On Tuesday, November 1, 2011, Frostburg's own BSA (Black Student Alliance) held a special informational event to help shed light on the progression of Jim Crow laws and how they affected how African Americans were portrayed in pop culture advertising.
Dr. Gregory Wood, a History professor at Frostburg State University, was the featured speaker to guide the audience through stories of segregation and racism in the early 20th century. Wood, an obvious master of the topic, spoke eloquently and respectively since many see this as a rather "touchy" subject. He had prepared a power point presentation which displayed pictures and products made while segregation had a huge hand in the society.
The room in the Fine Arts Building, though filled to maximum capacity, was completely silent as Wood explained the meaning behind every slide. Wood explained how, back then, White people exaggerated African American's features just as another way to belittle them. His slides then showed the obviously amplified features indicating the extremely racists ideals of people back then.
To fully extend the severity of how far racism went, there was an exhibit down the hall from this lecture like meeting. The "Hateful Things" exhibit, from Ferris State University, had an array of different "things" which had a hand in segregation. A story called "10 Little Niggers" was posted on the wall and, without having to be said, showed severe racism. This name was later changed due to the racial slur .
Also on display was a game called "Ghettopoly". This game was a parody on the popular family game "Monopoly". Instead of building "houses" and "hotels" on a property, there were "crack houses" and "projects" in their place. What we know as "Chance" and "Community Chest" cards in Monopoly are paralleled with "Hustle" and "Ghetto Stash" cards in Ghettopoly. Instead of picking up a "Get our of jail free" card, chances are a card that says "You got yo whole neighborhood addicted to crack. Collect $50.” The NAACP found this game to be extraordinarily racist and was later pulled from the sales market.
This event seemed to hit home for many students. Susan Kinney, a Senior studying Human Resource Management at Frostburg State University, found Dr. Wood's lecture to be "very informing." Kinney stated that "it's pretty incredible how horrible it was back then. I can't even imagine having a world like that now... and I'm white!" Once she visited the "Hateful Things" exhibit, Kinney expressed how "...nowadays, some of those things are so incredibly racist you think they just made it up".
Others, along with Kinney, agreed with the ridiculous standard of racism at that time. Wesley Rollins, a Junior studying Social Science and Education at Frostburg State University, thought some of the items put on display at the exhibit were "funny." "Not because racism is funny or anything," Rollins explained, "it's just that not many people think that way anymore. It's kind of ridiculous to think anyone would think that way."
In current times, it really is hard to believe that there was ever a time where such racism could be so prevalent. With the help of Dr. Wood, The BSA, and the exposure that the "Hateful Things" exhibit gave the students of Frostburg University (along with many others), it looks as though progression is the only route that students here will take.
For More information about Jim Crow laws and the "Hateful Things" exhibit: http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/traveling/
No comments:
Post a Comment