“Just as growing up in a particular region or having particular professional experiences is likely to affect an individual’s views, so too is one’s own, unique experience of being a racial minority in a society, like our own, in which race unfortunately still matters.’”
Wonder: What can we learn here about sending our students to college? Why is it that race and ethnicity still play a role in college admissions?
Following the Supreme Court ruling that declared affirmative action unconstitutional in 1996’s Hopwood v. Texas, the Texas Legislature created the Top 10 Percent Law. This law, which originally admitted the top 10 percent of high school students in each class, now fluctuates between 7 and 8 percent at UT.
Summarizing: affirmative action never was passed, but Texas took on another role where they now only admitted students based on their merit.
Connection: I think this could relate back MLK's speech because he is asking us to not judge based on the color of our skin, but by our character.
16 of the 100 seats for students were reserved for minority students.
Visualization: I can imagine just walking on campus and not seeing much diversity while on campus.
Fisher, a white applicant, was not admitted to UT in 2008 and is suing the University because she claims she was denied based on her race.
Wonder: I wonder why this student was denied admission to this school? What could be UT's reasoning?
[Dre] The jury has found you guilty of being a redneck, white bread, chickenshit motherfucker [Cop] But wait, that's a lie! That's a god damn lie! [Dre] Get him out of here! [Cop] I want justice! [Dre] Get him the fuck out my face! [Cop] I want justice! [Dre] Out, RIGHT NOW! [Cop] FUCK YOU, YOU BLACK MOTHER-FUCKERS!
Summarizing: In the end, the black community feels targeted and fails to have a voice in which people will listen to.
But that shit don't work, I just laugh because it gives em a hint, not to step in my path For police, I'm saying, "Fuck you punk!" Reading my rights and shit, it's all junk
Wonder: How can there be progressive movements if there is no respect for one another?
Visualization: I can picture them speaking to an officer and neither of them showing one another a sign of respect. Reflection of real life instances?
I don't know if they fags or what Search a nigga down, and grabbing his nuts And on the other hand, without a gun they can't get none
Wonder: I wonder if this angst to get revenge is real or not, is it just because they are public figures they can say what they want to say?
Thinking every nigga is selling narcotics
Inference: Police officers make assumptions that the black community always sell drugs. Categorizing and stereotyping this community.
Fuck the police coming straight from the underground A young nigga got it bad cause I'm brown
Connection: this song can connect with today's #blacklivesmatter movement because they both centralize on police brutality and how their community is targeted based on their skin color.
[MC Ren as Court Officer] Right about now, N.W.A. court is in full effect Judge Dre presiding In the case of N.W.A. vs. the Police Department; prosecuting attorney's are: MC Ren, Ice Cube, and Eazy-motherfucking-E [Dr. Dre as The Judge] Order, order, order Ice Cube, take the motherfucking stand Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help your black ass? [Ice Cube as Witness] You god damn right!
Visualization: I can imagine MC Ren, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube reenacting a scene from the court, but put their own twist to how they perceive the judicial system sees their community.
He said the bill was destructive of the system of divided powers and states' rights, and was directed solely at the South.
Wonder: I wonder why its direction toward the south made him upset.
"no sense of triumph but a profound humility"
Summarizing: Instead of celebrating the success of the bill we should recognize our privilege and offer it to help others in need.
"I ask you to look into your hearts--not in search of charity, for the Negro neither wants nor needs condescension--but for the one plain, proud and priceless quality that united us all as Americans: A sense of justice.
Connection: This reminds me of MLK's speech and how he longed for social justice and the unification of blacks and whites.
The Senate bill differs from the House measure chiefly in giving states and local communities more scope and time to deal with complaints of discrimination in hiring and public accommodations.
Wonder: What does this mean? Is Senate trying to only push this on a state level rather than a federal level? Is this a good decision?
The bill passed by the Senate outlaws discrimination in places of public accommodation, publicly owned facilities, employment and union membership and Federally aided programs. It gives the Attorney General new powers to speed school desegregation and enforce the Negro's right to vote.
Connection: This reminds me of Brown v. Board of Education because of the whole idea, "separate, but equal" phrase. I think in this article however, this dissolves that idea.
President Johnson hopes to have the bill on his desk by July 3 at the latest so that he can sign it on the Fourth of July.
Historical context: Johnson was a huge supporter of the civil rights movement because he believed in equality for all and made sure that the bill moved along, unlike Kennedy who pushed it to the side a little too much.
Voting for the bill were 46 Democrats and 27 Republicans. Voting against it were 21 Democrats and six Republicans.
Wonder: I wonder why there were some democrats that opposed the bill. Was it so they wouldn't upset their constituents back in their home states?
Rap music and capitalism, from an outsider’s perspective, are as intermixed as ever; there’s even a subgenre that Spotify recognizes as “pop-rap.”
Inference: Rap is now considered as a money making genre, rather than a platform for the African American community to speak out.
Reaganomics
Connection: top people get the most money, but the people at the bottom don't get much. Artists like Jay Z and Drake are paid for their talents that is accepted by popular culture, rather than underground rappers.
Wonder: This shift of accepting certain artists, but not others can result in tension among the African American community. Should there be a sense of unity within this community?
Rappers were met with much resistance from the rest of pop culture: They represented a more marginalized stance that those on the inside couldn’t relate to, or at least didn’t wish to address.
Wonder: Why is it that rap is approached with resistance from popular culture?
hip-hop itself has changed
Predicting: I think that this statement will turn back to making hip hop more about the marginalized because of artists like Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, and Beyonce. Artists are realizing that it's their voice that matters to create change.
Rodney King trial
This is a project where they are working to count the number of people killed by police and other law enforcement agencies in the United States throughout 2015 and 2016, to monitor their demographics and to tell the stories of how they died.
Public Enemy
This song represents Public Enemy and how they wanted to exercise their right to freedom of speech and bring awareness to the injustices of not being able to use their voice.
are two of the black community’s loudest voices speaking out against matters of racial injustice, capitalism, and economic inequity
Summarizing: J Cole and D'Angelo are two artists that express the real experiences of African Americans.
falsity of the American ideal that success in a capitalist society leads to happiness
Inference: J Cole is making a statement on how we are too focused on American capitalism rather than our own happiness.
He reconnected with his mother and redeveloped his previous worldviews
Connection: When people are lost or feel uneasy about something, they return to their roots to better understand that issue. I have felt that way all throughout college.
musicians and other people of color with a platform have not fulfilled an inherent duty they have as public figures in the line of those earlier acts who spoke out and spoke up for their people
Wonder: Why does society expect public figures to be representative of their "people?" Is it only for publicity of the movement?
the voice of a people who didn’t have the same sense of optimism and complacency regarding their place in society
Connection: I remember talking to my family about how we as Mexican Americans are very similar to African Americans because we are all just trying to reach the "American Dream"
the message has continued to resonate
Inference: The Black Lives Matter Movement has strong ties to the Rodney King trial. Except now people are speaking out about it and not taking no for an answer.
N.W.A’s “Fuck tha Police” simmered in the air,
Visualization: I can picture the author walking around and listening to this song. I can imagine how this song reflects the people and how they feel about police brutality currently.
Black artists were more inclined to speak out against systemic injustices when they were considered outcasts, not cultural heroes.
Summarizing: Rappers no longer speak out about their hardships anymore, but now focus on their success.