Colorlines has recently distributed a series of short docs examining the consequences of the intersection of structure and culture on the lives of young black men.
According to series editor, Kai Wright: Each month, from May to November, we are publishing a package of content focused on a life stage or event that for black men in the United States is uniquely confined by broad, societal inequities. We certainly won’t cover the breadth of the black male experience; we won’t even exhaust the range of inequities that impact our lives. Rather, we’ve focused our efforts primarily on places where existing data shows a profound relationship between poor outcomes and being a black man. We hope simply to join a broader dialogue about these inequities, and help inform a public conversation about solutions.
Tune in to MSNBC on July 27 9:00-10:00 PM to see a documentary on sex trafficking in Houston. The film features Dottie Laster, an incredible woman totally devoted to rescuing trafficked victims and bringing law enforcement down on the bad guys. Dottie also has been featured in a number of other media stories, including this article in More magazine. PS - In response to the common question: what can you do with a sociology degree? I always point to Dottie; she graduated from UTSA with a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2003.
The Vera Institute has recently published a study on stop and frisk practices in New York City based on survey interviews with about 500 young adults. The full report can be downloaded at
The following post was contributed by SOC 3193 student, Roxana Guerrero.
Rape in the Fieldsaddresses the experiences of immigrant farm-worker
women who have been raped by their supervisors. These women come to the United
States with hopes of a better life for themselves and their families, and they are
mainly undocumented. They risk much to cross the border, and the risk of losing
their jobs and being deported makes speaking out about this crime extremely
difficult. Although so ashamed, they also fear reprisal so much that they may continue to bear repeated assault. Most of the U.S.-grown
food we eat has been touched by women like these who work long, difficult hours
for poverty wages. Field labor is physically hard and exposes workers to
dangerous equipment and the elements, as well as pesticides. These hazards and
hardships are compounded by criminal victimization. Female workers endure
sexual coercion and are consistently in fear. Their supervisors see them as
easy, disposable targets. There are always more women behind them desperate for
work. The value of machismo
tends to amplify the problem. Men dominate women, and women are submissive to men.
This leads men to see women as objects they can use whenever they want without
a thought to their feelings.
My father supervised many
undocumented immigrants years ago in the orange groves across the Rio Grande
Valley of Texas. He typically had about fifteen people working for him. Most
were men, but wives often worked alongside them. I told him about this
documentary and asked him if he knew of instances in which women were
assaulted or harassed while on the job. He told me that he could see how
assault could happen. Orange groves are often located on the outskirts of
town, isolated from the population, and stretching for miles on end. If
she yelled at all, a woman’s cry for help would be hard to hear. Many women in
these jobs were in such need that they would have endured almost anything. The fact
that only a few women spoke out is not hard to believe. Although my dad said he
never witnessed such behavior, he did say he heard verbal abuse at times
that would lead to scuffles between men.
This documentary helps to give voice to women all over the country who fall victim to assault at the hands of their bosses. Obviously, all women, documented or
undocumented, should have the right to work without fear of harassment or
violence. At present, the only federal agency that is pursuing this
problem is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Victims are
reluctant to come forward, but as they do, this will empower others to do the
same. I admire these women for their strength and courage, and hope that more
will be done to protect them should they continue to labor in the fields.
Visualize a cross-national comparison of economic inequality and various social problems (e.g., teen pregnancy, murder, infant mortality) with this information graphic. For discussion about why rich nations with the greatest inequality (such as U.S.) generally fare worse in terms of the general well-being of their citizens, view this interview with Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett as they discuss their book, The Spirit Level.
