Jena 6

For this blog and the next, we were prompted to discuss two of a couple events and situations that Jordan Flaherty writes about in the book “Floodlines.” For this one I chose to write about the Jena 6. Now, this hasn’t been a class for reaction-type discussions where we simply react to the situation. We’ve always gone beyond that to look at the issues behind the issues, but I have to start this particular blog with my reaction. Up until reading this, I really didn’t know much about the Jena 6. Before reading this, I really didn’t know that pure racism still existed. Pure racism is white people hanging nooses in trees and the blatant disregard for facts when punishing students involved in the entire thing.

Not the original noose in the tree at
Jena High School.

Now to look at issues inside or beyond the issue. The book talks about “Jim Crow, Esq.” the cleaned-up descendant of Jim Crow. I think that the Jena 6 is the original Jim Crow. Beatings and nooses is nothing cleaned up. We have looked at different situations with racial profiling and injustices, from the disproportionate population of blacks in prisons, to the response and route of aide to New Orleans after Katrina. Those situations are Jim Crow, Esq. That is modern racism. That is something that—unfortunately—we may never get past. It may change who is being racist to who, or how, or why, but people will always have their opinions about everything from race to the new football coach at WSU. It’s how people let those opinions rule their—and other’s—lives that makes a difference in the world. The problem is, and I mean this in absolutely no disrespect to the older generation, that the people in positions of power and influence were raised in a time that viewed those opinions differently than we do now. I also don’t mean that in defense for the people involved in the Jena 6; the movement that overfilled the town of Jena shows that adults are not racist and think that what happened was horrible. Granted, 97-99% of the movement was black, the fact that it was even able to get 50,000 people (picture below) to a small Louisiana town implies that people—black and white—around the world covered and talked about the story.

Being from a small to medium sized town in rural eastern Washington, I am far from the person who should be talking about how to change an obviously major issue in the country. But I think I can at least state my opinion and have some dialog about the issue. I don’t think that we can wait for a generational shift, because there were students just as involved in the injustices as the adults. A generational shift will only put them in the same places that the adults are now. While things may not be as extreme, it will still be there, and injustices like this will still be present. And who the heck knows where this country will be by the time we have TWO generation shifts. I think the parents of the Jena 6 had a good start in their demands (that were mostly unheard); Conducting Undoing Racism workshops. Maybe this exact idea won’t go very far, but the idea of raising awareness and working to reverse it is what needs to be done. The ridiculous charges were reversed because of the awareness brought to the Jena 6 court cases. Making people aware of the simple fact that this type of racism still exists will be a step in the right direction. It will make them look for it, it will make people pay attention, and it might even make people step in or say something when they do see something wrong.

Another quote from the book says, “…but in fact, Jena 6 presented a clear picture of the current state of our system,” meaning that this is the status quo. How do we challenge the status quo? We keep shocking the system until it breaks. Another thing that has to happen is movements like this one must continue and they need the support just like Jena 6 got; A massive outpour from around the country and world. Every time that issue comes back up, more people will begin to believe it and every time, more people will support change. Eventually, all the DA’s who bring their racist upbringings into the courtroom will be forced to step down, and every judge that seeks revenge on minorities will step down from certain cases.

I don't know w hat it was, but this picture just struck me when I was
searching for images to include in this blog. Artists of all sorts used
their talents to get involved and spread the word about Jena 6.

This issue isn’t going to go away unless something happens to force it. And as we have talked about in class, the federal government doesn’t seem too concerned with changing the status quo. So it has to be with grassroots movements such as the incredibly massive and successful movement started by the parents of the students dubbed the Jena 6.