Post 2: Is Jill Miller’s article titled “Black Lives Matter — Why the movement is so Important?” credible?
By: Hannah Villegas | September 29, 2020
What does it mean to be anti-racist? As you probably know by now, the United States is more divided now than it has ever been. The murder of an innocent Black man named George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police is just one, of the many tragedies that show just how racism exists everywhere and in everything. Jake Miller’s article titled “Black Lives Matter — Why the Movement is so Important,” explains the recent events happening in our nation today and why it is important to learn the reason why our society is responding the way it is. Racism does exist and it is our job to understand how we can learn and do better for everyone, especially those affected directly. In order to better understand exactly how and where systematic racism occurs in our society, researching and reading article’s like Jill Miller’s help us better understand how we can fix this ongoing issue.
Who is Jill Miller?
Jill Miller is the anonymous author of the article “Black Lives Matter — Why the Movement is so Important” on the newspaper website titled Press Banner. The Press Banner newspaper prints and shares local news to the San Lorenzo and Scott Valley citizens. They have provided more than 30,000 readers, 11,000 homes and institutions with weekly printed news and information for over 50 years. Although the newspaper has provided its citizens with local news for a long time, it’s unclear whether or not its author can be credible or not. When reading Jill Miller’s article, the only information provided to the reader about the writer is that they were an intern when the article was published. The author did not provide any of their credentials, education on or anywhere near the article. This makes the reader question whether or not the writer knows what he or she is writing about and makes them question whether or not the article is unbiased, especially if they do not provide information about themselves or their experience with the subject. I have googled the name Jill Miller, along with the name of the newspaper but no information surfaced about the writer. This is something to take into consideration because not only does it show that this article can be the only article the author has published, but it shows that Jill Miller may not even be a real person.
Are the Sources Mentioned Credible?
When researching very important and sensitive topics like racism, it is very important to check the writer’s and resources credibility. In Miller’s article, they explain the double standards between White people and Black people when it comes to the justice system, police brutality and all areas in our government’s system. Miller mentions George Floyd and how his death, out of many deaths caused at the hands of police, clearly demonstrates that systemic racism exists and the fight for equality is still large at hand. Unless you live under a rock, you would know that George Floyd was an innocent Black man who was racially profiled and arrested under the suspicion of using a fake twenty dollar bill at a Minneapolis convenient store. It was there that four local law enforcement officials showed up to physically restrain him to the ground on video, while Floyd repeatedly told the officers he could not breathe. The death of George Floyd was recorded on Facebook live by a fellow Black bystander who was repeatedly told not to interfere by police. This tragic event, along with many other instances where Black lives were completely ignored, is just one of the many provided by the author in their article. Miller also mentions the criminal injustices between Black and White people by comparing the two very well known criminal sentences of Willie Simmons and Brock Turner in their quote saying “a Black person is condemned for minor crimes and must serve years and years in jail, while white perpetrators get off almost freely for horrendous crimes, showcasing the white privilege and systemic racism that is alive and well today.” Willie Simmons was a Black man who received life without parole for stealing approximately nine dollars in 1982 and Brock Turner was a white, Stanford swimmer who served only three months of his 6 month sentence for raping an unconscious woman on campus in 2015. The severity and seriousness of both crimes is not a debate. When looking at both of the crimes at a scale of damage, Willie Simmons’ case was insignificant compared to the crime of Brock Turner, yet Willie received life behind bars. Whether you want to believe it or not, Black Lives Matter is not a political strategy or agenda, it is a human rights movement. The author defines the movement accurately by saying that Black Lives Matter is “a cry to dismantle white supremacy, end racially targeted violence, and fix the broken system in which Black people struggle more simply because of the color of their skin.” The author also includes that those who preach the counter-movement slogan “All Lives Matter” are not only dismissing the Black communities systematic racism experiences but also are “unable to see how this message minimizes the movement for equality and ignoring the deeply rooted racial divide within the United States.” Although the author’s examples support their thesis of inequality and racism in the system and other outlets, they fail to cite their sources and provide quotations. Even though the events mentioned were very publicized and well-known, it is very important to cite and insert quotations for readers that do not know anything about the events or how they relate to the topic being written. The credibility of the author and its entire article can be diminished and be seen as not being worth the time spent reading it.
The Final Verdict: Is the Article Credible or Not?
Jill Miller did a really good job in explaining how the system in which we all know today, has for a long time mistreated and dismissed the Black community through its deeply rooted racial history and division. The Black community has yet to see equality in every societal level which include, housing, job opportunities, school systems, healthcare, criminalization and policing. The author includes well-known cases as examples to support their thesis, however, they did not provide citations or quotes. This is very important because without evidence, not only does it make it difficult for the reader to determine whether or not it’s true, it completely discredits the author’s entire article. This also makes the author sound extremely biased because by including the research and facts, it shows that the reader cares about the topic enough to provide quotes and data from respected and trustworthy sources. In conclusion, Jill Miller’s article “Black Lives Matter — Why the Movement is so Important?” has very great information about the movements and what it stands for, however, it does not have the proper resources and or quotations to make the entire article credible for a new reader.
Works Cited
Miller, Jill. “Black Lives Matter — Why the Movement Is so Important.” Tank Town Media, 19
June 2020, www.ttownmedia.com/press_banner/black-lives-matter---why-the-
movement-is-so-important/article_6d56252a-b195–11ea-89e9-c34ead86410c.html.
