USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C o m mu n i t y N ewsp a p er is a pu bl ica t ion of E sca m bia-S a n t a Rosa B a r Assoc ia t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icia l Ci rcu it Section A, Page 1
Vol. 21, No. 7
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DISMANTLING RACISM
February 17, 2021
1 Section, 8 Pages
THRO U G H ED U CAT I O N by Fiama Mastrangelo The summer of 2020 marked a social justice awakening for many. Worldwide protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement sprang up in response to many African Americans who were murdered by police, especially the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Advocates turned to social media platforms to expose police brutality and explain systemic racism to those who chose to listen. But after a year of BLM peacefuls protests, spread of #ShopBlack and frequent discussions about systematic racism. Many wondered “What is the silver bullet to racism? How do we end it for the next generation?” If you were to ask local historians, they would say education is the key.
Roger Williams University Nashville, Tenn. Normal Class, 1899. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.
used by domestic terrorism groups to deny freemen their constitutionally protected rights. The exhibit includes accounts of how presidents used their positions to uphold racist doctrines and promote falsified “Lost Cause” narratives. The presentation of these moments in national history flow seamlessly from one poster to the next. Systemic practices are broken down into digestible narratives for visitors of all educational backgrounds. The history is painful and soaked in blood, but it presents a very necessary reminder of why the status quo must always be questioned. Franscine Mathis, a paralegal, local politician and member of the AAHSP, emphasized the relevance of identifying forms of systemic racism present in today’s climate. Mathis identified the legal practice of direct file as an especially oppressive practice. “Prison is no place for a child to be raised,” Mathis began. “We need people who understand the process of direct file to [hold] these state attorneys’ offices accountable. How did you direct file this child? What made you feel like they need to be direct filed? Did you follow these steps and guidelines? Did you go to these schools and talk to their teachers or counselors? Why did they do this?” Florida is one of only a few states that allows prosecutors to charge minors as adults without the approval of a judge. This practice of direct file enhances the school to prison pipeline
“As a nation we have not conposter presentation detailing centrated enough on teachthe African-American experiing a complete history of the ence when Jim Crow laws were country… There seems to be in effect. Dr. Howard curated a lack of understanding as to the exhibit for its debut in Penhow we got here—this mosacola and tripled the content ment in history. If Africanfrom the original exhibit. The American history was taught exhibit now begins in the year along with American history, 1619 and follows the evoluI think we would have a more tion of racism in America from educated citienslavement zenry, and more to Jim Crow people would to voter supunderstand the pression and dynamics of this then mass incountry called carceration. America,” Dr. Black CitiCheryl Howard, zenship in the the president and Age of Jim co-founder of Crow is unAfrican Ameriapologeticalcan Heritage ly accurate Society of Penin detailing Dr. Cheryl Howard, the sacola (AAHSP), president and co-founder of the Africansaid. “Because we Af rican American Heritage American exSociety of Pensacola have not included perience in African American history in a country with a history of with the rest of the history— violence against them. This subjugating it basically to the exhibit was carefully curated month of February for Black to illustrate relevant examples History Month. Overall, there of history repeating itself in tois an incomplete understandday’s seemingly unprecedented ing. I think this exhibit [Black political climate. As visitors Citizenship in the Age of Jim walk through the exhibit, they Crow] is very timely; it’s probare presented with stories of ably the most complete coverchildren being separated from age of the African-American their families through stateexperience, exhibit-wise, that sanctioned practices. The rise we have seen in a while [in of the Ku Klux Klan is docuPensacola], and it has been mented and supplemented with very well received.” methods of voter suppression The recent exhibit Black CitConvicts leased to harvest timber. State Archives of Florida. ca. 1910. izenship in the Age of Jim Crow was brought to the Voices of Pensacola Multicultural Center in collaboration with the AAHSP. Voices of Pensacola is one of the many branches of Historic Pensacola and UWF’s Historic Trust. This multicultural center presents the heritage of Pensacola through the lenses of the diverse cultural groups that shaped the city into what it is today. The exhibit originated from the New York Historical Society as an eight-
Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow follows the evolution of racism from 1619 to today.
that puts black minors into the prison system where they will not receive sufficient education, psychological services or familial support appropriate for their developmental stages. Mathis asserts that practices such as direct file support what the exhibit calls the “New Jim Crow.” Unpaid prison labor, mass incarceration and police brutality are new strains of the same disease that has been running rampant in the United States’ criminal justice system since its inception.
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If AfricanAmerican history were taught along with American history… more people would understand the dynamics of this country called America.” The exhibit manages to accurately portray the stakes of repeating history while simultaneously lifting up black
heroes. Harriet Tubman is celebrated for her bravery while Martin Luther King Jr. is revered for his leadership in tumultuous periods of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Howard indicated that the exhibit is still evolving during its stay at the Voices of Pensacola. The current exhibit ends with the names of black citizens who have died from police brutality, but Dr. Howard wants the exhibit to end on a more uplifting note. “The last one will be a very uplifting final [poster],” Dr. Howard explained. “The one that is here now is very good also because I think it does remind us that black lives do matter—and we remember the catalyst for this awakening that we have had by asking [visitors] to remember these people. But I think that it is also important to show that despite the odds, what we have been able to accomplish.” Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow will be featured throughout the month of February at the Voices of Pensacola. Admission for this exhibit is free.
Thomas Nast. The Georgetown elections. Harper's Weekly, v. 11, no. 533. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.
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