Jena 6

In early December of 2006 six African American teenagers in Jena, Louisiana were charged with the beating of 17 year old Justin Barker, a white male from the same area. Over the previous four months tensions had been rising over several racially inspired incidents that had happened at Jena High School involving white and black students. The first incident which occurred in September of that year involved a tree on the high school property under which only white students could sit, “black students typically sat on bleachers near the auditorium, while white students sat under a large tree in the center of the school courtyard, referred to as the "white tree" or "prep tree"”. After asking the principle if they were allowed to sit there and receiving the answer “you can't sit where ever you want”, several African American freshman took a seat underneath the tree. The next day at school several nooses were seen hanging from the tree branches. This and several other incidents, including numerous white vs. black fights, lead to the community being torn apart by racial tensions. After the December beating of Barker, all six African American teens were arrested for varying charges. This is what began a nationwide movement and fight against racism in the justice system, with Jena being a perfect example of the discriminatory practices used throughout the United States. The six African American teens were originally charged with attempted second degree murder for the attacks on Barker, sparking riots and protests all over the country by people who found these charges racially motivated and excessive. In the end all of the charges were lowered to less serious offenses, however Mychal Bell one of the six African American teens was convicted as an adult, although only 16 years old. Many believed the circumstances would have been much different had the situation been flipped, with six white teenagers, beating up an African American guy.
Flahtery discusses this in the book as a time when Americans were being shown how the justice system in their country really works, “The Jena Six were living proof that there are still two systems of justice functioning in this country, one for Black people and one for white; one for rich and one for poor. The unpunished incidents in the days and months leading up to the fight were evidence that white students in Jena would never have faced charges if they had beaten up a Black student”. Many people, mainly African Americans knew that this kind of discrimination had always been apart of this country, and were ready for the rest of the world to find out. While Louisiana news stations extensively covered the story, the rest of the United States largely ignored the case for many months, in my opinion to cover up the injustices that were beginning to float to the surface of our society.
In the following months the people of Jena, Louisiana and supporters across the nation came together to help defend the youth they believed were the victims of racial injustice. They began circulating online petitions, raising money for legal defense, holding demonstrations across the country, and participating in marches and rallies on September 20, 2007. These events were supported by rappers, activists, and people from a wide spectrum of backgrounds, all fighting for a similar goal, equality. Over 20,000 supporters attended the rally in Jena, Louisiana that day, with special keynote speakers, one who ended his speech with the line “"It is sobering to know that in 2007 Martin Luther King's dream of equal treatment, respect, fairness and opportunity is still not realized”. It was an empowering day for African Americans in this country, although we can still see that little has changed in this country, the actions of many showed that even without much power, determination can pay off. In the end after months of appeals, help from the government and citizens of this nation, many of the charges against these six boys were lessened and all were eventually freed.

Katrina

On August 29th, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans as a Category 3 storm. This was the worst hurricane to ever hit the gulf coast and many say it was the biggest natural disaster on American Soil. Over 80% of the city was under water due to the breach in the levies and tens of thousands of people were left stranded without food, water, shelter or medical attention. For days and weeks on end the people of New Orleans who were unable to make it out before the storm(which was the majority of them), were stuck in dire conditions with no resources or help from the federal government. Even six years later our questions remain unanswered. Why didn't Louisiana provide transportation out of the city to the thousands of low income citizens who did not own any kind of vehicles? Why were the residents of the lower ninth ward and other neighborhoods forgotten about? Why were helicopters picking up whites before they would pick up black residents? Why did it take the federal government nearly a week to provide simple items like food and water to the thousands of stranded people, but when Asia experienced the tsunami a year earlier, FEMA and other agencies were over there within hours? Why weren't these levies secured decades ago when it was proven that they would not withstand a catastrophic hurricane? Why did the government fail to proactively do something to prevent something like this from happening? Why even years after the storm have the majority of these people not seen a penny from the government or help rebuilding their homes and city? It seems the answers to these and many more questions will never be answered.
The biggest issues that has rose out of Katrina were the obvious injustices that were rooted deep in the history of New Orleans. These inequalities and problems were present long before the storm, but Katrina The storm allowed these injustices to show themselves for the rest of the world to see. In the days and weeks following the storm chaos took over the city and it was apparent that low-income African Americans were at the front lines of this tragedy. When thousands of residents began entering flooded stores and markets to take what they could get, whether it was food, water, clothes or appliances, the media portrayed whites and blacks very differently.
Whites were seen taking these items and characterized as victims of the storm just trying to survive, while blacks were called looters, and criminals. Blacks were being arrested and beaten for stealing items from these places, while thousands of others were drowning, and dying because the police were too busy to help them. Like Flahtery states in Fields of Resistance “After Katrina, young black men in New Orleans were portrayed solely as perpetrators of violence (Flahtery). False reports were broadcast all over the world that black men were raping babies and children, killing, assaulting and looting left and right. Apparently it was more important to catch the “thieves” at the corner market than for the government to take responsibility for this catastrophe and to move into action in order to bring in some relief. At this same time members of the police force and National Guard were committing atrocious acts of police brutality and failing to protect the people of their own country. Flahtery discussed how he witnessed first hand the racism and unequal treatment of African Americans in the days after Katrina “I still believe that race played a major role. I saw it personally. These National Guard troops were scared to death because of race. They were mostly from rural areas and for them their knowledge of African Americans came from TV shows like Cops. They pointed guns at many people, and there were plenty of racial slurs". He speaks vividly of his experience in realizing that white privilege is a very real thing, and the tragedy that so many New Orleans residents experienced happened because they were lower-class blacks, plain and simple. In an attempt by the government to cover up their behavior and lack of initiative for the city of New Orleans, these residents were framed as dumb, undeserving criminals. Before, during and after Katrina it was very hard to deny the fact that white was much more valued than black.

La Via Compesina & the CIW

La Via Compesina has become an international movement of an organization that has “brought together millions of peasants, small and medium-size farmers, landless people, women farmers, indigenous people, migrants and agricultural workers from around the world.” As an organization they believe that small, sustainable farming is the answer to stopping injustice in the global food system which is created by large corporations who are hungry for profits and power. In their eyes these corporations are the root cause of social injustice, inhumane labor conditions, and environmental disasters with the food system. One of their goals is to change the food system in a way where everyone can grow and cultivate their own food directly in their communities in order to feed the world “in a healthy and sustainable way”. They work with one another to teach and learn environmental and human friendly ways of farming and agriculture. They represent farmers from 70 different countries throughout the world without having any political or economic type of ties. While they do hold protests, marches and rallies, their goals are much more large scale and they want to start the change within the government with laws and regulations. They have become one of the largest organizations in the fight for food sovereignty however they are battling against the most powerful, rich, and large corporations in the entire world. They have united together from all over the world, working with fellow farmers from across the world to get their voices heard. They are constantly holding meetings, debates, forums and discussions around the world with various other organizations and groups.



On the other hand there is the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). They are mainly based in the southeast of the United States and are made up of “Latino, Mayan Indian and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida.” Their main goals are to achieve better pay among the workers, better, cheaper housing, “stronger laws and stronger enforcement against those who would violate workers' rights, the right to organize on our jobs without fear of retaliation, and an end to involuntary servitude in the fields.” These laborers work in the tomato fields of Florida and fight many of the same struggles as the La Via Compesina. They want to inform Americans and people around the world of the conditions they are forced to work and live in. These people are at the mercy of large corporations who make the decisions about prices and profits. The tomatoes these laborers pick are the same tomatoes that supply some of the biggest fast food corporations in the world such as Taco Bell. This organization has ran several campaigns and marches against these large business and much of their work has paid off. In attempt to get the negative media coverage off of their company Burger King was one of the first businesses to agree to the CIW's requests of an additional one cent per pound. They have now joined the CIW in attempting to get other companies to do the same and fight for equality in this industry.



As consumers we play a role in the fight for social justice, while it might not always feel like we can do much, every little bit counts. Ultimately we have a choice to support those companies and corporations who treat workers with equality and to buy products that we know are not coming from underpaid laborers in areas like Florida. We have the ability to alter the food system as long as we educate ourselves on the injustices happening in our own country and put effort into doing something about them.

Bananas

Banana production and labor conditions are very similar to many of the various foods we have looked at in this class and have read about in Stuffed and Starved. Like we have learned about with chocolate, coffee and various other foods, the conditions in which bananas are grown in are extremely labor intensive and inhumane. Not to mention the devastating effects that these plantations have had on our environment, natural resources and climate. Also like many of the foods we have studied thus far, the entire global banana industry is almost entirely controlled by only three companies; Dole, Chiquita, and Del Monte. These three corporations alone decide where these bananas come from, how much they will cost, and where in the world they are exported to.



Because of the low elevation, arid, tropic climate and amount of rainfall, almost all banana production takes place in Central America, specifically along the Caribbean coast. The largest exporters of bananas are Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, and Honduras, with this industry transforming these countries politically, economically, and socially. “The revenue from bananas is so promising that many Central American governments have done almost anything to attract the fruit companies.” The United States has become the largest importer of the fruit bringing in over 3.7 million tons of them each year. Since these countries rely so heavily on the income that bananas bring them, the United States and these large corporations have been able to manipulate the system and take advantage of the poverty and reliance in order to make large profits. “Although the foreign exchange from banana exports is great, the potential economic earnings are often not fully realized by the exporting countries. Of world banana trade as a whole, "only 11.5% of the total value of bananas generated at the retail level accrues as retained value to the national economies which support them". The remaining 88.5% accrues to foreign enterprises such as transnationals, wholesalers, and retailers, owned and operated by citizens of importing countries. If exporting countries could gain more control over the banana industry, it is possible that they could increase their export earnings.” These companies have set up a system in which the bananas can be produced for next to nothing, because the native people of these countries are working in awful conditions, earning just cents a day. It is after the bananas are exported out of the country when the real money and profits are made, leaving the people who are doing all of the real work with nothing. “While supervisors and executives live in large one and two family homes with access to luxuries such as air conditioning, country clubs, swimming pools, bowling alleys, and golf courses, a majority of the workers live in squalor. The typical company barrack is a 2.3 by 3.3 meter room occupied by as many as four people. Bars, brothels, and soccer fields are the primary social activities for workers. Alcoholism, violence, disease, sexual abuse, drug addiction, prostitution, crime, racism, erosion of the family unit, and juvenile delinquency are common problems on the plantation.” These workers are required to work 10-14 hour days in extremely hot weather, six or seven days per week. They are never guaranteed breaks, salaries, or vacations and often denied health care. They are exposed to dangerous pesticides and chemicals which create concerning health problems such as sterility in many of the workers. There are issues of sexual and verbal harassment, child exploitation, violence, assassinations, assaults, and arrests. There are anti-slavery laws in place but little is done to protect these men, women and children from these conditions. “The Central American governments have done almost anything to attract the potential export revenues, employment, and development provided by the banana industry, allowing the fruit companies to gain great political power. Banana companies have used this to their advantage, receiving large tracts of land at little to no cost, low export taxes, and immunity from labor and environmental laws”.



Besides the labor conditions, the environmental impact has been heartbreaking. Thousands of valuable acres of forest are cut down each year to make room for plantations. The rapid rate of deforestation is speeding the process of global warming, and has led to many species being added to the endangered species list because their natural habitats are being destroyed. The process in which bananas are produced and cultivated leads to soil erosion, water pollution, and chemical contamination. “The construction of banana plantations along the lowland ecosystems of Central America has resulted in numerous ecological and social transformations. Forests have been cleared, rivers altered, landscapes poisoned, politicians bought, and governments overthrown. Despite the known problems associated with the banana industry, Central American people and governments often welcome the fruit companies for the economic benefits they can provide. The continued destruction of the natural environment must end but not at the expense of the revenue and employment provided by the industry.”

Shopping as the "other"

Going to the grocery store is a normal errand that most of us have made hundreds if not thousands of times throughout our lives. We make the trip, we pick up the items that we need and leave without ever stopping to see the motives and tactics these stores have used against us. Whether you are a child, adult, black, or white, there are hundreds of items throughout each and every grocery store that are marketed specifically towards you to increase the likelihood of you purchasing that product. These marketing strategies can vary depending on many different factors, the community/town, demographics, or economy. You will obviously find products and brands marketed in a totally different way in a place like Pullman, than for example in a very inner city, urban, poverty struck area.

Personally when I entered the Pullman Dismores or Safeway I found the majority of items that stuck out to me were intended to appeal and advertise to WSU college-aged students. There were many obvious signs that this was the case. I know every supermarket in the state sells beer and wine but the amount on display right as you enter the store in huge mountains of Busch Light cases is unique to a college town. Also with the beer were many signs advertising the various brands Busch, Bud Light, Coors, the great sales they were having on their 30 racks, and the appeal it was supposed to have on football fans. Many of the signs stated slogans like “There is no such thing as college game day without Bud Light by your side” and many of the beers were supported and covered in ESPN and FOX sports logos. These strategies are blatantly aimed at the college students who are notorious for their extensive partying and drinking on weekends and football game days. Specifically WSU and Pullman have reputations for being a huge party school so I think the marketing of beer and sports was a strategic decision that was unique for this town, as opposed to a small town without the college community. Other things that were geared towards WSU students were small almost unnoticeable items like beer pong balls, red cups, mixers, or decks of cards that were on the ends of each isle or were right up at the check stand as you are making your purchase. All grocery stores carry these items but the placement of them right up front or on the end of every isle is directly aimed at the students in Pullman.




One main last item I found to be increasingly apparent all over the stores were energy drinks. Like the items I mentioned before, all grocery stores carry Red Bulls and Monsters but in the Pullman supermarkets there is a significantly higher amount of them, making it hard to go down an isle without at least seeing an advertisement or poster for one. I think it is a common belief that college students drink a lot of energy drinks or supplements, whether it is alone or with alcohol. They appeal to students because we live busy, tiring lives where many of us are pulling all-nighters to study for exams, or needing a Redbull to write a paper the night before it is due. Personally I drink a Redbull quite a few times a week as I imagine many of my classmates do as well, and for example the Tesero Gas Station having a two for $4.00 deal makes me want to go there every time I buy one because it's cheap. There is also the recent popularity of energy drinks and alcohol, and in a college, party town like Pullman it makes sense for stores to have an abundance of cheap energy drinks in stock for students.



Looking at the supermarket from a different perspective, for example as a small child wandering around with their parents grocery shopping, the various marketing strategies are still obvious and visible. Everything and every food product a child could ever imagine wanting is present in a place like Safeway and they are all purposely placed where a short little 7 year old can see and reach them. Products like dinosaur shaped fruit snacks, cartoon covered boxes of cereal, and every kind of chocolatey, sugary candy you could think of are all positioned perfectly so children can get at them. Healthy cereals like Special K or Cheerios are almost always on the top row because the stores know that the only people who are going to want to grab those choices are adults. Fun meals like Lunchables, Danimals yogurt, circus cookies and Disney shaped macaroni and cheese are all significantly low to the ground where children will always notice and grab them.

These are all perfect examples of the way companies, and large corporations work with one another to develop the best ways for them to make the most money possible. There are classes and positions of people who design these strategies and layouts as part of their career, for the sole purpose of making profit and tricking society. They use these techniques to manipulate and persuade customers into buying almost anything, even items you didn't even intend to buy when you got there. Why do you think they put staple items such as cheese, milk, eggs, and meat at the very back end of the store? It is so you are required to walk down isles and isles of products, making it more likely that you will see these advertisements and “great specials” and purchase more stuff. This is just another example of the power and influence that these large corporations hold in the global food system.

The video for blog post #5 includes information on the Center for Consumer Freedom. They are an organization that is attempting to inform Americans and people elsewhere in the world of the truth about corporations who are taking advantage of their power in the market. These few companies have become so large and powerful that they now dictate the everyday decisions that we all as human citizens should be making for ourselves, mainly, what to eat and drink. However the majority of people are unaware of the fact that these decisions are usually being made for them by corporate giants many miles away. These same exact ideas and messages are also present in Raj Patel's book “Stuffed and Starved” that we read in class. He speaks of the massive power these corporations have over almost every little aspect of the global food system, including importing, exporting, availability, prices/amounts/types of food, wages, supplies, and the labor conditions of workers who are growing the food. Like our discussion in class on certain fruits such as apples or bananas. There are many different types of apples across the world, and there are many different places that cultivate bananas. However when you travel to the supermarket you see three maybe four types of apples to choose from, and usually one single brand of bananas. Those people with the power are the ones who decided what apples and bananas to place in your supermarket based on expenses and profits. What ever product or transportation options allow them to save the most money will the be the ones the decide on. Making this even worse is the fact that it is a very small handful of companies, not 10, 20, 50 of them, who hold all of the decision making power over what the entire world gets to consume. Patel refers to these companies as “Bottleneck Corporations”. This is an analogy that sums up the idea of the tiny amount of companies that have almost all the power over the entire population of this world.
To resist or change what these companies are doing feels almost impossible. Most people, including myself feel stuck, how are we supposed to shape the market with our consumption? When these are the products that are placed in our reach, we have almost no other choice but to purchase them if we want to eat and feed our families. It is difficult and unobtainable for many people to travel sometimes far distances to local farmers or organic markets, and it is impossible to buy certain items from anywhere else then the grocery store. The majority of people in this world have very little money and cannot afford organic, healthy foods that are not produced by these corporations. Many families have no other choice but to continue feeding these companies money by going to fast food restaurants and grocery outlets to supply their families with food. It isn't a coincidince that the people who have the least amount of choice are lower-income, racial minorities. These lower income families are overwhelmingly blacks or Latinos who live in inner-city neighborhoods with very little room to move up anywhere. When you are poor and live in this type on environment, how are you supposed to stand up against this global food system? You are forced to shop at the corner mart, or take your children to McDonalds for dinner because a local farmers marker full of fresh vegetables and fruits are surely out of your reach. Yes, it seems like simple supply and demand, if we were to start demanding different items, and chose to object to brand names, supermarkets and these companies, things would change. However in these hard economic times and with the way that race and class play into this system, to say that we have the choice or ability to change or revolutionize this global food market is very unrealistic. This idea of “consumer freedom” is not free at all.
We have grown up believing that we make the decision of what is for dinner, and that everyone is equally able to provide themselves with exactly what they want, but after reading “Stuffed and Starved” and watching this film, it is obvious that's not the case. There are hundreds of thousands of options in almost any grocery store in America, giving us the illusion that we have such a wide variety of brands, types, flavors, companies and products to choose from. These few four or five corporations are almost entirely, completely in control of what, why, where and how humans consume on the face of this earth. The vision of ACTUAL consumer freedom seems almost impossible to accomplish.

Gay Rights In America

There have been a large number of social movements throughout American history, many of which were not mentioned by Soloman. Some of the most obvious and popular ones to discuss are the Civil Rights Movement and the Woman's Suffrage Movement. However in recent years more complex and controversial issues have arisen and some groups are fighting twice as hard to have their voices heard and demands met. One social movement that has caught the most attention and publicity and attracted millions of supporters including celebrities and politicians, is the Gay Rights Movement. Similar to African-Americans during the Civil Rights era, or Latinos during the Salt of the Earth Strike, homosexuals have been discriminated against and have been subject to harassment, violent attacks, and unequal treatment in areas like employment, military work and various other rights. One aspect that has made this movement especially controversial and difficult to progress in has been the issue of Church and State. Even though this movement has gained a lot of momentum and support, passing legislation, creating protection and changing this countries treatment of homosexuals is an ongoing battle. One that has been going back and forth in arguments about the bible and the constitutionality of related laws.

Even though some people might view the Gay Rights Movement as far from successful gauging from the extreme amount of discrimination and lack of equality that is still present in our society, the movement has made profound progress thanks to it's specific tactics. Gay Rights still faces many hurdles and challenges, government wise and socially, however thanks to their gaining political influence and increased peaceful demonstrations, huge accomplishments have been made. We have come a long way from the days of homosexuality being listed as a mental disorder in the DSM, mostly in part by the dedication and never-ending fight of supporters. Since 1969 there have been demonstrations, protests, and riots in every state throughout the United States of America. Thousands of people have trucked to state capitals and Washington D.C. to lobby for new legislation that will protect and honor the rights of Gays/Lesbians/Transgenders which are clearly stated in the U.S. Constitution. Many more have signed petitions, taken part in marches, and stood up tall against violent attacks. More recently some of the most profound outcomes of this struggle have begun to show themselves, and for many people, making this fight finally all worth it. In the last 11 years seven states have passed laws recognizing and allowing gay/lesbian civil unions and marriages. Seven out of 50 states may not seem like a lot but progress is being made. One of the biggest reforms in the United States relating to gay/lesbian rights was the repeal of the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” law which banned U.S. citizens from being openly homosexual in the military. This was a landmark decision in the history of the United States, and for the first time put homosexual rights on the forefront of American politics, challenging every “acceptable” norm this country has ever held.

Because the most monumental moments of this movement have just recently happened over the last decade and a half, I have been alive to witness and experience it. Most movements that I have learned about throughout my life are ones from many years past, and while they influence the life I live now, it is hard to appreciate the value of them so many years later. I believe out of all of the movements that have progressed and grown in the beginning of the 21st century, I have been most aware of this one because of how prominent it has been in the media and in our generation. As the years have gone by, more and more people have become open and accepting of different lifestyles and beliefs. Our generation has grown up in a time where it is fairly normal for people to be openly gay, and many of us have a problem understanding why they are not guaranteed the same rights and privileges as everyone else. I am personally passionate about the Gay Rights Movement, and am a strong advocate of everyone achieving true equality. For this reason I am incredibly grateful to have been around to witness the peak of this ongoing struggle. Just like we talk about the important impact that movements of the past have had on our country now, I believe decades in the future people will look back and appreciate what this movement has done for the lives of many Americans.