Course_Project_Part_One

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200

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Arts Humanities

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Oct 30, 2023

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Exploration Document Johnathan M. Brake HUM200 Cultural Artifacts "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", is a letter from Dr. King while in a Birmingham jail cell. He was arrested for protesting civil injustices in Alabama, where he wrote the letter detailing the injustices that were happening to African American members of that community. My second choice, "The Blacker the Berry" is a song by rapper Kendrick Lamar. In the song he discusses the numerous social injustices, specifically police brutality, and some prejudice legislation against African American people, and their communities, in America. Common Theme My essay will cover one topic, and one topic alone. Social injustices and systemic racism against minorities, specifically African Americans, in America. The two artifacts I have chosen will easily explain the struggles that people of color in America encounter on a daily basis. Dr. King addresses how white business owners promised to remove signs from their business stating "No Blacks Allowed", and Kendrick Lamar discusses how the government attacks minority communities, as well as police brutality. Personal Experience I am a white man, living in Oklahoma, a predominately white state, who is married to an African American Woman. I haven't experienced NEARLY the amount of racism or social injustices as my minority friends, but, I have personally experienced it through dirty looks, snide, under their breath remarks, a negative experience with a police officer, and, someone using racial slurs directed at my wife. Profession 1

Racism and inequalities affect all areas of professionalism. Someone in the HR department could be racist, whether it is blatant or an underlying unconscious bias, and pass over someone who is more than qualified for the job in order to pick someone who "Looks like them". Recently, the military produced a study that shows that minorities are punished "disproportionally more" (Losey, 2020) than white people in the military court system. Racism and inequalities exist everywhere. We must first understand and acknowledge that simple truth if we are to move forward with liberty, justice, and equality for all as a society. Humanities Resources My project consisted of three sources. The first source being an in-depth article found on the SNHU Student Library website analyzing "The Blacker the Berry" by Kendrick Lamar. The second is an article from Air Force Times discussing how minorities are punished more in the military than white people. My third source is an article, again found in the library, on Dr. Kings "Letter From a Birmingham Jail". Each of the sources are extremely important for my paper, because they help breakdown my chosen artifacts and show how it still affects us today. They help provide unique perspectives that complement my thesis and overall theme. Historical Context Both of my chosen artifacts describe injustices, but they way they do is vastly different. In his letter, Dr. King describes injustices from the common people, as well as some government employees/politicians in the 1960s. Kendrick describes police brutality that many people are experiencing today, people like Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Emitt Till, Ataiana Jefferson, Aura Rosser, Stephon CLark, Botham Jean, Philando Castille, Alton Sterling, Michelle Causseaux, Freddie Gray, Janisha Fonville, Eric Garner, and many, many more. Dr. Kings work has significance because it was written in the thick of the Civil 2

Rights movement, according to the Patron article, "it soon became the most widely-read, widely- reprinted and oft quoted document of the civil rights movement." (Patron, 2004) Kendricks piece is important because he highlighted victims of police brutality, among other injustices against the African American community. Similarities and Differences There are many similarities between my artifacts. As I previously mentioned, both describe racial inequalities and injustices, albeit vastly different ways. Dr. King describes the injustices he has personally experienced (being arrested over 40 times, being beaten, and the discriminatory laws against members of his community). Kendrick explains the injustices he's experienced to other people (police brutality). In his song, Kendrick says "This plot is bigger than me, it's generational hatred. It's genocism, it's grimy, little justification." (Lamar, K, 2015) Clearly, both are describing injustices, and while their message may ultimately be the same, their accounts and presentation of them differ vastly. Medium Dr Kings letter is in written form, which, is rare for him, because he normally utilized speeches as his primary method of dispersing his message. Kendrick Lamar is an artist, not a visual artist, but an audible one. "The Blacker the Berry", is a rap song from the acclaimed rapper. Thesis Statement Racism and inequality is a disease running rampantly through our streets,in our government buildings, and our military courts, as explained in this piece. Audience My ideal audience is anyone who will, or is willing to listen. Whether it's direct racists, those who have an unconscious biases, or people who aren't sure how to stop the spread of this vile, 3

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disgusting disease infecting our streets. Racism and inequality has gone on long enough in the US, and the message must be disseminated to those who need to hear it. Message Many of the people who need to hear this message aren't ready to hear it, or have a hard time understanding it. So, instead of ambushing them with facts, statistics, and encounters that support my claim, I will have to be tactful in my approach. I will have to make adjustments to my verbiage, so that it doesn't appear that I am attacking them, as well as how I present my argument, so that my message can be heard, and clearly understood for those that need it most. 4

References James, M. (2016, March 12). 'The Blacker the Berry'; Unraveling the riddle that is Kendrick Lamar's provocative hit song. International New York Times . Retrieved from https://link- gale-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/apps/doc/A445902101/GIC? u=nhc_main&sid=GIC&xid=7e44736f Losey, S. (2020, May 27). Air Force punished black airmen more, report says - and covered it up. Retrieved August 06, 2020, from https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air- force/2020/05/27/air-force-punished-black-airmen-more-report-says-and-covered-it-up/ Patron, J. H. (2004). A Transforming Response: Martin Luther King Jr.’S “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Rhetoric & Public Affairs , 7 (1), 53–65. https://doi- org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1353/rap.2004.0028 Lamar, K. (2015). The Blacker the Berry . YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdPtVZDspIY 5