TOW #28

When We Rise by Cleve Jones was a memoir aimed to share the uncommonly known story of the queer people of San Francisco in the ‘70s. Not enough people know the story of the gay rights movement in the 1970s. Growing up, I never met any LGBT+ people; they were an idea; they didn’t exist. Now that I know that I’m a part of the community, I’ve actively sought out queer American history. But if I wasn’t looking for it, I would never find it. I would completely ignorant of the fight and struggle of so many people. Queer history should be taught in American schools to make students more thoughtful, well-rounded, accepting people.

The American education system, while not perfectly, teaches of the oppression and struggle for rights of many minority groups. The atrocities committed against these groups should not be compared but rather acknowledged as having similar attributes. The Holocaust is taught. Slavery of African people is taught. Ripping Native-Americans from the land is taught. It is time that the history books include the plight of LGBT+ citizens and what it has taken and still takes to receive some basic rights. If students learn of the fight put up and the terror faced by LGBT+ citizens, then they can build a feeling of empathy and see how LGBT+ citizens are just as human as anyone else. It will help to build the appropriate respect for LGBT+ citizens that is not always taught at home. Once students understand the plight, they can keep that in mind, being more sensitive. Also, while religion has a large influence over people’s support of LGBT+ person’s rights, it should hinder the respect due to LGBT people. No matter who a person is, that person deserves respect. No exceptions.

Because of the benefits that it could have for everyone in our nation, queer history should be taught in American schools.

TOW #27

Jonathan O’Connell is a reporter for The Washington Post. For the past five years, he has been writing about land use and the connection between government and community, as well urban and economic development. In his writing, O’Connell shows the influence that corporations have over U.S. states today. Specifically, Maryland was recently under pressure to keep the Fortune 500 Company Marriott in their state lines because there was question as to whether Marriott would leave or not. Currently, Maryland cannot afford to lose Marriott because the corporation helps to fuel Maryland’s economy by providing thousands of jobs. Also, Marriott’s big name looks good and Maryland officials want to keep it in the state. O’Connell writes The trap that causes states to give millions to corporations like Marriott primarily for the people of Maryland, who would want to know how their economy can be affected. O’Connell uses an anecdote and state government officials’ statements to inform Maryland’s residents of the influence that Marriott has over the state.
O’Connell accomplishes his purpose well. To start the article, he uses an anecdote and ties it directly into the context and topic. He writes,
In 1999, then-Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening was under pressure from J.W. “Bill” Marriott Jr. for millions of dollars to keep the hotel giant Marriott International in the state. Wrestling with how to respond, Glendening stepped into the Annapolis office of fellow Democrat Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., who offered some advice. “He said, ‘Listen, you don’t want to be the governor who lost Marriott to Virginia,’ " Glendening recalled recently.

O’Connell then writes that “17 years later, nearly the exact same thing has happened.” Having the history of the interactions between Marriott and the State gives Maryland residents a better understanding of what is happening and what the likely outcome is. The anecdote also gives a clear understanding of how corporations influence the state and gives insight into the way state government officials think when making decisions. Simply, Marriott’s stature gives it the power to influence the state. With the anecdote, O’Connell uses statements made by state government officials to show Marriott’s influence. When talking about Marriott’s possible departure, David Ianucci, who helped decide the deal with Marriott says, “It was something we had to do… There would have been a fallout of the state’s business climate, reputation had they left.” O’Connell’s use of statements gives a clear example how Marriott effects the state of Maryland and why it cannot leave. Marriott’s departure would greatly impact Maryland in a most likely negative way, and state officials did not want to be responsible for it.

TOW #26

The men in charge, behind-the-scenes are a problem. They’re led by their own selfish agenda, and are willingly to manipulate anyone to acquire what they wish. Governments throughout history have risen and fallen due to corruption and mistreatment of their people. To depict the mistreatment, the painter in this image portrays governmental corruption and the irony of it with his dramatic analogy. The larger mouse represents a judge, or a government official. This mouse is holding another, smaller mouse in front of the cat, a natural predator to the mouse. While he is holding the mouse, he is comfortably sitting out of harm’s way while he gets what he gets transportation from the cat. Corrupt government officials are willing to risk other people’s lives for their own benefit. The situation is ironic because the cat would be just as, if not even more likely to eat the larger mouse. The person in charge is often oblivious to his own dangerous surroundings. He is too blinded by his own desires to notice the his own peril, at least until it’s too late. The man with the power is making decisions for the other man, taking complete control of his life. Also, the transition from a burnt to a lighter orange in the background can represent the transition from corruption and evil to innocence. To fix this problem, the people being affected must stand up. According to the founding fathers of our nation, it is the people’s civil duty to stand up against an unjust government. History has shown that standing up for what’s right can lead to justice and the proper giving of the unalienable rights deserved by everyone. If the people of a nation stand up against the large mouse, they can stop the oppression, and make changes for the better.

IRB Intro Post #4

For the 4th marking period, I will be reading When We Rise: My Life in the Movement by Cleve Jones. I am very excited to read this book having already watched the television mini-series depiction of this story on ABC. When We Rise details the work of Cleve Jones, a young gay man in San Francisco who was a prominent leader in the fight for civil rights for queer citizens in the 1970s. The story covers history that matters to me. It covers history that, unfortunately, I have never been taught. Cleve Jones’s story and so many others’ are stories that need to be shared and taught to everyone ignorant of the history and plight of queer Americans. I am looking forward to learning more about the brave souls who finally said enough is enough.

TOW #25 - Uber Needs To Do Better When It Comes To Diversity by Ryan Grenoble

Uber Needs To Do Better When It Comes To Diversity - Ryan Grenoble

Large companies often find themselves with the dilemma of not having enough diversity in their work forces. Uber, a very popular cab-based transportation company, has recently released its diversity reports. Their reports showed that Uber’s more significant and important positions were ran by primarily white men. It’s commonly known that companies and corporations can benefit from gender and racial diversity. Uber promises to be transparent with their diversity reports in the future as they make the effort to progress. Huffington Post reporter Ryan Grenoble, brings this to attention to Huffington Post readers and per the title says that “Uber Needs To Do Better When It Comes To Diversity”. With the visual aid and strong diction he is effectively show Uber’s diversity while comparing them to other Silicon Valley companies.

At the top of his article, Grenoble includes a news video detailing the story of Uber’s release of the diversity report. This video provided the facts and numbers, which helps the audience know what Grenoble is writing about and why he’s writing about it. This also helps to establish his credibility because he included the factual information for a reliable news source, making the audience more likely to trust and latch on to what he is writing. After the video, he includes his own opinion. He describes Uber diversity as dismal, which displays his opinion on the matter. While he does this, he compares Uber’s diversity numbers to those of other Silicon Valley companies. Uber’s numbers proved to be slightly better. With this comparison, Grenoble sets up the logical argument that is Uber’s numbers are bad, and the other companies’ are worse, then all of the Silicon Valley companies need to improve their diversity. Making this comparison was allowed to audience to easily understand Grenoble’s argument. Hopefully, attention like this can cause these companies to make the needed shift to more diversity in their employees.

TOW #24

Born Bright by C. Nicole Mason is the story of an impoverished young lady made of her life. Having to deal with the disadvantages and oppression that life gave her, she was able to persevere and work hard. Being that most people do not understand the true struggle of the poor, C. Nicole Mason hopes to enlighten many with her story. She begins the story telling of the time when she attempted to be real with her audience of “do-gooders, social workers, politicians, and policy advocates” that did not really know the people they claim to help. Then throughout the story, she writes of the disadvantages she’s faced in her life. Once, when she was at a college fair trying to seize her opportunity, she was hit with the harsh realization that she hadn’t been afforded them from the beginning. “The school representatives… grew annoyed with my lack of understanding of the process and my seemingly rudimentary questions. I did not know what a major was…”. Students who go to college fairs are often expected to know the basics about college and they usually do because of where they were raised. Unfortunately, because the girl was raised, she did not have the necessary background knowledge to easily traverse the fair. Additionally, Mason details the racial tensions she experienced, especially in the classroom. When she started her school’s version of the gifted program, she felt the expectation for her not to do well. “...Black and Latino kids… were tracked out, meaning they were sent back to a remedial or otherwise less challenging learning cluster.” She saw that even though Black and Latino students were admitted into the program, they were slowly teased out. They didn’t have a chance; there was hostile environment against them. Despite this, she was able to continue to work hard a become the successful woman she is today. She turned her lemons into lemonade.

TOW #23 - The Only Way to Handle It

In 1920-1921, the United States received roughly 800,000 mostly European immigrants. Immigration rates had picked back up again after the end of World War I. During this time period, the U.S. was more desirable than ever for people wanting to improve their lives and take advantage of the opportunities the new world power had to offer. However, the massive amount of immigration caused the American government to put a limit on the number of immigrants able to enter the country. Initially, the U.S. passed the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 setting a quota where the number of people allowed to enter was 2 percent of the people of their nationality that were already in the U.S. In 1924, the Immigration Act lowered this percentage to 2 and changed the population-base numbers from the 1910 census to the those from the 1890 census. This made the amount of immigrants able to come in even smaller being that there were less European immigrants in 1890. This cartoon depicts Uncle Sam controlling the narrow opening that is allowing immigrants into the U.S. Uncle Sam is representing the U.S. and it’s government. The funnel is a visual depiction of the restriction of the number of people allowed in. At the opening of the tunnel, there are thousands of people trying to get through the funnel. However, only a few make it through the opening and into the country. The creator of this political cartoon wanted to show the unfairness of the Immigration Act and how it kept out thousands of people who wanted to improve their way of life in a similar way to the first settlers did. With this thinking, the cartoon can also serve as a criticism of American nationalism, the disapproval of “New immigrants” coming into America. Overall, the creator was able to broadcast a strong message about immigration to America in the 20s with this cartoon.