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Thefollowingimagesandtextchroniclingthemarketingofwatermelonshavebeen
reproducedfromLifemagazine(August9,1937,pp.5052).

An innocent looking Life magazine article chronicling the

marketingofwatermelonsshouldn'tbebigoted,shouldit?
1.LookatthefollowingimagesofAfricanAmericans.What
imageofAfricanAmericansdoesLifemagazineportray?
2.What Southern or White values does Life magazine
reinforcethroughtheseimages?
3.Many of us assume that our media presents unbiased
views, but more often than not, the media reinforces
thetraditionalvaluesofthedominantsocietyorculture.
Whatexamplescanyoufindinmagazineswhichpresent
biasedviewsofdifferentethicgroup?

1.Whyisitthatthewheelbarrowispushedbya"grinning
Negro"?
2.DoesthispictureillustrateMrsMerriweather'sstatement
fromToKillaMockingbird?
"...There's nothing more distracting than a sulky darky.
Their mouths go down to here. Just ruins your day to
haveoneof'eminthekitchen.YouknowwhatIsaidto
mySophy,Gertrude? I said, 'Sophy,' I said, 'you simply
arenotbeingaChristiantoday.JesusChristneverwent
aroundgrumblingandcomplaining,'andyouknow,itdid
her good. She took her eyes off the floor and said,
'Nome, Miz Merriweather, Jesus never went and
grumblin'."(232)

The watermelon starts its

journey to market in an ordinary
wheelbarrow,pushedbyagrinning
Negro.PickingCubanQueensisno
light work, for each melon weighs,
on the average, about 30 pounds
and the loaded barrow must be
trundledacrossasoft,sandyfield.

So the AfricanAmerican does the heavy work and the white

packers place them in the railroad car! How busy does the
workerontherightappear?

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The melons are loaded from

wagons into railroad cars, where
skilled packers place them three
deeponabedofstraw.Themelon
is a fragile fruit and unless packed
tightly will crack open in transit.
Even with the best of packing,
shippersallowforabreakageofone
in20.

ALLSOUTHERNERSLIKEWATERMELON
ThewatermelonswhichmakethemostmoneyarethoseshippedNorthbutthewatermelons which
are most appreciated are those consumed in the South. White or black, Southerners know how a
watermelonshouldbeeaten.Formaximumdeliciousnessitshouldbeslicedlengthwiseandheldinthe
hands.Oldclothesorbathingsuitsshouldbeworn.

1.Is there a hierarchy implied by the layout of

thesepictures?
2.Couldthepicturesbechangedinlocationand
changetheimplication?

3.How comfortable do you think the average

American woman, of whatever ethnic
background, would have been to be seen
breastfeedinginanationalmagazine?
4.What do the words "colored 'mammy'"
connotetoyou?
5.Why is what the AfricanAmericans leave fed
topigs?

Awatermelonpicnicisconsideredtheheight
of fun by Georgia girls, who like to cool their
melons in a creek. The girl seated at right is
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goingtogetsandinhers.

NothingmakesaNegro'smouthwaterlike
a luscious, freshpicked melon. Any colored
"mammy" can hold a huge slice in one hand

while holding her offspring in the other. Since
the watermelon is 92% water, tremendous
quantitiescanbeeaten.

What melons the Negroes do

consumewillfindfavorwiththepigs.

not

closewindow

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