I am considering writing my paper on Scottsboro Alabama and addressing the larger issues presented in the text. While the premise of Scottsboro Alabama is centers around the sentenced death of 9 innocent African American young men, this text speaks to a much broader range of issues. It confronts economic, social and political disadvantages imposed upon, primarily African Americans, through the issues of forced mobility and lack of unity.
An image that deals with both the social and economic in the context of mobility and unity can be found on page 67. Pictured there are three African American men who appear to be standing in a city setting. One of the men points upward, possibly symbolizing the hoped for opportunities in the north. Hand in hand the men stand to demonstrate unity and a sense of comradery between the men that they may not find in other social situations as work divides workers by race, trade, gender and class. There are many means of division but much less ability to unify. With those limitations, comes an even greater barrier to overcome because it is not only the capitalist who they must challenge, but there is also a sense of competition between the different types of workers who all seek to gain benefits and rights over the other because what one group has, one group gets taken away.
Additionally, this concept of movement is another subject prevalent in labor history as the undesirables are asked to work but not to live as citizens are even humanly. The workers can engage in hard, physical labor but cannot earn the rights to citizenship or even financial stability. With this constant need to move, a sense of home and belonging is lost. African Americans are not wanted in residential living spaces, public spaces such as restaurants or given access to fair and safe jobs. But with that forced physical movement, inability to move in social class redefines how one can view mobility. Mobility does not necessarily have to be seen in a motion from one city to the next, but an economic movement that is not allowed to minorities and other discriminated groups.
I think you have some good arguments here. I liked your description and commentary on the image, that there is "competition between the different types of workers". The migratory aspect of these workers is pretty crucial to the whole event in my opinion. They have no real place and are destined to wander. I think you should definitely expand on that a bit, but you touched up on it in your last paragraph. I can see your paper developing, you're definitely heading in a good direction from what I can tell. Right on :)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your last idea about mobility as a state and physical movement as a response to the limitation of that state for minoritized people. I am, however, curious how this can be related more concretely to the possibility for justice and freedom from the control of capital.
ReplyDeleteI think it might help to elaborate on the relationship between unity and division in the image. It seems like the primary division is between workers is that between white and black workers. Given that, what makes the unity of the men, as three black men, in the image distinct as compared to other situations where forces of power disunify them? What unites them that would ordinarily divide them?
It's great how you noticed that the man's hand pointing northward symbolizes a hope of opportunities in the north. I also liked how you pointed out that workers were much more divided than united. It would be nice to see an elaboration on how white elites created schemes in order to suppress the solidarity within the working class. I notice that you speak on how capitalists wanted African Americans to work in certain towns but not reside in them. Page 49 in "Scottsboro Alabama: a story in linoleum cuts" would be the perfect image to support that claim. I like how you brought attention to how African Americans were allowed physical mobility but not upward, economic mobility. You should consider how this physical mobility also damages their ability to create solidarity and unionize.
ReplyDelete