LaGuardia and Wagner Archives

Our class trip to the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives was very interesting and fun. We got to learn more about the Harlem riots of 1964 and how Mayor Wagner felt about the entire situation. Mayor Wagner felt that his job there was to maintain law and order, saying that the police are there to protect us, but the negroes at the time didn't feel the same way.  As soon as we got to the archives we were told that we weren't aloud to have any food or drinks upon entering the archives or even have our bags in there. They also showed us a couple cool artifacts that belong to Mr. Wagner, like his autographed glove, signed by Muhammad Ali, and his authentic Mets  jacket. The archives is a place where they hold documents, artifacts, and etc. on Mayor Wagner and others.
While at the archives we were given an article of a speech that Mayor Wagner gave at the time of the riots. Wagner starts off the speech a little upset because he was outside the country having a World Conference, and had to cut it short because of what was going on in the city. He arrived to boarded up windows, crowds of people in their stoops, people scared looking out their windows, and also debris that was left behind after on going battles of the people and the cops. At the end of his speech, Mayor Wagner states that he is there to maintain law and order and that the people shouldn't be fighting the cops that they are there to protect us.

Blog 1: Workin On The Chain Gang

In this blog I will discuss the introduction to Walter Mosley’s Workin On The Chain Gang. He discusses how the human race hasn’t changed much over the years. He says that we’re “still suffering and killing and hating each other” (Mosley 3). Slavery has been going on for over a hundred years and is still going on today. Technology has been a downfall for us. It has taken us to un-imaginary places, he states “Technology has taken us to the moon, but not before it managed to eradicate millions of un-wanted souls in the search for genetic purity” (Mosley 4). He says that the new millennium will bring forth a clean slate where everyone can start fresh. We have the ability to end world hunger and chose not to. We make our own decisions, good or bad. The government makes decisions based on profit. He says “children are starving but that has nothing to do with business” (Mosley 5). Advancements do not come in time but with hard work. For example, the first steam train was built in 1865, the same year that slaves got their freedom. During the 1960s African-Americans were still fighting for their rights, “while technological advancement had brought us into outer space” (Mosley 9). That shows to prove that racism is a huge problem in society. People have come together and become more diverse due to their jobs. Mosley says “what black people have experienced as a group for centuries many whites now experience as solitary and alienated individuals” (Mosley 15).