My name is Erin Gary. I am a freshman at the University of Maryland, College Park where I am currently majoring in Animal Science. This website is for my Blended Learning English 101 class. My topic focused on the recent events in regards police brutality in Ferguson, MO. I was very interested in this topic for the very simple reason of the fact that I am African-American, and the events that occurred surely do effect me as well because we are all Mike Brown. The general purpose is to inform the public, especially African-Americans,  about the current leadership that represents cases of racial inequality and injustice.

 

Prior to conducting any research, I felt that the media criminalized African-Americans, especially males. It was actually hard to write about another point of view because I was so set in my own point of view. However, I did learn a lot through the research that I conducted. My inquiry question discussed whether the media is to blame for the criminalization of African-Americans. Through my research I found that the media does play a huge role in the criminalization of African-Americans. In addition to the media, the system also plays a role. The system is built on institutional racism, which can stem through stereotypes and racial profiling of African-Americans. Many stated that the problem was that of the system and of the media, however, others viewed the blame also rested in the black community. This is the personal responsibility that many people discuss, which not only lies in the argument of crimes and murder happening within the black community but also in the role models and leaders that represent the black community. This is where I came up with the question of whether or not African-American leaders, like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, were the leaders needed for the black community. My thesis from my CAP addressed whether or not the African American civil rights leader Al Sharpton was the necessary leader for the black community when addressing issues faced by African-Americans in the United States. After going over my CAP once more, I realized that I agree with some things mentioned in the paper while I still disagree with other things that I wrote.