Grade 12 Equity and Social Justice Strand D

Grade 12 Equity and Social Justice – Strand D Confronting identity in photographs What are “unjust practices”?  Some injustices are mandated by law. This form of injustice is called “de jure” or sanctioned by law. The USA 1950-1960s Jim Crow laws that segregated public facilities by skin colour were de jure segregation. In summary, de jure segregation is the separation of different groups of people based on some characteristic (e.g., race, religion, ethnicity) that is required by law.  Others injustices exist either because they are not specifically outlawed or because they persist despite the fact that they are illegal. This form of injustice exists “in fact” albeit not by law. It is called “de facto” injustice. In 1961, segregation of interstate bus travel was illegal, but in many parts of southern USA, interstate buses continued to segregate black people and white people. This is de facto segregation.

Some history  In Morgan v. Virginia (1946), USA Supreme Court struck down a Virginia law requiring racial segregation on commercial interstate buses as a violation of the commerce clause of the USA Constitution., Irene Morgan, a black woman, was riding a Greyhound bus from Hayes Store, Virginia to Baltimore, Maryland, She refused to give up her seat to a white person, and she was arrested and convicted. Her conviction was overturned by the USA Supreme Court. This is a case of de facto segregation. NOTE: This event occurred ten years before Rosa Parks.

How do people protest injustices that might not be against the law?

How do photographs show protest?  The 1961 Freedom Rides were public bus trips undertaken by racially-integrated groups through the southern USA to test the

enforcement of a newly enacted court order prohibiting segregation in interstate bus terminals. The riders were met with hostility and violence in a number of states. On 14 May 1961, the bus arrived at the terminal in Anniston, Alabama. A white mob attacked the bus, breaking its windows and slashing tires. An incendiary bomb was thrown through a window. The Freedom Riders barely escaped the flames. A FBI undercover agent was aboard the bus and forced the attackers back at gunpoint. As the bus burned, the white mob beat the Freedom Riders. The state police watched. The attacked only ended when FBI agents and other federal authorities arrived and intervened.

Questions 1. Describe the photographs. 2. Based on the photo and your knowledge of the events at Anniston, describe what happened before the photographs were taken. 3. What is most shocking to you about the photos? What makes it shocking? 4. The photographs are black and white. How does that affect you as a viewer? How might you respond differently if the photos were in colour?

 In 1954, the USA Supreme Court declared segregation in schools was unconstitutional. Despite the ruling, some schools in the USA south did not allow black children to attend including Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Nine black students, known as the Little Rock Nine, enrolled in Central High. On their first day of school, 4 September 1957, the students were met by an angry mob. As well, the governor of Arkansas had deployed the National Guard to prevent the students from entering the school. USA President Eisenhower intervened and sent the USA Army to protect the students. For the remainder of the school year, the students attended school surrounded by army soldiers. In response, the Arkansas governor closed all the public high schools in Little Rock. He said, “It was better to have no school at all than to have integrated schools.” The schools remained closed for the entire 1958 school year. Many people blamed the Little Rock Nine for disrupting a year of school. The racial tension got worse in the coming years.

Questions 1. What do you think is happening in the photos? 2. What else do you notice about the photos? 3. Both photographs show some element of racism. How are the photos similar? How are they different? 4. What do you learn from the photographs?

This is a newly discovered 1860s photograph. It was found in an North Carolina attic in 2013, and it recently sold for $30K.

Questions 1. What does the photograph tell you? 2. Why is the photograph so difficult to look at?

It is 1860s photo is a testament to a dark part of American history. You are looking at two boys who were victims of history. Why is this picture so difficult to look at? It is two innocent children who were abused, mistreated, enslaved and forgotten. They do not even exist in history.

How do people identify themselves and how do others identify them? What are some components of an individual’s identity?

An individual’s sense of identity consists of many elements. Some elements are individual. For example, “I am good at math” or “I have five sisters” are personal experiences. In these examples, you are defined as a good student or a member of a family, respectfully. Other elements of identity are related to membership in a specific group. For example, “I moved to Canada from Cuba” means that part of your identity is as an immigrant. If you first language is Spanish, it is another part of your identity. Factors such as race, gender, religion and physical ability can also form part of how you know yourself and how others know you.

 Look at the first picture and describe the person  What clues in the picture helped you to define the person’s identity?  What does the photograph tell you?  In the photograph below, the background information has been reinserted. What new information about the person’s possible identity is revealed (…or imagined)?  Compare the two pictures. What do you learn about identity?

Examine the photograph.  What details do you observe?  What does the photo tell you?  Describe the identities of the subjects in the photograph  What do you think about the photograph and its subjects?  What stereotypes did you assign the subjects?  What is poverty and homelessness? Common stereotypes about women  Women are more emotional than intelligent  Women are better suited to mothering than to other types of work; women are responsible for raising children  Women are nurses, not doctors  Women are not as strong as men  When they have kids, women are expected to quit their jobs  Women love to sing and dance  Women do not play sports  Women are flirts  Women are submissive  Women want to be submissive; women like dominate, aggressive and in-charge male partners  Women are not supposed to be assertive  Women need help; women are never heroes  Women do not play video games  Women are good team builders and communicators  Women are secondary to their husbands / male partners  Beauty is their most important virtue

Describe the woman in the photograph.  What is her age?  What is she wearing?  What is she doing?  What does her facial expression and body position suggest?  Do you think the woman is a construction worker? Why or why not?  What features in the photograph emphasize the woman’s competence?  What features in the photograph emphasize the woman’s beauty?  What is missing from the photo that you might expect to see?  Overall, what do you think of the woman in the photo? Why?

An integral part of Canada’s character is the principle that all people are entitled to be treated equally by the government. The USA national identity is similar, and since 1888, the USA Supreme Court has reiterated 14 times that marriage is a basic civil right, including their landmark 1980 decision that struck down bans on interracial marriage. On 4 November 2008, Californians voted yes to Proposition 8 and amended the California Constitution to eliminate marriage rights for same-sex couples. As a result, the State of California violated the constitutional guarantee that every American basic fundamental rights, including the right to equal protection under the law. Proposition 8 singles out gay and lesbian individuals for a lesser legal status, and thereby, creates a category of “second-class citizens” (i.e., it discriminates on the basis of gender and sexual orientation). NOTE: California became the 29th state to pass a constitutional amendment banning marriage for gay and lesbian couples. In 29 states, well-funded campaigns used fear and lies to tell gay and lesbian citizens that “you are less than us and you are not our equal.”  Is Proposition 8 an unjust law? Explain

Look at the pictures. 1. In two of the pictures, which poster caught your eye first? Why? 2. What do you notice about the people in the photographs? Are there any patterns regarding age, sex and race? 3. When you look at the photographs, do you think the photographs support or oppose Proposition 8? How did you come to this conclusion? 4. Which picture creates a more powerful emotional response? Explain.

Myths about immigration and immigrants are common. The misconceptions include  Anyone who enters the country illegally is a criminal  Canada is being overrun by immigrants  Immigrants don’t pay taxes but still get benefits  Undocumented immigrants bring crime  Immigrants take good jobs from Canadians  Today’s immigrants don’t want to become “Canadianized.”  Immigrants refuse to learn or speak English or French  There is a way to enter Canada legally for anyone who wants to get in line  It is easy to enter the country legally  Most immigrants are here illegally

On 29 July 2010, Arizona enacted Bill 1070, a law to “identify, prosecute and deport illegal immigrants.” Arizona police would be authorized to arrest immigrants unable to produce documents allowing them to be in the country. In reality, Arizona police can racially profile (…unless you seriously thinks that an Irish national with red hair and green eyes in Arizona illegally will receive the same scrutiny as an Arizona-born American with darker features). Racial profiling occurs when law enforcement agents impermissibly use race, religion, ethnicity or national origin in deciding who to investigate. The most common example of police racial profiling is "DWB" or "driving while black". This refers to the practice of police targeting blacks for traffic stops because police believe that blacks are more likely to be engaged in criminal activity.  Do blacks really commit more crimes or are they just caught more often because the police target them?  Why does racial or cultural profiling matter?

What does this illustration tell you? Homophobia in Room 222

Number of individuals in Period 2 Room 222 who admit Number of individuals in Period 2 Room 222 who admit to using, hearing or being subject to derogatory terms to being homophobic about sexual orientation