Examples Of Race Relations In To Kill A Mockingbird

Race Relations and Social Justice

During the 1930s blacks have faced discrimination and racism. Racial violence became more common, in the South as the days went on. Difficulties over segregation and discrimination exist, in every state of the union, producing in many city states a rising tide of discontent that threatens the public safety. Harper Lee has shown many examples of what blacks had face and she used the book To Kill a Mockingbird to demonstrate them. In Maycomb, Alabama Scout the narrator in this book walks us through about what she see’s from her point of view. Race relations still occur both in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and to this day. One will discuss if social injustice has remained the same. Another will discuss how

race relations did not have an impact on blacks. This will be discussed by events occurring in the novel and events happening today, it will reveal how social injustice has remained the same throughout time.
When looking at race relations and social injustice during the 1930s, one can see how it harmed the lifestyle of blacks.

When looking at race relations and social injustice during the 1930s, one can see how it harmed the lifestyle of blacks. In chapter 12, when Calpurnia brought Atticus and the children to church someone told her “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal?” Calpurina said “its the same God ain’t it ?” (Owell 119). For Scout and Jem to be young, they experience racism at a young age and for Calpurnia being black and bring white people to an all black church because In other eyes it wasn’t right to do. An article on race relations , says that “Problems of the Great Depression affected virtually every group of African Americans” (“Race Relations in the 1930s and 1940s”). The Great Depression leads to massive unemployment, that led to poverty and homelessness. Blacks faced unemployment of 50 percent or more and whites faced less than 20 percent. While women searched for jobs, children dropped out of school and some runaway, minorites were to be hired and racism was becoming higher. Social injustice occurred during the 1930s and African Americans were affected more than anybody during this time. In Chapter 20, when Atticus is speaking to the jury on

the behalf of Tom Robinson he says “I say guilt, gentlemen, because it was guilt that motivated her. She has committed no crime, she has merely broken a rigid time-honored code of our society. A code so severe that whoever breaks it is hounded from our midst as unfit to live with (Owell 271)”. Its enormous injustice to have Tom on trial and pre-convicted for something he never did. Mayella on the other hand is dirt poor, raped by her father, beaten by her father, and forced to tell lies about something she know isn’t true. On November 14th, 1960 six-year-old Ruby Bridges integrates New Orleans Elementary School. “Within a week, nearly all of the white students assigned to the newly-integrated elementary schools had withdrawn. Despite all threats toward Ruby and her family, she remained at Frantz Elementary and, in 1961, advanced to the second grade” “(Racial Injustice)”.Judge Wright demanded the gradual desegregation of New Orleans public schools. Judge Wright was convinced to accept a more limited desegregation plan, this meant African Americans could apply to a white school. Only five of the 137 African Americans did this and it was Ruby Bridges and four others. Ruby going to an all white school changed the way people saw things and she was brave to do this. Race relations and social justice affected all African American during the 1930s, not saying it still doesn’t. Racism is always still going to be around because many don’t see how other see things and when they see someone who is not the color they are they instantly feel some type of way towards the person. In my next topic i will discuss how race relations and social injustice occurs during the present day.
When looking at race relations and social justice, we will see how they both are occuring today, up to this present day.

Race relations, today is a different picture because there are areas of similarity and areas of disagreement. In chapter 23, when Atticus is explaining to Jem on why he lost the case he tells him “There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads-they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our court when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly but those are the facts of life (Owell 251-252)”. Jem doesn’t really understand how it’s fair that Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father both get to walk away while Tom Robinson is convicted of raping her. Today, if a white man or female was to kill a black person they would face a lifetime of jail. In this case you could say the Trayvon Martin case, Trayvon was 17 years old African American high school student. Zimmerman, a 28-year-old hispanic man, was the neighborhood watch coordinator for his community where martin was visiting his relatives at this time. Zimmerman shot Martin, who was unarmed, during a altercation between the two. According to an article i read it said “How you see race in the United States can depend a lot on your background” “(Blacks and whites see racism in the United States, very differently)”. The quote means a lot because it is true, it depends on the way in which you were raised. Racism is taught, I say this because you just don’t go around

saying I hate black/white people when you were a child, you’ve had to seen someone else say that in order for you to say it also. Jem and Scout experienced racism at a young age and don’t really really understand why things happen the way they do. Social justice issues occur globally, nationally, regionally, locally and within groups. In Chapter 23, Atticus says "As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it—whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash (Owell 295)”. Atticus is again explaining why he lost the case and it is because Tom Robinson is a black man, and a white person word over a black man is always right. Atticus knows Tom Robinson was telling the truth the whole time which disappoints him even more knowing he is the only one who sees that besides Jem and the colored folks. There is “Unequal Government Regulation, this involves laws and regulations that purposefully or otherwise, discriminate groups from the same opportunities and resources based on differences that are unique ” (Social Justice Issues)”. These differences are unique to categories such as racism and sexism, education, health care, death, environmental rights and poverty which affects poor people because lack of food, clean water and shelter. The reasons show how social justice still occurs today and how the issues still affect many today. My reasons show how race relations and social justice still occur today and in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Although it didn’t have an impact on blacks it was a lesson learned by many and it made history, history that when we look back on it today we can thank our ancestors for everything they sacrificed for us. Racism will never disappear, but as a whole, we can all try to prevent from it going to the next generation and continue letting young children think that it is not right to be friends with a different race or marry that person; everyone should be equally treated the same. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Works Cited Page
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Crespino, Joseph. "The Strange Career of Atticus Finch." Contemporary Literary Criticism,
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George, Charles. Living through the Civil Rights Movement. Greenhaven Press, 2007.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Grand Central Publishing, 1982.
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