Press Room

March 18, 2015

Brutality of Martese Johnson

During a night out with fellow students, African American UVA student Martese Johnson was accused of having a fake ID by Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control officers. The event, recorded by a bystander, captured the officers' excessive force as they forced his face into the cement--an injury that later required 10 stitches. Only later did officers realize that his ID was in fact legitimate.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

Johnson, a member of the Honor Committee, had this to say following the incident: "It does not matter if we had a previous misdemeanor charge, or if we smoked marijuana, or if we had a bad academic career. I did none of those things and still fell victim to the same treatment that young black men before me experienced, whose situations were justified by their 'bad' behavior."

For more see, " When Police Misconduct Transcends Class " . 

March 7, 2015

University of Oklahoma's Sigma Alpha Epsilon Chant

During a night out with fellow students, African American UVA student Martese Johnson was accused of having a fake ID by Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control officers. The event, recorded by a bystander, captured the officers' excessive force as they forced his face into the cement--an injury that later required 10 stitches. Only later did officers realize that his ID was in fact legitimate.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

Johnson, a member of the Honor Committee, had this to say following the incident: "It does not matter if we had a previous misdemeanor charge, or if we smoked marijuana, or if we had a bad academic career. I did none of those things and still fell victim to the same treatment that young black men before me experienced, whose situations were justified by their 'bad' behavior."

For more see, " SAE Fraternity Suspended for Racist and Anti-Semitic Slurs ". 

 

November 22, 2014

The Death of Tamir Rice

In Cleveland, Ohio, 12-year-old, African-American, Tamir Rice was playing with a toy BB gun at a local park when police fired at him twice just two seconds after arriving at the scene. Neither officer administered first aid and Tamir passed away from the gunshot wounds the next day. Many people in the media blamed Tamir's "threatening" toy as the reason for his shooting.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

Historically people of color have been denied the same rights as whites and have been forced to live in high poverty neighborhoods with little opportunity for economic success. The fact that some people have turned to gangs to survive has lead to a myth of blacks as being dangerous or prone to violence. The police clearly acted out on this dangerous myth.

For more see, " Tamir Rice Shooting " .

June 8, 2015

Texas Pool Party Violence

At a Texas public swimming pool, a physical altercation began when a white patron made racial comments about a young black woman, telling her to return to her "Section 8 housing" and eventually slapping her in the face. When police arrived (in the midst of confusion), numerous black teenage poolgoers were soon forced to the ground and a police officer drew his handgun. The officer later resigned when a video surfaced of him unnecessarily restraining a 15-year-old black girl in a bathing suit by forcing her into the ground.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

As evident in the video of this event, the police officer singled out African American teenagers, and used excessive force. This is expressive of a history of police policies that have disproportionately targeted and criminalized African Americans.

For more see, " Texas Pool Party Chaos " .

July 7, 2010

Sharron Angle

Endorsing what many called "the most racist ads of the year," U.S. Senate nominee Sharron Angle was quickly condemned by many Hispanic politicians. The ads featured "illegal aliens" as violent Mexican gangmembers. In attempt to mend her reputation as more minority-friendly, Angle spoke to a large group of Hispanic youth, where she said "I don't know that all of you are Latino. Some of you look a little more Asian to me."

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?:

Politicians often use fear tactics to win support; however, in doing so they also reinforce dangerous racial stereotypes.

For more see, " Sharron Angle Tells Latino Kids They 'Look Asian ".

 

May 14, 2018

In 2016, Ronald Lanier, a retired black Nassau County correction officer, was assaulted by two white Garden City police officers, George Byrd and John Russell, who mistakenly took him for a black man who had allegedly shoplifted a purse from a village store. Lanier was shopping in a supermarket in Garden City Village—the village is 91% non-Hispanic White—when the two officers ordered him to put his hands behind his back and threw him to the ground. Lanier said they whispered in his ear, “You want to be a tough guy?” and then beat him on both sides of his ribs. He said that he complied with their orders and said, “I am on the job” — a phrase that law enforcement officers use to identify themselves to each other—and questioned why he was being detained, saying he had done nothing wrong.

The lawsuit claimed Ronald Lanier was assaulted both verbally and physically by police and sought at least $40 million in damages. The case recently resulted in a settlement that ordered the Village of Garden City and its police department to pay Lanier $150,000.

For more on this topic see “Papers: Garden City to pay man who alleged racial profiling” 

May 14, 2018

Garden City to Pay Man Who Alleged Racial Profiling 

In 2016, Ronald Lanier, a retired black Nassau County correction officer, was allegedly assaulted by two white Garden City police officers, George Byrd and John Russell, who mistakenly took him for a black man who had allegedly shoplifted a purse from a village store. Lanier was shopping in a supermarket in Garden City Village—the village is 91% non-Hispanic White—when the two officers ordered him to put his hands behind his back, and threw him to the ground. Lanier claimed that the officers whispered in his ear, “You want to be a tough guy?” and then beat him on both sides of his ribs. He said that he complied with their orders and said, “I am on the job” — a phrase that law enforcement officers use to identify themselves to each other—and questioned why he was being detained, saying he had done nothing wrong.

The lawsuit claimed Ronald Lanier was assaulted both verbally and physically by police and sought at least $40 million in damages. The case recently resulted in a settlement that ordered the Village of Garden City and its police department to pay Lanier $150,000.

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?

Many majority white neighborhoods on Long Island, such as Garden City, were originally populated through racial covenants and overt forms of housing discrimination that denied access to people of color. Today more subtle forms of housing discrimination persist and result in discrimination against non-whites. Since racially segregated neighborhoods create an unspoken understanding of who belongs and who does not belong, people of color are more likely to be treated with suspicion in majority white spaces.

Today Garden City Village is 0.1% black. This type of stark segregation most likely led the police officers to automatically assume that Lanier was the black suspect that they were searching for. This is why they did not bother to question him upon their arrival and instead resorted directly to force. Even when Lanier used a phrase to identify himself as a fellow police officer he was still treated as the suspect.

To read Dazio’s full article in Newsday see, “Papers: Garden City to pay man who alleged racial profiling” 

July 3, 2018

For decades, discriminatory housing policies have made our public schools racially segregated and unequal. Very little has been done to rectify government-sanctioned discrimination, which tied race to property values to the benefit of whites. And even less has been done to address the dangerous myth that more white students means higher quality schools; acceptance of this myth leads to white flight and ongoing discrimination against non-white students.

The only meager form of reparations has been through affirmative action policies that give preferences to equally qualified non-white applicants. Now the current administration is attempting to take away affirmative action in higher education. In addition to eliminating one of the only tools that currently exists to rectify structural racism in our education system, this order will also lead to less diverse learning environments throughout the nation. For decades, research has shown that diverse classroom environments benefit all students. For more information on these benefits, see this story map: "Long Island Students Deserve Diversity".

For more on this topic see, “Trump Officials Reverse Obama’s Policy on Affirmative Action in Schools”

August 1, 2018

For the first time in its 126 year history, Vogue hired a black photographer to shoot the magazine's cover image. Why now? Unfortunately, this historic decision wasn't initiated by Vogue, but rather mega-star Beyonce. In addition to being the on the cover of the prestigious September issue, Beyonce and her team took over the creative direction of her entire story, which included hiring rising black photographer Tyler Mitchell, who is 23, to shoot the cover.

In an article for The Guardian, 19-year old David Uzochukwu, who is also a black photographer, explains how important it is to have other people of color in the fashion industry. He said that he got to shoot FKA twigs because he was found online by other black creatives. He further explains "It's still early days for me but I know for sure that having that support is a super-important aspect if you are not white. Things would have been so different if I didn't have that sort of community willing to use me."

In her interview with Vogue,Beyoncé explained her decision:

"Until there is a mosaic of perspectives coming from different ethnicities behind the lens, we will continue to have a narrow approach and view of what the world actually looks like. That is why I wanted to work with this brilliant 23-year-old photographer Tyler Mitchell... If people in powerful positions continue to hire and cast only people who look like them, sound like them, come from the same neighborhoods they grew up in, they will never have a greater understanding of experiences different from their own. They will hire the same models, curate the same art, cast the same actors over and over again, and we will all lose."

To read Uzochukwu’s full article in the Guardian, see "Why it takes Beyoncé to get a black photographer on the cover of US Vogue"

To read Beyonce's full interview in Vogue, see "Beyoncé in Her Own Words: Her Life, Her Body, Her Heritage"

August 6, 2018

Why it takes Beyoncé to get a black photographer on the cover of US Vogue

For the first time in its 126 year history, Vogue hired a black photographer to shoot the magazine's cover image. Why now? Unfortunately, this historic decision wasn't initiated by Vogue, but rather mega-star Beyonce. In addition to being the on the cover of the prestigious September issue, Beyonce and her team took over the creative direction of her entire story, which included hiring black, 23-year old Tyler Mitchell to shoot the cover.

In an article for The Guardian, 19-year old David Uzochukwu, who is also a black photographer, explains how important it is to have other people of color in the fashion industry. He said that he got to shoot FKA twigs because he was found online by other black creatives. He further explains "It's still early days for me but I know for sure that having that support is a super-important aspect if you are not white. Things would have been so different if I didn't have that sort of community willing to use me."

HOW DOES THIS CONNECT TO STRUCTURAL RACISM?

Fashion has a huge role in society to define culture and give value to certain looks and style. During the rise of colonialism, whiteness became associated with beauty. This history still reverberates throughout the fashion world. Today, there is still a lack of ethnic and racial diversity in every aspect of the fashion industry, including among models, designers, photographers and creative directors.

According to a New York Times article from just a few years ago, of the 260 shows at New York Fashion Week only three were by African-American designers. This mirrors the percentage of African-American designers who are members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America: approximately 12 out of 470.

For more information see "Fashion's Racial Divide".