Oliviana's Blog

                      The USC digital library has been a very useful source as I have begun my initial steps in this researched essay. Since my topic discusses how African American women are discriminated against in America’s healthcare system, I have been using research terms such as “African American Women and Health,” or “Women of color and Access to Affordable Health Care” or “POC and Mental Health.” I have used ProQuest, Credo and the Public Health Database as references. I am including two resources that I believe will be helpful: Works Cited Krieger, Nancy. “How Discrimination Can Harm Black Women's Health.” News , 31 Oct. 2018, www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/discrimination-black-womens-health/.    Vaz, Kim M. "Racial Disparities in Health and Health Care: Implications for African American women psychotherapy clients." Annals of the American Psychot...

                                                           It was difficult to narrow down a topic to select for this paper, when there are so many, specific communities which face discrimination in the healthcare system. However, I have chosen to write about the struggles African American women face. These women are both a racial   and   gender minority. They have been historically discriminated against, and are often unfairly assumed to have a lower pain tolerance as female-identifying individuals, therefore their claims may not be taken as seriously by healthcare professionals. I will need to further research the specifics of institutionalized racism and how, for example, the effects of the Jim Crow laws may still influence our current health system. 

As I have mentioned in my previous blog, I have been researching the Tongva Tribe, who once lived in what is now Los Angeles to Orange County and on the Catalina and San Clemente islands. They were forcibly moved out of their homes by the mid-1840s and now both USC and UCLA occupy their territories for their universities. In my paper, I argue that the Tongva victims of cultural displacement and their descendants should be given financial scholarships, and that the universities should offer classes, majors and/or minors to educate and raise awareness, as well as sympathy for the Tongva Tribe and their history.   The article sited below , from the USC library, talks about a 2021-22 academic year scholarship for the descendants of boarding school survivors, provided by the American Indian College Fund and National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. It discusses the effectiveness of these scholarships as a reparation for those affected by displacement and therefore...

                                                                        Making Amends with the Tongva Tribe “The History Department of USC acknowledges our presence on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Tongva people and their neighbors: (from North to South) the Chumash, Tataviam, Kitanemuk, Serrano, Cahuilla, Payomkawichum, Acjachemen, Ipai-Tipai, Kumeyaay, and Quechan peoples, whose ancestors ruled the region we now call Southern California for at least 9,000 years."     I have learned a lot from the readings that we have done this past week about the Tongva tribe, who lived in what is now Los Angeles to Orange County and on the Catalina and San Clemente islands. They were forcibly moved out of their homes by the mid-1840s and both...

  Making A Change   In my previous blog, I discussed several of the issues with the character of Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect. Although Fat Amy is presented as a confident woman who owns her size, she unfortunately provides an example of the “Funny Fat Friend” stereotype, which may seem positive, but in reality devalues overweight women, and uses their body as a source of humor.   I believe there are a few changes which could be made to Amy’s character in order to transform her into a more three-dimensional person and less of a stereotype.   One possible solution would be to give her an interior life and goals of her own, rather than simply assisting her skinnier, more “conventionally attractive” friends. Furthermore, Amy could embrace her femininity, and not be shunned because of her size. She could perhaps have a love interest of her own and be recognized for the beautiful woman she is. Currently in the film, when Fat Amy tries to flirt with Bump...

  "Fat Amy" The Funny Fat Friend     Pitch Perfect was one of my favorite films growing up and always made me fantasize about going off to college one day, maybe joining an a cappella group and having a fun, supportive group of friends, from many different backgrounds. Reflecting on the film now, however, especially as someone who struggles with body image, I find Rebel Wilson’s character of Fat Amy to be a bit problematic. Although she is a very funny and confident young woman, most of her humor revolves around her weight.        We see examples of this as soon as the character is introduced in the film. When Aubrey, the leader of the Barden Bellas (Barden University's female a cappella group), meets Fat Amy and questions her name, Fat Amy says, “it used to be Medium Sized Amy, but you know… Freshman 50,” a play on the term “Freshman 15,” used to describe the weight some students may gain during their first year of college. ...

 This is a practice post :)