ERASE Racism, an organization managed by 36 individual, published a blog that revolves around the issue of racism and serve for equality. The organization’s locates in New York, United States. The organization conveys issues such as housing, education, race and racism, alongside legal actions. As mentioned on the blog, “[they] engage in a variety of research, education and consulting activities to address institutional and structural racism” (Education). Racism, a public health issue, needs to be minimized by humans to live more peaceful conditions.
Design:
The blog comes in two colors: purple and white. Purple symbolizes nobility whereas white symbolizes peace. The blog arises awareness about racism, and therefore, the colors used are symboletic. The authors have the information posted spread evenly on the whole blog, not clustered in one area only which makes the blog more appealing since it becomes easier to use. Speaking about the articles, they are managed in a chronological manner. They also follow a sequence of; title, date, image, and the blog post. This gives the readers an insight, and leaves them deciding on opening and reading the full article or moving on.
Layout:
Just like many other blogs, the ERASE Racism blog follows a sequence of; title and contact information, sub-categories, about the blog, blog filters, articles, sub-sections, and additional contact information alongside the location of the organization. By following the typical way of laying out a blog, the layout does not look unusual in any way. Having the information divided throughout the blog minimizes the text, which allows the viewer to choose what they would like to read without irritation of clustered text.
Navigation:
Due to the fact that the information was laid out evenly and divided into categories, navigation becomes effortless. All the sections included within the blog are hyperlinked. It does not require copying the link, opening another tab, pasting the link, and pressing enter to go to the page. Rather, with one click, it automatically directs the viewer to where they desire.
Audience:
Due to the content included, the audience of this blog are teenagers allowed to live alone and adults. The blog tries to limit educational segregation, which matters mostly to parents or old teenagers having a desire to study. In addition to so, raises awareness about getting the house the viewer wants to live in by revealing forms related to this topic.
Content:
The blog takes the responsibility of “revealing forms of housing discrimination and uses policy advocacy, community organizing, and legal action” (Education). This makes it accessible for everyone looking for a house to choose any neighborhood they like, regardless of their race. In addition to so, the blog aims to achieve education equity as well. The blog identifies unequal access to qualitative public schools, aiming to increase opportunities for people with color to get the education they deserve through learning in racially diverse schools.
Purpose:
The blog tries to minimize racism and bias towards people of color by empowering them. The blog boosts confidence within their targeted audience and highlights their rights, which make people with color more aware when selecting land or education. Furthermore, the blog aims to bring equality for all.
Unusual features:
The blog has a section titled “Upcoming Events”, which shows all the events hosted by the ERASE Racism community, which anyone could attend. This feature engages the audience with the awareness raisers and makes a connection between viewers and the organization.
Events section on the blog
The blog includes a tab to click, which immediately schedules the event to the calendar. The event also includes the price list, and a tab to register for the event. Moreover, the page also includes further event details, evening’s honorees, the planning committee, and levels of support.
Author’s Credibility:
The organization has a variety of staff members, board of directors, and college advisors. However, the blog does not include the person that started the organization or the person that edits the blog. Furthermore, the blog does include however the position of the workers (Dr, Professor, etc). In addition, it provides a picture of each individual alongside a brief bibliography about the person. People usually associate educational rank with being knowledgeable, and therefore, viewers are likely to trust the organization and the work posted.
Comparison:
ERASE Racism’s home page
The Racist Sandwich Podcast home page
As you can clearly see, both blogs raise awareness on racism and discrimination with the aim of reaching equality. However, they have different approaches. The Racist Sandwich Podcast uses episodes (recordings) for their posts whereas ERASE Racism post articles to read. Moreover, they are both similar as they all contain subcategories that lead the reader to more posts related to the topic and contact information. However, the size of organization each blog holds differs. Four individuals compose The Racist Sandwich Podcast, whereas ERASE Racism includes 36 individuals. Furthermore, the colors used in each blog differs as well. The Racist Sandwich Podcast includes yellow and bright colors, whereas ERASE Racism includes several shades of purple
Likes and Dislikes:
The purpose the blog serves and the way it serves it engages the readers. Having a clean and simple homepage appeals the viewer because of the neatness, which makes everything easy to read. In addition to so, the organization builds a connection between them and their viewers by hosting events that strengthens the community. This shows their willingness to serve their purpose further. However, the colors used are strong to look at for a long time, and becomes irritating. For improvement, ERASE Racism should add bright colors that are visually appealing for the viewers. For example, light pink or light blue rather than violet.
The blog’s purpose matters mostly to people of color that face discrimination in education and housing. Indirectly, the blog makes the world a better place through spreading equality. Their approaches in spreading awareness are friendly and engaging, which builds a strong bond between the organization and the audience.
