Race Politics

Another theme that will continue to play out over the course of The Pearl pertains to race relations amongst the indigenous population of this Mexican town and the European colonists that have brought their way of life to this same place. We will address the relationship and conflicts that have arisen between Native Americans and European Settlers over the course of history at a later date, but for now I'd like to bring the idea of racial conflict closer to home by discussing the current climate in our country between White and Black communities. We will be bringing in two recent songs and analyzing their lyrics in our fishbowl discussions and culminate with a review of the most recent article pertaining to police brutality.

http://mslaurynhill.com/post/95329923112/black-rage-sketch

Here is the link to the Vice article on police brutality:

http://www.vice.com/read/is-obedience-the-only-way-to-avoid-police-brutality-915

I will refrain from going too much into discussing the topic here, because I'd like the fishbowl discussion in class to be driven strictly by your opinions, but here are the questions I will present to the group to get the ball rolling:

- In what ways are the songs relevant to the topic of racial politics?
- Which song do you find more effective at communicating it’s message?
- What is the role of police within the community?
- Is obedience the only way to avoid police brutality?

Lastly, I'd like for you to connect some of what will be explored concerning conflict between races, and elements of abuse of power to what we will be dealing with as we continue with Kino's struggles in The Pearl.