Blog Post #10: Blogging- A Retrospective

This class was so interesting. I learned about so many different topics that I either didn’t know about or didn’t often think about. There are so many important instances of social justice or important social justice figures, like Lewis Hine or Claudette Colvin, that people do not really know about. I think that we have a responsibility to talk about them and remember their actions because they did have an impact on modern day society. Furthermore, I learned that doing the ethical thing or promoting social justice is not always what is most common and doing the right thing is not always done. For example, in Fred Korematsu’s case the Supreme Court ruled the internment of Japanese Americans as constitutional. Clearly, that was the wrong thing to do but that decision has technically never been overturned. The Supreme Court did not do the right thing in that instance. Or, with the obvious example of Rosa Parks. When she refused to give up her seat (as well as the lesser known Claudette Colvin) to a white man on the bus, she was actively promoting social justice and fighting back against discrimination. However, segregation was so common place during that time that she had to push back against it in order to promote her cause. There are so many different aspects of social justice movements and their figures—it is important to realize all the elements.

I loved the collaborative learning experience. I learn the best when I talk out my ideas with someone because it helps me think better. So, being able to work with different groups and talk about my ideas or paper drafts was very helpful. To be perfectly honest, I learned that the blog entries don’t really help me. I like to take notes by hand and work out my ideas that way (or by talking with people), but writing the blogs was a great learning experience. In the future, I want to do more workshops, in either my classes or my career. Being able to talk about ideas and problems is very helpful, but it is also very interesting to hear everyone’s different view-points.

Before taking this class, I was interested in law and social justice, but now I have found that I am much more interested in it because there is so much more for me to learn.

Blog Post Extra Credit #2: Hamilton

“This is the story of America then, told by America now.”

Hamilton!!

I was so excited that I got the chance to see Hamilton and it was better than I ever could have imagined. It is insanely popular for a reason! My mom came to town, and took my me and my sister to see it! 

For those of you who don’t know, Hamilton is a hit Broadway musical about Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the musical as we as wrote the music and lyrics. He also starred in the original version on Broadway. The music is so interesting because a lot of the songs are raps.

In the musical, historically white figures like Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and others, are all cast by black and Hispanic actors. The only white actor is the King George III. One of the musicals message’s us that of pro-immigration. The entire cast lets the audience view America as nation of immigrants and the musical shows that the Founding Fathers’ being white is irrelevant to America—they broke free from the King of England because they were smart and hardworking. Hamilton himself was an immigrant. Miranda said, “Our cast looks like America looks now, and that’s certainly intentional. It’s a way of pulling you into the story and allowing you to leave whatever cultural baggage you have about the founding fathers at the door.”

 

Hamilton is such a fabulous musical and message behind it is so important, especially in this political climate. In regard to this class, the musical’s message relates directly to social justice. People of color deserve social justice. America’s history talks a lot about the importance of the white man and the discrimination of people of color. And, discrimination still happens today. It is 2017, and still people are discriminated against for their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and sexual orientation. That is unacceptable and the narrative must change.

 

Blog Post #9: Source Evaluation

Link to source: https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/hine-photos

This source is very interesting because it is technically a teaching guide on Lewis Hine–someone, like me, thought he was important enough to make a teaching guide about him and his work for the NCLC.

The website has a bunch of information on Lewis Hine and a ton of his photographs, which is very helpful for my essay. The information is perfect because there is not as much information about Hine and his specific work for the NCLC as I would have expected. However, this website has some great information. For instance, ” Factory wages were so low that children often had to work to help support their families. The number of children under the age of 15 who worked in industrial jobs for wages climbed from 1.5 million in 1890 to 2 million in 1910.” Such a startling fact that I never knew about before.  How could the number of child laborers in the US have been so high?

Because this information comes from the National Archives, I trust the information. Also, the information is in line with some of the other websites I have looked at. Furthermore, because the National Archives Catalog has every photo that the NCLC took, including most of the ones from Hine, the information seems reliable.

Blog Post #8, Extra Credit: When We Imprisoned Our Own

When We Imprisoned Our Own: Lessons For Today From The Japanese American Incarceration

This event, put on by Visions and Voices of USC, was fascinating. It featured a panel of people who are experts in various fields relating to when the United States incarcerated over 110,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. The panelists included Kathy Masaoka, Lane Ryo Hirabayshi, Traci-Kato-Kiriyaa and Jean Reisz. One was a social activist/artist, a lawyer, an expert in Japanese American studies and one in immigration law. It was so interesting to hear what they had to say about when we imprisoned our own.

Before I get into what they spoke about, I just want to mention that there were two people who were actually in the camps and survived the internment camps. They both got an amazing response and it was so humbling to see them there.

The panelists began by talking about Fred Korematsu, the social activist and a interment prisoner himself, who challenged the interment in the legendary Korematsu v. United States Supreme Court case. The Supreme Court ruled the interment was legal and, technically, this decision has never been overturned.

The panelists also talked about the societal implications of the internment camps and what the means for the United States now. In particular, they spoke about the current controversies around immigrants, refugees, people of color and certain religions. It is completely unfair and baseless, but there are some stigmas surrounding certain groups of people in the United States and some people have stupidly suggested putting Muslims in interment camps too. Now, the United States limits the number of refugees who are allowed to enter the country and discriminates against people for who they are. Have we learned nothing from the Japanese American Incarceration?

The Japanese American Incarceration was a terrible instance of our history and it has not been rectified. The families of the people who were in the camps only received a relatively small sum of money as a way to “make up” for losing everything. There was barely any justice for those people and their families.

What can we learn from this? We must speak up for injustice. Fred Korematsu is well known because he stuck up for what was right, even though it went against popular opinion. We must continue to do that, now and in the future. That is what we write about WRIT 150, social justice movements/people who stick up for the right thing, even though it is not always an opinion that everyone agrees with. But, they do it anyway because it is the right thing to do.

Blog Post#7: Re-evaluating a social justice figure

The topic I have chosen for the final writing project is Lewis Hine. For those of you who do not know who Lewis Hine is, he was a photographer known for exposing child labor in factories in the United States. Hine worked for the National Child Labor Committee and went to factories to take photographs of the child laborers. His work was often very dangerous because the factories did not want Hine exposing their work, so Hine often had to wear disguises in order to sneak into the factories. According to this article, Russell Freedman, in his book, Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child Labor, wrote,  “At times, he was in real danger, risking physical attack when factory managers realized what he was up to…he put his life on the line in order to record a truthful picture of working children in early twentieth-century America.”

Hine began in his work with the NCLC in 1908, but it was not until 1938 that Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which prohibits child labor and is designed to protect their well being. It took 30 years for something to be done about the egregious instances of abuse of child labor that Hine brought to light. Hine died two years after the act was passed.

Lewis Hine is an excellent candidate for re-evaluation because what Hine did was an act of social justice. It was not considered as such at the time, but it was. Hine risked his life to bring attention to the child labor in the United States, even though it took so long for action to be taken to fix the problem. Hine was so much more than a photographer, he was an activist through social justice. He highlighted horrible stories through his photographs and without him, it would have taken much longer for the world to know just what exactly was going on in those factories.

 

Blog Post #6: Possible View Points for Planned Parenthood/Access to Birth Control

For my essay, I am writing about how President Trump wants to defund Planned Parenthood and deny women access to birth control under employers’ health care coverage. I have found that these two issues have elicited very similar responses and are best talked about together rather than separately.

The view point that I will be taking in my essay is that Planned Parenthood is essential and women need access to birth control. Women have the right to choose what to do with their bodies and men should not be enacting legislation on things that they know nothing about. And, a lot of women in the country agree with me. There was the Women’s March on Washington , where roughly half a million women marched in protest to Donald Trump and his proposed policies. Every single women in the march advocated for women’s rights, women’s access to birth control, their right to choose and also marched in support of a multitude of other issues.

Another response that supports my view point is Sophia Bush’s video in support of the #HandsOffMyBC social media campaign. Check out the video here: https://www.bustle.com/p/sophia-bushs-video-about-birth-control-nails-the-many-reasons-its-basic-health-care-2909342.  It is awesome. She argues that women take birth control for so much more than just to prevent pregnancy (for periods and acne). Furthermore, if women are using it to prevent pregnancy then more power to them for making that decision. Her point is that it is no one’s business (besides the individual’s) who is taking birth control and for what reasons.

There are several possible counterarguments that I could use for my essay because birth control and Planned Parenthood are such controversial topics in America. Some people oppose Planned Parenthood because they are pro-life. Some people oppose birth control for religious or moral reasons. And, some people just oppose both of them. People have a right to their opinions, even if I disagree with them.

In refutation of those possible counterarguments, I plan to address the legality of abortions. Women have the legal right to choose on the basis of Roe. v Wade. I also plan on discussing the double standard women are facing for using birth control. Viagra is covered by health insurance, do people have moral objections to that? If the government is taking away women’s access to birth control for “moral reasons” then the same thing should be done for Viagra on the basis of equality.

Planned Parenthood and access to birth control are basic human rights. They are essential to women’s health and that should not be compromised by the government.

Blog Post #5Unjust policy: Planned Parenthood defunding

One of the first thing’s President Trump did after he was announced as President of the United States was sign a law that aims to defund Planned Parenthood  the family planning service. I believe that is very unjust. Planned Parenthood provides contraception, pregnancy care, breast and cervical cancer screenings, treatments for sexually transmitted diseases, general health care and services related to fertility. The group also performs abortions.

While the right to abortions in the United States is still a controversial issue (even though legally have the right to choose), it is not up to the government to decide what women can and cannot do with their bodies. Women have the right to do what they think is best for their health and their bodies. Men should not be deciding for them.

The defunding of Planned Parenthood wouldn’t just impact women, but many other people as well. 2.4 million women, men and young people in the United States visit Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers every year. Planned Parenthood does so much more than provide abortions and contraceptives, it provides general health care as well. Defunding Planned Parenthood would leave millions of people without the services that they need.

This idea of defunding Planned Parenthood is similar to Trump’s idea to roll back the birth control mandate issued by the Affordable Care Act and the government. Under Obama Care, cost was removed as a barrier for birth control. There was also a federal requirement that employers must include birth control in their health coverage plans. “More than 55 million women have access to birth control without co-payments because of the contraceptive coverage mandate, according to a study commissioned by the Obama administration” (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/06/us/politics/trump-contraception-birth-control.html). Under the new Trump regulations, hundreds of thousands of women could lose their benefits. Again, this is very unjust. Why are men deciding when/if women can use birth control? Why is the government not letting birth control be covered by health insurance when viagra is? Why is there a double standard.

Women have rights. They right to choose, the right to do what they want with their bodies and the right to birth control. Only they can decide what is right for them, no one else.

Blog Post #4: What is the goal of criminal punishment?

What is the goal of criminal punishment? Is it to get the criminals off the streets? Is it to make them “pay” for their crimes? Or is it meant to be a deterrent for future crimes?

To be honest, I think that the goal of criminal punishment depends on the type of crime and the type of offender. Not all criminals are created equal. There are factors that need to be taken into consideration when determining what punishment to give someone. Consider Kalief Browder, a young boy I talked about in my last post. Browder story resonates with me because it is such a tragic example of the failures of the legal system. And, he is a perfect example for what I am writing about today. Browder was 16 years old when he was arrested for allegedly stealing a backpack, was jailed for over 1000 days when he could not pay his pay and then was later released when the prosecution did not have enough evidence to make a case. Browder later committed suicide because he could not cope with the mistreatment he received while on the inside.

Browder allegedly committed a non violent offense and he was just a kid when he was arrested. Those factors should have been considered before punishing him. Browder did not belong in jail. A non violent act by a teenage does not deserve jail, at most it deserves community service. Or, better yet, a warning. No jail time was necessary.

I believe that punishment is only acceptable in the most extreme cases of criminal violence or huge crimes. Criminals who commit murder, hurt children, who are drug lords, commit hate crimes, etc, deserve to go to jail. I think that, when it is possible, helping people is a better option than punishing them. If someone has a drug problem, send them to rehab. If they have a terrible mental disorder, send them to a treatment facility. Don’t punish people just for the sake of punishing them.

At this moment, I am not sure what the current goal of criminal punishment is because it seems like the United States is punishing more people than it needs to. The question is, how should criminal punishment change to reflect our goals as a society?

 

Blog Post #3: Mass Incarceration, Rikers Island

The United States currently has a problem: mass incarceration. According to an article from The New Yorker, the “prison population of 2.2 million has more than quadrupled since 1980 even though crime has been declining for two decades”  and that “blacks and Latinos represent about thirty per cent of the nation’s population but almost sixty per cent of its prisoners.” If crime has gone down, then why are there so many people in jail? It is because the nation’s legal system is not functioning the way it should be.

“Lessons from Rikers,” an article from The Atlantic, claims that the jails, like Rikers Island in New York, “perpetuate inequality and injustice.”

Here are a few reasons why:

1. The current bail system negatively affects poor people, who must stay in jail with they cannot afford $500 or less to make bail.
2. “The Vera Institute of Justice found that race negatively impacted people of color in Manhattan in setting bail, negotiating a plea deal, and level of sentencing. As a result, 55 percent of people jailed at Rikers are African American, and 34 percent are Latino.”
3. Jail does not help those with mental health issues, substance abuse problems, etc. while inside. In fact, it tends to make those issues worse.
4. There is prisoner mistreatment inside jails like Rikers
5. The court system is severely backed up, which makes prisoner’s time in jail that much longer while awaiting trial.

The most striking story within the article was that of a young boy named Kalief Browder. He was 16 years old when he was arrested for allegedly stealing a backpack . He spent over 1000 days in jail while awaiting trial, suffered beatings from guards and inmates, and attempted suicide once while on the inside. The charges against him were dropped two years after he was released from Rikers, however Browder never recovered and took his own life. This unacceptable, tragic story is a combination of several of the issues that the article mentions and it is more than alarming. A young boy slipped through the cracks and was a victim of the terrible problems of mass incarceration.

How do we ensure that something lie Kalief’s story never happens again? Problems need to be solved. The courts need more workers and more funding, the bail system must be more fair towards the poor and people should not be jailed for nonviolent crimes. We need to rehab as many people as we possibly can. People with substance abuse problems or mental health problems need to go to treatment facilities, not jail. A new bail system should be put into place where the poor are not so negatively affected. Finally, people should not be jailed because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or religion. The American people need to change how they think about incarceration and the criminal-justice system. Instead of focusing so much on crime control, which seems to be the general mentality we need to focus on due process.

The Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform has recommended that Rikers Island be closed. Based on the statistics and the story of Kalief, I agree. Rikers Island needs to be closed. I think that it is a step in the right direction for the legal system, because not having that prison will ensure that people think about who is being incarcerated and for what crimes. The legal system needs to change, and hopefully that change will happen soon.

 

 

 

 

Blog Post #2: Hidden Figures

How does the depiction of social justice in the film conflict or work with the legal system?

The scene with Mary Jackson petitioning the court, in Hidden Figures, does not seem to work with what the legal system represents. Her petition totally had the desired result, she was allowed to take classes and become an engineer, but the the judge did not let her take those courses for the right reasons. I have mentioned this before, but it is important to note. When Mary talks to the judge, she appeals to his need to make history, to be famous. She doesn’t speak of civil rights or equality, she doesn’t even talk about the law. All Mary talks about is the importance of being first and the importance of making history because she knows her petition would never know if she didn’t. Mary is smart enough to realize that white people see discrimination as the norm and that in order to get what she wants she has to be able to speak in way that they will agree with.

How is that fair? Well, it is not. Yes, Mary becomes the first African American engineer at NASA and kick ass in her field, but how is it fair that Mary couldn’t even bring up civil rights in order to have equality? The legal system in the movie is twisted because of the judge. A judge is someone who is supposed to put aside personal biases in order to follow the law, but in this case he did not. He said that Virginia was a segregated state and acted like Brown v. The Board of Education didn’t apply.

So, while it is fantastic that Mary got what she wanted, it is unfortunate that one, she had to petition the court in the first place, and two, that the legal system (and judge) was so biased and unfair that she had to appeal to the judge’s sense of self importance in order to get what she wanted.