Jonathan Salcido STACC Southland Individual Essay

Southland gives voice to various populations in Los Angeles, whether fictional or not most minorities have been silenced by injustice and racism. Specifically, Curtis's story highlights the loss of voice amongst African Americans and demonstrates the novel's message of social justice. Sometimes when a voice isn't heard, the other story isn't either and justice can't be served. And when justice can't be served problems occur. A city can't have problems or rebellions, a city must have justice and social justice within the people. Sadly, Curtis was a victim of his voice being silenced and never having justice served towards those that hurt him. He would be bullied because he was an African American and didn't agree with what was going on around him. "Already two of Curtis's classmates had been arrested for robbery, and his break-in buddy, Jason, had spent six months at a boy detention camp for assaulting another boy." Curtis was surrounded by many negative people and sometimes the negativity reached into Curtis. Curtis never wanted to break into the school and do graffiti it was his friends that did and persuaded him to try it. Sometime before the locker room incident, a police man with the first name Nick, beat Curtis for a unjustifiable reason. Curtis never told anyone of that incident because he felt as if no one would care or do something about it so why waste his time? This would be an example of Curtis having his voice silenced, not only did this happen to Curtis but to other African Americans around Los Angeles as well. Causing major trust problems with those who are here to "Protect and serve." But ever since the locker room incident Curtis was never the same anymore. In a passage Curtis was in a track race against some other students, he won the race, pounded his chest with pride and went to the locker room. He was then confronted by the boys and was bullied, pushed,

insulted as well as punched. "There was no way he was going to take another beating off a white man.""Without thinking about the consequences, Curtis pulled out the knife he always carried and quickly opened the blade." The boys ran away and left. One day the school administrators confronted Curtis about what he did in the locker room, he tried to explain why he did what he did but they didn't listen. Curtis was expelled off the track team and suspended from school for 2 weeks. Another example of how racism flowed in schools and government officials against not only blacks but minorities. In conclusion, Curtis has had his voice silenced in the novel just how other have been in real life situations. Not to mention how his final silence of his voice was due to death in a freezer, others in real life have also been silenced due to death or racism. Most victims of racism would range from Mexicans, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Chinese, everything that wasn't American would be affected. To my thought I always never figured out the point to why mostly Americans have spread racism more towards other non American people. As well, how the American government never really pay attention to others or help others until the "American" people say something and have their voice heard.