WEEK 13: Incarceration and Slavery

From the beginning of this country, the people in power have been trying to keep people of color locked down and under close watch. From slavery to the prison industrial complex to urbanization, all help the government keep a close watch on people of color and in a way, keep them locked up. A fact that a lot of people might not know is that prisons didn't come about until right after slavery was abolished. Coincidence, I think not.

It went from black folks being slaves to being forced into chain gangs, which eventually evolved to actual prison complexes. All of these excuses for the people in power to keep people of color oppressed. Our country always talks about how much we need to get out of this economic drought and how our society is in a horrible place right now, but yet they continue to spend millions and millions of dollars just to make sure the people of color are kept in prison. It seems like our governments motives are selfishly driven than economically driven. If they really wanted to save our economy, they would spend money educating kids before they get old enough to go to prison, and they would use the billions of dollars spent on incarceration and war and put it into our country. It seems to me that the government would rather win a self-moraled victory by keeping people of color locked up than win a victory for our country by using money in a different way.

It seems like every century, we find a way to break the oppression, than a couple years later, the people in power find a way to oppress us again. After slavery was abolished they came up with chain gangs and prisons. Then as segregation and Jim Crow became closer to ending, they came up with urbanization. They moved all the people of color into the urban centers not for any purpose but that it would be easier for the government to keep a close watch on us. It was sort of like a diaspora within our own country. Now people of color who live in urban centers face constant surveillance from cops, for no reason but just to keep watch, as if they are predicting that something illegal is going on. Sounds pretty stereotypical to me. It isn't even the government who runs prisons, it is private corporations. This basically made the prison industrial complex a business that makes money, and that people can invest in. So basically, the more people the prison held, the more money the owners of these corporations made.

The penalty for crack, the poor man's cocaine, is now a lot worse than that of cocaine. Coincidence that crack is running through the urban streets where yes, people of color live. Illegal drugs kill about 11 thousand people per year while cigarettes, alcohol, and pharmaceutical drugs kill near a million. The government works in mysterious ways, and every way they work is a way that is trying to oppress people of color. Our country continues to deny it, but all their agendas seem to work against people of color.

WEEK 12: Education is The Key To Everything

As much as the government doesn't conform to our educational needs; the fact is that education is the key to all of our success. The downside is, it is also the reason for all of our failures as well. All of the problems that face the working class of our country stems from lack of education. If we put more money into our elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools instead of spending it on fighting with everyone, a lot of the plights that face the African American community would be a lot less severe. The bad thing is our country's system, even down to our earliest years, has socialized racism. I think the fact that integration of schools was passed a long time ago and our schools are still segregated is a testament to this. In the past, it was the law that blacks and whites couldn't go to school together, but now, the law permits it, and our schools are still segregated. This in turn socializes people say in the suburbs, to believe that it is the norm to see all white people at school, and when they see any person of color, it is weird, and this person gets treated weirdly.

The urbanization of black folks in our country's history caused most black folks to be centralized in our urban centers, where resources were lacking and money was scarce. This lack of money didn't help when cities needed funding for the community, such as in schools, housing, and things of that sort. This lack of money going towards schools not only made it so that the schools couldn't rebuild and get renovations, but it also prevented the school from being able to hire qualified teachers. This became a chain reaction that led to students not getting adequate education, children dropping out of school and joining gangs as an alternative, which led to more and more violence in our country's urban ghettoes. One would think there is more to it, but if you think about it, not really. Education is the key to everything, whether we realize it or not. We put money into education, a lot of the problems we face within our country will go away. So wake up government, quit trying to implement racist agendas and put money into the cornerstone of society...education.

WEEK 10: Salon speaks out on Lavena Johnson and Michelle Obama

http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2008/06/27/lavena_johnson/

Salon is a blog website dedicated to discussing issues of the treatment of women in this country, and Lavena Johnson's story wasn't the first time they had to deal with discrimination against a woman in the military. It seems like its up to internet blogs to do something about the discrimination we face in America because the media very often decides to stray away from these cases. Coincidence...I think not. The Lavena Johnson article written by Salon basically discusses the fact that all the evidence that they have found points away from what they ruled it: a suicide. All evidence points towards the fact that it was a rape, but no talk of that by media has yet to rise up. After this case surfaced, many more families of women in the military came out with similar stories. So the military not only lets their male soldiers rape and murder their female soldiers, but also provides cover up for them when they do it.


http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/11/12/michelle_obama/index.html

In this article, the author talks about the "momification" of Michelle Obama, and how is she is not getting a lot of credit where a lot of credit is due. A lot of people do not know that she is a very prominent lawyer, but throughout the campaign, she was just getting looked at as "Barack's wife," and when he won the race, focus went to things like "how she's going to be dressing," and "how she is going to raise the kids" in the White House. Never has the issue been brought up about her profession, or where she is going to start working now that they had to move into the White House from Illinois. Their family has to make a huge adjustment, not just her husband. While Barack is busy getting his team together and figuring out his plan of action, Michelle has to worry about finding herself a new place to work, putting the kids in schools, and all these other "motherly" responsibilities. She might even be able to serve on her own husband's team somehow, but people are ruling that out just because they are married. This is another excuse to hold back a woman in making advancements. Even though her husband is the President, what's to say she don't want to make some bread too?

WEEK 9: Government Sets Racial Trends

So throughout the extent of this blog, it is obvious that there is something fishy going on within the ranks of the armed forces; the thing is, I don't think it was created through themselves. I think this trend of racism going on amongst our soldiers stems from a trend our own government has set from the beginning of our country. If you look at the trends in racial issues in our country and compare them to those of the military, they are moving in the same direction, and are mighty similar.

If you take a look at the history of our country as it pertains to the issue of race, the U.S. has been on a very, very slow moving train towards racial justice. The military has been on this same train. If you look back when our country was first established, one of the first wars we had besides the Revolutionary War was the Civil War. At this time, slavery was coming to an end, but blacks still had no rights and were seen as less than human. The war was fought to free the slaves, but slaves were not allowed to fight alongside whites. Slaves made up their own regimes, and although they fought on the same side as whites, they were not allowed in the same company.

It is like the military was copying exactly what the government was doing, because blacks and whites didn't fight in the same companies until segregation was ended. As soon as the government abolished segregation, the military all of a sudden started to become integrated. Whites and blacks fought alongside each other, but a lot of white boys in the military could not come to rest with the fact that they would have to fight alongside a black man. Whites were taught that blacks were less than human which in turn brought about the belief that the life of a black man was worth less than theirs.

Since the beginning of the country, the government has been teaching our institutions racism. Although now it may not be as overt as it was before, it is still there. Racism was the law until they instituted the Civil Rights Act, so up until than, racism was the norm in our society. This means that since it was the law, every institution was going along with it, and the military was one of these institutions.

The military is one of those institutions that contains a lot of family ties. There are generations of families in the military, because it kind of becomes a culture in itself to be apart of it. When it becomes a culture in families to be a soldier, the culture of the older generations get passed down. So if a man who served in say World War I, when the country was still overtly a racist country, was taught by a racist government and military, he is going to pass these teachings down to his son, who will pass it down to his son, and so on. Next thing you know, you have a bunch of racist, 3rd or 4th generation soldiers serving our country now. They have a racist backing, and their beliefs are passed down through 3 generations, so they are probably really strong. This backing causes cases like Lavena Johnson's to happen. These racists have a belief that blacks don't belong in the same company or even fighting at all with them, and it causes them to committ heinous acts like those that were committed against Lavena Johnson.

Once the government starts changing this trend of racism towards a more equal society, all of the institutions that it controls will follow, and I think the military will be one of the first to follow. Make moves Obama, start the trend to a more equal America.

WEEK 8: RACISM TAKING OVER OUR TROOPS

The stories that Aiden Delgado tells are disturbing, horrific stories about what our military is actually doing over in Iraq. It seems that racism has taken over our armed forces overseas. Not just anyone, but men who were supposedly devout Christians are over in Iraq committing heinous acts you would only see a monster act out.

http://www.blackcommentator.com/133/133_think_racism_military.html

Delgado is a converted Buddhist who was a member of the 320th Military Police Company that helped to serve our country detaining POW's at the notorious Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. He wrote a bunch of articles called "The Sutras of Abu Ghraib" about what actually went on in the prison and all the atrocities that the government was hiding from the American public. When I say that this is an instance where it was evident that racism was taking over our military I meant it not in the exact sense as the Lavena Johnson story, but in a similar sense. The Johnson story is an example of how racism exists within our armed forces, and Aidan Delgado's stories are, to me, those same evils of racism that exist in our armed forces let out on our enemies. Chris Hedges who is the war correspondent for the New York Times said it best when talking about war saying "War forms its own culture...it also promotes killers and racists."

From the beginning of the invasion, it went from being a war on terror to being an anti-Arab, anti-Muslim war. Since the beginning of the time there has always had to be a good and an evil, and the war went from being a war against terrorists, to the U.S. vs. Iraq, to our "Christian" country vs. their Muslim country. Troops were and still are killing innocent civilians in Iraq, and degrading an entire country's population, just because they have this preconceived notion that all Muslims have the potential to be these "terrorists" that did damages to our country. The term "Hajjis" is a word commonly used among our troops to refer to any Muslim or someone of Middle Eastern descent. The term is used by Muslims to refer to someone who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca, according to Delgado, but our troops have turned it into the new ethnic slur, with the same connotations as the n-word has. It seems to me that this "War on Terror" is just giving a lot of racist bigots a chance to unleash their racism on some people of color in a way that society makes feasible.

In Abu Ghraib, they housed civilians who were unarmed that just happened to be around the area when it was attacked by enemy forces. Not only did they house innocent civilians, but when they got unruly, the soldiers were allowed to use lethal force. Lethal force on civilians just because they were getting "unruly." So a little yelling is enough reason to murder someone in cold blood? Not only did they do this but they saw it as a macho thing on who could kill the most people? According to Delgago they saw it as a "macho" thing when they killed these people, and they posted pictures up of the murders they committed.

The idea that from the beginning of training, basic training, soldiers are already being taught anti-Arab chants...racist chants...is a testament to what really drives our soldiers in Iraq. Not the idea that we need to get revenge on those who committed those acts on that heinous day in September or anyone involved, but that ALL Muslims and ALL Iraqis are evil and had a part in what happened on 9/11. The hatred of a whole ethnicity because of something a few men did, sounds like racism to me.

WEEK 7: The Military Covers Something Up Again

Surprise, surprise, another instance of the military messing up, and nothing comes out of it. Luckily this time someone did not have to pay for the military's "mess up" with their life. It is bad enough being a U.S. marine and having to fight for your life on the front lines, but when you have to worry about your life when you are on your own home turf, that is when things get scary.

David Faye, a Pfc in the marines looked death in the eye for 3 days while he was in ICU because of a reaction to a shot the military gave him. It wasn't a shot from a gun or anyhting like that, but from a syringe. David and his unit were supposedly getting vaccinated, but after the shot, things started going way wrong, and was forced to be put in ICU 3 months later.

When you are in the military and anything happens medically, it is supposed to be documented in their medical records, but after Faye got the shot, there was nothing listed on his medical record on November 28th, which is when it happened. It wasn't until Faye's mother called the U.S. Marine Hospital to ask what the shot was did they put it on his records. When his mother called, they told her that the type of shot was confidential, and that they couldn't tell her what it was. The shot showed up 11 months later on his medical records as a flu vaccine. Is that the best they could come up with? A flu vaccine? Did they have some kind of meeting to figure out what to put on his records and come up with a flu vaccine?

I have heard about the military using people as "guinea pigs" to test certain biological weapons, and using the "it's for the greater good" excuse. They don't use it on prisoners, or maybe people who might be on death row, but on their own service men and women, who have the courage to go and fight for their country. Why would the military dishonor someone who has the honor to die for their country by making them die in such a cowardly way.

To me this is just another instance in thousands of instances where the military keeps things extremely confidential to cover something up that they know is wrong. It seems that the military and the government can get away with whatever they want by just covering it up. I am still convinced that a lot of the events that started the biggest wars in our country's history was the government doing it to make an extra dollar. Call me crazy but the government is about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and war makes a LOT of money, and also deprives people of a lot of money as well.

Although Lavena Johnson wasn't as lucky as David Faye to still be alive, I still think that the ability the military has to cover anything up is ashamed. Lavena Johnson and David Faye's case are just two of many that show that there is something fishy going on within the military. Our soldiers deserve more dignity than this. Getting raped and calling it a suicide? Getting some kind of weird biological weapon tried on you and calling it a flu vaccine? Come on, give our soldiers some respect; they chose to serve their country, let them get that chance.

WEEK 6: Color of Change on Lavena Johnson

http://lavenajohnson.com/colorofchange/



On Color of Change's website, they have a separate url devoted to the Lavena Johnson case and activism towards it. The Color of Change is a website that was established after the disaster of Katrina, and has been tackling issues affecting the black community ever since.

According to the website, the central idea that the website was focused on for a while was the case of the Jena 6 in Louisiana. The main focus of Color of Change is to get people behind their stance so that they can help change the plights that black people face in America, this "free" country.

Color of Change has sent letters to Congress, the only body of government that can challenge the military, asking for a complete investigation of Lavena Johnson's murder. They know that if Congress actually investigates, justice will be served, because there is ridiculous amounts of evidence that point away from the military's ruling and towards the truth, that she was raped, tortured, and murdered. The murder happened in 2005 and Congress has yet to act on it at all. The family of Lavena Johnson has been trying for 3 year to get Congress to do something, and yet they won't. Why not? A United States soldier lost her life, and the Congress can find out how she actually died, but will not. This goes against all of America's principles about everyone being created "equal." If it was a white woman suspected of being raped I bet this would be a much bigger issue, and get much more broadcasting.

Color of Change asks you to read the letter and send your voice to Representative Waxman and the House Committee so that they will maybe contemplate serving justice to a woman who was serving our country proudly, only to be murdered by one of her own.

WEEK 5: Modern Day Lynchings

To think that we are in the year 2008 and there are some states who do not have laws that outlaw lynching is a travesty, but much to my dismay, it's true. Not only is it true, but modern day lynchings are popping up every so often. James Byrd to Amadou Diallo to Lavena Johnson to Sean Bell, when is it ever going to end.

Whether it be down in the South where Confederate flags still wave proudly, overseas where we fight to wave our country's flag, or in the biggest metropolis in the United States, lynchings are still happening whether we believe it or not.

James Byrd
Black man walks home from a party in his hometown of Jasper, Texas, and accepts a ride from three drunk white men. Little did he know it would be the last ride of his life. After accepting the ride, Byrd was beaten and chained to the back of the males' pick up truck and dragged for 3 miles. Although it wasn't the traditional lynching that they did back in Jim Crow days, this incident was an obvious example of a modern day lynching.

Amadou Diallo
Unarmed black man is walking home from work and "matches the description" of a serial rapist in the area so the cops go after him. He runs because cops are chasing him, he does what any one would do. He reaches in his pocket for his wallet to ID himself, and the cops open fire. One man, four cops, 41 shots. Diallo was shot at 41 times by 4 cops. Hit 19 times. It only takes one bullet to kill a person, why did the officers need to let off 41 bullets. All this and they had the wrong guy. Amadou Diallo did not even have a rap sheet, he was a sidewalk worker that was working to make money to get into college where he was going to study bio chemistry, but did not get to do this because he was another black man "mistaken" for a criminal. Every firing officer was on trial for second-degree murder; every firing officer was acquitted of the charges. Perfect example of a modern day lynching. The Diallo case is looked at as one of the prime examples of modern day lynchings.

Sean Bell
Black man with 3 Latino friends exit a club, and cops approach them after hearing some choice words. Minutes later shots are fired. After the smoke clears one man is dead, and two more are in critical condition after being shot by NYC's finest. Sean Bell was killed on the early morning of his wedding day, after his bachelor party. Bell was unarmed, but the police officers found it necessary to fire 51 shots at the 3 males. There was 3 police officers firing, an extended clip in a 9 mm handgun only has 16 rounds, you do the math. Not only did the cops empty their clips, but someone had to stop and take the time to reload their gun. A little over excessive don't you think? Another black man killed by the police, the people that are supposed to be protecting our citizens. And guess what...all firing officers acquitted of the charges. No one goes to jail. Sound familiar? Bell case brought up reoccurring memories of Amadou Diallo. Almost the same exact situation. Excessive amounts of shots fired by the police says they were obviously shooting to kill.

Lavena Johnson
And of course, the story of Lavena Johnson. Black women in the military is found dead with scratches, bruises, and burn marks by her vaginal area, and is labeled a suicide. Evidence shows an acid type substance, that would burn away any possible DNA evidence, around her vaginal area, and they still call it a suicide...looks like a rape to me. This is happening in our own armed forces; the same forces that are abroad defending our country can't even put aside whatever inner prejudices they have for a little bit to fight for our freedom. They seem to be battling with a bigger enemy, the enemy of race. As the Johnson family still looks for answers, the military leaves out key details and says she shot herself. She was living a good life, enjoyed being in the military, but committs suicide. The pieces do not fit, and yet the case still gets passed over as just another black body dead. And for what, because some white bigot could not contain his inner racist demons. Again, a modern day lynching, in the form of rape and murder, but this time it wasn't by the cops, it wasn't by a bunch of country boys down South. It was by someone who we put our trust in to defend our country and it's beliefs and values. Wake up people! Racism is prevalent, whether the government believes it or not.

WEEK 4: Just Another "Non-Combat" Death

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20080801/NEWS/384705178

Another instance of someone of color in our armed forces dieing of a "non combat related incident," but the details seem to be misplaced and aren't released to the public, or her family for that case. Army specialist Seteria Brown died while serving her time in Afghanistan, but no details were released about how or why; just that it wasn't during combat. If it wasn't during combat, and it wasn't something that might cause controversy, why hide the details. Why not give her family the respect of letting them know how she died.

Brown's mother was told that she died from a gunshot wound to the chest, but Army news releases said she died from "injuries sustained in a non combat related incident." Do you think it is just a coincidence that she was a black woman.

Why when people of color or women are killed serving abroad, and the military wants to leave out the details they always say the same thing. It's always either a suicide or from "non-combat related incidents." What are these incidents, how do they happen, and don't you think it's weird we have lost a lot of soldiers, particularly those of color and women, to these certain "instances."

Maybe we should stop doing these certain exercises since so many people are dieing because of them. I know the military is a hazardous line of work, and joining the military at this time is putting your life at immediate risk, but as a soldier one should be able to not only feel safe around their own, but to get the dignity of a proper story told about how and why they died. These soldiers whose stories are getting mistrued are fighting for the same cause that the white man standing next to them on the battle field is, so why do they get details left out when they pass on. Is it cause the military doesn't know? Doubtful...not when it happens so often.

WEEK 3: Is the U.S. Military a Racist Institution?

A question like this, if posed to the government, would probably create huge controversy among civilians, as well as the actual military itself, but I can notice a trend when I see one. The death of Lavena Johnson was just one instance of many that shows our military's true colors. I am proud to be American, and I have the utmost respect for the soldiers that are fighting and dieing overseas so that I may live this "free" life. That is not the issue. The issue is that after all these years and all these wars we have been through as a country, some people would have gotten over this idea that another human, especially one fighting right alongside them, is less of a human than they are.

Lavena Johnson's case is just another case in the history of the military where something bad happens within the confines of the U.S. military, and they do whatever they can, no matter how obvious it is, to cover up their tracks, and it somehow works. I honestly do not know what the military has to do for the government to actually punish someone for once. 1964 was a long time ago, but it seems for some people, it hasn't been long enough.

Racism has been prevalent in the U.S. military since the beginning of our country. Even before we were a country, when we were fighting to become our own nation, soldiers had to worry about it. Slaves who were here at the time of the Revolutionary War were basically forced to fight, and were put into all black regiments. Slaves were basically neutral, and would try to join forces with whoever promised them freedom. The British were the first to jump on this, and many slaves fled to the coast to try and join British forces, thinking they would be granted freedom after the war. The colonies noticed this and had no choice but to offer the same thing, so that they wouldn't lose slaves or be outnumbered by a military who already was a lot more skilled than them.

Many of the slaves who decided to side with the Loyalists, or the British, were not only not granted their freedom, but sold to slavery in the Caribbean, which the British owned the majority of. Some even thought that conditions for slaves was worse in the Caribbean than it was in America. After the American Revolution, blacks were prohibited to enlist in the military until they needed help again in 1862. I think it's weird that we get mistreated like this until help is needed than all of a sudden we are fine to help fight.

Than there was the Civil War, which at first was a battle to save the union, than became a battle to abolish slavery. Slaves who fled the South to side with the North were a key, if not the, reason that the North won this war. There were some issues that arose during the war having to do with racism though. President Lincoln was hesitant to issue the emancipation proclamation during the war because he was afraid that the Union states on the border who still owned slaves would side with the South.

During WWI, Corporal Freddie Stowers, who fought for the 371st Infantry Regiment, gave his life for his regiment, and was nominated to receive the Medal of Honor, only to have his Medal "misplaced." Not until 1991, 73 years after he was killed in battle, did the U.S. award Stowers's family with the award.

During WWII, blacks had a high enlistment number in the Army, but were still constantly mistreated. Only until the Tuskegee Airmen and 761st Tank Battalion proved they deserved it did the government desegregate the armed forces, and this was in 1948. It took 200 years of fighting and dieing for America for blacks to be considered "equal" in the military, and this was just legally.

And then there was the bloody war we are in today, the war in Iraq, and the case of Lavena Johnson. The Iraq War is a war that is one of the most controversial wars that we have fought as a country because of its pointless implications. So many soldiers are dieing overseas for a cause that no one really knows, and some soldiers, such as Lavena Johnson, are getting killed by her own. Not through friendly fire or any accidents, but through rape, assault, and preconceived murder. All evidence points to this, but the military still has to go back and cover up their tracks and call it suicide. The soldiers are supposed to be the courageous, brave men that defend our country. They are not only being cowardly by raping and murdering one of their own, but not owning up to their actions either. Are these the kinds of cowards we want serving us?

WEEK 2: Lavena Johnson: A Surprise or A Reoccurrence

Although my topic can be very broad, when I chose it I did so because of one issue that has arose in recent years. Lavena Johnson was a 19 year old Army soldier who was killed while serving in Iraq. Johnson was the first woman soldier from Missouri to die while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. Although the Army ruled it a suicide, all of the evidence collected proves otherwise. This is a perfect instance of not only racial, but sexual discrimination that exists in our military system today.

Lavena Johnson was a 19 year old African American woman who was raped and murdered by someone from her own base, and the Army covered it up probably so they wouldn't deface the criminals who committed this heinous crime. There were bruises all over her body as well as burn marks around her vaginal area, suggesting someone trying to burn away any possible DNA evidence that might lead to the actual truth. Johnson's parents have turned in every possible direction to find answers, even to Congress, the one body of people that can hold the military accountable, and they have still been denied the truth.

Lavena Johnson's story is one horrible example of the discrimination that black people as well as women are still facing in the armed forces, and this is something that absolutely cannot be tolerated. You can read more about what women think of the issue at Salon, a women's rights website.

WEEK 1: Discrimination in the Military: A Surprise or a Reoccurring Trend

Racism and sexism are two issues that are ongoing in society today; as much as we would like to say our country is "free" and "equal," it's not. The fact that we have to deal with this in everyday life is a shame, but the fact that the people who are fighting to defend this "freedom" and this "equality" is even worse.

In recent years, more and more instances of racial and sexual discrimination have been showing up in our armed forces, and the stories are getting worse and worse. Our soldiers are out there fighting one battle, the battle for freedom from other countries, they shouldn't be forced to fight two battles at one time. It shouldn't matter where you came from or what kind of background you came from, when soldiers are giving their lives for this country, they should all be on the same side and not have to worry about battling with their own.

I was interested in this issue because I think that even through these harsh times of war people still can't put their prejudices aside to help out the country as a whole. This is to me a reason why I think as long as this country is alive, the U.S.A. will never be able to get over its prejudice issues.