Assignment 4 - Claire Thompson

This photo, published in LIFE in 1937, is a defining photo of the American Great Depression. Interestingly enough though, this photo was taken in Louisville, and was actually one of a series of photos meant to depict the devastation after the Ohio River Valley Flood of 1937. But regardless, it is a great symbol of American life for those who are not wealthy and white. This image represents more than just misfortune for Americans in the 30s, but also the vast gap between an idealized white America, and the realities of the lives of black Americans since the very beginning of colonization of the western world. Racism in the US has created a cycle of oppression and poverty that gives white people a leg-up in America, and repeatedly forces black Americans (and other POC) into positions of poverty that are nearly impossible to get out of. This system of power and oppression, facilitated by white people, is so visible in this photo: the white family in their shining car, brilliantly claiming “There’s no way like the American way!” over a line of black Americans who are certainly not living this “world’s highest standard of living” that white Americans seem to blindly believe in.