Exposing the Problem by Nikole Koko Harmon https://padlet.com/jaharmo/fjzf0cexajwr Made with magic en-us 2017-02-23 00:26:12 UTC 2025-10-12 10:13:51 UTC hello@padlet.com Assimilation jaharmo https://padlet.com/jaharmo/fjzf0cexajwr/wish/155634419  "My friend they don't care if you're an individualist a leftist a rightist a shithead or a snake They will try to exploit you absorb you confine you disconnect you isolate you or kill you" - Jayne Cortez.

This artifact is the representation of the false idea that Cortez is disputing. By assimilating into white society, life will be better for people of color. Cortez is saying that it does not matter what side you are on, whether you conform or not, "They" are still out to get you. The theme of this section is exposing the problem and assimilation is one of them. Advertisements like the one below, are circulated in the black community and this belief that if you are more white-like  you will be treated better. When the actual problem is not blacks fitting in, but it is the racism and unjust treatment. This artifact is one of the problems that need to be exposed and made aware of.

Alison Robert (Black Skin Remover)Ardentheatre.org 22/02/2017 http://ardentheatre.org/blog/the-right-hair-for-raisin/ ]]> 2017-02-23 00:40:54 UTC https://padlet.com/jaharmo/fjzf0cexajwr/wish/155634419 Black Spaces jaharmo https://padlet.com/jaharmo/fjzf0cexajwr/wish/162015473 "So we are all black people, so-called Negroes, second-class citizens, ex-slaves. You are nothing but a [sic] ex-slave. You don’t like to be told that. But what else are you? You are ex-slaves. You didn’t come here on the “Mayflower.” You came here on a slave ship — in chains, like a horse, or a cow, or a chicken. And you were brought here by the people who came here on the “Mayflower.” You were brought here by the so-called Pilgrims, or Founding Fathers. They were the ones who brought you here. We have a common enemy. We have this in common: We have a common oppressor, a common exploiter, and a common discriminator. But once we all realize that we have this common enemy, then we unite on the basis of what we have in common."
- During slavery times the church was not simply a place of worship for Black people, it was a safe haven. Blacks could unite together and discuss issues pertinent to them without fear of consequence. I feel that the black church fully embodies what a Black space is. In the selected quote above, it touches on how the history of blacks begins with slavery because that is all they know and that uniting against the enemy can bring education to those who may not who they are. Having a Black space allows for people to know they are not alone and face the same issues and provides a feeling of safety and hopefulness.





New Zion Church in Bardstown, Kentucky from My Life and Work by Alexander Walters (New York and Chicago: Fleming H. Revell Company, c1917).



]]> 2017-03-23 03:48:11 UTC https://padlet.com/jaharmo/fjzf0cexajwr/wish/162015473 Rebellious Love jaharmo https://padlet.com/jaharmo/fjzf0cexajwr/wish/166281249 "Cause
You ain't posed to love yourself Black Girl
You ain't posed to find nothing worth saying in all that brown
You ain't posed to know that Nina Beyonce Tina Cecily Shonda Rhimes shine shine shine
You are a Black Girl worth remembering.....
And you are a threat knowing yourself
You are a threat loving yourself"
- Mahogany L. Browne
This artifact is a  representation of how loving blackness is radical. Browne states how how as a black woman , society (both blacks and whites) expect us to to be basic and not find ourselves attractive because this is how they look at us even though  it is not true. However, by keeping the esteem of black women low, it is easier to control and manipulate them. This is why loving your blackness is a threat. In the more recent times, it has taken black young ladies to reach adulthood before they unlearn the negative views they have about themselves, thus breaking a cycle. Little girls are becoming more aware of their beauty but also aware that they will try to be told otherwise. The girl below is ten years old and is firm in her love of her blackness and by her adding the caption, "My black is beautiful and i wont let anyone tell me different" shows just how radical it is just to love yourself while being black.
https://twitter.com/kherispoppin

]]> 2017-04-13 16:14:21 UTC https://padlet.com/jaharmo/fjzf0cexajwr/wish/166281249