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In the 1950s, men and women often conformed to strict gender rules according to society’s expectations. There was also racism during this time, which led to the Civil Rights Movement. Barbara Jordan was an African American woman who helped lead the movement, who later became the first African American elected to the Texas Senate after the Reconstruction Era, and the first Southern African American woman elected to the House of Representatives. Barbara Jordan later wrote a biography Becoming Educated about her life in college and her growth as a female student, and as an African American student. In an excerpt of the biography, she used important rhetorical devices that were extremely significant, in order for the readers to fully understand
The forties and fifties in the United States was a period dominated by racial segregation and racism. The declaration of independence clearly stated, “All men are created equal,” which should be the fundamental belief of every citizen. America is the land of equal opportunity for every citizen to succeed and prosper through determination, hard-work and initiative. However, black citizens soon found lack of truth in these statements. The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the murder of Emmett Till in 1955 rapidly captured national headlines of civil rights movement. In the book, Coming of Age in Mississippi, the author, Anne Moody describes her experiences, her thoughts, and the movements that formed her life. The events she went through prepared her to fight for the civil right.
“When Barbara Jordan speaks,” said Congressman William L.Clay, “people hear a voice so powerful so, awesome...that it cannot be ignored and will not be silenced.” Jordan’s mother and father were Arlyne and Benjamin Jordan. She had two sisters, Bennie and Rosa Mary. She loved her family, but the person she really loved was her grandfather.
Glenda Gilmore’s book Gender & Jim Crow shows a different point of view from a majority of history of the south and proves many convictions that are not often stated. Her stance from the African American point of view shows how harsh relations were at this time, as well as how hard they tried for equity in society. Gilmore’s portrayal of the Progressive Era is very straightforward and precise, by placing educated African American women at the center of Southern political history, instead of merely in the background.
Crack! Back, back, back the ball goes. Home run! Who hit it? It was Jackie Robinson, the first black baseball player in the major league. Many people would agree Jackie was one of the best players to ever swing a bat. However, he faced many difficulties on his journey to becoming a professional baseball player. Without Jackie playing in the pros, baseball and civil rights wouldn’t be the way it is today. Baseball may have taken a long time to not be made up of mainly white players. Jackie was a beacon of hope to black people in the fact that they could compete and succeed in a white man’s sport.
Kim E Nielsen. "Book Review of Belle Moskowitz: Feminine Politics and the Exercise of Power in the Age of Alfred E. Smith, and: No Place for a Woman: A Life of Senator Margaret Chase Smith, and: Barbara Jordan: American Hero." Feminist Formations, Fall 2001, 205.
Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi, talked extensively about the civil rights movement that she had participated in. The civil rights movement dealt with numerous issues that many people had not agreed with. Coming of Age in Mississippi gave the reader a first hand look at the efforts many people had done to gain equal rights.
Shirley Chisholm career impacts on our understanding of civil rights by it is an ongoing battle that individuals have to fight for. Her childhood is one of the reasons that ultimately pushed her in the direction of politics and her influence in the civil rights movement. Chisolm parents were from the Caribbean island of Barbados and she was born in Brooklyn, she was sent back to live in Barbados because her parents were less fortunate with her sisters to live with her grandmother and aunt. Her grandmother and aunt instilled racial pride in Chisolm. While she was living in Barbados in a rural area she developed a sense of pride because she was exposed to other individuals of color that were in political power and were in administrative powers,
To the average person, in the average American community, Jackie Robinson was just what the sports pages said he was, no more, no less. He was the first Negro to play baseball in the major leagues. Everybody knew that, but to see the real Jackie Robinson, you must de-emphasize him as a ball player and emphasize him as a civil rights leader. That part drops out, that which people forget. From his early army days, until well after his baseball days, Robinson had fought to achieve equality among whites and blacks. "Jackie acted out the philosophy of nonviolence of Martin Luther King Jr., before the future civil rights leader had thought of applying it to the problem of segregation in America"(Weidhorn 93). Robinson was an avid member of the NAACP and helped recruit members because of his fame from baseball. Jackie had leadership qualities and the courage to fight for his beliefs. Unwilling to accept the racism he had run into all his life, he had a strong need to be accepted at his true worth as a first-class citizen. Robinson was someone who would work for a cause - that of blacks and of America - as well as for himself and his team.
The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement Have you ever stood up for someone or something, even if it risked your own life? An upstander is someone who sees something harmful happening and tries their best to help out without second guessing themselves. Rosa parks is an inspirational role model to women and men all around the world. Rosa Parks has been a leader since she was a kid at school.
Jackie Robinson was not only the first African American to play in the MLB but, directly contributed to the civil rights movement around the world. Jackie Robinson made his debut April 15, 1947, for the Brooklyn Dodgers, officially breaking the color barrier. Jackie was not the best African American baseball player but Branch Rickey, the owner of the Dodgers once said, "I'm not looking for someone who is strong enough to fight back, I'm looking for someone who is strong enough not to fight back" (Branch Rickey). Jackie never fought back and his actions soon became the way many African Americans would fight the civil rights movement. Outside of baseball Jackie got involved in the civil rights movement through organizations. With his involvement Jackie had an impact on civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X, as well as presidents, and other government officials (The Civil Rights Movement). Jackie Robinson impacted baseball and the nationwide civil rights movement through the integration of baseball, involvement in the civil rights movement, and his public image.
In June Jordan’s Poem about My Rights, she rails against many forms of injustice. She preaches against racism, sexism, imperialism, and the American government - in one fell swoop. The way she does so, seamlessly, is quite marvelous. One of the tactics she uses is taking a literal concept from one part of the poem and using it as a simile in another part of the poem. Early in the poem, she says “in France they say if the guy penetrates but does not ejaculate then he did not rape me,” speaking of actual rape. A few lines later she uses those same rape and ejaculation images to describe “South Africa penetrating into Namibia penetrating into Angola and does that mean I mean how do you know if Pretoria ejaculates.” Essentially, she is equating South Africa’s pillaging of neighboring countries to rape. This leads to another way by which Jordan grabs the reader’s attention. She uses such forceful, and even obscene, language, that it is impossible to turn away. How can one turn away when she writes “even after smashing a hammer to his head...he and his buddies fuck me..then I consented and there was no rape.” Somehow, she makes these images seem so real! According to The Poetry Foundation website, Jordan was abused by her father, abandoned by her mother, and was the only black person at her school during one of the most racist eras in American history. I believe that the realistic feel to this poem, and all June Jordan poems, stems from her having deep personal knowledge of suffering and oppression.
“On a cold December evening in 1955, Rosa Parks quietly incited a revolution by just sitting down” (Rosa Parks). Rosa Parks was 42 years old when she decided she was done putting up with what people told her to do. She suffered being arrested for fighting for what she wanted. Rosa Park’s obstinacy and the Bus Boycott were some acts that affected the Civil Rights Movement. Other effects of the Civil Rights Movement were the way African American were treated and how it changed America as a whole.
The very inspiring woman, that will be our keynote speaker today, once said “In the end anti-black, anti-female, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing: anti-humanism” that is from the book “Unsought and Unbossed” by the one and only Shirley Chisholm. If you haven’t heard that name before you probably don’t know a lot about the black political world. She is most known for becoming the first African American congress women in 1968. But let’s find out how she got to that point in her life.
“I refuse!” Rosa Parks was an African American lady who did not move to the back of the bus. She wanted to be treated like a human being. Rosa Parks, who was 42 years old at the time, wanted to make a difference in blacks. She refused to move to the back of the bus, and then started the Montgomery Bus Boycott with Martin Luther King Jr. Eventually, Rosa was a member of the NAACP and acted as a leader to stop segregation in the South.
Standley, Anne. "The Role of Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement." Women in the Civil Rights Movement: Trailblazers and Torchbearers, 1941-1965. By Vicki L. Crawford, Jacqueline Anne. Rouse, and Barbara Woods. Brooklyn, NY: Carlson Pub., 1990. 183-202. Print.