Spacial Injustice - Race and Covid-19
In this post I want to touch upon two things, the relation between Social injustice and race and Covid-19.
"The political organization of space is a particularly powerful source of spatial injustice"
We cannot talk about spacial injustice in the US without bringing race into play. African and African American slaves were not allowed to own land. They worked on their "master's" fields, which, by this, we can already identify the importance of space and land. The ownership of land is a source of power, and whenever power comes into play you have some who are at an advantage and others who are at a disadvantage. It is never equal.
In 1866, when freed slaves were finally allowed to own land, injustice still prevailed as they had no legitimate documentation to own land or to pass it down to their descendants.
Segregation in the united states before the 1960's did not help fix this problem, it forced the grouping and limited rights of people by race. And by segregation I am not only talking about a large scale like neighborhoods, campuses etc.. but also spacial injustice at a small scale like bathrooms and seats on buses. We all know the story of Rosa Parks who refused to give up her space for a white person on the bus.
This history continues to shape space in America to this days. We can clearly identify in each city: The white wealthy neighborhoods, black, Jewish, Hispanic neighborhoods etc.. and low income housing communities which are mainly occupied by marginalized groups. Thisis not only linked to culture but also to access to services, infrastructure, schools etc..
"Locational discrimination, created through the biases imposed on certain populations because of their geographical location, is fundamental in the production of spatial injustice and the creation of lasting spatial structures of privilege and advantage."
Now to transition from this to Covid-19. With the rapid propagation of this virus we can clearly identify the spacial injustice. We see it in the news " schools are the only place that some students get a meal a day", " many students are homeless", and with the rise now of online classes, we all know that the less fortunate will not have access to education because they don't necessarily own a computer or live where there is wifi at home. This will clearly affect the lower income communities (which is also the more racially diverse communities). In the midst of this pandemic which is making everyone a victim (Covid-19 is very spacially just) We are creating a new virtual space for injustice by going online. Only the wealthier will have access to this virtual education and work from home privileges.
I'm glad you covered the historic aspect of spatial injustice and now the present. We've known what was and many of us think, "It'll never happen to me." in many aspects of life. But here we are, some of us struggling to get resources and access to things during this pandemic. From this we can imagine or even see online the deeper issues that swell related to those affected by injustices in the past.
ReplyDeleteGreat point, there's a dark underside to what's going on here that I'm not, and I assume a lot of us aren't, confronted with. This stuff hurts the weakest the most. If you have a comfortable home with food, internet, and a job that can be done remotely, this is an inconvenience compared to what some people are facing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, shoutout to Henrique and Luca in your last image. Is this the work of one of the students that had to return from Italy?
I think this a great topic, although sad that they overlap with today's issues. Alot of what is wrong with society is coming into full fruition in these hard times. I do think some of these will be addressed as an issue that has to change, but others will continue to be an issue after the pandemic. Poverty is a big one that I feel will only get worse after all is said and done, but I do feel there is opportunity to raise the expectation of what poverty is in this country and the world.
ReplyDeleteMuch like the conversation we had in class, and the other comments on your post... You have brought to light and very unfortunate parallel. Many times we think we are passed what has happened in history, but really it's just happening behind the curtain. Unfortunately, times like COVID-19 bring this to the attention of the public. I think HOW we react to this makes the difference. We can all agree that suppression and lack of resources due to certain economic situations is happening, but how do we use our knowledge from our education to HELP?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Taylor's question...
ReplyDeleteMore than ever, as a community college educator, I am worried about…
• students on the wrong side of the digital divide.
• students who—even before the COVID crisis—reported food or housing insecurity.
• students who are homeless right now.
• students with disabilities who will not have adequate accommodations in online courses.
• students who suddenly have to educate their children at home.
• students who care for elderly relatives.
• students whose hourly jobs are evaporating.
• students who now have more reasons to believe that college is not for them.
I see potential for these issues to be improved through the physical (and even virtual) design of campuses; however, as architects, you will have greater influence in shaping wider communities. In our discussions and debates, I have been impressed by how much members of our class seem to grasp about inequities rooted in various places, and I am encouraged that you will soon be in professional roles where you can contribute to good solutions.
I love how you have drawn the connection between spatial injustice in the past to what some people are unfortunately experiencing today with this pandemic. What I believe many people that are currently protesting don't realize is that our ability to social distance is truly a privilege. It entails we have a place or a home to safely practice it in which we can afford, access to running water in order to wash our hands and shower, access to the internet so we can continue to work or study remotely, access to supplies to help protect ourselves from the virus or medical care to treat ourselves when we do get sick, and the list goes on. I think quite frankly it is ironic and truly saddening that a virus spread by those who have access to all these resources as they flew across the globe and continue to travel will eventually kill many of those that are actually less fortunate and disadvantaged.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great point that the ability to social distance is a privilege.The inequality of who this is effecting is insanely lopsided. Some people are doing just fine, some are even profiting off of it, some are weathering the storm the best they can, and for many this is a disaster. Not only has everything presently been put on pause, there is so much uncertainty about the future its frightening. We don't know how long this is going to last, we don't know what the economy is going to look like once we get on the other side of this thing, and many people don't know if they're going to be able to make it through this financially in the first place.
DeleteVery thoughtful commentary, Chloe. In America, it's a shame that it takes a global pandemic for some of these daily plights of the disadvantaged to become part of public discourse. We all know that there are hundreds of thousands of homeless people across the country, and children going to sleep hungry; but only when the healthy middle class begins to face adversity do they suddenly seem to care. Maybe I'm being pessimistic, but they attitude I perceive from most people is that they aren't concerned about any issue until they are directly affected by it... I hope that at the very least, many people will recover from this ordeal and have more respect and empathy for those who daily lives are always a struggle.
ReplyDeleteThis post does so much to explain how this problem really is timeless. As there hasn't been enough effort put into solve this divide, it seems the injustice itself adapts faster than people work to combat it. These cyclical and systematic problems are not going away on their own. As we have more and more new advancements and opportunities, they are added to the list of those not available to certain disadvantaged people.
ReplyDelete