Month: April 2018

Something that I’ve always struggled with has been the idea of knowing that people in other countries and places suffer far greater hardships than we (modern day Americans) currently do, but also not letting that be an excuse as to why Americans might be exempt from acknowledging the level of responsibility that we have as a model to other nations. One specific excerpt in this piece that I highlight stated this:

“It is no secret that America is today hailed as leader of the democratic world. This carries with it a great deal of moral responsibility. Firstly, it entails that the American concept and practice of democracy within its own territories should acknowledge the necessity of equal opportunity for all citizens, no matter the racial origin. Secondly, it implies that the United States should set an example for all other nations by taking the lead in removing from its national life all signs and traces of racial intolerance, arrogance or discrimination for which it criticizes some other nations,” (section 9).

This quote was profound to me because based on the responsibilities it outlines, we are not and have not been credible enough as a nation to be “leader of the democratic world”. This excerpt very much reminded me of the Double V Campaign as well, in the sense that it highlights the injustice we do by pointing out flaws of other nations and seeking to fight on their behalf, when we don’t fight for those same causes on out own land. In my opinion, America prides itself on being “leader of the democratic world” for the sake of status and not morality.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., I thought it would be interesting to do some research about how many individuals reacted to his work. For instance, he is one of the most famous and well known  civil rights activists in our nation’s history, but he was not always perceived as this. Actually, at the time of his death, King was a hated man and was a man on exile; only post death was King celebrated as a hero.

In 1966, when asked on their opinion of King, 63% of Americans had an unfavorable opinion on him. In that same year, 54% of whites said that they would not protest or march if “they were in the same position as Negros.” Two months after that poll, another poll was conducted in which 85% of whites said that civil rights demonstrations hurt Negros more than it helped. This could be due to the fact that King displayed what he thought openly, stating “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.” As many whites continued in their silence, King continued with his strides forward.

Nowadays, King is seen as a hero for all he has accomplished and all his hard work.  White America has transformed what we see him as. When discussing about events that have happened in recent years such as the Black Lives Movement, many individuals, including Whites, state “Is that what MLK would have wanted?”Martin Luther King is a very influential leader, activist, and martyr, but it took him a great deal of time to be seen as that by all of America. So, as we come up to this anniversary, please keep in mind how hard this man worked with the hatred of the country on his back, only to die an unfavored man. He will never know the recognition he received after he was shot and murdered.

Many of us know about Jim Crow laws and how they were the way that white people in the south could best oppress the people of color in the south after the Civil War. The Jim Crow laws that hindered the 15th Amendment such as poll tax are common knowledge but after doing some research there are some that are even more crazy than that and can only be described as downright ridiculous. In Georgia if you wanted to open a restaurant you had to decide if you wanted to be open to black or white customers, you couldn’t serve both.

The attitudes of white people towards black people at this time is almost unimaginable how they could be so cruel. The time they took to make these ridiculous laws that had absurd repercussions far outweigh the benefit they could have which was none. In Kentucky blacks and whites couldn’t consume alcohol at the same location and the punishment was up to two years in jail, which was likely only for black people.

Jim Crow laws were prevalent in the south but existed in all states even the most liberal northern states and cities like Chicago discriminated against black people in housing for example. After the civil war, as corrupt as it is, white people used politics to continue to oppress black people in America.

February 7, 1942, was a day that changed America. Segregation and discrimination had reached a point that was no longer tolerable, and according to the Pittsburgh Courier, it was time for a campaign. The “Double V Campaign,” as it was called, stood for two victories for black Americans: a victory at home and a victory abroad.

This campaign was orchestrated by the Pittsburgh Courier, a weekly black newspaper that helped influence public opinion among black Americans. According to the Courier‘s February 14^th headline, “The Courier’s Double ‘V’ for a double victory campaign gets country-wide support.” This support showed that black America was tired of being oppressed and ready for change. The Double V campaign helped tremendously the plight of black Americans. Blacks everywhere were discriminated against based on their color, and the armed forces at this time was no exception. If blacks were allowed entrance into the army, they were only given menial jobs such as cooks or stewards. The Double V campaign called for integration and for the possibility of fighting for freedom everywhere. The Courierwent on to say in its’ February 14^th article, “We, as colored Americans are determined to protect our country, our form of government and the freedoms which we cherish for ourselves and the rest of the world, therefore we have adopted the Double ‘V’ war cry—victory over our enemies at home and victory over our enemies on the battlefields abroad. Thus in our fight for freedom we wage a two-pronged attack against our enslavers at home and those abroad who will enslave us. WE HAVE A STAKE IN THIS FIGHT…WE ARE AMERICANS, TOO!” Not only did the campaign gather blacks together in support of racial equality, but afforded them the opportunity to feel part of a bigger struggle for freedom everywhere. The shared struggles of black America were also felt by black service men in the armed forces. According to Lawrence P. Scott, a black airman in the 99th, and an eventual Tuskegee Airman, “every man in the 99th was aware that the success of the 99th would impact the status of blacks in the Army Air Force and the army as a whole and that each man performed his job as if the race depended on him.” The Pittsburgh Courier helped spread the word and bring African Americans together and fight for their rights after everything they have sacrificed to serve their country and be equal on the home-front.

One of the best novels I have ever read is a memoir by Melba Pattillo Beals called Warriors Don’t Cry. The book focuses mainly on her time as a member of the Little Rock Nine and trying to integrate Central High School. In September of 1957 nine unsuspecting high schoolers went to their first day of high school; naive to the horrors and hardships that would follow. The nine students were allowed to enroll in the 1,900 all white student school after the Brown v Board 1954 supreme court case that set a precedent outlawing segregation in schools. Governor of Arkansas Orval Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to accompany the crowd of hostile white people who blocked the black students from the school on the first day. After three weeks on September, 25 1957 President Eisenhower mobilized U.S. troops to help escort the black students into school. To show how serious he was Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne. The 101st Airborne division is an elite division in the U.S. Army and is regarded as the most potent and tactically mobile Army division. The Little Rock Nine braved the gauntlet of hatred that was the white students of Central High School everyday. They were taunted, assaulted and kept apart in classes so they couldn’t vouch for one another. Yet, these students finished the year despite all the odds stacked against them. The nine were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their actions years later by President Clinton.