writing

Contemporary Issues Journal

Music 8H: Music of Multicultural America

Written By [Name Deleted by Request]

5/25/20

Pre-Project Reflection

Due to recent events, I decided for this project that the umbrella topic inequality will be

the main focal point when I am analyzing current events and relating them back to the course

content. More specifically, I will be looking at the effects of the coronavirus on the communities

that often receive inequality and discrimination. For any ethnicity I could discuss how inequality

affects those born into that ethnic group, however, I rather discuss how inequality affects all

races and how we as a society can strive to live in a world where equality for all is an undeniable

human right that is practiced habitually. Inequality has plagued our society and has been

degrading ethnicities for generations and even though our country has moved towards the right

direction we are far from achieving the ideal state. The United States has passed laws to promote

equality like Affirmative Action, however various institutions such as Harvard still discriminate

openly against minorities to this day; proving that although we have laws in place to promote

equality actions speak louder than words and there are still improvements to be made in order to

overthrow the rooted racism that still exists within the United States. The only way equality for

all can be established is if we change society's preconceived prejudice against different ethnic

groups and this requires a cultural revolution. We are seeing right now in our lifetimes a time

where ethnic groups who experience inequality are outraged at the injustices that George Floyd

received. A time where anything can be recorded and shared all over the world along with us as a

society seeing the sickening death of George Floyd has sparked a cultural revolution that not

only aims for black equality but equality for all ethnicities.

In this paper, I aim to highlight how inequality has not only affected the people in certain

ethnic groups but the cultures of these disadvantaged groups. This ongoing trend of inequality

has continued to play a role in our society's history, which we have been studying and analyzing

throughout this course. I will be looking at how the discrimination and inequality that has

demeaned different disadvantaged ethnic groups throughout history has affected the people and

their culture’s in the past and present. The only way inequality becomes terminated is if we shift

our culture’s mindset that is disgusted not only with inequality towards disadvantaged groups,

but inequality to any human being. I will analyze articles that have been written recently that

prove the inequality problem that has troubled our culture for generations. I hope through this

project that I am able to educate not only myself, but others on how inequality has tormented our

culture and the culture of different ethnic groups and the steps we need to take to bring

awareness to these issues.

Table of News Items

News Item

No.

Group

Member

Article Title and Author Source

1 [deleted by

request] “George Floyd Video Adds

to Trauma: 'When Is the

Last Time You Saw a White

Person Killed Online?'” by

Alia E. Dastagir

Dastagir, Alia E. “George Floyd

Video Adds to Trauma: 'When Is

the Last Time You Saw a White

Person Killed Online?'.” USA

Today, Gannett Satellite

Information Network, 28 May

2020,

www.usatoday.com/story/news/

nation/2020/05/28/george-floyd-

ahmaud-arbery-covid-emotional-

toll-hits-black-

families/5270216002/.

2 [deleted by

request]

“'The Virus Doesn't

Discriminate but

Governments Do': Latinos

Disproportionately Hit by

Coronavirus.” by Maanvi

Singh and Mario Koran

Singh, Maanvi, and Mario

Koran. “'The Virus Doesn't

Discriminate but Governments

Do': Latinos Disproportionately

Hit by Coronavirus.” The

Guardian, Guardian News and

Media, 18 Apr. 2020,

www.theguardian.com/us-

news/2020/apr/18/the-virus-

doesnt-discriminate-but-

governments-do-latinos-

disproportionately-hit-by-

coronavirus.

3 [deleted by

request]

“Anti-Asian Discrimination

Continues, Months into the

Coronavirus: Opinion.” By

Anne Ishii

Ishii, Anne. “Anti-Asian

Discrimination Continues,

Months into the Coronavirus:

Opinion.”

Https://Www.inquirer.com, The

Philadelphia Inquirer, 28 Apr.

2020,

www.inquirer.com/opinion/com

mentary/anti-asian-

discrimination-continues-

months-into-coronavirus-

opinion-20200428.html.

Journal Entry #1: May 28, 2020

1. Dastagir, Alia E. “George Floyd Video Adds to Trauma: 'When Is the Last Time You

Saw a White Person Killed Online?'.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 28

May 2020, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/28/george-floyd-ahmaud-arbery-

covid-emotional-toll-hits-black-families/5270216002/.

General Description/ Summary

In the article, “George Floyd Video Adds to Trauma: 'When Is the Last Time You Saw a White

Person Killed Online?'” written by Alia E. Dastagir, it discusses the psychological impacts

racism has on the black community. The article states that the pandemic that is killing our

society is not COVID-19, but instead it is racism. The recent deaths from police officers and

COVID-19 that have affected the African American community should be blamed on the

inequality and injustices that have played a role in this country since 1776, which was when The

Declaration of Independence was adopted which had no rights or freedoms for those of color.

Due to this, ideas regarding equality for those of color have never existed because the system has

been built for those more privileged and of the white race. The article goes on to talk about the

link between rising suicide rates in the African American community and racism. The article also

states that African Americans are being affected by the effects of COVID-19, especially hard

compared to other communities because African Americans disproportionately hold essential

service and front line jobs more than compared to other communities. This article was able to

highlight how inequality and injustices towards the African American community have stemmed

from the structural flaws that the system of the United States has been built upon.

How This Article Connects to Course Content and My Personal/ Academic Experience

I selected this article because throughout the quarter we have learned the history and culture of

African Americans and how these experiences have shaped their music. Due to the slave trade,

the system that was built in place of the United States which aimed to assist white people with

obtaining power and monetary gains while degrading the strives of the black community. We

learned that African Americans were outcasts from society and were not able to take advantage

of public education, housing, and legal protection, which were all accessible to Caucasians.

These are flaws in the system of the United States, which aim to keep African Americans from

escaping their economic situation, which allows for legal segregation. The system since the

beginning of history has not provided resources to the African American community, which has

had an emotional toll on them. Inequality and discrimination have been engraved into the

African American culture, which has only lead to greater inequality and psychological suffering.

Many African Americans accept these ideas of inequality and decide that there is no point in

trying to join the system since they have to deal with more barriers and in the end still deal with

inequality. Due to these effects on African American culture, many want to express their anger

and see the system change. We have seen African Americans express their feelings through

music before. One example is during the civil rights movement when Soul music became the

soundtrack to that movement. Soul music was able to start a cultural revolution that connected

everyone to the idea that African Americans deserve the right to stop being repressed and to start

being represented in government. Music was a way that African American voices could be heard

by the masses without lyrics being suppressed. Change is done by people coming together to

fight for a common goal and this can be seen today. In today’s time everyone has the ability to

communicate ideas from anywhere in the world and due to this society's awareness of inequality

and injustices has never been higher. It becomes much more apparent to the public the

discrimination the African American community suffers when we see these inhumane actions

take place in front of our eyes. Social media is a tool used to spread awareness of the injustices

and call on action to change similarly to how Soul music inspired many African Americans to

fight for their right to vote.

Journal Entry #2: April 18, 2020

2. Singh, Maanvi, and Mario Koran. “'The Virus Doesn't Discriminate but Governments

Do': Latinos Disproportionately Hit by Coronavirus.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media,

18 Apr. 2020, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/18/the-virus-doesnt-discriminate-but-

governments-do-latinos-disproportionately-hit-by-coronavirus.

General Description/ Summary

In the article, “'The Virus Doesn't Discriminate but Governments Do': Latinos

Disproportionately Hit by Coronavirus.”, written by Maanvi Singh and Mario Koran, analyzes

how the Latino community in the United States is disproportionately being hit with the effects of

COVID-19 compared to other ethnicities. Not only is the infection rate higher for those in the

Latino community, but they are also less able to access the healthcare system and unemployment

benefits. Many Latinos fear that trying to rely on those services for relief will only expose them

as an immigrant and result in deportation. For those reasons the number of Latinos infected could

actually be higher than the reported amount. The article goes on to report that the reason the

infection rate is higher in the Latino community is due to the faulty structure of the system that

we have established in the United States that promotes inequality. Many Latinos are essential

workers again a common theme among these disadvantaged groups. Many live paycheck to

paycheck to have their essential needs met so they must risk their lives to provide for themselves

and their families. Due to this many Latinos and their families are at risk since if one of them is

to catch the disease the medical bills would be too expensive for Latinos in these situations to

pay them off. The Latino community also has the highest uninsured rate of any ethnic group in

the United States. Since some Latinos are not United States citizens they are unable to receive

the stimulus check that could add some support to those who are struggling during this difficult

time.

How This Article Connects to Course Content and My Personal/ Academic Experience

During this course, we have looked at how the first Mexican Americans were faced with

inequality after the Mexican American War when a part of Mexico’s land became a part of the

United States. We learned that even though the Mexicans outnumbered the Caucasians in that

area, the Caucasian minority gained control by using discrimination. The stereotype that

Mexican Americans were second class citizens was spread by the Caucasian community, which

aimed to limit their political power and lower their social position. Due to the hostility towards

Latinos much of Latino music history has been hard to uncover. We have seen in both the Latino

and African American communities that discrimination has been a tool used by Caucasians to

establish power and rise up the economic ladder. The system in the United States is known to be

equal for all however it is equal for all who are Caucasian and this started back when The

Declaration of Independence was adopted by the United States and only discussed these

freedoms for the Caucasian man. Even though most ancestors of American people came from all

over the world, Latinos are still met with inequality and discrimination. Similarly to back during

the Mexican American War, Latinos today are still seen as second class citizens due to their

citizenship status and economic status. We hear all the time from our president that Mexicans are

bringing drugs and rape into our country, which has shifted some people’s perception of Latinos.

A man in a position of such high power discriminating towards an ethnic group based on

conspiracy instead of fact leads to an American culture that accepts and practices this type of

discrimination. The United States government provides no services to help illegal immigrants

such as food stamps or stimulus checks as if they are not living human beings, who need at least

their basic necessities met. Since Latinos face inequality and discrimination, they either receive

little or no education which makes it is harder for them to acquire high paying jobs forcing most

of them to work labor jobs. Since the majority of the Latino community work labor jobs that pay

very little, they are forced to live paycheck to paycheck. They most likely will not live in super

affluent communities, only increasing the stress that they and their children have to live with.

This inhibits many Latino children from receiving a quality education forcing them down the

same path thus staying trapped in the cycle of poverty. The system is built for those who are in

poverty to stay trapped in poverty and that change will only come when Latinos have a voice in

the government. A cultural revolution is needed so that every ethnicity is able to stand as one

against the inequality that poverty places on disadvantaged communities so we can be one step

closer to equality for all.

Journal Entry #3: April 28, 2020

3. Ishii, Anne. “Anti-Asian Discrimination Continues, Months into the Coronavirus:

Opinion.” Https://Www.inquirer.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 28 Apr. 2020,

www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/anti-asian-discrimination-continues-months-into-

coronavirus-opinion-20200428.html.

General Description/ Summary

The article, “Anti-Asian Discrimination Continues, Months into the Coronavirus: Opinion.”,

written by Anne Ishii, explores how Asian American owned businesses are losing a lot of money

due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is due to the discrimination many Asian Americans

received due to COVID-19 coming from China. A portion of the public developed the stereotype

that Asian Americans have COVID-19 and decided to avoid all businesses involving Asian

Americans. The article goes on to state that many Asian Americans are receiving racial slurs and

other types of hate crimes such as arson due to the pandemic as if they are the root cause of the

disease. It discusses the continued racism that has existed in the American culture for

generations. The pandemic has been able to show the true colors of our culture that are still deep-

rooted in many racists ideologies that never vanished. The article finishes by saying that

discrimination still exists in our culture today because of hubris leadership who do not put any

effort into moving in the right direction to stop inequality.

How This Article Connects to Course Content and My Personal/ Academic Experience

I chose this article because during the time in this course we have studied the inequality and

discrimination that many Asian Americans have experienced. We learned that during the 1860s

anti-Chinese sentiment grew in American culture due to labor conflicts, economic depression,

and racial biases. We learned that American’s demanded the Chinese community to be deported

and destroyed many Chinese neighborhoods. Laws were passed that discriminated against the

Chinese community that abolished Chinese immigration. Asian’s became allowed to immigrate

to the United States due to the Civil Rights Movement that led to The Immigration Act of 1965

to be passed. Many of these immigration laws were put in place to keep Asian American

communities small, marginalized, and exploitable primarily as labor. Similar to past America

today continues to have deep-rooted racial biases towards Asian Americans and this has been

very apparent during the pandemic. The American culture still has not accepted the Asian

American community as Americans and see them as foreigners. Racial slurs, hate crimes, and

prejudices towards the Asian American community and businesses shows that nothing has

changed in the American culture. Americans still see Asian Americans not as American citizens,

but rather as foreigners who challenge the status quo. Statements like “go back to your country”

even though America is their country or destruction of Asian American businesses show the

inequality and discrimination Asian Americans face on a daily basis. In the United States, Asian

culture is suppressed to stop the spread of awareness about these issues. One example of this is

the lack of popularity among Asian American music genres. A common theme that is seen

towards these ethnic groups that receive inequality is the prejudice of the American culture to

suppress many of these ethnicities from flourishing out of poverty. It is clear that American

culture wants to keep these communities that receive inequality impoverished to lower their

status and limit their political say to maintain power and dominance in a system that has always

benefitted them from the birth of the United States.

Post-Project Reflection

While working on this project, various events have occurred throughout America that

have enlightened me on the topic of racism against minorities. Although I considered myself

educated on terms of discrimination that minorities face in America, it was clear that I did not

understand the whole picture of racism that plagues the United States to this very day. Being

considered white myself, I never had to experience racism or discrimination on a massive scale

compared to those of other races. However, that does not mean I should ignore these problems

that affect my fellow Americans and plead ignorance, which is why I wanted to again review the

problem of racism against minorities in the United States. Even though I have learned about

these topics in history classes in high school, I must continue to educate myself about these

struggles if I want to be an ally to minorities and help stop these discriminatory practices. I

hoped that by researching this project, others can see the visible problems that have been

affecting immigrants and people of color alike, and that it can help educate people of privileged

backgrounds that generations of targeting minorities have created these institutions that must be

reformed if we truly want to live in an equal world.

As evident in the articles cited, various groups of ethnicities have their share of

discrimination that has caused generations of damage and trauma. The black community and

their beautiful, creative culture was not developed overnight, but rather developed through

generations of their experience being treated with no rights in the land that they helped build and

develop. Due to these discriminatory practices, it is understandable why many have expressed

anger and their desire for change in the system through their music, whether it would be rap or

soul music that would help be the anthem of the Civil Rights and future movements for the black

community. Latinos have face similar discrimination practices via immigration laws. Many

Latino citizens throughout America are seen as second class citizens due to their economic and

immigration status, along with being stereotyped by the current administration as drug dealers

and rapists who will cause harm to the United States. This kind of demeaning propaganda is

similar to the racist practices the black community had to endure for centuries in white America,

which in turn has caused economic hardship for multiple generations of the Latino community.

Lastly, the current pandemic of the COVID-19 has caused many Asian businesses to suffer from

negative stereotypes that they somehow helped the virus spread throughout America, again more

propaganda spread by the current administration. A clear outline between all these ethnic groups

living in America is that not only are they diminished of their opportunity to flourish and grow in

America, they have active propaganda cited against them that they would destroy the status quo

of the United States. In order to maintain the comfort many white Americans have enjoyed,

limiting these communities of their economic and political power seems to be the main goal of

the United States political landscape. Although these negative reflections of America may

demotivate many, it has inspired me to not ignore these circumstances, but rather question what I

can do as an individual to help out minorities of all communities to make sure their voice is

heard, not only so they can have a say, but so that all ethnic groups of the United States have an

equal say in the land they call home.