Reply To: From Separate to Equal and The 1619 Project

[Lauren_Winston]

#747

The 1619 Project Response
After reading The 1619 Project I felt as though many times throughout the reading I was troubled or disgusted by the vivid stories that were told about the cruel nature of America’s history. The feelings of pain and suffering alongside perseverance and hope within this work were encapsulated within the various stories told about the past and the present. Overall, this project was a story that highlights the push towards agency and claiming the black experience as an African American.

The idea of freedom was one of the most prominent concepts I found throughout the magazine. The most basic ideology that America was supposedly built on has only begun to flourish because of the suffering of black Americans. Whether it is in relation to the building America’s physical, economic, or social constructions they all have their roots in slavery. These are the ties that restrict America’s progression as hegemony continues to covertly perpetuate the basic ideals of oppression into modern times.

There is a continual fight within America’s society to perpetually deny the rights of minorities and black Americans specifically. This is because the founding vision for America was not to live in a society of equals, instead it was to acquire power amongst others. The division of racial groups within America allowed for an easy way to allocate various levels of power to masses of people. For centuries an attitude of blaming a group of people rather than the mindset of superiority within America has had grave consequences carried throughout modern times. I even found a passage within this magazine that inspired me to post on social media relating to the recent attacks on innocent black men and women regarding how Americans choose to “ignore the victimization of black people tagged as criminal.”

As this project states that “American capitalism was founded on the lowest road there is” and points out how America has the highest rate of incarceration worldwide, in order to extend dehumanizing practices, reflects how covert methods of systematic racism can be found in any American institution. In regard to the healthcare system, the claiming and protection of the black mind and body has yet to be achieved in the health policy and practices. Since the healthcare system consists of not only providers and patients, but also purchasers, payers, and policymakers it allows for the practice of covert racism through implicit bias or exclusionary thinking. These are critical to recognize in order to improve the care of black and minority populations. I believe that these multiple contributors to healthcare practices also allow for openings of opportunity. As representation in each of these branches increases and social awareness is gained about American society, there can be opportunities for reform and adequate care of minority and black populations within the healthcare system.