Trayvon Martin: Let the Real Story be Told

Originally, I saw Trayvon Martin's death as a killing from the result of a unreasonably small amount of probable cause. According to CNN, it is believed that George Zimmerman is a racist because he used racial slur to describe Trayvon over a 911 phone call. George Zimmerman grew up in a multiracial family, so it's hard to call him a racist. Whether or not Zimmerman is truly a racist, this is an issue that needed to be addressed.

From a social perspective, this was the most talked about story for most of February and March. The focus was on why George Zimmerman described him as suspicious in the first place. I didn't have to do any research because of this. The conversation on Facebook was all about everyone changing their profile picture to Trayvon's face and calling for justice. Howard University had a rally in front of the white house. LeBron James and the entire Miami Heat team posed for a photo with hoodies on to demonstrate how they appear to be "suspicious."

Coincidentally, the media followed the same trend of the public (with the exception of Fox news). They followed the idea that George  Zimmerman is undoubtedly a racist. They ignored the fact that the police report indicated that Zimmerman was bleeding as well as an eyewitness report that said that two were saw on the ground, one on top of the other.

However, I'm no expert but if I saw a kid with a white hoodie, some skittles, and an Arizona Iced tea, I wouldn't be highly concerned about that person. I wouldn't have much of a suspicion about that person. I'm not saying that the media and the general public are right, nor am I saying that George Zimmerman is not a racist. All I'm saying is that this story needs to be told through forensic evidence.

Works cited

"Timeline of Events in Trayvon Martin Case." CNN. 23 Apr. 2012. Web. 30 Apr. 2012. <http://articles.cnn.com/2012-04-23/justice/justice_florida-zimmerman-timeline_1_gated-community-gunshot-martin-punches/2?_s=PM:JUSTICE>.

Analyzing Women in Hip-Hop Evaluation Essay

Tiffany Anderson gives an interesting perspective of women in hip-hop. She evaluates both males and females in terms of lyrics. However, she presents a lot to argue against because her bias against males in hip-hop are clear.

From a social perspective, it's fair to argue that all male lyrics aren't going to attract a suburban middle aged Caucasian female. However, she mentions only a particular group of male artists in the modern. I would argue that artists such as Ne-Yo and Wale have moved towards feminist lyrics. Notably, Wale's Ambition features songs such as "Ambitious Girl" that point out how males want a strong independent woman by their side. 

Also, Wale's "DC or Nothing" singles out mistakes are making and shows them they can do better. Other than those two songs, the rest of the songs on the album send a message out to tell our youth to work hard to get where you want. Ne-Yo's Year of the Gentleman is very self-explanatory. In particular, his song "Miss Independent" also demonstrates how he and rapper Fabolous look for strong independent women.

Coincidentally, Anderson also mentions how many female rappers mirror males in the rap world. In today's media, image is the only thing that counts. Many of the female rappers dress just as if they were in a male rapper's video. The prime example of this would be Nicki Minaj, who puts on outrageously revealing outfits that demonstrate her acceptance of the "male" hip-hop lifestyle. 

Works Cited

@killerhiphop. "KillerHipHop.com." Wale – Ambition Track List :. Killer Hip Hop, 14 Oct. 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://www.killerhiphop.com/wale-ambition-track-list/>.

Tiffany, Anderson. "A Woman's View of Hip-Hop." Blackboard. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <blackboard.howard.edu>.

Analyzing Visual Elements

From the photo in Writing Arguments, I examined the photo of the police officer who is getting ready to arrest a Hispanic who he assumes to be illegal. The Hispanic person is mowing the lawn, so the person asks if he should finish mowing his lawn.
     From a social perspective it demonstrates the situation that Hispanics (citizens or non citizens) are facing everyday in Arizona. They face the discrimination from police officers under the new controversial law passed. They are immediately discriminated against and are assumed to not have the proper documentation to prove their legal status within the United States.
    From a economic perspective, the U.S. has to consider the labor that illegal immigrants take. A lot of the jobs that are stressful, filled with long hours, and have low wages are filled by illegal immigrants. (mowing lawns) This isn't an example of illegal immigrants stealing jobs, but rather a demonstration of the strenuous manual labor that they have to undergo everyday on the job along with the discrimination.

Essay Research

            My essay consisted of plenty of research in different forms.  My essay is addressing the issue of the ban on ethnic studies in Arizona. When I did my research, I considered the audience and the source of my information. I noticed there was going to be a lot of material geared towards those actually involved in these events. A lot of the articles written immediately identified the issue as unconstitutional and morally wrong.

            Some of my research was dedicated to an area people probably wouldn’t think of. I decided to think big picture when I did my research. In order to make my essay interdisciplinary, I decided to incorporate history into the mix. History tells us a lot about the decisions that people tend to make, so it was fitting that I chose history for my essay. For example, I examined European history and the European diaspora as it relates to the United States. I discovered that European culture has remained consistent throughout their history, never really having to change or conform to another culture. This may be the reason why they don’t want ethnic studies in
Arizona.

Linsanity!

            The rising stardom of the New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin has brought a lot of racial controversy to Asian American basketball players in mainstream media. All of the current NBA stars (with the exception of Lin) and the upcoming stars are African American. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwayne Wade are all exceptional basketball players who consistently play well. Lin, however, doesn’t have your typical story of his rise to fame. He’s Harvard alumni, a player in the D League, and a player who came in off the bench to average 20 points and 9 assists in his last nine starts.

            All of those stats are getting praised by Americans and Asians, or are they? Many skeptics have said that Jeremy Lin’s fame has come because he’s not a black player. Floyd Mayweather, a well-known African American boxer, says on Twitter:

“Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise.”

Personally, I feel this is an example of sheer ignorance. The American dream is based on Jeremy Lin’s Cinderella story, coming from nothing to something overnight.

Unknown. "Floyd Mayweather Thinks Jeremy Lin Is Hyped Because He's Asian (And That's Okay)." SBNation.com. Web. 04 Mar. 2012. <http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/2/14/2797594/jeremy-lin-new-york-knicks-floyd-mayweather>.

Afro Latino Recognition in U.S. Culture

Afro Latinos are starting to be more recognized in TV and media. One person that I know that has rising stardom is Zoe Zaldana. She has been assigned a variety of roles in mainstream movies. One movie in particular, Columbiana, is very contradictory to the stereotype given to ”Latinegras.”  She has a very tough role. On the other hand, she has a role in Guess Who, where she brings home her white fiancée which surprises her black parents. In these roles she demonstrates her rise to the top and how she is part of the transition into American society respectively.

            Even Afro Latino males are on the rise in popular culture. Alex Rodriguez, a widely known Afro-Latino player for the New York Yankees, has been the face of the franchise along with African American and Caucasian player Derek Jeter. Some may argue that nobody really recognizes Alex Rodriguez as a black player, but he and Derek Jeter are actually well known among people with multiple ethnicities.

Works Cited

       Gates. "Black in Latin America." PBS. PBS. Web. 04 Mar. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/black-in-latin-america/featured/preview-black-in-latin-america/172/>.

       Griffin, Cynthia. "Afro Latinos Are Everywhere Yet Are Invisible in Our Black and White Culture." Afro Latinos: Everywhere, Yet Invisible. Web. 17 Feb. 2012. <http://www.theskanner.com/article/Afro-Latinos-are-Everywhere-Yet-are-Invisible-in-our-Black-and-White-Culture-2011-10-10>.

Arizona's Cultural Ban

Just like my previous post, the American people tend to ignore the importance of various cultures being brought to America. This is what makes the United States a special place; it is unique because of its diverse population. Arizona has done what many had thought would never happen again: oppress a race. Arizona should lift the ban immediately and allow Mexican-American students to learn about their diaspora and their American culture.

From a international relations standpoint, this can tremendously affect the way foreign countries view the United States. They continue to see people who have no care for their own people. The United States is often involved in other foreign disputes (Iraq and Libya), but we are seen as hypocrites because it seems as if we don't take care of our own. We had made tremendous strides after the civil rights movement, but this is a step backward.

From a social perspective, Mexican-American students will slowly lose their culture and fall into a stereotype.  They will lose their own personal identity within our society. The Chicano will stray further from the Mexican-American.


This ban is nothing more than the destruction of a major culture within America. These people are ruining their opportunities to gain factual American and Mexican history. The great Hispanic historians will not be able to send the message to the newer generations. It is a culture destroyed.




Biggers, Jeff. "Who’s Afraid of “The Tempest”?" Salon.com. Web. 23 Jan. 2012. <http://www.salon.com/2012/01/13/whos_afraid_of_the_tempest/singleton/>.




Bigelow, Bill. "‘Repeat After Me: The United States Is Not an Imperialist Country—Oh, and Don’t Get EmotionalAbout War’" Rethinking Schools Blog. 29 Dec. 2011. 20 Jan. 2012<http://rethinkingschoolsblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/repeat-after-me-the-united-states-is-not-an-imperialist-country-oh-and-dont-get-emotional-about-war-2/>.