“The Black Suffragist: Trailblazers of Social Justice,” tells the story of early 19th Century women who against all odds pursued the right to vote. And it’s that same determined spirit embraced by independent filmmakers as they struggle to bring their visions to fruition. Thereby, it’s with heartfelt appreciation that we thank Dem Hands for their generous support of our film production. Without their kind support, our journey would be twice as difficult, and twice as lonely.
Leaving last week’s class, my mind was darting in all sorts of directions. While the “Eyes on the Prize” excerpt gave me a concrete understanding of the historic events of the desegregation of Little Rock High School, “Little Rock Central High: 50 Years Later” brought up all sorts of observations and questions on race in America that I hadn’t necessarily thought to address before. I think these two films were particularly interesting to view back to back because of their difference in style, content, and execution. I have viewed many of the “Eyes on The Prize” segments in past classes and this segment, “Fighting Back”, continues to stand out to me. Through the use of first person interviews and real footage, the piece gave me, what felt like, a clear look
Frederick Douglass addressed the graduates at Western Reserve College on July 12, 1824. Douglass speech used a formal tone with advance word choices to target his educated audience. In his speech “The Claims of the Negro Ethnology Considered”, he makes two main claims challenging the claims of white men. One, black people are humans and should be treated as humans. Douglass explains that black people possess all the qualities that qualify someone as human.
Monologue of a Black Loyalist I was abandoned. I was surrounded by people who took away my freedom. They took me away from my family and friends. I hate America. I hate it since slavery is legal in Virginia and many other states.
Reflection on the film Eyes on the Prize – Awakenings (1954-56) We must come to see the day… not of the white men, not of the black men. That would be the day of men as men. (M.L.King) Imagine what it would be like to live in a world where since the moment you are born, your rights are infringed by the system: you are not allowed to use certain things as they are designated for the chosen only, you have to step aside when a white men passes, not allowed to look at women of different race, you do not have the right to get education… The system was established centuries ago, long before you were born, and it had been existing quite successfully.
The film Selma directed by Ava DuVernay expertly represents the struggles African-Americans and supporters faced while advocating for an end to the corrupt exploitation of the civil rights of African-Americans. The issues that African-Americans contested during the film accurately represents the sentiment of many African-Americans during the Civil Rights movement. Because of the compelling and despairingly honest depiction of the struggles that the African-American community faced during this time, the film was able to create an accurate account and the importance of the historical events surrounding the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Near the beginning of the film, an African-American woman is denied her voter’s registration, solely because she is a person of color, a woman no less. The woman’s walks away from the office dejected and resigned to the idea that prejudice will never change and African-Americans will always be treated as lesser.
In the eyes of Martin Luther King Jr., Justice within a society is achieved through the implementation of just laws. Furthermore, “just laws are regulations that have been created by man that follow the laws of God for man” (“Clergymen’s Letter”). Any law that does not correspond with the ideals of God and morality are considered to be unjust or a form of injustice. King identifies that injustice is clearly evident within the justice system. This injustice can truly be seen through the misconduct imposed toward the African American community.
hroughout the mid-nineteenth century in the United States, the reform movements that swept through the nation led to a great expansion of democratic ideas through increased rights and the betterment of the quality of life. Since the birth of the US through the early nineteenth century, the primary goal of all citizens and governmental leaders was to establish a solidified nation and to secure the laws and rights outlined in the Declaration of Independence and later, the US Constitution. Jumping forward to the 1820s, the young country faced numerous challenges to the prosperity of its citizens, bringing forth a slew of reform movements to do just that. One of the main reform movements to ravage the country was that of civil rights. As slavery
Bianca Hammaker Professor Page AMH 2010 25 November 2016 Paper Two (Abolition) Abolitionists preached to the public people on how slavery was unjustified, cruel, immoral, and inhumane. A widely accepted thought was to degrade colored people to that of the thinking capacity of apes and to treat them as animals. Most of the states were slave-holding at this time in history with slaves being the ones under the direction of the owners. Buyers (whites) of slaves sought for cheap labor and gave no credibility to anything the slaves accomplished.
The first three chapters of the reading, The Struggle for Black Equality, Harvard Sitkoff runs through the civil rights movement in the 20th century; outlining the adversities facing black people, the resistance to black equality, hindrances to the already progress and the achievements made in the journey for civil rights. John Hope Franklin, in the foreword, dwells on the impact of the time between 1954 and 1992 and the impact it had on American Society, how fight for equality is far from easy and patience is required in the fight to "eliminate the road blocks that prevent the realization of the ideal of equality". In the preface, Sitkoff is clear that that history does not speak for themselves and attempt to detail any particular will be influenced by the author 's personal beliefs. Sitkoff, who associated and identified with the movement, believed "that the struggle was confronting the United States with an issue that had undermined the nation 's democratic institutions". Sitkoff elected
Slavery has existed for thousands of years in various cultures from all parts of the world. Slavery in the United States lasted for 245 years and it was a brutal way of life for black African Americans, but it also built the foundation for America’s economy. There have been a number of arguments presented in an effort to justify slavery, as well as many advocating for the abolishment of it. The slave trade was tolerated and fought for in the United States for hundreds of years because without it, plantation owners would not have been able to produce crops as efficiently as they did without the cheap labor that the slave trade provided.
Populism in the 1890’s derived of racial controversies that damaged the movement from progressing into mainstream politics. Populist activists envisioned a system where there would be economic and political reform, but they failed to embrace minorities in this system. The issue of racial politics caused racial divisions within the Populist party, made African Americans loose trust in the Populists efforts to promote initiatives that mattered to them, and failed to racially be progressive in combating discriminatory laws in the 1890’s. To understand how racial politics impeded the opportunity of Populist progression, we need to evaluate the Populists viewpoints on racial integration, the desires of reform that African Americans strived for, and the role African American voters played in politics. ` From the 1890’s, historian C.Vann Woodward and Lawrence Goodwyn analyzed the racial politics behind the populist movement and stated, “white populists had challenging racial taboo’s, only to have their courageous efforts of unity between white and blacks
African-American historian W.E.B Dubois illustrated how the Civil War brought the problems of African-American experiences into the spotlight. As a socialist, he argued against the traditional Dunning interpretations and voiced opinions about the failures and benefits of the Civil War era, which he branded as a ‘splendid failure’. The impacts of Civil War era enabled African-Americans to “form their own fraternal organizations, worship in their own churches and embrace the notion of an activist government that promoted and safeguarded the welfare of its citizens.”
Slavery is over therefore how can racism still exist? This has been a question posed countlessly in discussions about race. What has proven most difficult is adequately demonstrating how racism continues to thrive and how forms of oppression have manifested. Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, argues that slavery has not vanished; it instead has taken new forms that allowed it to flourish in modern society. These forms include mass incarceration and perpetuation of racist policies and societal attitudes that are disguised as color-blindness that ultimately allow the system of oppression to continue.
Frederick Douglass’s “What the Black Man Wants” captures the need for change in post Civil War America. The document presses the importance for change, with the mindset of the black man being, ‘if not now then never’. Parallel to this document is the letter of Jourdon Anderson, writing to his old master. Similar to Douglas, Mr. Anderson speaks of the same change and establishes his worth as freed man to his previous slave owner. These writings both teach and remind us about the evils of slavery and the continued need for equality, change, and reform.
Black women are treated less than because of their ascribed traits, their gender and race, and are often dehumanized and belittled throughout the movie. They are treated like slaves and are seen as easily disposable. There are several moments throughout the film that show the racial, gender, and class inequalities. These moments also show exploitation and opportunity hoarding. The Help also explains historical context of the inequality that occurred during that time period.