Introduction
During the period 1877-1920, the United States underwent a period known as Reconstruction. Well, life for African Americans was not at all easy during this period. In as much as the recently freed African Americans did enjoy political and social equality, the South was regained by the self-proclaimed Democratic redeemers. As a result, Jim Crow racial segregation was instituted which led masses to move, known as the Great Migration. Much did change with regard to the life of African Americans, which begs for the question as to why they faced these challenges during this period of time.
Event 1-Racial Segregation
This event took place in the South where the democrats began pursuing the agenda of racial segregation after 1877. According to the 14th Amendment, state governments were prevented from treating individuals differently on the basis of race and color. However, this was not entirely the case because in Plessy v Ferguson, we find that the Supreme Court made a ruling which stated that state governments had the right to segregate races. Blacks were separated from the whites and this created a rift between them in several areas. Black people could not attend the same schools as white people and interracial marriages were prohibited. By 1920, the Southern society was purely defined by a caste system which was bi-racial in nature. It was a totally separate world since the blacks and the whites lived separate lives at birth, growing up and into the grave (Olzak, Shanahan & McEneaney, 1996).
Event 2-Great Migration
The event took place around 1910 to 1930. African Americans were seen migrating in large numbers to the North. The major contributor to this migration was the subjection to racial segregation of African Americans. On the other hand, the perception of better living conditions also led to the migration. Approximately 1.6 million African Americans left during this period. Upon arrival, they established communities in cities such as New York, Philadelphia and Chicago. This cities later became center of African American life both socially and culturally.
Event 3-Montgomery Bus Boycott
This event sparked when Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1955. The boycott lasted for 13 months and when taken to court, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public transport was unconstitutional and uncouth. In this situation, African Americans refused to board the city’s public transport in Montgomery. The effect of the bus boycott was that segregation with regard to race came to an end “Rosa Parks rode at the front of a Montgomery bus when the Supreme Court imposed a ban on segregation of the city buses”. The campaign was due to the fact that Rosa Parks, an African American was arrested after she refused to surrender her bus seat to a white person (Kohl, 1991).
Event 4- The March on Washington
The event took place on August 28, 1963 where more than 200000 Americans marched to Washington D.C for a political rally. The rally’s theme was about jobs and freedom designed to shed some light on the challenges that people faced socially and politically; mostly African Americans. The march, which became a key pillar in the campaign for civil human rights was capped up by Martin Luther King Jr.s’ “I have a dream” speech. The speech was an urgent call for racial equality and justice (Jones, 2013).
Solorzano, D., Ceja, M., & Yosso, T. (2000). Critical race theory, racial micro aggressions, and campus racial climate: The experiences of African American college students. Journal of Negro Education, 60-73.
The journal describes Micro aggressions as subtle insults either nonverbal, verbal, visual or non-visual which are directed towards the people of color. This can be done either automatically or unconsciously. The article makes use of the critical race theory to provide a clear examination of different racial micro aggressions and the effects they have on college students. Using a group interview from African Americans from three different Universities, the findings are that racial micro aggressions exist both in socials and academic spaces with regard to the college environment. This interview as described in the article assists us to know how racial micro aggressions negatively affect and impact collegiate racial climate.
Kohl, H. (1991). The politics of children's literature: The story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott. The Journal of Education, 173 (1), 35-50.
This article talks about the levels of racism in the United States. It describes racism as a way too sensitive issue to be dealt with in an elementary classroom. However, it is important to sensitize them on the importance of civil right movements. It borrows reference to the case of Rosa Parks and her involvement in the Montgomery bus boycott. This article is in the form of a stage play, which depicts the situation where Rosa Parks was confronted by a white person in a public bus and she refused to surrender her seat. What followed next was that she was arrested and this sparked demonstrations with the slogan “don’t ride the buses? The article is a clear indication of the segregation and discrimination that black people were subjected to.
Jones, W. P. (2013). The March on Washington: Jobs, freedom, and the forgotten history of civil rights. WW Norton & Company.
This book talks about the march to Washington D.C in which people sought for freedom, equality as well as job availability. It is in this rally that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech of I have a dream. This speech swept like a wave and acted as new hope for many of the African Americans in the country. The book revolves around sensitizing about the dream of a nation that would live up to the founder’s proclamations and offer equal opportunity for all. Martin Luther King Jr. being the center of focus was the backbone of this rally whose main aim was to air its grievances on the fact that racial segregation still existed in the job platform and therefore freedom.
Olzak, S., Shanahan, S., & McEneaney, E. H. (1996). Poverty, segregation, and race riots: 1960 to 1993. American Sociological Review, 590-613.
The Journal argues that although racial deprivation as well as residential segregation may assist in reinforcing identification with specific emphasis on racial boundaries and grievances, these problems do not independently bring about racial conflict. The Journal suggests that racial conflict and competition is as a result of combining high levels of racial segregation which is then followed by interracial contact. The result of this is that the rate of racial and ethnic unrests is increased.
