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In “The 1619 Project,” by Nikole Hannah Jones, the ideas of freedom are suppressed by how people think but more importantly affecting the African American population. Specifically the year “1916” refers to the year that slavery first started in America. Oppression was a big problem back in the 90s where slaves were mistreated on a daily basis. Although slavery was abolished it seems people of color are still being oppressed for their ideas or becuase of their skin color. When it comes to the protagonist which is Nikole who has lived through what her parents have told her of their ancestors not having the same alienable rights as what she has now. An unjust treatment as she refers to not having a voice when it comes to stories of her families, explains the unjust treatment that African-Americans had to face even though how the constitution in a way only helped the white population as she explained in the text. In a way I can agree with her because much of the time we’ve seen how the government undermines the minorities for example we’ve seen it Brown v Board of Education and in this case the whole “separate but equal” was applied. Something that shouldn’t be said or referred to but it hurts Nikole knowing that these types of things happened to her ancestors.
She also refers to how African American paved the way to how America is seen all about freedom and equality. We’re in the 20th century and referring to people who are homeless gives us a sense that no one cares about them as much as anyone else but them. When referred to a homeless person it relates to slavery becuase they are lynched to the idea of hard work and not doing anything. In the 1916 Project Nickoles summarizes that there can never be equality or freedom because the rise of racism has taken the concept of what is to be American.Other factors such as corruption and oppression has led to the idea of what should be said on today’s society.
When in the 90s era their would be huge protests in regards to racism and slavery but we see now you will see that there is a motion for defending those who need it such as the homeless,immigrants,and voices who are oppressed by the ideology of racism. Our conscience says not to help these people especially if we see them on the streets and for us it’s okay to do this. But we have to realize that these are people just like you and I. So theirs no way we shouldn’t help them but created a social hierarchy where we see ourselves for example because of economic status or because of the color of their skin. Now more than ever our nation is divided because we have a president who has followed this ideology of oppressing our idea and blind eye the minority population to only help those who look like him. Although I am no one to criticize him I am an American who has a sense of giving an opinion about a person and that’s fine because that’s what makes us American. The unification is the melting pot of what we are and perhaps not everyone looks like everyone but that’s not the point we are for who we are and we should accept everyone for who they are.

In the article entitled “The 1619 Project”, by Nikole Hannah Jones, the ideas of freedom and equality were chopped into it’s roughest and tiniest pieces. One hundred plus years ago there was a time where people were being mistreated simply because they weren’t white. Similarly today, people are still being mistreated but somehow today’s version of slavery is much more accepted by everyone of every race. Nikole, having heard and lived through the stories of her families, explains the unjust treatment that African-Americans had to face even though “our people’s contributions to building the richest and most powerful nation in the world were indelible, that the United States simply would not exist without us.” In her eyes, African-Americans paved the way for America or rather they created a sense of equality and freedom during the times of slavery. However, fast forward to 202o and no one seems to care about the homeless man in the subways or laying in the corner. It almost seems like slavery never ended but how can a homeless man relate to those who were lynched and over worked because they were African-American? After reading Nikoles’ words, I came to the conclusion that there can never be 100% equality or freedom because other things exist such as greed, corruption and racism. Back then, there was always protests and arguments relating to slavery. Today, you will see that there is a bit of a unified force against homeless people regardless of race and with no knowledge of their situation. Somehow we make it seem just or okay to just walk by and not help these people almost how white-Americans felt that it was okay to make slaves out of African-Americans. Of course, later on that caused a problem in itself in that now every race thinks they are superior than everyone else making racism a natural thing in America. After-all, America started out with slavery and it continues throughout the years under a different title. Another thing noticed in Hannah-Jones writing is the switch from they to we and us. This brings up the question of who the we or us is and who does it include? Only African-Americans? If so, that isn’t equal. In a sense, America can never really be equal because even that isn’t fair. For example, there are 3 people receiving money. One has 1 million dollars, the other has $20 and the last one has $1. They all receive $1 dollar or equal amounts however is that fair? Racism, attitudes, ignorance, lack of knowledge, slavery, its all related.

In the article called “The 1619 Project” of the writers called Nikole Hannah Jones talks about black Americans and how they never had freedom and equality in the United States. Through her article she talks about how black Americans deserve the respect and equality because they constructed and transformed United States most attracted spots. Without them we wouldn’t have those beautiful attractive tourists spots. Throughout the years they never got credit for it, it was always the white Americans who got the credit and they just left the black Americans on the side . That’s what basically Hannah Jones is trying to tell us throughout her article how black Americans should get the respect and how they should be treated equally forever . I feel like in this article it doesn’t only fit for black Americans but also immigrants. For example there are many  camps that immigrants are in and those camps are in bad shape, without beds for to sleep on, there are no medication and they also have a few food supplies for them to eat. They have those immigrants in those camps because they rather not have them in the United States when because they think they are taking their jobs with their food away and that those immigrants are making look bad. But actually have helped the United States rise up on population and also have many different cultures here. I consider myself Ecuadorian-American not only American because I have to support both of my countries,but sometimes the way Americans treat other people for example Hispanic, black people or Asians it just makes me not want to support United states. I don’t like how Americans discriminate other people. Everyone in America are supposed to have equality just like the declaration of independence said ” all men are created equal “. That’s one of the reasons why Hannah Jones doesn’t like about America. Why would they founding fathers say that if they don’t even believe it. What was the whole reason? Did they just want to live under a lie? I think it’s just pure evil how white Americans view us Hispanics and black Americans as people who aren’t supposed to step in the United States.

Reflection on Hannah-Jones, “The Idea of America. Intro to 1619 Project.” Additional readings to consider in your reflection, Magness, “Fact-Checking the 1619 Project and its Critics.” And Lindsay, “After All, Didn’t America Invent Slavery?”

Possible topics to reflect on:

1. Hannah-Jones thought on the leading role of African-Americans in the U.S. in the pursuit of goal of freedom and equality.
2. How this relates to more recent immigrants.
3. How the author shifts in the use of “we” and “us.” Is it possible or not for the “we” or “us” to include everyone with equality?
4. Is the USA “in its DNA” an evil, unjust, racist society? What is your role and position in it? What do you do and what should you do in response?
5. Do you consider yourself an American? What is the “idea of America” that Hannah-Jones agrees with and supports? What is the “idea of America” she condemns and disagrees with?
6. Compare the situation of slavery, based on reading Hannah-Jones, to how we care or don’t care about the homeless person on the street, in the subway, etc.
7. What have you learned that you didn’t know before from reading Hannah-Jones, Magness, and Lindsay? Are they addressing the same audience? Is there a discourse community they all belong to?
8. Generate your own topic.  Reflect on another topic that strikes you in relation to the readings, and in your personal experience. What type of language do you choose to use? Who is your audience?

Please read this article.

 

https://www.aier.org/article/fact-checking-the-1619-project-and-its-critics/

Reflection on Hannah-Jones article in 1619 Project; also read the following articles.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomlindsay/2019/08/30/after-all-didnt-america-invent-slavery/#30e53c6e7ef6

In the story Drown by Junot Diaz, the author reveal Yunior’s relationships with others. The absence of his father during childhood made Yunior more dependent on his mother, It can be said that Yunior’s mother is the center of his world. Compared with Yunior’s brother Rafa and father, the mother is more like Yunior’s haven, a supporter protecting Yunior at all the time.
Yunior has a strange relationship with his father the complex source of resentment, who was absent from Yunior when he was young and then betrayed Yunior’s mother with his mistress, Yunior is upset with his father’s unreliability and infidelity. Even if the family reunited in the United States, they still looked like strangers. It’s as if Yunior’s father never cared about Yunior.
In”Ysrael” Yunior and his brother Rafa are living in the Dominican Republic. Their father has abandoned them their mother sent them to a relative’s house because she wanted to work in a chocolate factory. We know that Yunior’s brother Rafa has the same character as his father when Yunior and his brother Rafa got on the bus, an old man sitting next to Yunior started grope Yunior on the grounds of helping to clean up the stains on Junior pants. Yunio started to cry after pushing the man away and getting out of the car. His brother Rafa didn’t go to comfort Yunio but yelled at him because Yunior and his mother lived together for many years, Yunior’s personality is more docile, So Rafa has the dominance when dealing with Yunior. Yunior was not very violent at this time, but unknowingly, as he grew up, the mother and Yunior relationship change, Yunior began to look up to his brother Rafa and his father. Yunior thinks his father and brother Rafa are a role model, unlike a supporter like mother.
Later in the story, Yunior became a high school drug dealer, but Yunior did not want his mother to know that he was selling drugs. Yunior was afraid that any customer would go to him and buy drugs for him in front of his mother. Remember a recruiter who wanted to offer a real career to Yunior. Yunior rejected his offer. I think it’s because Yunior chose to keep the current lifestyle. Yunior is afraid to make changes, He rather prefers to take the shortcut to makes money such as selling drugs. Or because of his mother, Yunior doesn’t want to leave his mother alone. Therefore, Yunior chose to stay with his mother

Throughout the novel “Drown”, Junot Diaz emphasizes the theme of relationships. Yunior, a young child that living in the Dominican Republic with his brother and his mother with his father that left the family to pursue a better life in America. Yunior struggle with relationships, from his relationship with the family to his relationship with Aurora, Yunior lacks a father figure in his life so he looks up to his mother for guidance and his brother Rafa; Rafa is a tough brother and would always the one that bullies Yunior. Rafa looks up to his father, a womanizer and always an aggressive type of father when Yunior was little his father decided to move to America to live a better life and by doing so he left his family behind. Before leaving Yunior’s father was quite strict with many things, he would bring them to another woman’s place and have Rafa and Yunior say downstairs while their father is having an affair. Their father is an unfaithful man, a player, and also aggressive. Yunior wishes to tell his mother the truth but because of his father’s aggressive nature, he is afraid to speak. Rafa grew up with their tyrant of a father and had to endure the punishments, Rafa would consistently bully his brother or bully the people around him. Rafa would bully Ysrael, especially his a bottle on another kid because he was different. In chapter Aurora, Yunior became in love with a girl that he supplies drugs to and became attached to this girl, however, this girl was a lost hope to many a junkie, a slut, and many more. Yunior thought he could help her and change her for the better. Unfortunately, she didn’t need him to help her and she became more and more helpless. Yunior’s relationship is filled with a ton of many problems from lack of love, par pressure, and addiction. Diaz mixes all this problem seamlessly and emphasizes how relationships play a big role in this novel.

Bleron Suma

Reflection

 

 

In the story Drown by Diaz, he shows a big portion of Yunior’s relationships. He understands his connection and view of them, this view the person he will become later in life. For instance, Yuniors’s relationship with his mother is very different from the one he has with his papa and brother. Yunior and his mother have a close bond with each other.  Yunior’s mother thought the course of the reading try to protect Yunior from his father in aggressive ways, for example in the chapter “Fiesta”, Yunior understands he is not allowed to eat before getting into the car because he gets car sick and throws up, if this happens the father will grab him up and yell at him. The mother will interfere in the fight almost as if it was second nature to try protect Yunior from his father’s aggressiveness and try to take some of the blame. Yunior also tries to be protect his mother from the father, specifically of her feeling sad or discouraged. When Papi takes Yunior and Rafa out to meet  his “Puerto Rican mistress” and later that day when his mom questioned him what’s wrong he does not tell her about the mistress because he doesn’t know how his mom will take the new but more importantly because there is no right way to bring up something like that and not tear apart what’s left of his family as well as his moms happiness. Even though Yunior and his mother are close their mother-son relationship changes depending on the situation or setting.

Yunior relationship of his father and brother is more as a model opposed to a support system like his mom. His Father and brother both express this aggressive role and Yunior values them even though throughout the reading they both don’t treat him ok.  Growing up with Rafa as his “older” male role model, he was always trying to have his brother approval. In “Ysreal”, He tells of wanting to hang with him and his friend and be seen as an equal even Rafa barely speaks to them when they are home. In “Ysreal” Rafa treats Yunior polite and lets him hang around him more even telling him story. Yunior hangs on to every word of Rafa’s story even though he does not totally understand what Rafa is telling him as if the story as some secret life lesson in it that Yunior will need to know for later on in life. Yuniors father was absent for a big part of his early childhood as well as very aggressive with Yunior even so Yunior care about what his father thinks about him and does not want to disappoint him. His Father and brother constantly thought the book pick on Yunior. To Yunior these were his examples of how a male should act or showcase to the world. And later on, as the book goes on you can see that Yunior begins to showcase more of his father and brother’s aggressive behavior then of his mom soft and loving behavior.