Month: October 2023 Page 9 of 11

Prep Note 10-05-23

On October 5, 2023

Chapter 7:

What struck out to me from chapter 7 was how many peoples rights stem from the importance of politics and being able to vote. In this chapter, it goes into detail as to how politicians would pass defensible laws that would secretly put blacks at a disadvantage voting compared to whites. For example, it says that blacks had to memorized their answers as to who they voted for while whites were given a pen and paper to fill out their ballet. This strategy was used in order to stunt the black vote since they made up a great percentage of Richmonds population. As a result of being unable to vote fairly, white democrats were put into office and passed policy that would virtually segregate and lower the quality of living for Black Americans. One of the most shocking sections of this chapter was in relation to marriage and the eugenics movement. Eugenicists had a strong influence on Nazi politics around the same time period which reflects the immense evil that was taking place in Richmonds politics. Many people were sterilized for being criminals which is more focused on the black community. Due to the laws passed restricting rights, as well as a bias justice system, people of color were more frequently targeted in criminal situations thus putting them at risk for sterilization.

Another moment that caught my attention was at the beginning of the chapter when Richmond built roads over the graveyards that held the remains of many popular blacks and people considered heroes.

Chapter 8:

“Integration, however slight, anywhere in Virginia would be a cancer eating at the very life blood of our public school system.”

It can be seen that education was highly valued, so much to a point that racist politicians believed it had to be restricted from blacks. This is evident in this quote above because the politicians try to mask their agenda through the good of the public school system. Instead, they want to prevent blacks from getting higher education. Education is very important, and it’s reflected later in the chapter when even more black are voted into office. With greater education, and more knowledge, the blacks were given a chance to take control or have influence in politics.

Prep Note 10/05/23

By Kaylee Wyrick

On October 5, 2023

In Kaylee, prep note

Chapters 7-8 were very interesting, and they talked about specifics in Virginia history that I had never heard of. I knew that following the Civil War many southern states enacted black codes or racial segregation but I didn’t know the specifics of it. I thought it was interesting how the different types/effects of racial segregation were broken down. I was surprised to an extent about redlining and its effects. In chapter 8, I was/am interested in learning more about Jackson Ward. The way that urban planning and the city of Richmond failed Jackson Ward’s residence is very concerning. There was no regard for their lives or where they would go. Once again, the black population was ignored and pushed to the side during a decision-making process that would greatly affect their lives. Hearing about the fight against racial integration in schools was sickening. The fact that politicians were so against integration that they were willing to shut down the public school system shows true ignorance.

Prep Note 10/5 – Discussion Reflection

By Zhuoyan Wen

On October 5, 2023

In prep note, Wesley

After my discussion with Professor Dolson yesterday, I have gained a clearer understanding of the proper approach to character analysis. It involves formulating a thesis to unify the analysis and utilizing evidence from the article to support these insights. In the past, I mistakenly perceived literary analysis as a process of simply presenting events in chronological order to demonstrate my understanding of the entire article. However, I now recognize that establishing a central idea and weaving the analysis around this idea with evidence as the foundation is a far more effective approach to character analysis.

Yesterday, I chose to focus on analyzing Dean as a character, specifically exploring how Dean establishes his sense of “self-worth.” This examination involves delving into Dean’s elusive and undefined “big dream,” as well as the paradoxical nature of his life and his challenging family background, marked by a lack of love. Through this lens, it becomes evident that Dean’s ultimate desire is to find a sense of belonging and recognition among the people in his life. He employs the concept of the “Big Dream” as a means of self-sabotage, as he seeks to uncover his true identity within the context of his family.

Prep note 10/5

By Ana Michaelis

On October 5, 2023

In Ana, prep note

Through reading chapters 7 and 8, the biggest thing that stuck out with me was how creative and persistent the community of Richmond was throughout history in trying to limit the rights of Blacks and continue to discriminate. Learning about the burning of Richmond was so crazy. The fact that they would rather burn their city than have the union take over was so eye opening to the true intensity of the deep rooted racism from Richmond.

Also, the law making made by Richmond surrounding housing and land in attempt to split or damage prominently Black communities was very intensive and just straight up immoral. I cannot believe that they just destroyed a whole community and built a highway through it. Also, that they made so much efforts to bar the education and rise of christianity for the black community says a lot.

Prep Note – 10/5/2023

By Nicholas Javier

On October 5, 2023

In Javier, prep note

The reading for today offered interesting insights into how Richmond and by extension the South as a whole instituted racism into a more systemic form than before. Their use of segregation to exercise control was effective to a concerning degree. Even more concerning, was the extent that most Virginians were willing to go. The Confederacy burned Richmond akin to a scorched earth method of warfare in order to not let Richmond fall into the hands of the Union, a move that ultimately did not succeed in the long term.

The author writing about how the people reacted with rejoicing at the first victory but were awoken to the cruel reality of war was an effective method to stir the hearts of readers in also recognizing the depth of the experience even further. It struck me deeper than other components of the chapter because while much older, it calls back memories of societies where we have seen the wagons of bodies and soldiers returning home while wounded.

The story of the fourteen-year-old boy who saved the flag and proceeded to hoist it up the flagpole 17 years later as the Union arrived in the city of Richmond is a story of admiration and persistence. A symbol of how resistance endured even within the hearts of those whose views did not line up with the Confederacy. As the city slowly rebuilt however it was clear that racism at the very least, if not slavery, was here to remain.

The south’s continued attempts to find loopholes appeared repeatedly throughout the two chapters. Trying to loophole or put off the integration of schools, their philosophy of “end of slavery doesn’t mean equal rights or suffrage…” among other attempts to district them off of race by neighborhoods, trying to uproot those neighborhoods, etc. demonstrates just how deeply their values were seated within their hearts. It also goes to show the flaws of the system which allowed them to get this far without proper reinforcement. Although they were still criticized by the North, and even the Supreme Court reissued that integration should move along “quickly at all costs” — they still held on to their outdated views.

As disappointing as this is, it is still reflective of similar concepts held today whereby political groups or even corporations exploit loopholes in the system, coupled with an influence in government in order to push through their views.

Another component I noticed is that there was fairly limited progress until after World War 2. There’s almost a jump between the late 1880s near the end of the chapter whereby it describes the ways that Segregation and systematic racism were ingrained via the One-Party-System, etc.

At the same time, it was a period of development for the city itself, and even under this systemic pressure and oppression, Richmond’s African American population had managed to find more success before the start of the Urban Renewal.

Prep Note 10/05/23

By William Linquata

On October 5, 2023

In prep note, Will L

While reading chapters seven and eight there was a lot of information on how segregation and unequal treatment/opportunities took the place of slavery when it was abolished. I discussed this same thing in my American Studies class, how during reconstruction there was a period in which Black people were almost treated normally before that quickly changed to the unfair treatment, they would have to endure for basically the next hundred years. When slavery was banned, segregation took its place and when segregation was banned, prejudice took its place. Even after Brown v. Board of Education and people and places could no longer use the excuse “separate but equal” there was still such racism and bias when it came to offerings and opportunities. One thing that I was reminded of which I had learned about in high school was also how poorly the governments treated Black neighborhoods from redlining and not giving people loans on houses, to outright destroying parts of them to make room for whatever project they might have needed space for.

Prep Note – 10/05

By Nicholas Gunn

On October 4, 2023

In Nick G, prep note, Uncategorized

One thing that immediately struck my attention was the picture on page 128 of Daniel Trattles of the 19th Michigan Infantry after he was released from Belle Isle in Richmond. I think this really impacted me because of how deathly skinny he looks. By just looking at his shoulders and chest, I almost would not be able to guess he’s human because there’s just nothing there besides skin and bone. I never knew Belle Isle existed and it’s hard to believe that a prison like that existed in the US. I almost have this notion that yeah, things like this happen, and it’s awful but it seems so foreign, like it could never happen in America.

It also was crazy to read about the countless ways that people tried to continue suppressing black people after slavery was abolished. The school system especially focused entirely on targeting black people, expelling them from schools, and attempting to replace African-American school teachers with white teachers. Urban development was another way that white people attempted to continue to suppress black people. The text talks about the decision to extend 7th Street in Richmond so that it cut directly through Richmond’s historic black cemetery where many famous slaves were buried. Later on in the reading, chapter 8 talks about how highways were developed, splitting historically black communities and displacing residents who would eventually be reconcentrated back into public housing courts. It’s even crazier to think that all of this happened so recently.

The section about education and how white students were told a distorted, watered-down version of history was also interesting. The author talks about a specific textbook that was required for all 4th-grade students. This textbook spent two paragraphs out of 328 pages talking about slavery in the context of the Civil War. To top it all off, the textbook also says, “Some of the Negro servants left the plantation because they heard that President Lincoln was going to set them free. But most of the Negroes stayed on the plantations and went on with their work. Some of them risked their lives to protect the white people they loved,” (Campbell 147). This also reminded me of a conversation I had with one of my friends here at UR who grew up in Alabama. He said when he learned about the Civil War, it was referred to as “the succession of the North”. It’s unbelievable that to this day, we are trying to influence our youth through distorted views of history.

Prep Note 10/5

By Haven Buechner

On October 4, 2023

In Haven, prep note

I think it was interesting how little time, comparatively, Campbell spent writing about the actual Civil War itself. Maybe he felt that the time during the war wasn’t as important as the aftermath of the war, and how it affected racial tensions in Richmond. On paper, the major foundation of the Southern economy (slavery) had just been eliminated with the passage of the 13th Amendment, and society should have been in shambles after fighting and losing a war. Yet, there wasn’t a seismic shift in racial equality, and discrimination/segregation still occurred. Even vagrancy laws preserved elements of slavery in a post-Civil War society.

The imagery of a burning Richmond seemed very cinematic, in a way. Between the people drinking liquor from the gutters, troops evacuating the city, and the fire burning behind it all, it just feels like that was a moment where maybe the all of the underlying tensions of a city at war were unearthed and brought to light. The city, and the Confederacy as a whole, knew that they were on the brink of crumbling. I think the actions that people take in those kinds of situations can be very telling.

One thing that stuck with me was how the history of Virginia regarding slavery and the Civil War was rewritten to show the South in a more favorable light. I’ve learned about this a bit in a history class I took in high school. The teacher posed an interesting question – in what other war has the losing side been allowed to influence how the story of that war is told? History is written by the victors, except in the case of the American Civil War. In most wars, the losing side is eliminated entirely. But because the South was allowed in large part to retain its identity and culture even after rejoining the Union, it was able to erase parts of history and rewrite them to its advantage.

Prep Note 10/5/23

By Kristine Nguyen

On October 4, 2023

In kristine, prep note

Although slavery has been abolished at this point in history, the remnants of discrimination persisted. One thing I noticed was the fact that white people censored movies with racial themes, and they even rewrote history in a way that made their abhorrent actions regarding slavery “the rational choice.” This reminds me all too much of what is happening in today’s world, in which books with racial themes are being banned, and courses such as AP African American History are being banned in Florida. I think this reflects the idea that history is written by the winners. Perhaps it is an attempt to protect white people from feeling uncomfortable about their ugly history, but if you are not uncomfortable, then you are not doing the necessary work in order to move society forward.

Another thing that piqued my interest was the concept of redlining and how it resulted in mortgage loaning to be disproportionately low in Black neighborhoods. Even just driving through the Richmond area now, you can visibly see the lines dividing predominantly Black and white neighborhoods. On the subject of housing, I could not wrap my head around the fact that white people took down so many Black neighborhoods to build roads. This is too much like Indigenous colonialism, in which they staked a claim on their land and tried to justify it with superficial reasons. In this case, they claimed that they were “cleaning” up the poor neighborhoods and that public transport would be made easier with these roads, despite having to literally demolish Black people’s homes to build them.

The concepts of gerrymandering and voter disenfranchisement also stuck out to me due to its presence today as well. I thought they really came up with the most ridiculous laws to prevent Black people from voting, such as making Black people memorize answers to questions and say it to them. The worst thing is, they didn’t even try to hide the fact that they were disenfranchising Black voters. Carter Glass literally said that they were working towards “the elimination of every negro voter who can be gotten rid of” (139).

Prep Note 10/5/23

By Julia Dalmanieras

On October 4, 2023

In Julia, prep note

When my parents and I came to Richmond, the first thing that my dad noticed was that the highway cut directly through the city. I kind of brushed him off because he always notices things like this whenever we go to a new place, so I just assumed he was being nitpicky and that it was bad urban planning. However, after reading chapters 7-8 of Richmond’s Unhealed History, I realized that the placement of the highway through the center of the city was meticulous. It was heartbreaking to read about the communities destroyed at the hands of city construction, and the number of people displaced without anywhere to go. Another thing that struck me from these chapters was the extensive details about “managing segregation,” as Campbell refers to it. The lengths that the government went to in order to maintain racial and economic hierarchy removed any chance that people of color or those who were poor would be able to vote, get an education, or become employed (and then there was that law that you had to be employed).

I have to say while reading these chapters, there wasn’t a lot that surprised me. Boston has a deep history of bussing and redlining, and the term gerrymandering was coined in Massachusetts. So, learning that Richmond, the Capital of the Confederacy, also had these same issues, was not surprising to me. However, this reading was hard to digest because of the extent to which lawmakers went so that integration did not happen in Richmond. Something that did surprise me was how hidden the city officials tried to keep their efforts to segregate the city. It’s like they knew what they were doing was wrong so they tried to hide it, instead of making efforts to comply with the federal government and stop segregating their schools, districts, and neighborhoods.