Why Minorities and Their Defenders are Treated Unfairly

Introduction

The issue of racial discrimination has a long history in the United States. African Americans have been subjected to untold discrimination for centuries in the United States. They were enslaved and compelled to work under brutal conditions. The growth of the United States economy is largely attributed to the efforts of people of color. Although slavery was later abolished in 1863, the African Americans were not liberated. For instance, the Freedmen’s Bureau, a federal government body established to help formerly enslaved people to transition to freedom, did the unexpected. It encouraged African Americans to remain in the South and enter into contracts that made them do the same work they were doing for their previous masters. The enactment of the Jim Crow laws worsened the conditions of the African Americans. The laws codified the role of the African Americans in the southern society, with some states like South Carolina enacting strict “Black Codes” that made it illegal for African Americans to work in any other profession other than farming. African Americans that were found to have violated the codes were fined heavily or forced back into unpaid labor courtesy of a loophole that existed in the 13th Amendment. 

By the mid-20th century, technological advancement had significantly reduced the demand for farm labor in the South. Although this should have resulted in the emancipation of African Americans, they were instead subjected to rampant lynching. Additionally, intentional federal policies furthered occupational segregation and devaluation of African American workers. In the 1960s, African Americans had secured landmark civil rights legislation that led to the creation of federal agencies charged with ensuring that institutions and people are held accountable for engaging in racial discrimination. Despite the significant progress that the US has made over the years, structural racism is still a major socio-economic problem (Hirschfield, 2015). Racial discrimination is an important issue that should be explored in order to determine the best strategies for eliminating disparities in the American society. Targeted interventions should be implemented to expand access to opportunities among the minorities in the United States. The issue is relevant to a diversity class as it highlights the need for social justice and equality.

Review of the Book “To Kill a Mocking Bird”

“To Kill a Mocking Bird”, Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, has remained popular since its publication in 1960. The book is set during the early 1930s in the small rural town of Maycomb, Alabama. The character of Atticus Finch, who is Scouts Father, was based on the life of Harper Lee’s own father, a renowned, liberal Alabama lawyer. Lee’s father was a statesman who frequently defended African Americans who were constantly subjected to injustice in a racially segregated society. The African Americans were racially prejudiced and Lee’s father rose up to the occasion to defend them. 

When the African American man, Tom Robinson, is falsely accused of raping a woman called Mayella Ewell, Atticus is appointed as the defense lawyer. Mayella lives with her father on the outskirts of the town. Although Mayella’s family is disliked by all the townspeople, Atticus’ defense of Tom Robinson is largely unpopular in the majority white community. Scout and Jem are even taunted at school due to their father’s defense of an African American man. Although Atticus constantly seeks to instill moral values in his two children hoping to counteract the negative influence of racial prejudice, they view him as frustratingly bookish. 

The white people’s hatred for the accused African American man is made evident during the night before the trial. A group of local white men threaten to stage a lynching. However, their plans are scuttled when Scout recognizes one of the members of the crowd. Scout identified one of them as the father of her schoolmate. When the trial finally begins, Atticus attempts to bar his children from witnessing the event. He did not want them to witness the prejudice that would inevitably be meted against Tom Robinson. However, Scout and Jem manage to sneak into the courtroom and sit in the balcony, together with the black community that had gathered to follow the proceedings. 

Although Atticus proves Tom’s innocence by demonstrating that Mayella’s face was beaten and bruised on the right side yet the African American’s left arm had been rendered completely useless by a past injury. As such, Atticus concludes that Tom could not have possibly been the left-handed assailant that struck the woman on the right side of her face. Instead, Atticus suggests that it was Mayella’s father that beat her and that no rape occurred. Although the defense lawyer appeals to their sense of justice by imploring them not to be influenced by racial prejudice, the jury returns after two hours with a guilty verdict, sentencing the African American to be executed for rape. Tom is later shot dead upon trying to escape from jail. 

Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father, is incensed by Atticus’ humiliation of him in court and attacks Scout and Jem with a knife. However, he is killed by Boo, a man who was secretly observing the scene. Atticus and the Sheriff choose not to report Boo’s involvement in Bob Ewell’s death as they are certain that a trial against him would be prejudiced. The book demonstrates the truth in the topic. It shows that minorities and the people who defend them are treated unfairly. Tom Robinson is racially prejudiced and when Atticus tries to help him, he is scorned and his children are attacked. 

Harper Lee sought to expose the Southern racist society. He was determined to demonstrate the negative impact of racial prejudice in the society. The author successfully details the way social injustice, class discrimination, and prejudices ruin social harmony. The trial of Tom Robinson is the major incident that underscores the depth of racial prejudice in the American society. Tom is not the only one who is treated unfairly. Atticus’ decision to defend Tom is met with the wrath of the Maycomb society. The verbal abuse of Atticus’ children also is a demonstration that those who defend the minority are scorned in a society whose atmosphere is poisoned b racism. Mrs. Dubose expresses her contempt for Atticus’ resolve to defend the African American, Tom Robinson. She directs her hunger to Scout and Jem, Atticus’ children. She believes that Atticus should not defend the blacks because he is white. 

The Thirteenth Movie Review

“The Thirteenth” film is Ava DuVernay’s analytical and passionate documentary that links the current day mass incarceration of African Americans to its historical origins in the 13th Amendment. The 13th Amendment outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude except as a punishment for a crime. The exception soon led to the systematic criminalization of African Americans. The Jim Crow laws subjected the black people to untold suffering in the hands of the white majority. The film shows that the Jim Crow laws finally yielded to the civil rights movement. However, Richard Nixon’s law and order campaign only served to keep the African Americans subjugated and out of power, allowing for their systematic discrimination. Additionally, the film also portrays Ronald Reagan’s war on drugs and economic policies as deliberate moves aimed at further suppressing the African Americans. The widespread tolerance of law enforcement officers’ violence against black people is a clear indication that the American society is not ready to let blacks live freely in their country. The film applies to the topic because it highlights the plight of African Americans in a racially segregated American society. It shows that the minority are treated unfairly in a country they have called home for centuries.

The filmmaker sought to demonstrate that African Americans have been subjected to oppression by their white counterparts for centuries. The filmmaker also sought to demonstrate that a new form of slavery targeted at African Americans still exists to date in the American society. The loophole in the 13th Amendment has been utilized to tactically use African Americans to participate in forced labor. The film details that the economy of the former Confederate States of America was negatively affected following the Civil War. This is because the primary source of income, the slaves, was no longer available. The Southerners figured out that the slaves would not provide the much needed labor unless they were criminals. As a result, a series of laws were developed in order to increases the chances for criminalizing African Americans. The African Americans found to have violated the laws were subjected to forced labor, in line with the 13th Amendment. 

The filmmaker successfully provides an account of African American dehumanization which paved way for the acceptance of laws and ideas that were laced with biasness. Moreover, incarcerated blacks are less likely to be released because they are often too poor to post their own bail. Worst still, felons lose their right to vote and change the laws that may have led to their unfair prosecution. As such, many African Americans lose a primary right that all Americans have. The filmmaker utilizes salient facts and figures to demonstrate the reality of black oppression in the United States. One of the memorable information imparted is that the United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population and almost 25 percent of the world’s prisoners, majority of which are African Americans. This demonstrates the system prejudice against the people of color in a society divided across racial lines. 

Reflection 

The author and the filmmaker approach the issue of minority oppression in a similar fashion. They both agree to the fact that African Americans have suffered historical injustices in the United States. Despite the similarity in their approaches, the scope of their works differs. For instance, Lee demonstrates that both the minorities and those who defend them are treated unfairly. The unfair treatment of Tom and Atticus attests to this claim. On the other hand, DuVernay focuses solely on the injustice that has been historically meted against African Americans. Additionally, DuVernay’s work covers a longer history of African American oppression, spanning from the Civil War years to the present day America. Despite the differences, Lee and DuVernay convey one central message, that African Americans have suffered a great deal of social prejudice, injustice, and discrimination in the hands of the white majority. 

I have gathered critical insights from the research. I have learnt that social prejudice ruins harmony in a society. America’s long history of racial segregation has persisted to the present day. Toxic ideas of racial segregation are deeply rooted in America’s social, economic, and political systems. For instance, the country’s criminal justice system is marred by racism, with the majority of the prisoners being people of color (Robinson, 2017). Laws are disproportionately applied to people of color. African Americans are more likely to be incarcerated compared to their white counterparts. 

What I have learnt from the research will significantly influence my daily life. For instance, I have learnt that social justice is a virtue that should be pursued even if all the people believe otherwise. Fighting for the oppressed in the society is the truest service to humanity. I will not close my eyes to injustice even if it means being scorned by the society. 

References

Lee, H. (2010).  To kill a mockingbird . Random House.

Barish, H., DuVernay, A., Averick, S. (Producers), & DuVernay, A. (Director). (2016). The Thirteenth [Motion Picture]. United States. Netflix.

Hirschfield, P. J. (2015, December). Lethal policing: Making sense of American exceptionalism. In  Sociological Forum  (Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 1109-1117).

Robinson, M. A. (2017). Black bodies on the ground: Policing disparities in the African American community—an analysis of newsprint from January 1, 2015, through December 31, 2015.  Journal of Black Studies ,  48 (6), 551-571.