Title: Sparked : George Floyd, racism, and the progressive illusion /
Authors: Jacobs, Walter R.,; Taiwo, Wendy Thompson,; August, Amy,; Aguilar, Rodolfo,; Beane, Kate,; Brewer, Rose M.; Castellanos, María Bianet; Choy, Catherine Ceniza,; Coleman, Taiyon J. ,; Fajardo, Kale Bantigue; Gibney, Shannon; Hirsi, Ibrahim,; Jacobs, Walter R.,; Lawrence, David Todd,; Lewis, Brittany,; Logan, Enid,; Lozenski, Brian D.,; Mayes, Keith A.,; Mitchell, Jasmine,; Myers Jr., Samuel L.,; Obando, Mario Alberto,; Pha, Kong Pheng,; Phillips, Katrina; Powell, Amber Joy,; Raimist, Rachel; Rajasekar, Neeraj,; Sarmiento, Thomas X.,; Shannon, Jerry,; Shannon, Sarah; Sharkey, Erin; Singleton, Jermaine,; Sole, Jason Marque; Spears-Rico, Gabriela,; Wheelock, Darren,; Williams, Marcia; Williams, Yohuru,; Williamson, Terrion L.; Wright, Mi'Chael N. ,
Year: 2021
Subjects: Floyd, George,; Racism Minnesota Minneapolis; Racism Minnesota Saint Paul; Racism United States; Race relations; Racism; Minneapolis (Minn.) Race relations; Saint Paul (Minn.) Race relations; United States Race relations; Minnesota Minneapolis; Minnesota Saint Paul; United States
Abstract: On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed by Minneapolis police officers, sparking months of unrest at home and around the world. As millions took to the streets to express their outrage and speak out against systemic racism, injustice, and institutionalized violence, the city of Minneapolis and its residents were deeply shaken. For many, George Floyd's murder and the ensuing uprisings shattered the city's reputation for progressive ideals and a high quality of life. For many others, the incident simply caught on camera a representation of the harsh realities and paradoxes that they have been living with for generations. In the words of Jasmine Mitchell, "the 'Minnesota nice" comforts and illusionary progressiveness resides upon the ignoring of White racial terrorism and fears of Blackness, brown immigrants, and resistance to White supremacy. Sparked brings together the perspectives of social scientists, professors, and other academics who work or have worked in Minnesota. The essays present reflections on racial dynamics in the Twin Cities and the intersection of the wonderful and wretched sides of that existence, revealing deep complexities, ingrained inequities, and diverse personal experiences." -- Adapted from publisher's description.
Contents: Preface: From Wonderful/Wretched Memories to Sparked Discussion of Racial Dynamics in Minnesota / Walter R. Jacobs -- Coloring in the Progressive Illusion: An Introduction to Racial Dynamics in Minnesota / Amy August -- Blackasotan Identity Lanes / Walter R. Jacobs -- A Letter to an Old Friend about Race / Darren Wheelock -- Will Words Lead to Action? / Marcia Williams -- My Beautiful, Broken Minnesota / Rachel Raimist -- In This Country / Catherine Ceniza Choy -- The Sound of the Police / Jerry Shannon and Sarah Shannon -- Black Life and Death in Minnesota / Wendy Thompson Taiwo -- In Transit / Thomas X. Sarmiento -- Everybody's Going Uptown / Rodolfo Aguilar -- Luna Lovers / Mario Alberto Obando -- Gesturing Towards Tenuous Inclusion / Jasmine Mitchell -- Learning the Music and Diversity Scales in My Minneapolis / Neeraj Rajasekar -- The Minnesota Paradox / Samuel L. Myers Jr. -- What's Understood Don't Need to Be Explained: Sometimes Gifts Come in Ugly Packages / Taiyon J. Coleman -- Minnesota Nice White People / David Todd Lawrence -- It Shouldn't Be Me or You but Especially Not Them: The Proximity of Black Death and Trauma / Mi'Chael N. Wright -- Some Abstract Place: Reflections on 'Black Life and Death in Minnesota' / Yohuru Williams -- White Justice in Life and Death: Will George Floyd Receive Justice? / Keith A. Mayes -- Crime and Imagination to Contend with It / Erin Sharkey -- Woop-Woop! That's the Sound of da Beast / Jason Marque Sole -- A Reflection on Racism, Police Violence, and Abolition / Amber Joy Powell -- Remembering David Cornelius Smith / Terrion L. Williamson -- On the Precarity of 'Safety': A Black Mother Contemplates What It Means to Defund the Police / Shannon Gibney -- Finding Myself in a Racialized World: A Personal Story of Being Black and Immigrant in Minnesota / Ibrahim Hirsi -- May 29, 2020: We Are Not Okay / Enid Logan -- Brown Minnesota / M. Bianet Castellanos -- Beyond Shadow Boxing: Reflections on the Matrix of Race in the Post-Floyd Era of Racial Protest / Jermaine Singleton -- Minneapolis Rise Up 2020: Black Lives and Whiteness Unveiled / Rose M. Brewer -- The State Is Not Our Friend / Brian D. Lozenski -- 'End White Supremacy' from Black Lives Matter to the Toppling of the Columbus Statue: A Testimonio from San Pablo / Gabriela Spears-Rico - 'Beyond the Borders of the State': Being Native in Minnesota / Katrina Phillips -- Rediscovering My Purpose: The Politics of Race, Access, and Change / Brittany Lewis -- George Floyd Was Murdered on Dakota Land / Kate Beane -- Unsettled Mourning / Kong Pheng Pha -- All the Stars Point North / Wendy Thompson Taiwo -- Minneapolis to the Sea: Haibuns in Memory of George Floyd / Kale Bantigue Fajardo -- Conclusion: Where Will We Be on May 25, 2022? / Walter R. Jacobs, Amy August, and Wendy Thompson Taiwo.