Brownies Book

I found this booklet handed out by the teacher was interesting. The story that stood out to me though was called Jury. In this story it is about a young black boy writing to an editor of a magazine asking him to in his magazines about what jobs black boys can do. This boy wants to draw up houses and have other people build them. The reason he wants to draw up houses is because he saw a white boy doing it and thought it would be fun. As, he was speaking to the boy the boy laughed at him and said "colored boys don't draw houses."

I was shocked at this remark. I realize that back them racism and prejudice was part of everyday life and for most kids it was engrained in them since birth by their parents, but to laugh at someone just for expressing a desire to draw houses is rediculous. This just really shocked me it was as if they were saying that the only thing that black people can do or know how to do is pick cotton or tend to the houses as well as all the other jobs that went along with slavery. It saddened me in a way that you could actually see how restricted of a life blacks led.

"Passing"

As I was reading this book I would like to say I was shocked at the lengths that people go through in order to "pass" but I'm not. It is interesting though that the fear of not being considered white will lead you almost to turn on your family. How it says in the book that these pregnant women's worst fear is having a dark child because then their secret will be discovered. Then you have Clare's husband who is married to a woman who is passing and he doesn't even realize it. The fact that he is in a room full of blacks and he says all these terrible things and Clare just laughs it off really shocked me even men he called her a "nig" she seemed to be okay with that. Even if she was laughing because she was playing this big joke on him since she was really black how much is she willing to endure? There comes a time when the person needs to draw the line and be like enough is enough.

I remember when I went to Bolivia for three weeks you could see there was huge class struggles. The whiter you are the higher the class you were. Even in their own families the lighter more fair skinned children and family members will be treated A LOT better than those with darker skin. I just couldn't believe that this stuff still happened to this day. It seemed like everywhere I went or wherever I turned someone was grabbing my hand and was just in awe as they looked at your skin and would say muy bonita.

Black Illustrations

The last class we watch a film about African Americans and how they were treated and depicted. Then we were to think about if the illustrations of these African Americans would do more harm than good. Does it affect them still to this day?

Here are my thoughts as I watched the movie. I was very surprised at the monkey like features of the African American people. They were viewed as having huge lips, wide eyes, very large feet and hands that almost seemed to drag as they walked, and terrible teeth. Their features were overly exaggerated. I believe these Jim Crow images were very devestating to the African American people. It made them seem unintelligent. The only job the can obtain and maintain were servant like jobs. Not only this but they also made the African Americans come across as very lazy, unintelligent, child like and always avoiding work when they can.

Then they were depicted with smiles and happy go lucky looks about them that it made it seem that slavery was not such a terrible institution and being that they are so lazy and avoid work at all costs they are lucky these white people are even allowing them to work for them.

These pictures were horrible and it did harm the image and reputation as African Americans even to this day. I mean just take a social program such as welfare for example. There can be two women walking down the street each with three-five kids. One woman is white while the other is black. The first thing that will most likely jump in many peoples minds is that the Black lady is on welfare and she will be having another kid in a few years to stay in the program so she wont have to work. Without even knowing either of their stories we have just passed judgement on these two women. I'm not saying this to be racist or prejudice but I believe many people are guilty of thinking that way one time or another.

So yes these illustrations and all the ways African Americans were depicted in the Jim Crow south has had a huge negative impact on them back then as well as today.