after countless tragedies and protests, we’re still seeing the same thing happen with slim to no positive change. As I was reading through the article, a quote from a protester really stood out to me, “This isn’t the first time this happened,” he said, “but I hope that we can make enough noise that this will be the last time.” This shows how much progress has really been made and it’s sad, to see these people passionately protest time and time again and not be heard by the people they are trying to send a message to. But whilst the situation in hand is sad to read about, it’s also refreshing to see these people stand up for what they believe in and not give up through the many trials and tribulations.
I like your even-handed response to this horrible tragedy Sharnay. The quote you cite is from City Tech graduate Timothy Hunter, who’s really doing some important work — as you recognize.
The Amendments XIII, XIV, and XV give an insight to how far the constitution can be repealed and amended for the sake of different race of people. The constitution is keep check on the populace to ensure they treat others with respect. Too often, Whites and Blacks still do not get along which is understandable. The black cops that killed Tyre Nichols were not exercising restraint when they handled him. They should had undergone more training such as reviewing the constitution of certain amendments and take some tests to see if they can improve on policing. If people pay attention to what they learn in their training, there’ll be less killings like with Tyre.
Wilson, It’s interesting that your thoughtful suggestions to contain police brutality are somewhat similar to what President Biden proposed in his State of the Union Address: better training for police officers so that they exhibit respect for the laws in place.
I found Reconstruction: The 15th Amendment and African American Men in Congress to be very intriguing. Robert Smalls was especially interesting to learn about. Stealing a confederate ship and sailing it to the Union is an incredible feat, especially for a man who I assume had never driven a boat before. Then serving in the Union army, and then serving in South Carolina’s House of Representatives, and then the United States House of Representatives, he truly was a man to be respected for his ability to bring himself into better and better situations. From being enslaved to being a state legislator in just 6 years is remarkable. I like that education was one of the main things he campaigned for because education is something he couldn’t have as a child and something he believed everyone should have available to them. I also wanted to talk briefly about the Gothamist article on Tyre Nichols. I thought the bike/skateboard/rollerblade convoy was a great tribute because Tyre was a skilled skateboarder himself. I saw a video circulating online of his older skate clips showing him doing what he loved, and it’s nice to see that recognized and honored. Though he will always be remembered as someone whose life was unjustly taken from him by the police, he can also be remembered for the person that he was and the things he loved.
WEEK 2
It’s disappointing to see after reading “NYC Protests over death of True Nicholas continue” that despite our country’s advancements in permitting same-sex marriage, racial discrimination still exists. Seeing police brutality against African Americans is horrifying. Nevertheless, sadly, racism and police violence have persisted over time and are only becoming worse. It is disgusting to be assaulted by those whose duty it is to keep you safe. I listened to the podcast that included Timothy Hunter, one of the founders of strategy for black lives, making a statement. I thought the audio was instructive; he talks about persons slain by police and the large number of people who pass away while being held by the police without ever receiving a fair trial. He started the company. Education, healthcare, housing, and criminal justice are the four primary basic objectives of the group he formed, strategy for black lives. Everything seems to be connected, in my opinion. We need to stand together against all of this racial inequity, he said on his podcast.
I decided to write on the protest over the death of Tyre Nichols. Something i wanted to touch on was the simple topic of this immense unity . Cyclists, skateboarders, and rollerbladers gathered together to stand up for a good cause. Tyre Nichols was an African American young man who was beat to death by police officers at a traffic stop . Justice was demanded and this amazing group of people decided enough was enough, they were all driven to fight for a change. They protested up until 9pm in times square chanting speeches for the abolition of police and preaching for reimagined public safety. You would think that it was a cyclist, skateboarder, or rollerblader that was beat to death with the way they showed up for him !