The Civil Rights Movement: How We Learn About The Past Through Art

Today, November 4th, 2008, is THE day - by the end of it, America should know whether John McCain or Barack Obama will be our president. On such a historical day like today, my interest is taken much by the lengths it took for our country to come this far, when in the very recent past, our country was split black and white. Classrooms, restaurants, buses, etc. were all segregated. African Americans were being killed for merely trying to vote for president. Even in the 1980's there were parts of the country that did not sell property to interracial married couples. Although today for students my age it seems unbelievable to even grasp the tragedy of this kind discrimination, this is the world our parents and grandparents lived in. It is amazing to think that by the end of the day, if all goes well, our next president will be an African American man. In light of this election, I explored the World Wide Web for blogs dealing with art from or about the Civil Rights Movement. The first one I came across was by a multilingual art historian and museum curator named Homa T. Nasab, who used her blog for advertising an art exhibit at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta that has just closed last month in early October. The second, from an art writer, critic and professor from Washington D.C. named Tyler Green from his blog Modern Art Notes, who focuses on photographs taken during the Civil Rights Movement at elections or rallies in the south.

Comment #1

"The Civil Rights Movement At The High Museum Of Art"

Thank you for advertising what seems like an interesting and significant art exhibit in Atlanta. I only wish it could be open this month for the historical and relevant election we are experiencing today. The exhibit seems interesting because of its two parts - the first, photographs from the actual movement, and the second, the artists in the years after that were inspired by the movement. By including the image from the advertisement, I think it interests the reader more by giving them something to look at. I wish that you had done a little more research about the event after it opened. Perhaps you could have included people's feedback on the exhibit, or even your own if you were able to visit it. Additionally, some photographs or pieces from the exhibit could have enhanced the blog, and also inspired people by giving them a sneak peak of what they might see visiting the museum.

Comment #2
"Election Day, 44 Years On"

Your blog this morning about the election was very insightful and inspiring, thank you for your words. I liked how you opened the blog with the background on the murders of the three men who fought for a black man to vote, and how you connected it to the amazing election that is unfolding today. Also, your personal background allows the reader to see that many people are not as familiar with the subject as they may seem. The pictures you include are extremely powerful, and really provoke meditation on this day. Although I thought your introduction to the slideshow was very poignant, I would have loved to read more about the background of these photos that you have included – perhaps a more detailed caption. Overall, I loved your post and I look forward to reading more by you.

Prop 8 and Gay Marriage: Teaching Our Youth About Homosexuality

As November 4th quickly draws near, more and more our television programming becomes full of commercials for candidates and propositions that urge us to vote “Yes” or “No.” One proposition that is passionately discussed is Prop 8, which eliminates same-sex couples from marrying in California. While the state tends to be more progressive than others, the concern over the protection of marriage still causes a rift between the socially liberal and the socially conservative. Homosexuality is still a subject that makes many people, especially (though not exclusively) religious folk, uncomfortable because of its supposed violation of the biblical definition of marriage; however, by the looks of the current pro-Prop 8 ads, it seems like there is an underlying fear that it is some sort of infectious disease needing to be contained before it spreads. In one advertisement, paid for by ProtectMarriage.com, an excited little girl runs into the kitchen to show her mother the most recent book read in her classroom entitled, King & King. She begins rambling about how she learned in school that a prince could marry a prince, and she could marry a princess (close up on the mother’s horrified expression – jaw on the floor, eyes wide as saucers.) Then, a lawyer from Pepperdine University floats in on the left, and in a very serious and fretful tone states that “This is ALREADY happening.” The main argument of this commercial is that we must vote “Yes” on the proposition, otherwise our children will be taught about gay marriage. Gasp! Jokes and sides aside, the commercial presents the education of homosexuality as detrimental to children, which in turn teaches and encourages youth to discriminate.

What is it about marriage between same-sex couples that can be so threatening to our youth? In school, we learn about an array of things, both good and bad – from the layers of the earth to evolution to the Holocaust. Curriculum has always included subject matter, like evolution, that may be controversial or even “untrue” to some; still, the importance of including these kinds of topics is to provide students with a range of information so that they can decide what they personally believe is right and wrong. Additionally, taking this kind of material out of school curriculum does not eliminate it completely. It would be foolish to blind our children from real issues that are relevant to the present – this would encourage ignorance and promote discrimination. It is safe to say that a majority of Prop 8 supporters are so for religious reasons, but why are they looking past the bible’s “golden rule” that we all learned as children – “Do Unto Others.” As the daughter of an Episcopal minister, the bible has been a central part of my life, whether I liked it or not. To be honest, there is not one part in any of the teachings of the bible that I can remember that renounces homosexuality. Obviously, these points are in the bible, but my point is that as a child the only real rule I ever retained was the one they stressed the most, which was the golden rule. Likewise, the bible states far more about its views on poverty or basic shaping of character than it ever does on homosexuality. It seems like the bible has been manipulated for the chief purpose of justifying our ignorance and discrimination rather than teaching us what really is important, that we are all God’s children – gay, straight, black, white, etc., and we should be treating others the way we want to be treated. For those who object to the Prop soley based on the definition of marriage, I say to them what all my past English teachers have said to me about using a definition at the start of an essay: it is an overused ploy that contains little validity. The dictionary is a human edited text that is constantly rewritten. Even slang is included in the dictionary now.

Our schools and our churches have control over the bias they allow to express in the classroom, and Prop 8 will not take that away from school and Sunday school teachers. Though, as a teacher myself, I do not think it is our job to take advantage of our influence. Rather, we should present both sides and let the student decide based on his or her own beliefs. Prop 8 states that it wants to protect marriage – it wants to keep the traditional idea of family. According to people like the ones who are funding this campaign, education in the form of a book like in the commercial is threatening to that idea of family. I highly doubt that any school has presented gay literature in the form of a fairy tale, as shown in the King & King book that the little girl brings home in the commercial. On the other hand, there are texts that exist that are written by gay authors that glorify a strong family, and not so much sexual preference. One of my favorite writers, David Sedaris, is the perfect example of a successful, talented, gay man who uses his strong, and very American family, as his muse in many of his essays. I cannot deny that he has written about his experience as a gay man, and even as a gay child; however, the core of most his essays is his family and how they have influenced his own life and his art. Perhaps if we included in curriculum writing like his, which includes both strong family values as well as self-acceptance and awareness, the introduction of such taboo subject matter would not seem so contentious. Sedaris may be gay, but he does not write these essays in hopes that young children with undeveloped intelligence will join his homosexual movement. He writes more as a reflection of the wisdom he has gained from his Greek-American southern upbringing in a stable household.

Gay marriage is an issue that I believe we will look back on with similar guilt as we do when interracial marriage was frowned upon. As our society continues to advance its norms, it is obvious that we will face debates such as this. Nevertheless, the main problem I have with Proposition 8 is that encourages ignorant education. In order to shape our youth to be its best, we need to teach them about relevant history and news, which may include material that will upset some. Still, it is important to the awareness and intelligence of children to present them with information that may challenge their thinking. Furthermore, I do believe that if the Prop does pass, it is silly to think that this will be the end of the issue. Homosexuality, whether it is or is not taught about in our schools, will be a noticeable and persistent movement for years to come. 

The Future of (Art) Education: Obama vs. McCain

Today education is a social issue that is overlooked - put on the back burner while we boil over the war in Iraq, the economy, or even gay marriage. And while all these are valid and substantial concerns, Americans tend to hone in on what affects their pocket books or religious values rather than the shaping of those who will define the future. Truth be told, education is an issue that cannot and should not be downsized. It is just that - it is an issue. With the presidential election quickly approaching, it is unavoidable for me to research and critique the intentions (or lack there-of) of both Barack Obama and John McCain on the subject of not only education, but also specifically art education. One would think that because the U.S. Department of Education clearly advocates the importance of art education (though its last update was over four years ago), that both candidates would at least mention their stance on the subject. I decided to take a gander at other people's thoughts on the web about the education campaigns. Not to my surprise, people like Jerome Weeks for Art&Seek Blog in North Texas and Michele McNeil for Education Week magazine's online blog were also questioning the lack of priority education has in John McCain's campaign. While both Obama and McCain obviously find education to be a task necessary to tackle, McCain's focus seems more out of obligation that honest passion about the importance of education. It is evident in the accessibility of Obama's education plan that he intends to take on the matter progressively and proactively.

Upon googling "Obama art education" I immediately was directed to a PDF file available to download from his campaign website entitled "Barack Obama and Joe Biden: Champions for Arts and Culture." It stresses the support of expanding and funding art organizations and curriculum to teach students, and even teachers, how to think creatively, especially when in positions of leadership. Since 1992, the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts has been cut fifty million dollars, regardless of the fact that art education has proven to raise test scores and reduce crime in schools. On a side note, the U.S. spends over five times as much on the war in Iraq than on education. Those who suffer the most from this budget inbalance are low-income public schools whose art appreciation programs continue you get cut out. Imagine if the trend continues; if slowly music class, art class, drama class, etc. is taken out of the school day. Instead, the day is mainly filled with mathematics and composition. There is no longer that breath of fresh air between academic subjects - the rare fifty minutes to interact with classmates and stimulate creative thinking. Obama understands the crucial part that these lessons play in students' lives, and how it can pay off in the future. He sees the threat of this educational loss, and clearly states how he plans to improve it.

Unlike the ease at which I obtained Obama's art educational plan, when I googled the same, "McCain art education," not even his own web page came up as the most relevant search; rather, a list of slanderous blogs by people asking the same question as I am - How does John McCain view the importance of art education? Apparently, it is not a concern of his. His education campaign is primarily directed at the empowerment of students, teachers and parents. He talked a lot about having a choice of where people can go to school - "If a school will not change, the student should be able to change schools." To me, a school should be an environment that facilitates learning; therefore, it should be the responsibility of the school system to improve its program to make it easier for the mass amount of students. As someone who has had to change schools many times in my life, it is a stress that is not as simple as McCain nonchalantly proposes. Changing schools does not just entail changing curriculum - it is a completely differently environment to adapt to as well as survive in. The stress of having to find a new niche alone is intimidating enough, on top of the new curriculum. Furthermore, not every student has the luxury of mom and dad dropping him/her off in the family station wagon. The logistics of transportation in itself is nearly impossible for families to abruptly replan. Overall, I found McCains "plan" not much of a plan at all, but rather a generalized and vague summary of his awareness of a necessity to change something.

Whether Democrat or Republican, anyone can acknowledge that Obama's campaign puts much more emphasis on education than McCain's. The difference is in the urgency and passion at which these candidates approach this particular issue - and it is easily noticable that McCain lacks this zest. Though this is not to say that McCain is not a passionate man, just not about education. As Michele McNeil from Education Week magazine's blog points out, "McCain is a campaign-finance, foreign-relations, anti-abortion, tax-cut candidate. Education is not his thing. Depending on your perspective, McCain's relative silence on education may be a good thing. If you think the federal government has grossly overreached into the state business of education, then he may be your guy." Michele brings up a good point - not everyone sees a dire need to improve our education system. Education may not seem like an issue to those who vote, because most people who vote are educated. Many Americans feel strongly about keeping our money in our Department of Defense to keep us safe, because the media has reminded them that we are still at war. Also, many Americans have family members overseas, so it hits close to home. However, perhaps if there were images of the tragic state in which our nation's public schools are in, would we be more aware and more open to invest in them? How can the educated relate to the uneducated when the educated are the only ones with a real voice?

Jerome Weeks from a North Texas blog called Art&Seek is also disconcerted about the vagueness of the McCain education platform. He also looked at the website and said, "There is nothing of substance to be found, certainly nothing official." Like the previous blog mentioned from Education Week, he also states that some may not be as concerned about education as much as other matters, and that for those reasons McCain would probably seem like the preferred choice. This blog, on the other hand, goes more in depth about McCains history of funding art education. In 1999, he stated that federal funding for the NEA would be "inappropriate" for tax dollars to go towards material that could be viewed as "obscene" or "offensive." Weeks comments back on this quote by saying in his blog, "This, at least, is fairly plain. He actually indicates a support for art subsidies — only when directed mostly to arts education and with local-community restrictions in place. This is, more or less, the direction the NEA has been cautiously (and, arguably, successfully) pursuing since the overheated culture wars of the ’90s."

A person does not necessarily have to be liberal or an Obama supporter to see the benefits one gets from involvement in arts and culture. What I appreciate most about Barack Obama's stance on education is that it is very specific - he not only acknowledges the importance of arts and culture in creating an enlightened thinker, but also the importance of science and math "to compete in the global context." He can identify which aspects of education are valuable to each part of a person’s life. Without an art curriculum, students are limited to logical thinking, which is not necessarily how everyone's brain functions. Likewise, not everyone's brain thinks creatively. Nevertheless, it is still important to have both stimuli in order to exercise all parts of the brain. He does not see the incorporation of art education as a way to create more artists, but to create cultured, well-rounded individuals. When I consider my candidate for president, it is important to me to see that he has significantly thought about every one of the nation's issues, no matter where it may lie on a list of priorities.