I chose to elaborate on the subject of racism and social injustice. Racism and social injustice continue to be a controversial subject in America. Despite America being a relatively young nation compared to other nations, it is vital to comprehend the nation’s historical occurrences. Social injustice is considered as being unfair in its divisions of recompenses, afflictions, and other related disparities. On the other hand, racism is considered as when people believe that a specific race is superior to another (Grosfoguel p.9). Racism and social injustice are very significant aspects of humanities. Considering America’s history, various forms of social injustice and racism have been frequent during the ancient and current times. It is essential for every individual to be treated without prejudice.
The three expressions that are vividly connected to the subject are a poem, dance, and a series of artwork. The first form of expression is a series of artworks. In 2012, renowned artist Tatyana Falaizadeh developed a piece of art known as the “Stop Telling Women to Smile.” The artwork aims at addressing social injustice and racism among women. The art comprises portraits of women placed in public areas with the aim of capturing people’s attention with captions directed towards individuals that advocate for social injustice. The portraits are considered to be similar to obtaining a person’s image and redeveloping in a black and white motion. According to Conner, sexualisation behind telling women to smirk is startling (25). The artist believes that telling women to smile makes is only aimed at making them happy temporarily. This is considered as an unreceptive way of ignoring certain aspects in a conversation. The artwork clearly explores the aspect of social injustice that individuals are likely to experience in their day to day activities. Due to the awareness, a majority of individuals are seeking solutions to the menace to prevent it from being a regular occurrence.
The next form of expression of the subject revolves around a poem, “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. While growing up, the poet encountered various cases of indiscrimination and social injustices. Additionally, the poet spent several years as a virtual mute after being sexually assaulted by her mother’s sexual partner. Her Poem “Still I Rise” talks more about the struggles of overcoming racism and social injustices in America. The message is relayed through the use of numerous similes and metaphors. Even though oppression had been long eradicated, Angelou saw its impacts on the community and American citizens of African descent. This poem remains to be her assertion that she would not allow the dreadfulness of the community to shape her achievements (Angelou). The poem’s main aim is a ‘relaying messages of hope to the community in the face of the existing cases of racism and social injustices. The poem also reminds every reader of the abuse of power by law enforcement officers and other government officials in high ranking positions. The vital tool used to understand the message conveyed in the poem is identifying challenging phrases and words and using other sources to explore the meanings. Becoming more acquainted with the poem helped in developing a better understanding of the poem’s theme.
The next form of expression entails the use of a dance performance. In 2015, a dance exhibition known as “FLEXN,” was conducted in New York. The dancing exhibition is mainly made up of hip-hop themed dances. According to Ilnytzky, every performer in the competition is believed to have lost a close relative or friend due to gun violence or law enforcement brutality (2). In addition, they use the art of dancing to tell their story. Each dance performer developed a choreography mainly aimed towards solitary confinement. During the performances, community leaders, educators, and other officials use the opportunity to hold a 30-minute discussion concerning a wide range of topics that help in devising ways of reforming the local communities. They include community policing along with stop and frisk mechanisms employed by law enforcement agencies. These kinds of events conducted in troubled societies are essential as they show members of the community the crucial aspects as well as what they ought to shift their focus towards. The tool that may be used in understanding the message in the concept of dance is through observation of the dance choreography and the music’s rhythm. As earlier stated, the artists utilize dance to convey the story, which may also be considered as a musical form of art.
Conclusion
Racism and social injustice towards minority groups in America have been on the rise despite the constant efforts to eradicate racial inequality. It is essential to recognize the nation’s history as it offers an illustration of the nation’s current state and the reasons attributed to the situation. All expressions on the selected topic provide a clear illustration and also have a steady impact on individuals in different ways. Each expression is used in the presentation of the challenges in a non-violent manner. Completion of the project helps in realizing the various aspects of representing or expressing issues.
