Education is a key policy to any functioning community. It provides the tools necessary fro achievement and success. It also divides us and is used as a tool to raise some and keep others down. Education has become one of the key points for combating racism and inequality in america. Without a good upbringing and education there is little chance for poor and underrepresented to rise in station. We all know that something needs to be done but no one can quite agree on where we want to end up and how we are to get there.
When listening to all the blue prints for freedom, a common issue that arose was busing, and getting kids to school. To my understanding the two biggest money sucks in education are teacher pensions and transportation. It becomes complicated when schools wish to pump more money into different things or make a program better. Public schools typically gain money through state taxes and grants. The problem arises that the majority of this money is not up to the school how to spend, but instead designated. While good for maintain the intended purpose and keeping schools from straying it can vastly limit the impact.
While it is very important that schools allow for their students to actually make it to school it is a huge money drain. If you were a failing school one of the easiest things to drop in order to funnel more money into classes and facilities would be busing. As sad and racist as it can be sometimes cutting transportation is key to providing better education for those that do attend.
Ideally schools should have all the money they need and there should be a close school to every home, but there will not always be enough money and some thing must be cut. Once again another situation where family life and economic class. I don't mean to say that busing is not important in getting kids to school, but I wanted to complicate the situation a little more. If a school is
A blog dedicated to exploring the civil rights movement in Memphis, TN
Friday, April 27, 2018
Navigating the Problematic Realities of Private vs. Public Prisons
Walnut Grove is a small town in Mississippi, just about
three hours from Memphis, and it was the site of Walnut Grove Youth Correctional
Facility. The facility was a private youth prison that faced multiple complaint
reports of organized fights, violent brawls that were not stopped by guards and
guards forcing inmates to perform sexual acts in exchange for food. According
to reporting by the research team for the podcast Criminal the inmates of Walnut Grove were about 80% African
American, although Mississippi as a whole was only about 35%.[1]
There is no separating race and pervasive corruption in the prison system. The demographics
alone are representative of the school-to-prison pipeline, but the prejudiced perspectives
of the prison staff and town further enhance the despicable reality of the
system. A former guard described the inmates as “not children who disobeyed
their parents [but] hardened criminals … [who] had a problem with society,” other
town members responded to the reports of misconduct and brutality in the facility
with dismissive statements like: “Well it is a prison, and you’re gonna have
problems in a prison.”[2]
The Department of Justice concluded in their investigation that the prison was “not
adequately protecting” the inmates. Walnut Grove was converted to an adult
facility and later shut down. Many people living in Walnut Grove are unhappy
with the decision though, as the prison was the main employer for the area and
the town has been nearly bankrupted by the loss of revenue.
Public prisons are often no better than private prisons. Prisons
in Arizona are facing federal sanctions in response to mistreatment of inmates.
The healthcare provider Corizon, which employs specialists for jails and
provides healthcare resources to many public prisons, is being sued by
thousands of inmates for withholding medications and treatments. The complaints
include withholding access to medication
from inmates suffering from AIDS, seizure disorders, and even those presenting
with heart attack symptoms.[3]
There was already a settlement in 2012 that was supposed to improve the quality
of care provided by Corizon, but a new investigation reveals little has changed;
testimony in the case was recently heard by a federal judge.
Prison conditions across the country are abusive and
inhumane, and when the system intentionally targets black men more than any
other group, it’s not just a human rights violation, it is a hate crime.
[1] Pheobe Judge, Walnut Grove,
Criminal, n.d., http://www.thisiscriminal.com/episode-58-walnut-grove-1-6-2017.
[2] Judge.
[3] Jimmy Jenkins, “Arizona Prisons Face
Federal Sanctions Over Prisoners’ Health Care : NPR,” March 2, 2018,
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/02/590121817/arizona-prisons-face-federal-sanctions-over-prisoners-health-care.
Students and their impenetrable sphere of privilege
Its no secret that students in higher education have leverage in the world that other people their age don't. But this leverage, or rather this privilege, reaches far and wide. College students are taken more seriously by adults, viewed as having more ambition (no matter the occupation or goals of young adults not pursuing higher education), and given more leeway in pressing situations where their character is being judged.
Entrepreneurs without degrees are often not given the same platform or looked at with the same amount of credibility as students are. Higher education in America as-is has already created an unfair environment to those who are economically disadvantaged. Young adults who opt to go straight into the job force or try and build up their own businesses/non-profits have to go through many barriers, a number of which should not technically be affected by the fact that they don't have an associates or bachelors degree.
Many of these people are not even given the opportunity to pursue higher education, and even if they are their shouldn't be a stigma regarding their choice not to.
Its no secret that students in higher education have leverage in the world that other people their age don't. But this leverage, or rather this privilege, reaches far and wide. College students are taken more seriously by adults, viewed as having more ambition (no matter the occupation or goals of young adults not pursuing higher education), and given more leeway in pressing situations where their character is being judged.
Entrepreneurs without degrees are often not given the same platform or looked at with the same amount of credibility as students are. Higher education in America as-is has already created an unfair environment to those who are economically disadvantaged. Young adults who opt to go straight into the job force or try and build up their own businesses/non-profits have to go through many barriers, a number of which should not technically be affected by the fact that they don't have an associates or bachelors degree.
Many of these people are not even given the opportunity to pursue higher education, and even if they are their shouldn't be a stigma regarding their choice not to.
Bifurcation impedes Liberation
Racism is one of the most prevalent
evils in American society and it has been the cause nearly all domestic unrest
since the end of slavery. However, the fight for black freedom is exceptionally
complicated in the current moment due to the fracturing of political power. In
the era typically associated with the Civil Rights Movement, it was much easier
for allies of the movement to identify which politicians to vote for based upon
their policies. Either a candidate was either against segregation or they weren’t.
In the years that followed the movement, American society began to bifurcate even
further as other oppressed groups gained the courage to fight for their natural
rights.
The bifurcation
the black vote was especially detrimental because this has led to the slow
decay of the minority vote. This was evident in the 2016 election as Donald Trump
rode to the white house on the backs of white working-class voters while young
black (mostly male) voters stood by and let it happen because Bernie Sanders
lost the Democratic primary.
Bifurcations along generational
lines have also weakened the black the black vote due to differences in moral
values. Black people have never been monolithic in thought, and they never will
be. However, in the current system the black community cannot afford to be split
at certain times and 2016 was that time. In the wake of Donald Trump’s
election, it has become blatantly obvious that America still has a long way to
go when it comes to race relations and the conversation is just getting
started.
Now that the American political landscape
is more fragmented than ever, off kilter alliances must be made to advance the wellbeing
of the black community. White liberals must step out of their online echo
chambers and coffee shops and start to actively reach out to people of color.
People of color must be willing to accept help from white liberals while still
ensuring that their voices are not drowned out and/or being used as puppets.
This is where we have to take the
quote “Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere” seriously and
start applying this logic if we want to see oppressed groups truly get free.
Mental Health Disparaties
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3025628/
In
addition to the sociological impacts of racism, inequality impacts an individual
psychologically. Several posts on the blog have started conversations on mental
health awareness, as well as the impact that stress has on people of color. The
way the healthcare system currently works furthers inequality and
discrimination against people of color. For example, factors aside from
genetics led poor, colored people to be more prone to obesity. Fresh, healthy
food is often expensive and difficult to find. Memphis’s abysmal transportation
system does not provide an easy way for families to secure healthy meals
outside of food deserts. Additionally, high levels of stress over time (caused
by racial profiling, stress from living on a low income, sleep deprivation,
etc.) can cause unhealthy habits, including over eating and excessive drinking.
This turns into a vicious cycle, with poor health furthering money troubles,
and allowing for fewer opportunities to make better health choices. Being a
non-white person, especially those of lower socioeconomic status, has serious
negative effects due to the added stress of living in a racist society.
In
addition to the inequalities caused by our broken social structures, race
impacts mental health. It would be expected that the more stressful life of a
colored person would lead to higher rates of mental health disorders linked
with stress (such as major depression), but epidemiological studies would
disagree. Consistent findings from scientific studies have found that “compared
with whites, blacks report similar or, in some cases, lower rates of lifetime
mental disorders, even after accounting for the effects of socioeconomic
position, despite evidence that blacks report higher levels of psychological
distress” (Mezuk, 2010). Implicit biases against black folk from doctors in the
heath care system, as well as a larger population of black folk being unable to
afford proper healthcare could account for this. When fewer people identify
depression in one race demographic, the risk for suicide and poor quality of
life.
Interestingly
enough, while lower levels of depression reported in black demographics
indicate a health care system bias, mental illness is skewed towards minority
populations in other ways as well. “African
Americans were found to have substantially elevated rates of schizophrenia when
compared with Whites. Furthermore, Blacks with schizophrenia are
overrepresented in state psychiatric hospitals” (Mezuk, 2010). Stereotyping schizophrenia as
a ‘black’ disease, much like HIV is characterized as a ‘gay’ disease, is
harmful to many. Consistently, black patients in mental hospitals are diagnosed
as having more severe cases of the disease than their white counterparts. This
can lead to harsher/larger drug dosage (and the side effects) and fewer numbers
of black patients being able to live a normal life outside of a treatment center.
When planning our blueprints
for change, it is important to take into account how biases and the way people
think about race effects individuals just as much as our societal structures
do. To make change, we need to change both policy and minds.
Shifting Historical Perspectives through Statue Removal
Although we weren’t able to fully discuss the statue removals
in Memphis, I wanted to draw some attention to an important statue removal that
happened last week in New York City. The statue was of J. Marion Sims, an incredibly
influential figure in the field of gynecology. The statue was removed from
Central Park after the Public Design Commission and the mayor’s office
unanimously voted to relocate the statue to Sims’ gravesite in Brooklyn. Sims’
important work and contributions to gynecology are problematic because they
were discovered through inhumane experimentation on enslaved black women. The
article about the statue removal frequently quotes from Sims’ journals and experimental
records. Sims experiments were conducted without anesthesia and he repeatedly performed
surgery again and again on the same subjects as soon as they had partially
healed from the previous attempt. The techniques acquired from this research where
later implemented on white women (with anesthesia). The article also connects Sims
work to the unequal treatment of black patients today, quoting the research of another
NPR program, Hidden Brain, "Black
patients continue to receive less pain medication for broken bones and cancer.
Black children receive less pain medication that white children for appendicitis.
One reason for this is that many people inaccurately believe that blacks
literally have thicker skin than whites and experience less pain." [1]
This discriminatory treatment highlights the way historical stereotypes have real-life
effects on the wellbeing of marginalized groups.
NYC is replacing the statue with another monument. One of
the proposed replacements is a monument towards women of color in science. It
is important to note that the commission also suggested the ‘re-contextualization’
of other controversial monuments with more accurate and complete plaques
describing the history of the monument or statue’s subject. [2]
This removal provides a model for future
changes to historical monuments that represent racist ideology.
There are 800 other monuments considered for removal by the commission.
Should Memphis consider removing other public monuments or, given the severe
reaction to the previous statue removals here, should Memphis take on more of a
re-contextualization stance and replace plaques at remaining controversial
monuments?
[1] Camila Domonoske, “‘Father Of Gynecology,’
Who Experimented On Slaves, No Longer On Pedestal In NYC” (NPR, April 17,
2018).
[2] Domonoske.
Bill Cosby Found Guilty of Aggravated Indecent Assault
On Thursday, Bill Cosby was found guilty of three felony counts of aggravated
indecent assault against Andrea Constand. The court’s decision comes after
over eighteen years of accusations and allegations that spanned nearly five
decades. When I first heard of the news, I had a bittersweet feeling about it all.
On one hand, one of my biggest childhood influencers was found guilty of sexual
assault. On the other hand, justice was served and a group of women who were
forced to go through unspeakable things received closure.
With this case, an actor and comedian who was previously thought to be
untouchable learned there would be legal consequences for his actions.
With this verdict, a message was sent to survivors across the nation: Justice,
even when the deck is stacked against you, even when you’ve been belittled,
discredited and ignored for years, is still possible. Emily Martin, general
counsel and vice president for education and workplace justice at the National
Women’s Law Center, state that with this decision, “There has been a change
in the world, and more people believe women’s stories today. More people
understand why the trauma of these events might lead to some period of time
passing before individuals are willing to stand up and say, ‘This happened to
me.’ And more people understand that individuals we like and admire have
the capacity to do terrible things.”
indecent assault against Andrea Constand. The court’s decision comes after
over eighteen years of accusations and allegations that spanned nearly five
decades. When I first heard of the news, I had a bittersweet feeling about it all.
On one hand, one of my biggest childhood influencers was found guilty of sexual
assault. On the other hand, justice was served and a group of women who were
forced to go through unspeakable things received closure.
With this case, an actor and comedian who was previously thought to be
untouchable learned there would be legal consequences for his actions.
With this verdict, a message was sent to survivors across the nation: Justice,
even when the deck is stacked against you, even when you’ve been belittled,
discredited and ignored for years, is still possible. Emily Martin, general
counsel and vice president for education and workplace justice at the National
Women’s Law Center, state that with this decision, “There has been a change
in the world, and more people believe women’s stories today. More people
understand why the trauma of these events might lead to some period of time
passing before individuals are willing to stand up and say, ‘This happened to
me.’ And more people understand that individuals we like and admire have
the capacity to do terrible things.”
Although this case does not mean that other men will face justice in the courtroom.
It does not mean that other women won’t be called liars or money-grubbing
opportunists when they seek justice. However, what this case does is give hope
and energy to survivors and activists who do the difficult and painful work of trying to
build a world where victims’ voices are valued instead of being written off.
It does not mean that other women won’t be called liars or money-grubbing
opportunists when they seek justice. However, what this case does is give hope
and energy to survivors and activists who do the difficult and painful work of trying to
build a world where victims’ voices are valued instead of being written off.
The story has left its focus on Mr Crosby and turned its attention to the victims.
These women deserve to be noted for their courage in risking public ridicule to come
forward and speak about their experiences. Hopefully, more women who have survived
sexual assault will continue to come forward. The assaulters need a rude awakening
that their actions will have serious repercussions, no matter how rich and powerful they are.
These women deserve to be noted for their courage in risking public ridicule to come
forward and speak about their experiences. Hopefully, more women who have survived
sexual assault will continue to come forward. The assaulters need a rude awakening
that their actions will have serious repercussions, no matter how rich and powerful they are.
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