Week 5

In South Africa and the United States, apartheid began with white legislators. In the US, in the 1896 case we all know of very well, Plessy v Ferguson - "separate but equal" institutions are deemed constitutional, thus allowing for the legal segregation of African Americans and whites. In SA, the policy of apartheid began in 1948 when the NP takes control in 1948. By 1950, the Group Areas Act was passed to completely separate whites from blacks.Stemming from the segregation, civil rights movements in both countries took part in peaceful and violent protests alike, including riots, boycotts, and strikes. The amount of police violence and brutality during both civil rights movements is shocking. For example during the "Bloody Sunday" at Selma, Alabama, police shot tear gas, beat nonviolent protesters, and hospitalized over 50 people. In South Africa, a similar situation was even more gruesome, when 70 black demonstrators were killed at Sharpeville. It's unsettling to read about the extent of violence that black people have faced during both civil rights movements; peaceful demonstrations were often countered by unnecessary police brutality. What's even more unsettling is that this trend still continues on today. All the events at Ferguson, the death of Eric Garner, and a whole range of other instances prove that this continues to be a problem we face in this country even after all the years that have passed. SA is even more "freshly" out of apartheid, meaning that there is still a long road ahead in the pursuit of racial equality.

Nelson  Mandela and MLK were two men in two very different places fighting similar battles. Putting their stories side by side, it is easy to draw parallels between the two. Educated, persistent, and strong-willed, they both opened the eyes of countless citizens and groups around the world; the world truly would not be the same place without these two leaders. Their fight for civil rights were inspirational to say the least. Both men struggled and were imprisoned during their fight, but even after 27 years of imprisonment for Mandela, he rose up to become president of South Africa. MLK was less fortunate, being assassinated while still in his prime, but he left a legacy that will live on forever.

After reading the brief history of South Africa and "people of south africa," it is obvious that SA is a country rich in diversity and culture but also one with longstanding social issues. The sheer number of languages and cultural backgrounds in the country is impressive; I can't think of any countries off the top of my head with as much diversity. This is where both the country's strengths and weaknesses come from is what it seems. What's interesting to me was the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. As I was reading about that I felt like the United States should have had something similar years ago. Another thing I found interesting was reading about Reconciliation Day/the gruesome battle of blood river and the fact that it took so long to instill a memorial of the 3,000 Zulus that died.
The current event that struck me the most was the one titled "women top the agenda at the AU summit," because it's always reassuring learning about the new focus on women and women's rights around the world.
A question for the guest speaker: a very broad one, but - in general, does U.S. aid (not only monetary aid) over the years seem to benefit SA, or is it just an unwelcome intrusion that only causes more harm than good?

Is Race Real

After doing the "sorting people" activity (which sucked because the pictures were too small and I couldn't really see them), I found out how complicated and messed up it probably was to classify race in the past when only physical features were involved. And the fact that stood out to me the most was the last one, which said that colorblindness will not end racism. I agree with that wholeheartedly; we should not pretend we are all "one" color. Instead of focusing on this grand ideal of everyone being equal or exactly the same, we should embrace our differences and learn more about each other as a human population. It won't end racism, but it will help us develop an appreciation for one another that can aid in accepting each other no matter what color of skin we happen to have.

Who am I/Unpacking the Knapsack of Privilege

After reading, "Who am I?" I realized that we are all simply a sum of everyone around us. And I strongly believe the reason that, til this day, there are certain dominant groups that tend to exploit other groups exist because of a lack of understanding. A lack of understanding, for example, of who exactly the Africans were when they were brought to the United States was in part a basis of their mistreatment. They weren't seen as people, they were viewed as savages, their culture and practices were misunderstood, etc. I feel like that still continues today with groups of all kinds, even women. Peggy McIntosh's article simply reiterated what I already knew - that I have a countless number of privileges that others do not. It also made me realize that many groups that threaten others are not even aware that they are doing so. Like she stated, whites and men (just two examples) are oftentimes not aware of the privileges they have, and how society seems to favor them. This makes it even more difficult for the oppressed group to rise up.