Hollywood

http://thinkprogress.org/culture/2016/05/10/3776893/hollywood-pushing-diversity-will-asian-latino-actors-left/

Hold Employers Accountable for Equal Representation

Discrimination in the workplace is ever present and it seems as if it is up to those being discriminated against to create change in the workplace. It does not help that the courts have only made it harder to fight employers due to the constricting of the definition of discrimination. This article talks about a possible solution to make employers accountable for equal representation, in hopes that discrimination will decrease as a result.

Cohen, P. (2013, April 1). A Simple, Legal Way to Help Stop Employment Discrimination. The Atlantic. Retrieved from: http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/04/a-simple-legal-way-to-help-stop-employment-discrimination/274519/

Positive strides in Italy

Here is another act of discrimination in European soccer, however this comes with an appropriate and positive response from a crowd of people. Whenever the Senegalese defender, Kalidou Koulibaly, of Napoli touched the ball, the opposing Lazio fans would boo. This postponed the game for several minutes, but stuck a nerve with supporters of Napoli. Italy being a somewhat powerhouse of prejudice has seen their own supporters reflect negatively to national stars such as Mario Balotelli. However, the supporters of Napoli show a glimmer of hope as in the next game they supported their player and wore Koulibaly masks in protest of racism. The solution to these ongoing acts of discrimination towards players that are not Caucasian could be a stadium ban with games without fans. This act proves that there are strides of improvement, but what else has to happen?

Butler, M.(2016, February 7), Napoli fans wear masks of Kalidou Koulibaly in protest against racism. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/feb/07/napoli-fans-support-kalidou-koulibaly-masks-protest-against-racism

Intersecting Selves

Being an athlete, being a women, and being African American each come with their own set of labels.  Intersectionality looks at how these labels come together to affect our everyday experiences.  An African American women, not only has to be wary of the stereotypes attached to being a women, but also those attached to being black.  It’s like she has two strikes against her.  Being an African American woman would also significantly affect her individual experience as an athlete due to the stereotypes surrounding gender and race within sports.

Today “race and gender can be used in a way that both consciously and unconsciously trivializes the athletic efforts of African American female athletes and the mainstream media further constructs racialized and stereotypical images of these athletes” (Withycombe, pg. 479).  Like their male counterparts, the athletic ability of African American women in sports is often attributed to their supposed “racial physical advantage,” rather than to the work and training that they put in.  This notion can be extremely damaging for these athletes, as their work is not being acknowledged nor encouraged.

In 2011, research conducted by Jenny Lind Withycombe, sought to shed light on the experience of African American female athletes.  The research collected statements of African American women, who participate in division I sports, on their experiences with gender and race based stereotyping in the sporting space.  In one interview, a participant noted how “hyper-vigilance over one’s image—Is an essential part of being an African American woman and athlete—[and]—she specifically notes that they cannot “give” the media or society confirmation of the stereotypes that haunt their past and present lived experiences” (Withycombe, Pg. 485).  The fact that women in this position feel that it is necessary for them to constantly monitor themselves, speaks to the little progress that has been made in “debunking the myths of the African American Woman.”

It is important to recognize how the intersection of labels in our society today can affect peoples’ everyday lives.  To read more on how the intersection of race, gender, and athletic stereotypes effect the lives of African American women in sports, follow the link below to the aforementioned research.

Withycombe, J. (2011). Intersecting Selves: African American Female Athletes’ Experiences of Sport. Sociology of Sport Journal, 28, 478-493. Retrieved from http://fitnessforlife.org/AcuCustom/Sitename/Documents/DocumentItem/06_SSJ_28-4_2011_0021_p478-493.pdf

Racist Chant from the College Band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVjbYFqhAfM

This is a quick video discussing a racial remark made towards a Kansas State basketball player. Opposing fans are one of the worst parts about playing sports as they will do just about anything to get into your head and throw you off of your game. This racial remark made in 2012 took a second to say, but the repercussions created conflict and damage that last a lot longer than the time it took to utter the phrase.

Breaking into Ballet

“Ballet has long been the province of the white and wealthy” (Copeland, pg.1).  Ballet is a great example of how some sports today, are still very difficult for members of different races to break into.  Beyond skin color, one must achieve and maintain the traditional physique that is expected of a ballerina.  One must also be able to afford the hefty price tags associated with training and equipment.  The combination of the physical and economic requirements in ballet, create a barrier that prevents people from diverse backgrounds and physical builds from entering the ballet world.

Misty Copeland is making waves in the ballet world.  She is one of the first African American ballerinas to successful break onto the professional scene.  As a result, she has had to push back against every obstacle thrown her way.  She worries about “what the ballet world thinks about [her]” and “whether [she] will ever be accepted and seen as a well-rounded artist deserving of respect” rather than just as “the black ballerina” (Copeland, pg. 1).  Copeland hopes that her claim to fame will not be simply the color of her skin, but rather her mastery of the art.  Her presence in the ballet world is changing the standards for the sport and opening new doors for greater diversity in ballet in the future.  However, Copeland finds herself in the position of feeling like she has to prove that her ability can speak for itself.

This speaks to the privilege that white dancers have in ballet.  They do not need to justify their presence on a stage as tied to their ability.  The stigma that can be created around the illusion of being given a pass due to racial backgrounds, can be extremely discouraging and ward off further participation of nonwhite dancers.  Copeland argues that this pushes her to work as hard as she can to prove her place.  She feels that she has to make sure that she is the best, or she will be casted aside.

Copeland, M. Ballet Star Misty Copeland Talks Overcoming Racism and Body Shaming on Her Way to the Top. Teen Vogue. Retrieved from http://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/misty-copeland-ballerina#1

Why is the default White?

A system of white privilege, for example, is white-dominated, which means the default is for white people to occupy positions of power. White-dominance doesn’t mean that all white people are powerful, only that the powerful tend almost always to be white, and when a person of color occupies a position of power, that will be noted as an exception to the rule (as when Barack Obama is routinely identified as a black President and not just ‘the President’).



http://www.agjohnson.us/glad/what-is-a-system-of-privilege/

24 Questions Black People Have For White People

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuVMJmC0V98

Just an extra I found in my browsing!

The People vs. OJ Simpson

The series, The People vs. O.J. Simpson, became an addicting show I could not help to stop watching. It seemed as if I watched it at the best time because I am also in this race and ethnicity class. At the beginning, it seemed as if OJ was doomed; it was obvious he killed Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. During a time of racial conflict in California, OJ Simpson was lucky. The "race card" was used in order to salvage OJ's life. Lawyers, supporters, and family irreverently put up the race card each time OJ's name was brought up.

I do not want to spoil the rest so I recommend you all watch it. Racial discrimination is real and America was blind to it at the time. The show can be seen on FX.

The Roots of Prejudice in The Workplace

 In the 18^th century, the level of reasoning required to read and write was held as the key difference between man and animals.  This way of thinking connected a man’s humanity to literacy.  During this time many people in the United States utilized that way of thinking to justify slavery and the mistreatment of African slaves.  Since there were laws in several states preventing slaves from learning to read and write, this justification created a paradox.  Slaves were put into a position where they could not prove their own humanity.

In 1772, Phyllis Wheatley’s book of poems came into question when she tried to get it published.  She had to prove to a panel of white men that she did indeed write the poems herself, and that she was capable of creating original works despite her being a slave of African descent.  To admit that a slave had produced eloquent poetry would also be to admit that she was not the animal that many argued all slaves were.  This moment and historical context is important when considering racism in the workplace today.

Although literacy is still an important requirement for the workplace, it no longer carries the same connection to humanity as it did in the past.  However, the concept of justifying prejudices in the workplace with biases and stereotypes based on speculation rather than fact, still take effect today.  There is a need for minorities to actively challenge prejudices and prove their competency in the workplace in ways that are not necessary for their white coworkers.

Gates, H. (1986). Race as the Trope of the World. In H. Gates, Race, Writing and Difference (pp. 4-13). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Is a broke white person still privileged?

This article says they are. I read this at the beginning of this second half of the semester and I thought I posted but didn't so here it is.  Even if a white person isn't born with a silver spoon in hand, being white still allows for privileges to allow success.  Yes work is involved but it is still easier!

Very interesting read.


http://occupywallstreet.net/story/explaining-white-privilege-broke-white-person

How to Prevent Racism in the Workplace

The article provides an in-depth step-by-step instructions on how to prevent racism in the workplace. First, the company should write an anti-discrimination policy that addresses racism, including the consequences for acts of racism, in the workplace. Further, the company should hire employees of all races and ethnic groups and make them aware of the policy against racism and discrimination during the hiring process. Employees should be promoted based on merit and race and other irrelevant factors should not be considered. Employees should be trained on racism and discrimination yearly to be reminded on how to conduct themselves in the workplace. An anti-discrimination committee focusing on anti-racism projects should be established. Additionally, team-building sessions should be held as they will provide a chance for employees to learn more about each other. If any instances of acts of racism occur, they should be handled and treated identically according to the anti-discrimination policy. This ensures all other employees that the person in charge is acting on an unbiased foundation that is fair and just and intolerable of such behaviors and actions. Further, open communication should be highly encouraged in the workplace as this will promote employees to report any acts of racism. Lastly, the company should use an anonymous reporting system to report racism so employees do not fear or retaliate.

Although this is one of several many articles that provides some sort of procedure or advice on how to prevent racism in the workplace, I do not believe this will get rid of racism in the workplace altogether. Racism exists outside of the workplace and it gets brought to work because we live in a society filled with thoughts and acts of racism. I think the solution to preventing racism in the workplace goes deeper than simply thinking of how to remove it directly from the workplace, but how to eliminate it innately.

Frost, Shelley. How to Prevent Racism in the Workplace. Chron. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/prevent-racism-workplace-10258.html

The Sociology of Discrimination - Employment

I stumbled upon an article called "The Sociology of Discrimination" in regards to employment in the workplace. It states that in today's society, it is much harder to identify acts of racism which can pose many problems for solutions that need to be made. The article focuses heavily on measuring racism and inequality. Knowing how to measure it and identify it is the most important step of all. Once racism and its effects are identified and measured, solutions can be made. The article listed below descriptively describes how racism and discrimination can be measured!

Article Here

Works Cited

Pager, Devah, and Hana Shepherd. "The Sociology of Discrimination: Racial Discrimination in Employment, Housing, Credit, and Consumer Markets." Annual Review of Sociology. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 10 May 2016.

Updated Solutions to Racism in the Workplace

In order to alleviate workplace discrimination, one method one be to have a discussion with your supervisor, filing a complaint, or even filing a lawsuit. When having a discussion with the supervisor, they also have the option to terminate the discriminating employee or move them to another department. Counselling through organizations are also available for victims of discrimination.  One should bear in mind that there are acts that exist to protect the rights of people in the workplace, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Disabilities Act, and the Equal Pay Act of 1963. The EEOC evaluates the grievances of workers and works to uphold the acts and equality. The EEOC also grants a 'notice to sue' if they dismiss the claim after 180 days. States also have their own laws to prevent discrimination that mirror federal laws, and one would need to contact the local field office of the worker's commission or labor agency. However, if the claims are unsuccessful, a person is able to sue (although it may be more costly and take many years to settle). Those who succeed in their case will be compensated accordingly for the damages of discriminatory conduct.


As for other ways to prevent racism within the workplace, one may impose their own anti-discrimination policy that carefully addresses racism and the consequences in the workplace. Their may be training programs in place for employees to avoid racism, and a committee devoted to anti-discrimination projects. If racism occurs at work, you let all employees know of the situation and how it will be dealt with, so that everyone is reminded of the policy. Notwithstanding, if there is a system in place that people can submit reports anomalously and regularly, we can take steps to weeding out racism within the workplace.

 Reid, S. (n.d.). Solutions to Discrimination in the Workplace. Retrieved May 10, 2016, from http://work.chron.com/solutions-discrimination-workplace-11040.html 

The Time People Confused Me With Another Asian

Recently I had an interesting life experience that Professor McDonnell encouraged me to share. As a member of the tennis team, I am subject to advertising for the Bryant Men's Tennis program. At one of our recent matches, I noticed I was on the promotion posters for the match. As I looked closer I realized that under my picture they had put the name of my teammate Phillip Kim. Phillip happens to be the only other Asian player on the team. It became kind of a joke amongst the team but did not resonate with me til later on.

Possible Solutions for Racism in Pop Culture

While there will not be an overnight fix to the problem of racism in pop culture, but there are ways to combat it over time. These are some potential solutions to racism that I have come up with.

Boycott 

I think the biggest thing to remember is that the pop culture industry's main goal is to make money. The best way, in my opinion, to make change happen is by cutting the industry off from its life source: money. If there is a movie that casts a white man as a character with a Native-American background, do not go see that movie. Do not buy products from that movie. By actively boycotting that movie, and gaining traction from other people as well, it makes a statement and effects box office numbers, ratings, etc. The same concept can be applied to music. For example, if an artist releases a music video that perpetuates racial stereotypes, disassociate yourself with that artist. Do not spend any money on their merchandise. Do not listen to their music. Without fans, a celebrity is nothing. One person alone will not be able to shift the system. We need to band together in order for that to happen. Which leads me to my next idea...

Post it! 

People like to pretend that race doesn't exist. It seems like people are afraid to talk about race and address that there is a problem unless they're the ones being oppressed. Let's change that! The way to reach the largest audience is through social media. We need to use this tool to our advantage. It's easy to make content go viral and reach millions of people. If you keep posting about issues of race in pop culture, and tagging the people who are at fault (i.e. the casting agencies, specific celebrities, owners of the corporations that produce movies), eventually they will get the message. If enough people are coming together to make their voices heard, eventually changes will be made.

Find Alternatives

If you look hard enough, there are alternatives to the cookie cutter music and movies that are popular in dominant culture. By ignoring the mainstream media and finding media that represents values you hold, represents all races, and promotes equality, you are bettering the problem for yourself. You are refusing to feed into what dominant culture wants you to think and are thinking critical about the message you receive.

A common theme is that enough people need to get on board with these solutions to make them work. Theoretically, these solutions could solve the problems with enough support and a loud enough voice.

Solution to NCAA Exploitation

The massive profits of the NCAA and the incredible salaries of college athletics coaches begs the question, why are players not being paid? The issue has been long debated and even been brought to court. A 2014 court case known as the O'Bannon case ruled that the NCAA rule that athletes were not allowed to be paid violated anti-trust laws. This decision allowed universities  to offer basketball and football players to trust funds that could be tapped into after graduation. This would give players the opportunity to share in the profits that they brought in. This ruling does not mandate that players could be paid, but it did make it a possibility.

Strauss, B. Tracy, M. (August 8, 2014). Nytimes.com. NCAA Must Allow Colleges to Pay Athletes Judge Rules. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/09/sports/federal-judge-rules-against-ncaa-in-obannon-case.html

Data Collection as a solution to Racial Profiling

Fifteen years ago a study was conducted to examine whether police treated minorities different than they treat whites. In July of 2015 Governor Raimondo passed a law to help discover if racial profiling exists. The Law requires police to collect data on race at traffic stops and requires all police departments to submit annual report to the Department of Transportation Office of Highway Safety. The collection of data will reveal if there are trends of racial profiling in the police departments. Additionally, this will act as a method of accountability for police departments. Departments cannot continue to discriminate without revealing discriminatory trends that will be met with corrective actions.

Gregg, K. (July 14, 2015). ProvidenceJournal.com. Raimondo Signs Legislation to Curb Racial Profiling, Requires Police Collect Data on Traffic Stops. Retrieved from http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150714/NEWS/150719640

Racial Profiling History and Manifestation

The issue of racial profiling is not a recent problem, in fact racial profiling dates back to the 1700's. Racial profiling is rooted in stereotypes and assumptions that have been projected upon entire races. Racial profiling is the use of race, ethnicity, or national origin by law enforcement as a factor in deciding whom to investigate, arrest, and detain.

In 1704 South Carolina founded the slave patrol. In this patrol white men policed black slaves on plantations and hunted for escaped slaves. Black people had to show passes to prove they had permission to be off the plantation, or they had to carry freedom papers if they were freed slaves. Black people were the targets of interrogation and harassment by white patrols. Like in modern day racial profiling it is the color of a persons skin that makes them subject to discriminatory treatment,not their actions. After slavery black men were forced into convict leasing through the black codes. Convict leasing meant that criminals would be leased to work on plantations or private corporations without pay for the duration of their sentences, The black codes targeted black people to control black populations and through numerous laws forced blacks back into forced labor. 

The current incarnation of these same discriminatory policies are taking place through The War on Drugs. This war places increased scrutiny on black and urban neighborhoods for anti-drug efforts, despite the fact that whites and blacks use drugs at similar rates. 

the historical and present day policies of discrimination occur through acts of racial profiling for the purpose of racial subjugation and control. 

Rushing, K. (March 1, 2013). Huffingtonpost.com. Dissecting the Long, Deep Roots of Racial Profiling in America. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keith-rushing/dissecting-racial-profiling_b_2740246.html

Community Commissions as Solution to Discrimination

In Ferguson after the death of Michael Brown a 16 person commission was established to examine the criminal justice institution and push for reforms. This panel was started by the Governor of Missouri. The commission presented over 150 reforms that would help to reduce inequality in the state. These reforms included expanding and improving social services, and establishing strict standards for use of police force. The one downside of these commissions for reform is that there is no way to ensure that any of the proposed reforms will be passed.

Horowitz, A. (September 14, 2015). Huffingtonpost.com. Ferguson Commussion Calls For Broad Reforms To Address Racial Inequality. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ferguson-commission-report_us_55f68350e4b077ca094f785a

History of Racism in the Workplace

For many years, African Americans have been denied jobs and subjugated to lower paying jobs because of race, and have been victims of discrimination. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 offered equal employment opportunity on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, and national origin. Employers could no longer discriminate in hiring or firing, wages, and promotions as well. Under Title VII (enacted in the 1960s and 1970s), victims of discriminate may file charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate a charge and determine whether or not discrimination has occurred. Furthermore, the Supreme Court Decision in 1971, Griggs vs. Duke Power bolstered the effectiveness of Title VII since any practice that had a discriminatory effect in the workplace would be prohibited. However, in the 1980s, the Supreme Court reduced the remedies of the civil right laws concerning employee discrimination. In 1989, the court made a set of decisions that would make it more difficult to secure equal employment opportunity. Almost overnight, it made it more difficult for victims of job discrimination to vindicate their legal rights. In any case, the 1989 case of Wards Cove Packing Co. Antonio established an employer's use of practice that has an adverse impact on minorities is unjustified. Additionally, Patterson vs. McLean Credit Union stressed the importance of a non-discriminatory hiring process, but not employee benefits. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 re-established the broad scope of Title VII, and provided international victims limited money for compensation of injuries, wrongdoings, and deter recurrence. In 2000, Reeves v. Sanderson, a jury may find unlawful discrimination if a plaintiff provides an 'adverse job decision' that is later found to be untrue. There is also the elimination of English only policies, and those who speak with an accent. Also, there has recently been an influx in mandatory arbitration policies, where employees sign away their litigation rights. In general, it does not allow for public or job discrimination; however, more laws must be formed to protect the rights of workers going forward.

Employment Discrimination. (n.d.). Retrieved May 09, 2016, from http://www.civilrights.org/resources/civilrights101/employment.html

Possible solutions to racialized issues in sports

This article seeks to examine the importance of super-star athletes speaking out on issues of racism and why it is so crucial to speak out now more than ever.  

"St. Louis Rams players Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Jared Cook, Chris Givens and Kenny Britt took the field during pregame introductions in the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" pose used by protesters in Ferguson, in reference to the Michael Brown case."

"NBA superstars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving and others wore "I Can't Breathe" T-shirts during pregame warm-ups to put a focus on the Eric Garner grand jury decision. Kevin Durant also wrote "Black Lives Matter" on his game shoes before the nationally televised game between his Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers." 

While racism is still a very prevalent issue in the sport world, perhaps more athletes speaking out, wearing clothing or taking interviews about these issues will draw more attention to the fact that this is a problem we need to fight directly.  The most important outlet is through education and awareness.

Why are there still reported incidents of racism in the professional sport leagues?  The sports world has brought people together for centuries to spectate some of the greatest athletes in the world compete in massive arenas, regardless of skin color or nationality.  More importantly this article recognizes and names some of the owners of nationally branded sports teams for saying and emailing racial and insensitive slurs.  What an embarrassment.  People in such a high power position who are making executive decisions are the same people who feed into the narrow-minded and ignorant ways of racist Americans,

"Sport can continue to use its powerful platform for social change."  With millions of people watching, we need more athletes talking.  A potential solution to combating racism in the sport world - start talking about it and spread the word.

Lapchick, R. (2014, December 30). Racism still Evident in Sports World. Retrieved May 09, 2016, from http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/12093538/the-year-racism-sport

Discrimination in Death Penalty

In Louisiana there is a serious discrepancy in the use of the death penalty for white and black criminals. An examination of all death penalty sentences imposed since 1976 in Louisiana found that capital punishment use is heavily impacted by race. In Louisiana a black man is 30 times as likely to be sentenced to death for killing a white woman than for killing a black man. Regardless of an offenders race death sentences are 6 times as likely when the victim is white rather than black. The Supreme Court was presented with a study that found people accused of killing white victims were four times as likely to be sentenced to death as those accused of killing black victims. The court ruled 5-4, that this did not demonstrate a constitutionally significant risk of racial bias.After retiring, the Judge who delivered the ruling opinion stated he should have voted the other way. In addition to being consistently racist it is also highly prone to error. For example, of the 155 death sentences the state handed down since 1976, 127, or 82% were later reversed. These errors are the result of major errors in trial that violate constitutional rights. While Louisiana's results are terrifying, many other states are not significantly better. Nationwide the reversal rate for resolved death sentences is 72 percent. The death penalty represents an irreversible level of punishment. for a system like this the level of error is unreasonable and immoral.

Editorial Board, (May, 9 2016). NYtimes.com. Louisiana's Color Coded Death Penalty. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/09/opinion/louisianas-color-coded-death-penalty.html

Possible Solution to Racialized Issues in Pop Culture

I believe one solution to this problem is through the diversity of various programs that create and develop careers in pop culture. For example, I think performing arts institutions or acting academies need to diversify their student population in order for minority groups to have the same opportunity to grow. Schools or programs that teach students about directing and producing should be a mix of races, not all white students. It is important that institutions change the way they are admitting students to be fair in all races. If minorities do not have the same directing education as white students, then they will not be able to get the job. By including all races in the developmental stages of a career in pop culture, then I think its best they allow a more diverse group to begin and basing talent off of their abilities not their skin color.

History of Racial Inequalities in Pop Culture

It's hard to pen point an exact time throughout history to show when pop culture began its issues on racial inequalities. In my opinion, the most appropriate and significant place to start this discussion is in the invention of television its ability to broadcast all across the country. Although other pop culture events occurred through the circus, plays and musicals, and of the sort. I believe the development of television truly catapulted the issue of racial inequality in the United States into popular culture. As entire families sat together to watch various tv programs, they became conditioned to seeing white actors and actresses. The end of African American segregation and the introduction of color tv correlate in time and viewers began seeing the lack of diversity tv programs had.

Through the development of tv, minorities especially African Americans, were devalued and not given the same opportunity as whites. Stemming from traces of segregation, powerful white tv channel owners, began integrating stereotypes, racial humor, and racial satire into their broadcasts. The white directors would stereotype almost all black actors on tv and those racial views began to spread like wildfire throughout the United States. The popularity of African Americans being depicted as characters from the age of slavery solidified these issues of stereotyping and inequality. The tv programs allowed viewers to view African Americans in that same light despite legislation to ensure they were treated equal.

Although we have come a long way from the racial messages and hurtful stereotypes in the history of pop culture, there is still an undeniable continuance of racial undertones in the industry today. Fortunately, there are some actors from minority cultures breaking down barriers and gaining slow success. However, those actors do struggle to find the same opportunities as white actors, directors, singers, and producers. Modern pop culture has made significant gains in the blatantly racist comments, remarks, and roles it once presented in history, but activists are trying to fight the racial inequalities still present in pop culture.

"Scandal" (TV series), social constructs and BlackLivesMatter

The most recent episode of Scandal (ABC, May 5th--Shonda Rhimes) talks about race as a social construct and BlackLivesMatter. For readers that may think that pop culture does not add to the dialogue, think again. Shonda Rhimes regularly pushes her viewers to think about race, racism and racialization, but often indirectly and subtly. In this episode she was overt and direct. Interesting--everyone should watch it.

"8 Dirty Secrets About the Racial Divide in America's Schools"

The following slide show by Paige Brettingen, includes horrific facts about the educational system in the United States, including dropout rates, differences in teacher salaries, graduation rates, and the differences in classes offered. I feel that this is an overlooked issue, so I hope that this provides some insight into what is actually going on in our educational system. Even though these statistics have improved in the recent years, the numbers are still disproportionate among the races.

http://www.takepart.com/photos/racial-divide-schools/education-equity-america

Brettingen, P. (2013, March 12). Education Equity in America. Retrieved May 08, 2016, from http://www.takepart.com/photos/racial-divide-schools/education-equity-america 

"Do the Right Thing"

I thought that it would be interesting to examine race portrayal in an older film, so with recommendation I chose to watch Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989). The film won numerous awards, including MTV Movie Silver Bucket of Excellence Award (2006), NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (1989), NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (1989), Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director (1989), Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Film (1989), and Gotham Independent Film Classical Film Tribute Award (2000).

For those who have not seen the movie, I have decided to include a brief synopsis and link the trailer to the movie below:
Salvatore "Sal" Fragione (Danny Aiello) is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito), becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin' Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin' Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.

Throughout the movie, there are multiple references to racial misinterpretations and stereotypes. There are five main racial groups in the plot of the film: African-Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, Whites, Italian- Americans, and Asians. While watching the film, I started to make a list of the racist remarks made, but rather than trying to keep track, I have the found the clip that best sums them up. It is important to note that these "rants" are not said to the targeted group, but are supposed to represent the inner thoughts of each racial category. The cut to the final character, Mister Senor Love Daddy, is important because he is telling the radio listeners to "cool out" and "chill" in the context of the scolding hot temperature that day, but also to calm down with the racial tensions.  

The character's in the movie coincide with the racial stereotypes discussed in Race & Racisms by Tanya Maria Golash-Boza. Since the setting of the film is in a disproportionately African-American neighborhood, the majority of the slang is directed toward this group. The term "brothers" is used a lot and violence is a key aspect in the film, two very stereotypical characteristics of African-American men. One scene in particular shows Buggin' Out getting his brand new Air Jordan's scuffed by a white man, Clifton, and then preceding to scream at him about being in his neighborhood. Clifton says that "as I understand it is a free country, a man can live wherever he wants," a complete misrepresentation because of structural and institutional racism. The racial inequality in housing results in large groups being confined to one area, hence why they react so angrily to the man being in their "territory." Another racial stereotype is exemplified in Tina's character. She is a young Hispanic woman with a child. In the film she is the only character that is sexualized, fulfilling the role as mentioned by Golash-Boza (102). The shop vegetable shop owners are also portrayed as "corrupt business owners" in the film, another common representation (102). 

Overall, I found the film to be very good and intriguing. I do not want to spoil too much about the plot line, but I will leave you with one final quote from the film, "those that'll tell don't know, and those that know won't tell." 

Golash-Boza, T. M. (2016). Race & Racisms: A Critical Approach. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Lee, S. (Director). (1989). Do the Right Thing [Motion picture on DVD]. United States: Universal Pictures.