To begin class, Professor Holt played the music video for Corrido de Nipsey Hussle by Faraon de Oro. We had originally listened to the corrido itself on Wednesday without viewing the music video. There was also a discussion regarding the ongoing relevance of specific cultural forms, and using music as a way to study cultural change. After the music video, there was a discussion regarding the documentary, Undeterred, which was screened on Wednesday evening. The documentary focused on one town which was upset with border checkpoints causing hardships on the town. Additionally, the documentary looked at checkpoints which were not just at the border, but thirty to forty miles north of the border moving people toward the dessert and making it harder to carry water. The documentary made arguments not only for a humanitarian crisis, but also that the government was encroaching on the lives of people living in the Western part of the United States.
After the discussion, Spencer presented his LA in the News, which dealt with Mexico’s police force. Mexico is currently dealing with a problem regarding corruption and organized crime relationships within many law enforcement agencies. Additionally, many people within the police force doubt the work they do as they do not know who they may actually be working for. Spencer noted how many people have a high level of apathy for the police force due to this corruption, and many people do not want to join any sort of law enforcement because of this. The government is also trying to move away from corruption by creating a new police force; however it is having trouble getting people to sign up due to the high level of apathy people have for the system already in place.
We then moved into small groups to discuss our HAPs on the Asela de los Santos interview and the historical questions for the day. The main historical questions were: “What questions should we consider when assessing interviews as sources?” and “What key themes regarding gender and revolution arise in the interview?”
In our groups we discussed “It Gave us Worth” the interview of Asela de los Santos by Mary-Alice Walters. We discussed the role of an interview as a source and the advantages and disadvantages that come with it. A disadvantage that was mentioned is that an interviewer will ask certain questions based on the argument they are trying to make. We also discussed the roles of women in the Cuban revolution and how that differed from previous revolutions discussed in class. Specifically, it was mentioned that women had a more calculated support of the revolution as many only joined after they believed the revolution would be successful and align with reforms they wanted.
Key Terms:
Asela de los Santos: protested Batisa’s coup as a student, female leader and organizer of the July 26 movement, in charge of schools during Cuban revolution as a member of the department of education, established Federation of Cuban Women
Federation of Cuban Women (Federación de Mujeres Cubanas): created by de los Santos and Vilma after the revolution, advocated for women who believed their place was no longer limited to the home
Questions:
What are the advantages and disadvantages to using an interview as a source?
How did the roles women played in the Cuban revolution differ to the roles women played in other revolutions?
How did gender roles change due to the revolution in Cuba?
Links:
Corrido de Nipsey Hussle Music Video
Corrido de Nipsey Hussle English Lyrics