Comments

I am having trouble posting comments as well. In response to-


Willed Ignorance:

The relationship between a white child and his/her African American nanny is something I have also considered in great detail, especially after reading The Help. This novel explicitly details the fears of a black maid, Aibileen, who is raising her seventeenth white child- a little girl- in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960's. When I first considered the special bond that develops between a "mammy" figure and a child, I believed that this connection had the potential to overcome the racist attitudes a child during this time period would be taught/would perceive from his/her parents. The child will love and admire that woman (it was the 1960’s afterall) until they are taught not to. I am very interested in the psychological processes that occur as a child struggles to understand why everyone, often most notably their parents, treats someone the child loves with such hate and disrespect. This post touches on an even more complicated process and line of questions- How are children taught to understand difference (as this still often results in racial prejudice)?

The Fresh Prince of Statistical Analysis:

I agree that the presence (or lack thereof) of African American actors in Hollywood deserves much attention and makes for a very interesting discussion. Movies are one of the most central and dynamic ways in which the perceptions of different groups of people are portrayed. As Hollywood and the film industry often mirror the dominant social culture of the individuals with power, this institution has always been dominated by white actors and actresses. In the beginning of the twentieth century black characters were in fact played by white actors in blackface. In the first part of this century a number of films were produced that put forth very damaging perceptions of black individuals; films such as Birth of a Nation and Gone with the Wind. How long have these films and the characters within them shaped racial perceptions? How does media continue to shape our perceptions of others?

Tony Horne

I often wonder if we could start from scratch with the human mind, never mentioning racial difference or teaching children about diversity, how would these children naturally act and think? I believe the Education system is just as important, if not more important than the family is shaping the perceptions of children. Approximately one-third of the day is spent in a school environment for majority of students. I think that noticing that someone looks different from yourself is only natural and I would expect the children to question skin-color differences; however, when this issue did arise, if nothing more than “We’re just different colors” was said to address the topic- how would children react? To put it differently, how would human nature dictate one’s actions and interactions from people who look different from the individual?

The Freedom’s Journal

Freedom’s Journal illustrates how fundamentally important it is to have an outlet to express oneself. This journal allowed African Americans a space to express themselves-free of whites. Additionally, it allowed them ownership of not only this publication but ownership of themselves and their thoughts-supporting an independence that most slaves had never experienced before. Freedom’s Journal was the catalyst for a black press that “helps unite black people by giving them a voice, community self-awareness and a prominent role in a changing world” (Newseum). This voice is central to the survival of any group and I believe it can be realized in many forms: most commonly through written, oral, and performance traditions.