Graphics in Action

        One of the few things that have been made evident this year is that the United States is not as progressive as we once thought it was,and that this country is a nation that is divided. Although it is divided by politics it is more notably divided by race. Some people believe racism exists while others don't. Among the many arguments made by racist individuals is that Black people should just " stop being lazy and put in the effort". However, numbers don't lie, it's not that Black people aren't putting in the effort,but rather, that the systematic injustices at all levels is preventing them from succeeding. Founder of the NAACP, W.E.B DuBois was able to present this information, visually. DuBois conducted a study about African-American life to the Exposition Universelle, the Paris World Fair in which he attempted to show the progress that Black people have made since slavery while simultaneously being compared to White Americans. DuBois was very strategic, by trying to relay this information while attempting to prevent any misconceptions and stereotypes about Black people. Some of his infographics showed that Black people in the state of Georgia were doing just as well as White people when it came to jobs. However, disparities could be seen when value, property, and population were compared. I don't think DuBois' infographics were perfect. In fact, they could stand to have a key to distinguish between elements, not all of them had this. Despite this lack of perfection it did spark public interest. It gained awareness. This goes to show that graphics don't just exist to please the eyes, it also exists to inform.





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