Priya Baskota
Professor Phyllis P. Elmore
English 1302
15 March 2017
Viola Liuzzo and Her Legacy
From Selma to Sorrow: The Life and Death of Viola Liuzzo,
is the book by Mary Stanton. The book is a journey by Mary Stanton in search of the life before and after the Alabama march of Viola Liuzzo. Mary Stanton attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and received a B.A. in philosophy and literature from the University of Minnesota. Stanton is generally known as a fiction writer. She began her career with the publication of her first novel, The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West, in 1988. Beside being a writer, she is a horsewoman, a goat aficionado, an enthusiastic gardener, and a fan of gourmet food. In this book, Mary Stanton writes
…show more content…
about her personal quest to understand the death of Viola Liuzzo, a 39 year old white woman who was murdered by KKK members on Route 80 between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama on the night of March 25, 1965. Liuzzo had come to Alabama from her home in Detroit to take part in the historic voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery. Stanton also does a good job of describing the controversy that stirred after her death. Alan Scot Willis gives his thoughts about the book “From Selma to Sorrow; The Life and Death of Viola Liuzzo in his article. Alan claims that the author of the book, Mary Stanton considered Viola Liuzzo as a Martyr. The book is an attempt to raise questions to the media and law enforcement why they vilified Liuzzo. According to the Alan Willis, these questions lied to Gary Thomas Rowe a Klansman and paid FBI informant, for Mrs. Stanton. The FBI was determined to protect itself after learning that Rowe was involved in the murder of the Viola Liuzzo. The writer adds that the book tries to demonstrate that law enforcements agencies destroyed Liuzzo’s reputation so that her death could never be heroic. Moreover, the book gives detailed account of Liuzzo’s life and death and the slanderous campaign that destroyed her reputation. But the truth is, Viola Liuzzo was a sensational woman. She was an inspirational and loving mother on one hand and a fighter and a martyr who gave her life for human equality on the other. Viola Liuzzo is an example of inspiring mother who loved her children. According to Stanton, she was always up to something to keep her kids happy. She had lot of energy to have fun with her family. She really loved holidays because she could spend more time with the children. Life on Mrs. Liuzzo house was hectic, but she always managed to get the important stuffs done and taught her kids the same way (Stanton 68). Per Stanton, Viola Liuzzo had millions of interests. She used to take her daughter to the symphony and to the art museum downtown and her sons to rock collecting and campaign. She’d always be telling her kids about what was she studying, talking about what was going on the in the world (Stanton 69). Penny her daughter said to Stanton “She believed it was more important to instill a sense of responsibility in us and build our self-confidence than it was to control us. She was the freedom fighter of the family” (Stanton 69). Viola Liuzzo was always out there rescuing stray animals, feeding bums and giving them spending money or volunteering for fund raising programs for the churches or at schools. She was always unto something, something that inspires every child. Boyd writes in his article “Liuzzo, 39, a student at Wayne State University and the mother of five children, was a white homemaker from Detroit, Michigan, who decided to commit herself to the fight against segregation by driving all the way to Alabama’’ (Boyd). This is the kind of courage she had and taught her children the same way making her an exceptional mother that could inspire the world. Mary Stanton writes that Viola Liuzzo was a fighter, who fought for the right thing.
She knew what was right and couldn’t hold back. From Detroit Board of Education to segregation, she fought with everything and everyone for justice. Mrs. Liuzzo challenged the Detroit Board of Education for recently passed Michigan State Statue that reduced the age at which a student could drop out of high school without any permission to sixteen from eighteen. She believed children must be required to stay in school until they were eighteen as it could protect them from being exploited just as the child labor laws did before (Stanton pp.60 – 61). Viola Liuzzo was involved in neighborhood activism most of her adulthood, moreover she began to get seriously involved in the organized civil rights movement right after entering college. She was involved in the march to the federal building in Detroit held by 250 Wayne State University students’ which was a part of the civil rights movement. When it came to segregation she went totally against it. Stanton writes she once said to her black best friend Sarah Evans “Sarah we’re all created equal yet they’ll give me more justice than they’ll give you. That’s no right.’’ Stanton adds she wanted to be part of what was happening in the country. She had some of the stuff in her that Dr. King had in him (Stanton …show more content…
77). Viola Liuzzo died as a martyr for this country who brought a tremendous change in the nation. Her fight against the segregation and to provide justice and equal human rights to black people cost her own life but, her legacy arose soon after. The book says her murder provoked a popular wave of repulsion for the Ku Klux Klan that caused President Johnson to announce all-out war against it. The House Un-American Activities Committee’s Klan investigation increased the Justice Department’s pressure on Congress to impose stricter penalties for civil rights murder. President Johnson presented a bill to congress right after her death that expanded the Act to make civil rights murder a federal crime (Stanton 218). Moreover, the circumstances of Viola Liuzzo’s death increased congressional support for passage of the Voting Rights Bill. The Voting Right Act led the percentage of voting age blacks registered to rise from less than 10 percent to 60 percent in just two months (Stanton 219). Viola Liuzzo ventured beyond the role of wife and mother to demonstrate on behalf of a social movement.
She was 39 and expected to stay home. Her deaths showed her motives, stability and judgement to speculation. The circumstances of her death made her Hero but she had been playing the role of a Hero the whole time. She afforded a clear symbol to the segregationists. For her family, friends, and neighbors she was the woman with a good heart. She always supported what was right. For her family, she was the source of love and courage, for the nation she is hero, fighter, and a martyr. She gave her life for human equality and peace. She was not just a woman but an extraordinary and one of the most courageous woman in the
history. Works Cited BOYD, HERB. "Courageous Civil Rights Martyr Viola Liuzzo." New York Amsterdam News, vol. 104, no. 44, 31 Oct. 2013, p. 32. EBSCOhost, dcccd.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.dcccd.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=103219804&site=ehost-live "Mary Stanton: About Mary Stanton." Mary Stanton, Mystery Author. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2017. . Stanton, Mary. From Selma to Sorrow: The Life and Death of Viola Liuzzo. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1998. Print. Willis, Alan Scot. “From Selma to Sorrow:The Life and Death of Viola Liuzzo” Journal of Southern History. Vol. 68. Issue 2 (2002): p 508. Print
Viola Desmond took a stand and even now we still acknowledge her courage. She may not be the only person that fought for rights. However, she was the first person to take a chance. After many people failed to stop discrimination, she was one of them to succeed. Because of Viola Desmond, we are now able to live the way we are. In canada, you barely see any kind of discrimination because Viola Desmond inspired other to fight, so that we all have the same
The letter never made it to her before she died. She did many things for theUnion army when they were basically at her doorstep. She filled their canteens, she baked them bread,and she made them food. She died whilst preparing bread for Union soldiers.
...ing to survive. Their militant demeanor and strong willed nature foreshadowed the coming modern civil rights movement. They realized the importance of education and utilized it to change the climate of their time. I think these to women defined the term "ordinary to extraordinary". They had both broke through color and gender barriers and earned the respect and admiration of colleagues, politicians the African American people. Who knows what would have happened if these two brave women did not stand up and accomplish what they had done. Would "White Supremacy" prevail in a post WWII society. It is hard to quantify the contribution of these women to the civil rights movement but I think it is safe to say that we were fortunate as a nation to have these great crusaders, as well as many other notable figures, to educate us and force us to see change in the United States.
... these women were left behind as survivors. They lost fathers, brothers, and sons. They had the awsome duty of keeping the black family and community alive in the aftermath of this brutal crime. Wells was clearly a champion for their courage.
Viola Liuzzo, a young housewife and mother, devoted her time and her life to the Civil Rights Movement. Ku Klux Klan murderers ended her membership as a Freedom Rider volunteer during the Selma March and her life. My report will reflect the cause of her murder and how did her death and the mock trials of her killers cause a ripple effect across the civil rights community, judicial system, FBI and the White House. It will be discussed how her life would lead to the change of policies regarding the Voting Rights of the African Americans and why she is considered an important figure of the Civil Rights Movement.
She was America’s first black, self-made female millionaire, but always remembered she grew up in poverty. She was deprived of an education, so she built a school, she was born to former slaves so she spoke out for equal rights for black Americans and spoke out against discrimination. She used her social status and power to have her voice heard. At the time of her death, Walker was the sole owner of her business which was worth over one million dollars, and her personal fortune was estimated between six hundred to seven hundred thousand dollars.
...nspired to make a change that she knew that nothing could stop her, not even her family. In a way, she seemed to want to prove that she could rise above the rest. She refused to let fear eat at her and inflict in her the weakness that poisoned her family. As a child she was a witness to too much violence and pain and much too often she could feel the hopelessness that many African Americans felt. She was set in her beliefs to make choices freely and help others like herself do so as well.
Her parents nurtured the background of this crusader to make her a great spokesperson. She also held positions throughout her life that allowed her to learn a lot about lynching. She was fueled by her natural drive to search for the truth.
She never dropped out like many of her peers until she had to help her dying grandmother. Rosa Parks risked her life as an upstander for African American equality, and inspired many others to follow in her footsteps. Rosa Parks did multiple things to relive the title upstander. She stood up for her rights, started a boycott, and changed the daily lives
Throughout her career Ida achieved more than anyone thought was possible for an African American women during that time. However, it was not an easy process. Ida faced many hardships throughout her career including, racial discrimination, gender discrimination, and hate from the people she fought against. Ida faced all her problems head on which is a major reason for her success. She continued to persevere even when everyone seemed to be against her. She never took no for an answer and always worked hard till she accomplished her goals. Everyone knew and still knows Ida as a hard worker, determined to fight for the rights of her and others around her. Ida died in Chicago on March 25th of 1931 but her legacy continues to live on.
...s, and beliefs. She spoke on behalf of women’s voting rights in Washington D.C, Boston, and New York. She also was the first speaker for the foundation, National Federation of Afro-American Women. On top of all of it, she helped to organize the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (blackhistorystudies.com 2014).
... she addressed many problems of her time in her writings. She was an inspirational person for the feminism movements. In fact, she awoke women’s awareness about their rights and freedom of choice. She was really a great woman.
Both women were extremely strong in their belief that they needed to be the change for African-Americans. Whether this change was in the South, or across the entire United States, these women both wanted things to be different. They used their backgrounds and experiences to be the change, and spread the word about making a difference in society. Their leadership roles might have been different in the African-American spectrum, but both women were greatly respected during their time at the top. They grew from their experiences, and used them to their advantage when being the change they wanted to see.
... in her memory. President Obama once said, “Our nation was forever transformed by her refusal to give up her seat, advancing our journey toward justice and equality for all” (Obama). Parks was a brave, courageous woman who wanted to make a difference for herself and many other African Americans who suffered from segregation laws. She once stated, “I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up, and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom” (Parks). Rosa Parks was successful in her attempts to make the world a better place. She fought against all odds to fight for the rights of African Americans. “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully we shall overcome” (Parks). Rosa Parks will forever be remembered as the mother of the Civil Rights Movement.
As you can tell from just reading my paper, Rosa Parks was very famous and always will be for what she did. Rosa said “I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people.” Well, she got what she wanted. She is definitely known as the courageous woman who was concerned about all those things. Rosa Parks was very inspirational and still is a figure of inspiration today. Even though she has been gone since 2005, only 9 years ago, you can visit the actual bus that Rosa Parks herself made her big first step into change of equality today. It is located at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Rosa Parks may be gone, but, she will never be forgotten. Especially because what she did, will live on forever and ever.