Hollywood's tendency to "whitewash" characters of color...

I thought you all might find this interesting.  Hollywood has a tendency to portray people of color in a negative light in films.  Ironically, when they do present a positive role for a character of color, it is often played by a white actor/actress!  That is the case with this upcoming film...

http://act.mpowerchange.org/sign/dont-whitewash-rumi/?aktmid=tm91886.rdALR3&t=1&source=conf

Essay Question...

Essay: To be completed on your blog (question is posted on my blog as well).  Answer one of the following.  Use evidence and examples of what we learned in class or from other research you have done.  You will be assessed not on having the “right” or “wrong” answer, but on your reasoning and how well you can defend your position.

Option A:  Is the U.S. a patriarchal society?  Why or why not?  

Option B: What can we do as a nation to achieve a greater level of gender equality?  Be specific.

The difference between sex and gender...

Here is a useful link from the World Health Organization that explains the difference...

http://apps.who.int/gender/whatisgender/en/

What is gender?...

We are wrapping up our unit on class with our exam on Tuesday.  And we will be starting a new unit on gender next week.  So to start thinking about the issues that will be addressed in that unit I want you to reflect on the following.  Answer these questions on your blog...

What is gender?

What is sex?

Are they the same or different?

What is gender identity?

What is sexual orientation?

Give me examples of these ideas.  What has been your own life experience with issues of gender?

Why is inequality on the rise in the United States...

In class today we discussed income inequality in the U.S.  One of the resources we used to introduce this topic was the following video...


Watch the video again and respond on your blog to the following questions...


1. Name three reasons given in the video for increasing income inequality (the loss of the "middle class" as they call it in the video).


2. What are some other reasons for growing income inequality that we discussed in class but that are not mentioned in the video?


3. What do you think could be done to reverse the trend toward growing income inequality?  In other words, what can we do to make things better?

Myths about the gender pay gap...

Some of you in class have raised questions about the validity of the gender pay gap.  I have tried to answer your questions in class, but maybe this article will further help resolve any doubts you might have on this issue...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/no-the-gender-pay-gap-isnt-a-myth-and-heres-why_us_5703cb8de4b0a06d5806e03f

Gentrification gone haywire!...

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS!  Cabrini Green was once one of Chicago's most infamous housing projects.  It once housed 15,000 people from low income families.  In the early 2000s the Chicago Housing Authority began to dismantle Cabrini Green, which was increasingly surrounded by high end real estate.  Now look what's happened to the property...

http://chicagoist.com/2016/02/08/2_bedrooms_in_cabrini-greens_new_hi.php

More on America's unfortunately enduring gender pay gap...

The last article I posted was about the U.S. Women's Soccer team and how their experience illustrates the ongoing problem with gender pay inequity in this country.  Here is an article with a broader view of how this problem persists.  Not the dimension of race here as well.  Women of color are especially harmed by the gender pay gap...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/no-the-gender-pay-gap-isnt-a-myth-and-heres-why_us_5703cb8de4b0a06d5806e03f

Gender pay inequity in women's soccer (futbol)...

We are concluding our unit on race.  Starting in 4th block we will be examining class and gender.  I thought this recent article on pay inequities with the U.S. Women's National Soccer team was a startling example of how far we are from gender equality in the job market.  Please read the article and reflect on it in your own blog.  Do you find this surprising?...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/uswnt-wage-discriminatory-suit-us-soccer_us_56fd33c3e4b0a06d5804ecac

"Race: The Game of Life"...

Go to the following link and play "Race: The Game of Life"...

http://www.understandingrace.org/lived/game/index.html

After playing the game, on your own blog answer the following questions...

1. How is access to health care different for Whites, Blacks and Latinos?  Be specific and use statistics.

2. How is the job market different for Whites, Blacks and Latinos?  Be specific and use statistics.

3.  How is access to education different for Whites, Blacks and Latinos?  Be specific and use statistics.

4.  How is banking different for Whites, Blacks and Latinos?  Be specific and use statistics.

5.  How is legal system different for Whites, Blacks and Latinos?  Be specific and use statistics.

6.  How is housing different for Whites, Blacks and Latinos?  Be specific and use statistics.

Powerful quotes from "Race: The Power of an Illusion" Video 2...

In "Race: The Power of an Illusion" Video 2, historian James Horton makes several powerful statements.  I want you to read the two following quotes and discuss them with your compas.  Afterwards, I want you to reflect on each quote separately on your own blog.  PLEASE MAKE YOUR OWN POSTS!  NOT GROUP POSTS!

1. Quote 1: “If America had just looked the world in the eye and said, ‘We hold these people in slavery because we need their labor, and we’ve got the power to do it.’  Now, that would have been much better because then when the power was gone, when slavery was over, it’s over.  But what we said was, ‘There’s something about these people.’  By doing that it means that when slavery is over, the rationalization for slavery remains.”

2. Quote 2: “All through the late 19th century, there is this constant message hammered at poor white people: you may be poor, you may have miserable lives right now, but the thing that’s most important, the thing that we want you to focus on, is that fact that you’re white.”

Are you a racist? Find out...

In class we will be talking about "unconscious" or "implicit" racism.  This relates to the fact that we live in a racialized society in which we are bombarded by images and messages that carry with ideas about race.  We often absorb these messages without even being aware that we do.

Researchers at Harvard University have put together an online test that tries to capture this racism (or prejudice) that operates at an unconscious level.  Try it out and share your results and your feelings about the experience on your blog.

Follow this step by step guide...

1. Go to the following link...
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/selectatest.html

2. You will likely see a screen like this.  Click on the link illustrated in this image...

3. You should see a screen like the one below.  Click on "Take A Test"...

4. Next you will see a screen like the one below.  Click on "I wish to proceed"...

5. Now you should see a screen that looks like this.  Click on "Race IAT" (note the list does not always look the same, it is not always in this order, you may have to search for Race IAT in the list of tests)...

6.  You may need to complete a bunch of survey questions before you get to the actually test.  There can be as many as 30 or more survey questions.  Bear with it and answer the best you can.  When you are done with the survey questions you should see a screen that looks like the one below.  This is the start of the actually test.  READ THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY...

7. Once you have read the directions the test will start and you will see screens like the ones below.  FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY

After you have finished you will get a page with the results of your test.  Record your results or print the test page.  Respond to the following questions on your blog...

1. What was your result?

2. Where you surprised?

3. Why do you think you may have gotten that result?

4. What does the test tell you about unconscious (implicit) racism?

Black, White & Latino Wealth Gap in the United States...

Race the Power of an Illusion: Video 1, mentioned the Black / white wealth gap.  In the video the said the average white family has 8 times the net worth of the average Black family.  It has actually gotten much worse since the video was produced as you will see in the articles below.

Remember, this is about net worth NOT just income.  It is a family's total accumulated wealth including things like inherited wealth, the value of their home, etc.  As we have discussed, this single statistics tells us more about the continuing racial divide in our society than any other fact.  In the video series Race the Power of an Illusion, produced in the early 2000s, the Black / White wealth gap was 8 times (the average white family had 8 times the wealth of the average Black family).  I mentioned that the statistic was out of date and that after the great recession which began in 2008, things had gotten worse.  The two articles below illustrate just how much worse the situation has become.

Please read both articles carefully and respond on your own blog.  Try to answer these questions in your posts...

1. Why decades after the success of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's, do we still have such a racial divide in America?

2. What do we need to do to try to change this situation?  What type of transformation is needed?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/04/30/179907029/what-do-we-do-about-americas-racial-wealth-gap

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/07/26/wealth-gaps-rise-to-record-highs-between-whites-blacks-hispanics/

The "science" of "race"...

Hi Class,

Here is a recent article that covers much of the topics were are currently discussing in class.  Please read and respond on your own blog.  Try to answer the following questions....

1. Is race biology?

2. Is race genetic?

3. Does race exist?

4. Who "invented" race?

5. What term do biologist prefer instead of race?

6. How do contemporary scientists view race?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/06/human-race-biology-scientific-racism_n_7699490.html

How to define race and ethnicity: Even the U.S. Census isn't sure...

Check out this article on how the U.S. Census Bureau is once again considering changing the way it collects race and ethnic data...

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/03/14/u-s-census-looking-at-big-changes-in-how-it-asks-about-race-and-ethnicity

Welcome to the world of blogging...

Hi Class,

Your blog is like an online journal.  You will be able to respond to topics discussed in the course and dialog with your fellow students and instructor via your blog.

For your first post tell me something about yourself.  Draw on what you included in your "Who I Am" essay.  You could include stuff like your family background, neighborhood, culture, interests, etc.

For your second post I want you to answer the following questions...

1. What is “race”?

 2. What is “ethnicity”?

 3.  What is “nationality”?

 How are they similar?  How are they different?

 Work with a fellow student. Use the handout I provided to find answers to these questions.

 Check out these following links to try and find an answer:

 Webster's Dictionary
http://www.merriam-webster.com/
How does the dictionary define these terms.  Copy and paste the most appropriate usage you  find at the above link.  BUT CREDIT THE SOURCE!  Provide a link and explain to your reader that you took it from the Webster's Dictionary website.

PBS.org Race Website
http://www.pbs.org/race/000_About/002_04-experts-03-02.htm
We will be using this website a lot in this course.  What does it say about these terms?

Happy Blogging