Kozol and All Lives Matter Article

Alyssa Giammarco
Dr. Corrine McKamey
FNED:346
23 September 2018



Amazing Grace by Johnathan Kozol

"You just cover up ... and hope you wake up the next
morning," says a father of four children. one of them an
infant one month old, as they prepare to climb into their
sleeping bags in hats and coats on a December night."
This quote is revealing the struggle that families in the Bronx had to face. To some of us on a cold December night we bundle up underneath blankets. For these families including their small children, have to sleep in tiny sleeping bags without heat and hope to be alive the next morning. This is a horror story for these families that need to be changed.  This quote is relevant to the text because the author is talking about South Bronx and the obstacles that some children and families face while living there.

"There are children in the poorest, most abandoned
places who, despite the miseries and poisons that the wurld
has pumped into their jives, seem, when you first meet
them, to be cheerful anyway."
This quote is relevant to the text because the author is talking about the South Bronx and the obstacles that some families have to go through while living there. This quote reveals that even though some children's lives are filled with hurt, anger, and horror, when you meet them they make it seem like everything is fine. This is because these children face these obstacles everyday which makes them costumed to it. When I think about it, it's actually very sad that these children can put a smile on their face and go on with their day even though everything is not okay.

A small and wiry woman wearing blue jeans and a
baseball cap, a former cocaine addict who now helps ad-
dicted women and their children, she tells me that more
than 3.000 -horneless families have been relocated by the
city in this neighborhood during the past few years, and she
asks a question I will hear from many other people here
during the months ahead. "Why do you want to put so
many people with small children in a place with so much
sickness? This is the last place in New York that they should
put poor children. Clumping so many people, all with the
same symptoms and same problems, in one crowded place
with nothin' they can grow on? Our children start to mourn
themselves before their time."
This quote is relevant to the text because the author is talking about the South Bronx and how many families and children face obstacles on a every day basis while living there. Why would the government try and put many people with the same sickness in a small space together!! This plan makes absolutely no sense in my eyes. I understand the government is trying to help people in the bronx but this plan is just not a good idea. Especially when there are children mixed in this plan.

Points to share in class:
I agree with Kozol on many of his points that he shared about South Bronx. I believe that the government plays a huge role in why so many families are left in poverty and fighting for their lives almost everyday. The lower class basically has nothing to live off of because their income is so little. Also they have no essential resources or materials to help them and their families survive. This is heartbreaking and horrific that the government turned this place this way. They should be setting up clinics, health care centers, and other forms of help for the lower class families.

Link to the reading:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-JcBFAuLc-0Ml9vUkdMdFdoNDg/view (Kozol Reading)

All Lives Matter by Kevin Roose
The real issue is that, while strictly true, "All Lives Matter" is a tone-deaf slogan that distracts from the real problems black people in America face.
This quote is relevant to the text because the author of this article is talking about how Black Lives Matter and how many people believe that the slogan should be changed to All Lives Matter. The slogan of Black Lives Matter was created to stop violence and racism towards African Americans. For example there were many shootings that involved African American men that were shot and killed by white police officers. The slogan was created to end harmful violence on African Americans. Changing this slogan to All Lives Matter would not ave the same effect because not all races face what African Americans do. The real problem that needs to be changed it the treatment on African Americans. This is why the slogan All Lives Matter would not work.

"There is a news bias toward stories that the majority of the audience (who are white) can identify with. So when a young black man gets killed (prior to the recent police shootings), it's generally not considered "news", while a middle-aged white woman being killed is treated as news. And to a large degree, that is accurate — young black men are killed in significantly disproportionate numbers, which is why we don't treat it as anything new. But the result is that, societally, we don't pay as much attention to certain people's deaths as we do to others. So, currently, we don't treat all lives as though they matter equally."
This quote is relevant to the text because the author is talking about how Black Lives Matter and how many people don't see that it's an actual problem. The meaning of this quote is that when a black man gets killed no one cares and it's not worthy enough to be "news" to people.  However when a white person is killed then that is worthy and considered news. What is happening to our society? Why is it that we don't treat everyone equal? Why is it that we judge people on the color of their skin? Who cares if you have white, or black skin, we are all humans!

Imagine that you're sitting down to dinner with your family, and while everyone else gets a serving of the meal, you don't get any. So you say "I should get my fair share." And as a direct response to this, your dad corrects you, saying, "everyone" should get their fair share."
This quote is relevant to the text because the author is talking about Black Lives Matter. This quote reveals that not everyone has a fair shot at anything in life. Of course everyone "wants" their fair share but the truth is not everyone gets it because life is completely unfair.

Link to the reading: 
https://splinternews.com/the-next-time-someone-says-all-lives-matter-show-them-1793849332
(All Lives Matter Reading) 

Points to share in class:
"All lives matter" is willfully going back to ignoring the problem."

I agree with this quote because the slogan "All Lives Matter" will ignore the actual problem that is trying to be addressed. The slogan "Black Lives Matter was created to stop racism, and violence including shootings among police officers.