Inner City in Washington D.C.
Social Control Theories
Social Bond Theory: youths’ emotional attachment to teachers and other adults along with their involvement in school based activities protect them from a life of crime.
Title: Unknown.
Object Type: photograph
Dimensions: 8 x 10 inches; 20.32 x 25.4 cm
Medium: gelatin silver print
Date: unknown
Location: unknown
Accession No: BS.2005.267001
Photographer: Michael D. Sullivan
Category: The Black Star Collection, Toronto Metropolitan University. Courtesy of The Image Centre.
Inscriptions: Recto, [no inscription]; Verso, stamped: Credit / Michael D. Sullivan -- / BLACK STAR; typed label: Ghetto kids in Washington, D. C.
Museum Label by Sarah Curumthaully and Marley Brooke, CR8002 : Critical Engagement and Criminological Theories, Winter 2020
Michael D. Sullivan was a photojournalist and worked for publications including Time Magazine and Black Star Photography. His photographs also appeared in the book “Language is for Communication” where he captured the importance of authoritative figures communicating with children. The purpose of these photographs was to examine features of child social development. Sullivan was passionate about capturing the true essence of his subjects’ inner selves.
This photograph was captured during the 1960s in Washington, D.C., which was an intense period in history. The Black urban population was experiencing riots after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Black populations were struggling to build a new society without racial discrimination. Being largely located in the inner city, they were struggling with high rates of vagrancy, poverty and crime due to a lack of stable employment. The riots jeopardized numerous historic structures including schools.
As the community was falling apart, the depiction of an ongoing game between inner-city kids and their teacher in a segregated school portrays a moment of innocent amusement. During school hours, the kids were not left idle and were involved in school activities. The presence of the teacher at this time is crucial as he is building students’ confidence in the value of complying with the school’s rules. The teacher is reinforcing the importance of attending school. In the midst of challenging social conditions, the students are learning to trust their teacher which further strengthens their attachment to school. The relationship that the students are building with their peers and teacher may mediate the negative effects of the racial tensions that exist outside of the school.
Bibliography
- Harris, G. P. (2008). Historic Schools in Washington, DC: Preserving a Rich Heritage.
- Legacy Obituaries. (2013). Michael D. Sullivan. Retrieved from the Legacy.com (external link, opens in new window)
- THATclass. (2020). 1968 Washington, D.C, Riots. Retrieved from https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=33dc73e17f7a40e78fb725aa5d21ff29
- Murphy, L. B. (1973). Language is for Communication (No. 10). US Department of Health,
- Education, and Welfare, Office of Child Development, Bureau of Child Development Services.