Humanities Lecture

[Transcripts are auto-generated]

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

I hope you all enjoyed all the previous sessions. You are now here for another mock lecture, specifically in terms of this one is going to be catered more to social justice, which goes with the times and everything we are experiencing currently, this session will run from 515 to six o'clock. Just a couple of housekeeping things. It is a webinar, so we cannot see you. But as you can see us, this session will be recorded and available to you at the end of the week. And then if you want to access the program agenda or navigate around our site, please feel free to do so as well. Before I pass it to Sydney, I didn't do this in my previous session, but I'm going to do it here. I know you all remember me from Sunday and of course, Ms. Gabrielle but I am Miss Morgan offer and I am an admissions counselor over the Northeast territory. I'm also Spelman alumni class of 2019, so forth east as well as shout out to anybody from Maryland as that is where I'm from. So I don't want to take up any more of your time. I'm going to pass the mic to miss Sydney. Hello again, everyone and awesome. Thanks, Miss offered. I hope you all enjoyed the last conversation. Although Spelman is solely an undergraduate institution, we have the right people around us to help us prepare for life after college, whether that's for the workforce or continue on our education. This session coming up is another opportunity to sit in on a class. You have been to two other classes now so you have an idea of some similarities and differences of our professors. They are all amazing but understand that different techniques appeal to different people. The climate of the world we are currently in should confirm the importance to have a safe space like Spelman to become a strong educated woman that can take on anything thrown at her. Spelman prides itself on letting voices be heard. Now more than ever is it is the time to be a part of a community like Spelman College, because it is clear that women are continuing to dominate the world. Be ready to interact in this next session. You'll only get out of it what you put in. Enjoy everyone. All right, Dr. Spence, the floor is yours.

Okay, well, Hello, everyone. I'm so disappointed that I cannot see you. But I see the numbers 163 participants and so I know that you all will give me a lot of energy through the chat. My name is Dr. Cynthia Neil Spence, I'm an associate professor of sociology. And I'm a Spelman alum very proudly. So as well as the director of the social justice program at Spelman College, and the director of the uncf Mellon programs. And so I wear a lot of hats, but all of my hats are very much informed by my commitment to social justice and commitment to equity and fairness in our society. So before we begin, how many of you just heard the verdict? And the Derrick Tobin case? How many of you have heard the verdict? Just, you know, send us in a chat?

Okay, I see some exclamation points. Yes, I did. I'm so happy. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, I did. Yes, I did. Okay, but we share, we share your excitement. This is in fact, so someone said no. Right. But he's guilty on all three counts. And so we are certainly happy that the justice system did its work this time. But we do know that there are so many cases of the police use of the unlawful use of deadly force that are still being adjudicated, still being presented to you through your local media through your national media. And so let's hope that we are at a turning point. Now, as a sociologist, it is important for us to, to actually gauge and investigate all this going on on around us. And so we can take an incident just like what happened with George Floyd. As an example of breakdowns in larger social systems in our society. Sociologists are interested in looking at the ways in which individuals interact with each other, the ways in which social institutions influence those interactions, and the ways in which social institutions and dominant ideological frameworks and when I say dominant, ideological frameworks, I'm talking about dominant belief systems can inform and regulate our lives. So I want you all to think about that as I just present a couple of slides to you. But again, what we're talking about dominant ideological beliefs, we know that white supremacy is a dominant ideological belief. We know that sexism and four is a dominant so that So, patterns of behavior that informed by sexism represent dominant beliefs about the inferiority of individuals that are not born male, okay? We know that their dominant beliefs about individuals who belong or don't belong to a particular community. So there's a lot going on all around us every day. That is, in fact, the work of sociologists, it does, in fact, present a palette for us to engage in questions about what's going on, when we look at immigration, those are issues of belonging and not belonging, nationhood citizenship, when we look at what happened with George Floyd as well, as a host of many others, we're looking at issues of criminalization and over criminalization of black and brown bodies, we're looking at the criminal justice system, we're looking at legal systems and tried to figure out, why do the ideals of fairness and justice and equity? Why are they not represented in these systems? And how does the knowledge of that actually engage and or regulate the ways in which we move about society? And so we're going to talk a little bit about that, in terms of the ways in which something like the George Floyd incident in Minneapolis has or did or did or did not impact the ways in which you began to interact with others. Whether or not you participated in protests, whether or not you change your behavior, whether or not you had more serious conversations with others who you felt might be more vulnerable to the unlawful use of deadly force. So sociologists believe that nothing just happens. Whatever happens has a history and a biography. And it is worthy of interrogation by those of us who are trained to ask the right question. So I'm going to put something up on the screen for you. All right. I saw a man there. So I'm not sure that was about them vertical. That's about what I just said. Okay. So I'm putting a PowerPoint up now. And hopefully, you all can see it, okay. And so this is just a sample of the kind of conversation that I would have the kind of engagement I would have with my students in the sociological imagination class. That is the entry level course for all students who are majoring in sociology and anthropology, they can't get around me, they have to come to me first. And it is the class that in many ways, introduces students to the fundamentals of sociological thinking, anthropological thinking, problem posing, that we engage in as scholars as teachers and as students. And so normally, I taught this class this morning, this class meets at 8am, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. And so it's a great way to kind of break students into the major whether they're sleepy or not, but I try to keep them happy and engaged. So let's look at this. This visual now. Okay. And I just want you all in the chat and I can't see it, but I'm going to ask my assistants to just tell me some of what you all are seeing because on my screen now, I can't see the chat. But when you're looking at this visual, what kind What do you see what what do you see? And what does the visual tell you about what's going on in this society?

And you can just throw some out at me. Let's see if maybe I can get a few of these people coming

together. Resistance, evolution protest for change unrest. Okay.

Now, someone said evolution, what do you mean by evolution?

see people's people coming becoming more socially aware of racial disparities, okay, inequality for African Americans active changes in courses. History, activism, power, community, and justice. Not about wrong happenings around us open minds.

The people who are the people that we're talking about who are the people that you see why why is it important?

Black people, African Americans minorities.

Okay, is that all you see? activists Okay, activists, how do you know an activist when you see an activist?

People of color and those who have been oppressed?

Okay, so this carrying a sign at a protest? Is that the only way to distinguish whether or not someone is the activists? No. Okay. What are other ways to distinguish whether someone is an activist or not?

passing bills, active lifestyle changes, posting on social media,

okay. Okay. There are a lot of ways that we can demonstrate activism. But as sociologists, when we see these these different photos, because we believe that visual images are very important, we say that each one tells a story. Each one has a story, and we want to interrogate the story that's being told by the video. The next one, here's another one that we say, Okay, what story is being told by these two images? Or stories are being told by these images? Any any thoughts on it?

unrest, story of oppression, police brutality, hurt justice.

Okay. Okay. Sociologists are like I tell my students and sociologists are like two year olds, and I'm not sure if any of you are ever around two year olds, but they ask a lot of questions. And so sociologists ask why, why, why? a sociologist wants to know, who is this person here, this person who's carrying the sign? And then a sociologist wants to know, what is this person's relationship to the photo of George Floyd? The sociologist wants to know, does this person represent the community of George floor? Did they come from somewhere else? We would want to know what is the shirt say? Does this shirt have some symbolism? When we're when we examine why this person is involved? We want to know why does the person have their fist up? What would be some of your responses to these questions just for looking Why do we have the fifth because sociologists look at symbols. What does this fifth symbolize

power black power?

Okay. Black Power so it can only black people show the fifth then the race arm and fifth?

No.

Okay. All right. But but so and when you say or whoever said that it represents black power. Where does that come from? Did you just think of that? Or are you connecting it to some other moment of history?

Someone said a historic symbol of black power, and overall, it went too fast. I missed it. Okay. And overall unity against oppression and white supremacy.

Okay. All right. Very good. Very good. All right. Why is this person holding up George florets pitcher? Could he have held up anybody else's picture?

They're saying yes. Someone said Trayvon Martin's. Okay. Someone said because he was killed by a police officer and attempt to gain justice for his murder.

Okay, all right. Then we've got this fellow over here. Who is this person? And why are they so it says justice for George Ford. Hashtag I can't breathe. What is that about? Because if I'm coming here if I'm an alien, and I don't know anything about it, what what's the meaning behind the words here?

His death should not have occurred. He is wishing justice.

What is the I can't breathe?

George George fluid said that before being Q.

Okay. All right. is George Floyd The only person associated with I can't breathe? No. Okay. So there are others who said it but it's become a hashtag. So it's a symbol. So if I see the hashtag, I can't breathe. I immediately think about the unlawful use of deadly against individuals. Is that not correct? Right? Yes. Okay. All righty. Okay. So sociologists would ask us, so we interrogate everything that we observe. And we know that all of our observations of ups here of social behavior, have a particular history, this person doesn't just show up, there's a history behind this person being present. These signs are not just signs, they're messages that represent a movement. And as sociologists, we want to interrogate the movement, the symbol of black power has a history, this young man did not just do that today. So we have to connect this particular symbol with, with the history of the Black Power movement. So sociologists are asking questions about the images that we see the behaviors that we observe, if we were in a class, I would probably have you all go into breakout rooms, and you would have spent some time kind of creating even your own stories about these individuals, because they must have a history, they must have a biography. Why are they there? Why did they choose to be there? We would be very much interested in the cross racial alliances, and what is the history behind cross racial alliances? Did they just begin in response to the George Floyd murder? Or have we always had evidence of cross racial alliances? sociologists would want to trace that history, one of the disciplines that were most closely aligned with is history because we say that we cannot understand society without situating society within a historical context, or socio historical context. And so these are some of the questions that sociologists would ask, they would want to know, what is it about this moment? Because it's something about the George Floyd moment that perhaps some are saying that it is a turning point for society? Do you all agree?

everybody's saying Yes.

Why? I'm the sociologist, I'm saying why why is this a turning point? Haven't we always had racism? Hasn't racism been a part of the American experience? So what is it that's causing us to say that we're at a moment a turning point, a shifting of consciousness, people are saying the

media, somebody said, I hope it's a turning point. The world is watching television, turning point, because a lot of people are fed up for the way that black people are being treated, do the pandemic, everyone is staying home so they can see his stuff on TV, pandemic COVID for the world to

watch. Okay. All right. So we have two pandemics going on at the same time, but they're very much into they're very much related. So you got the COVID pandemic, but you also have the pandemic of, of systemic racism and the ways in which it plays out in our day to day lives. And so one of these sociologists that we study in the sociological imagination is a sociologist by the name of see right Mills. And in 1959, which is way before you all were born a thought about and perhaps even your parents wave and and before I was before, I was thought about as well, okay? But back in 1959 See, right, Mills said the sociologists must ask three types of questions, right? And so I'm going to ask, I'm going to go over these questions, but then I'm going to ask some of you to just pick one and then to provide an answer. Neil said that sociologists must ask one one very broad question, what is the structure of this particular society as a whole? Okay, meaning, what is it that helps to frame this society? Under that question, what are his essential components? And how are they related to one another? How does it differ from other varieties of social order? What is the meaning of any particular feature for its continuance and for its change? So if we were just dealing with this set of questions, and we were thinking about today, today is is April the 25th 2021 some Take the first or one of these questions, okay if you are, if you are trying to explain to see right Mills now, see right Mills wrote these questions in 1959, you are made you are April 20 of your reporting from April 20 2021, you are a journalist, consider yourself a journalist because in many ways sociologists are like journalists, because we're telling the stories about society, right? Can someone pick one of these questions and say you are called upon today? And you're asked one of these questions, just pick one and tell us how you would answer it. And I so hate you all can't be unmuted.

Um, somebody said that inferior inferiority and superiority or

think I was gonna say, and worthiness are based on socio economic status. Okay. So when they're talking about what is the structure this particular society, okay, good.

We are in a caste system and society is set in a way to highlight such white supremacy.

Okay, all right. And caste is a big word, because caste means that, you know, we've were placed into positions by birth, that we cannot move outside of you know that it's not malleable. Our status is not now but we can't change it. And so someone is saying that if they were describing the essential components of the society, they would say that we're in a caste system. Whoever said that, would you add just a little bit more to elaborate on why you say this is a caste system.

We also got a structure is a hierarchy where those are better rich, white, male, able bodied, beautiful, are at the top and hold more power than minority identities. There is also intersectionality regarding social groups and systems, which leads people with various Well, I'm sorry, with a variety of advantages and disadvantages, historic events and relationships between groups and people, groups of people and systems can lead to solidarity and possibly more division.

Okay. Okay, good.

Good. Society stands in place of serious social change in our history, central components are excellent exports and imports, the transactions between individuals ever evolving and affecting everyone differently through intersectionality.

Okay, can that person that person who said that because you're using another big word intersectionality. And so intersectionality, you know, is a is a term that was coined by Kimberly Crenshaw, who is a legal scholar, but certainly scholars well before Kimberly Crenshaw, we're talking about intersectionality. And so when we talk about intersectionality, we really are talking about the simultaneous occurrences of identity markers, right? So if you are black and you're female, and you represent a particular class structure, you really want we're talking about intersection out we're talking about the ways in which our lives are regulated by those identity markers that we cannot, we cannot disassociate we cannot and we cannot dis attach to our identities, right? So someone said so, so the person who was talking about intersectionality, can you elaborate more on what you meant about how intersectionality affects this particular society as a whole.

Dr. Spence, the young lady who said, who used the word caste, okay, meaning that our origin overrides our accomplishments are hereditary is our social class.

Okay, okay. Can class status change? Can it change? Can you move from one class status to another?

The status currently saying yes. Okay.

We know that education is one of the agents of socialization, that assist in class what we call sociology, class mobility, right? That education can for some and I say can I'm not going to say it always does, but can in fact, be the major the major instigator for class mobility, why is education considered a major engine for moving a person from one class to another? The response their response to that

Social Capital because as a society, we value education, because it gives us access to I'm sorry, because it gives us more opportunities.

So you all are so smart, because you're using terms that we use. All right, so social capital, and social capital is certainly a concept that we study in sociology. And social capital really is focusing in on the networks, you know, the associations that one has. So we call it social, because we all are social beings, right? And it's the individuals that we associate with that helped to give meaning to our lives. The individuals that we associate with can, in fact, in many ways, serve as currency, something that you can, you can barter with that you can spend. And so education becomes a site where one can build social capital, because you build associations. And through those associations, you may in fact, be viewed more favorably or unfavorably. Certainly, each of you is decided that Spelman College is one of your primary choices for higher education. To be a Spellman graduate means that you have social capital, if you were what walking through a mall or an airport or even a grocery store, and you have on a Spellman t shirt, people will say, oh Spelman, and they say that and in a way that is praise worthy. That is an example of the social capital that the label of Spelman affords and individual social capital also comes from, again, the people that you know, you wit, and not only is the people that you know, it's the people who end up knowing you and knowing something about you. So social capital is very important, and is a very important concept for us to study and sociology, you all are great. Y'all are just very smart. Okay, so the second set of questions that Neil's asked is, where does this society stand in human history? Where they were in 2021, y'all, okay, where do we stand in human history? And this, in many ways, is connected to the other question I asked when I shared the visuals. And I said, why is it that the George Floyd incident has, in fact heightened awareness of the impact of systemic and structural racism in our society? Where do we stand in human history? any answers to that?

We have allowed media and public figures to reverse much of what our ancestors did, we are in a place of history where the voices of minority are growing alongside the population minority. This means that rich white males are going to become less common primarily in the Western countries like the UK and America social media blueprint

excellent. I want you all to major in sociology please your your sociological imagination is working, it is working all right. Okay. The third set of questions that he asked is, how does any particular feature we are examining effect and how is it affected by the historical period in which it moves? Okay. How does any particular feature we are examining effect and how is it affected by the historical period in which it moves? So let's just give the verdict today. The verdict today in the Derrick Shelvin case. How does the Berdych affect how? How is it affected by the historical period in which it is in fact moving? How does this verdict affect this particular moment in history?

Give him a second give value to black life. I think it gives people hope, a sign of progression change, major turning point, social accountability, signs and change foundation towards true justice. Back bringing it going back to awareness if everyone stopped paying attention now, they we have a different outcome or a sign of justice accountability validates our struggle.

Some people to characterize what happened to George Floyd as a lynching, some individuals characterize it As a public lynching, and if it if it is characterized in that way, we know that in the in our earlier history, because again, we have to connect what happened to George Floyd within a lineage of other instances of the unlawful use of deadly force against black and brown bodies. And so if we were to do that, what do we know about lynching if this was a lynching, and if Derrick Chauvin had committed the same act of lynching, say in 1930, what might have happened?

Nothing, you would be free? Nothing. No justice.

Okay. And so that's why we have these kinds of questions that sociologists are asking, how does it differ from other periods, and many of you have so aptly said, the one one positive of this period is media, and the influence of media and the ways in which the media makes evident, the various in justices that occur within our communities. We also know that lynching in our country was brought to the attention of print media, we certainly didn't have as much visual media, but it was brought to the attention of the global print media. And so as the US was actually posturing and saying that we were such a great place that believed in democratic ideas all over the world, there were there were images and stories about lynching. And so that came back to haunt the US. So what we know is that we are all we are all subject to the, the gaze from the external community. And so certainly, just as individuals are, in fact, subject to the gaze of the external community, countries are as well. And so even today, with the, the, the, the, the preparation for the verdict, I heard a news person say the world is watching the world is watching. And so what the world is saying to the US is that why are you so hypocritical, you're forever going out and talking about in justices that happen outside of us borders, but what about what's happening within your own borders. And so we certainly hope that perhaps this might be a movement in the right direction. But there's so many cases like George Floyd, that are occurring every day, we know just, let's just within the past 10 days, they've been a number of cases of the unlawful use of deadly force against black and brown bodies. And so certainly, we need to make certain that law enforcement officers are held accountable. And sociology, we would in fact, encourage individuals and through our criminology as a construct, we would say that, it doesn't mean that just because someone is a law enforcement officer, that they're bad, we need to investigate how are they being trained? How are they being educated about their roles in society? How are they being held accountable, and we would want to go in and investigate what's happening within law enforcement communities, we want to go and look at the training manuals for law enforcement, so that we can gain a better understanding of why they respond in the ways that they respond. Okay. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna move on one of the questions that meals as a what variety is the men and women now prevail in the society in this period? And we've talked a little bit about that, that particular question and I will allow the admissions office to post this lecture for you. But someone made a point earlier and I said that person has seen my slides. sociologist wants to know who rules the world who rules the world. One sociologist is bell hooks, okay. And in her book, she says where we stand class matters. She said that the persons who rule the world and certainly you all have added on categories of white, male, straight Christian, an upper class, right, I would add able individuals, what do you all have to say about that? Do you have others to other characterizations of those who rule the world that you would add? Or do you agree that these are the individuals who rule the world and if you agree why and we're going to use this as our closing. Okay, because you know, is to be answered, it says All throughout the world, right? As Spellman says, The girls rule the world. But when we are looking at the individuals who hold power, the most power in society, Bell Hooks said this in 2000 is 2021. Is this the same? any last comments on this?

You're saying I agree, agree with as of our history in this society, history is alive repeating itself. Characteristics plus people without disabilities and cisgender social influencers now play a big part in social capital. heterosexuals, I've always been. It's always always been in history, white men that are the leaders. A lot about cisgender. Powers diverse district. Oh, I disagree. Because power is diverse. Okay. If you look at people in power, they're usually people listed above. It's changing, but they still have the majority people line with the blind with values. Global majority is recognizing the true position. Yes, it is the same because it's Historical Society systems in place over 400 years, and heterosexual married white men.

Okay, so Gabby, and married in there? Okay. Well, very good, very good. These are some of the questions that sociologists would engage. If we were in a class again, you all would have more time to deliberate on some of the points or the questions that I posed, you would provide some of your own life examples. And you would be reading texts that either support or or contest some of the points that are being made. The last thing that I will share with you is to just connect you to the social justice program. These are the kinds of questions that sociologists ask, but certainly the social social justice program is premised on the fact that no matter what major a student has, that made, that student can, in fact use their intellectual interests, to support and to inform social justice causes. And so for the social justice program at Spelman College, it is an interdisciplinary program. We have students representing all majors, students in their junior or senior year can be social justice fellows, and students in their sophomore year can in fact be associates and students in the first year can be a part of an interest group. We do programming we have book discussions, we it is a living and learning community where most of our students live together in the residence hall, we have a speaker series their students working on environmental justice, I have one student who started a book club at a local and at the women's correctional institution where we, before COVID, we're going up discussing books with women who are in prison, we have students who work on issues of poverty, and homelessness, of issues to work on students who work on reproductive justice, voting, education and voting voter advocacy. So there are a host of areas for students who are interested in social justice health disparities. So it doesn't matter what you major in, if you feel that you can merge your intellectual interests with your social justice passions that our program is for you. And so certainly, please go and visit our website. But also go to the Sociology Department website, so you can learn more about me and the kinds of scholarly questions that I asked. But also, you can learn more about our department. And we certainly hope that you all will, in fact, make the best decision and that decision is that you will, in fact, be on campus at Spelman College in August, and that you all come by and see me to let me know that you are you participated in this lecture. And I look forward to hearing from you the admissions office can provide my email, if you all have any other questions. So thank you. Thank you very much.