American Mermory SOAPStone

On a road near Eutaw, Alabama

S ubject:

The subject of this photograph is the hard work and labor people faced at that time. This picture shows the long stretch of road ahead of the two African American women. The road seems perpetual, never having an end, and the landscape is almost barren, with a few trees in the distance. Off to the side is an old fence strectching as far as the road goes, and there are no buildings or houses in sight, so it makes this place seem poor and lonely. People living here would have had a hard life, as there was probably nothing around for miles. The photo is arranged so that the long road can be seen clearly, giving the impression that the place was pretty empty.

O ccasion:

This photo was probably taken during the time when African Americans were discriminated against by Americans, and they did not live in the good conditions most whites did at the time. In this picture, you can see that these people did not have the "modern" conveniences that most whites had, and they probably had to work harder to make a living.

A udience:

This photograph was probably targeted towards adults, as they can relate to the two women more than younger children can. Wealthy white adults would be most affected by this picture because it gives them an idea of how other people are living in the world and what types of conditions poorer people live in. They may realize how hard of a life it is for the black people that have to work everyday to support themselves. Wealthy women might be able to relate to this picture more so than men as the picture shows two women traveling on the long road.

P urpose:

The purpose of this photo is to illustrate about what type of conditions some African Americans lived in. This photo may make the audience feel bad for the two women, and may make them want to help them in some way. It would help the audience realize and understand, in some way, what some of the blacks are feeling themselves living the way they did.

S peaker:

Based on the picture, I would think that the photographer had a heart for African Americans, and felt bad for them and realized their hardship. The person taking the photo probably thought that it was unfair for blacks to live like this, and wanted to show others how sadening it is to see two women walk along the never-ending road in a barren land. The photographer took the picture from behind the two people and angled the camera just so the huge stretch of road could be seen to its fullest extent at the spot they were standing.

T one:

This picture is a little sad in its tone. Although it does not convey any extremely heart-breaking scenes, it does stir up one's emotions, just to see the conditions in which some African Americans lived in. For me, it delivers a slight shock to see what type of place they live in, and how far they probably have to travel to get to the closest city. It is sad how two women (seemingly lonely) must travel along the never-ending road, and by the looks of what they are wearing, it is probably in the summer time.

Part of a Negro tenant family on a farm near Greensboro, Alabama

S ubject:

The subject of this photograph is the children of an African American tenant family. The photo is arranged so that each of the kids' faces show clearly, as well as what they are doing. The three children seem to be waiting or longing for something, and they seem a little bored. The girl on the left is wearing a stained dress and holding on to the wooden pillar/pole. The boy in the center seems to be staring off into the distance, and he is leaning on the pole. The child on the right is merely standing there, almost as if there is nothing else to do. Each of the children wear torn, worn out clothing and are barefooted.

O ccasion:

This photo was probably taken during the period of the Great Depression, as the children in the picture look poor and are wearing raggedy, dirty clothes. At this time, the world's economy had turned down because of World War II and many other factors. This is probably when families became poor or in poverty, and they often did not have enough money to buy food to feed the whole family. The children might be waiting for their parents to bring them food or something else.

A udience:

This photograph was targeted mainly to children and parents. It would be the most effective on them because they can relate to it the closest, as parents do not like to see their children starving and struggling to have enough food to eat, and children will obviously understand what other children are feeling when they see photos like this. Both genders and both younger and older children can be targeted by this picture. Any social class would be affected by this image, and in terms of races, African Americans would be the main target because they would know how it feels like to live like the children were in the picture, and they had been through this before. They know what it is like to be poor during the Great Depression.

P urpose:
The purpose of this photo is to illustrate about how people lived in the times of the Great Depression, and also to document the poor conditions people were in. This photo makes the audience feel sad for the children, and may make them wish they could help them in some way.

S peaker:
The photographer of this photo probably felt bad for the children, and wanted the rest of the world to see what these children were going through. They positioned the camera so that all three children showed up in the picture, and from this angle it is clear what they are doing and what expressions they bare on their faces. Based on the subject they chose, children during the hard times of the Great Depression were probably one of the most important things to them. The artist understood their hardship and wanted to document this point in time (which is history now).

T one:
The tone of this photograph is depressing as well as sad. The children in this picture make me feel this way, and you can tell from their expressions that their lives are not full of fun and play, but full of struggles and misery. They do not look very happy at all, and it also makes the audience feel the same way.

A rest stop for Greyhound bus passengers on the way from Louisville, Kentucky to Nashville, Tennessee, with separate accommodations for colored passengers

S ubject:
The subject of this photograph is a dining room for bus passengers on the way from Kentucky to Tennessee. It is a small dining room, and yet it is separated for blacks and whites. The sign on the front of the little building says "Colored Dining Room In Rear". The photo is arranged so that the sign on the front can be clearing seen, as well as the surrounding area.

O ccasion:
During this time, the Great Depression is probably going on and when segregationist signs became common throughout the south. This photo was taken after black slaves were freed, but when people still treated them unfairly because of their skin color. At this time, almost all local restaurants had separate areas set aside for "colored only" and "white only". Drinking fountains and many restrooms were also like that. This photo is an example of a dining room that has areas set aside for different races.

A udience:
This photograph was probably targeted towards African Americans. In this photo, the sign purposely points out where the blacks are supposed to go, and separates the two races. Blacks will find it more offensive to see they have been pointed out specifically by the dining room and moved to a different area in the rear. This photo targets both genders and ages.

P urpose:
The purpose of this picture was to merely document what was going on at the time of the Great Depression. The main focus of the photo is the sign posted there, and there are no people or activities going on around the area.

S peaker:
Based on this picture, the photographer probably thought of this as an important part of the Great Depression, as it clearly shows the racial segregation among whites and blacks. From this photo, racial discrimination is probably very important to the person that took the picture, and they probably showed interest in the unfair treatment of African Americans that was going on at the time. The artist could have been African American, or an American that cared for the blacks and knew that they were not being treated with respect.

T one:
The tone of the photo is indifferent, as it only shows a sign and nothing else. There are no people involved in this picture, so there isn't really a way to tell whether or not this picture had some other meaning in it. All there is is the sign, showing the unfair treatment of the blacks, but that is not enough to infer how the artist truly felt about the subject.

Sign on a restaurant

S ubject:
The subject of this photo is the sign on the window of a restaurant saying "We cater to white trade only". The photo is arranged so that the sign can be clearly seen, and it is made the focus of the picture. The photo does not show any people or the actual restaurant itself; only the sign is visible and significant.

O ccasion:
The occasion of this picture is probably during the time of the Great Depression, when racial discrimination became common in the south, and signs like these were posted everywhere. These signs pointedly discriminate against blacks and other non-Americans. Restaurants at this time were often seen posted with segregationist signs, and many local areas had separate places set aside for blacks and whites.

A udience:
This photograph is targeted mainly towards African Americans and other races that were discriminated against. This affects them the most because they may feel hurt and slighted when they see this sign, and are reminded of the unequal treatment they faced. This photo is mostly targeted to adults of lower class. After seeing this photo, they may feel offended and angry at such blunt discrimination.

P urpose:
The purpose of this photograph is to document what racial discrimination during the Great Depression was like, and to illustrate the type of signs that were posted at this time. It may also enrage some people about how strongly they were discriminated against by the whites.

S peaker:
The photographer of this picture probably felt sorry for the people that were discriminated against, and realized how unfairly they were being treated. That was why they took the picture, to show the full extent of racial discrimination during the Great Depression. Based on the subject they chose, this person probably thought that such discrimination was wrong, which was why they thought of this sign important enough to take a picture of it. The camera is also angled so that the sign on the window is the main focus of the picture, and nothing else is surrounding it.

T one:
For me, the tone of this picture is slightly angry in its tone, as it shows the clear discrimination acts that the whites imposed on the blacks to make them feel insignificant and unimportant. It makes me feel slightly angry at the whites for being so cruel to other races. The sign that so bluntly points out the fact that they only cater to whites makes me feel mad at them for doing such a thing. I would imagine that that was what most African Americans felt when they saw this sign, only much stronger.

Imagine Tomorrow

For me, the best part of the Imagine Tomorrow competition was the way it was set up, and how the judges would come up to you one at a time or in groups and you are able to present numerous times in front of different people. It was much easier than having to stand in front of hundreds of people at once and present only one time, having no time or second chances to improvise or fix anything that you messed up on/wanted to add to the presentation to make it even better. Also, this format of presenting made it much less of a formal presentation, but more of a casual one since you were able to interact with the judges as they asked questions throughout the presentation. This gave me time to think more clearly about what I was going to say the next time, and after presenting for so many times, our group didn't really need to present in a strict order of who was going when. We just decided that whenever one of us had something important to add that maybe one of us forgot to say, we could mention it right there. After almost each presentation, our group could collaborate with one another on what else we could do to improve our speech next time.
One thing that could be revised for next year's competition would be for them to give us a chance to relax after the judging, and to let us take time to explore by ourselves. I didn't want to go to the workshops. Although it would have been educational, I was not interested in any of the workshops they offered and just wanted to rest a little after the long hours of standing in front of my poster. It would have been nice if they allowed us some more time in the Recreational Center too. Also, they should have assigned around an equal number of judges to each group, and maybe afterwards if other judges are interested in a specific project that they weren't assigned to, they can then take a look at the other projects.

To prep for this competition, we split up the presentation so that each person would have a part. The practice presentations on Thursday were very helpful as it gave me an idea of how it would be like during the judging at WSU. Other than that day, we did not practice, but there was no need to since it wasn't a formal presentation on stage. The practice presentations helped me know what volume I should speak at to make myself clear and how I should explain things to the audience for them to be able to understand our project.
Overall, being freshmen, I think we were very well prepared for this competition, and many of the judges were surprised when they found out our ages and grade level. The quality of our projects were pretty good, and we might have done even better than some upper-class men. Obviously, time was a big issue. But some of our projects seemed too simple, and next year we have to step it up a bit since more people will be coming and it will be harder to win.

For next year's competition, I would like to continue our project and expand on it. We could do more testing that we have outlined in our future plans, and if our results are positive and show that DSE is a reliable fuel source for school buses to run on (maybe even cars), it would make for a great presentation. Also, if it is possible, I'd like to work on more than one project at a time, such as working on designing a "greener" building to add to Camas High School. Imagine Tomorrow projects should start as early as possible, maybe even now, so we have as much time as we need.