Generations of Black Athletes Fighting for Racial Equality in America
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wJ-_144dWa7EUD0RsPl-YRq0i56t5_RA
I placed three important African-American males athletes who represented their generation of racial change. Behind them is an American flag, covered in blood shots, and its symbolism differs amongst the athletes. My image emphasizes their fight for racial equality in a country that prevents them from obtaining such rights.
For Jackie Robinson, it was his fight of breaking the color barrier by being the first black man to play in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was born in America, but didn’t have its civil liberties.
For Tommie Smith, it was him raising the Black Power salute on the first-place podium at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Smith, who won the gold metal for the 200-meter sprint finals, was supposed to represent the best that America had to offer to the world; he was an athlete that deserved acclaim and respect. However, his people were still persecuted and impoverished, and his nation did little to end this. Smith was calling for basic human rights by raising a black-gloved fist during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner.
For Colin Kaepernick, his kneeling during the National Anthem was in protest against the current racial injustice and police brutality of Black Americans. The flag is meant to symbolize the pride and power it means to be American, yet people of color don’t share this sentiment because they are constantly being oppressed by systematic racism. As a member of the community that is over-targeted by police, Kaepernick felt that he cannot be patriotic as he fears his own government.
“Black Power Olympics 1968″ was taken by John Dominis at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wJ-_144dWa7EUD0RsPl-YRq0i56t5_RA
“Jackie Robinson;” Associated Press Photographer, 1940s. https://prospect.org/civil-rights/jackie-robinson-legacy-activism/
“Colin Kaepernick Kneeling alongside Eric Reid during National Anthem;” photographer unknown, 2018. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/06/colin-kaepernick-anthem-protest-timeline-message
“Upside Flag, unknown maker;” https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/Upside-Down-US-Flag-339747762723676/
DIY #2: “Bienvenidos a Acapulco: Paradise in Hell”
Blissnorance: What does this word mean? It is clearly something that this writer made up, but there is a reason for such. "Bliss" is a state of great happiness, albeit oblivious of everything else. "Ignorance" means to lack knowledge, education, or awareness.
In my PSA video, I have clips that show the beauty and awe Acapulco has to offer for tourists/foreigners. The beaches, the luxury resorts, the nightlife, and the serene landscapes are all fantastical lures to anybody desiring a vacation in paradise. The Mexican locals appear friendly, serving the needs of visitors so they can enjoy their time even more.
However, there are frequent cuts between the pleasant clips that presents an alternative view of the "paradise." In these notable scenes, I emphasize the brutality and violence that engulfs Acapulco while unaware tourists/foreigners enjoy their time. While visitors are initially presented with a a positive view of the city, then slowly changes to a wake-up call of seeing pictures and videos of murders and chaos that consumes Acapulco.
Acapulco is actually one of the most dangerous cities in the world, with drug cartels and criminal organzations running rampant. On the beaches of the city, people have been getting gunned down in broad daylight while foreigners/tourists lounge on the beach nearby.
Blissnorance is the correct word to describe what is going on in Acapulco. When you people enjoying themselves while oblivious to the harsh reality of what’s going around them, it is problematic as it seems that no one cares about a particularly dangerous situation. The city is Mexico’s murder capital, yet tourists/foreigners do not know this and they keep coming.
It does not matter if a man’s body washed ashore on the beaches at one of the most popular resorts. People are blatantly ignorant of soldiers removing the body of a fisherman who was killed during a drug dispute. No one knows about three taxi drivers that were shot at an apartment that was used as their office.
I have a habit of calling people out, and this is a prime example of it. If you are tourist/foreigner or someone that vacates in other countries, one must be aware of the problems that are plaguing other parts of the world. While you are having the best time of your life, there are other people in this paradise who are brutality killed and constantly terrorized as such. My video is very graphic and grisly, with the clips of the murders meant to reinforce the horrors that are happening at Acapulco almost every day. These pictures or videos are from world news agencies, local newspapers, and bystanders; they capture the realness of this fallen city (a lot of it I found on Youtube and journalism agencies).
Perhaps with shocking content, maybe change can occur and Acapulco’s violence can be finally acknowledged and addressed.
The first clip of the video is a welcoming video of Acapulco, and it slowly turns from wholesome material to gritty and bloody content. The last clip, which contains the hashtag #Blissnorance ends with an older American couple detailing what they did in the city that day. The wife, optimistically ignorant, tells the camera that they did so in a safe, socially-isolated way as possible (this was filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic). Both are unaware the Coronavirus is the probably the least dangerous thing in Acapulco.
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