Historical relevance
Brown vs. Board of Education, 1954, was decided six years before my birth. By the time I began kindergarten in 1966, schools in the South and in Chicago were still segregated. Mandates to ban “separate but equal” schools were of little consequence to the thousands of school age youth who had to attend schools on the South Side of Chicago. “Willis Wagons “ were brought to Black schools to manage overcrowding. Chicago Public School Board president Willis sought to remedy overcrowding by delivering mobile classrooms on playground and parking lot spaces at Black schools. Busing and transfers to neighboring white schools was nixed. Parents in Chicago called for boycotts and protests. In the end, Black youth as late as …show more content…
“Even though European ethnic groups faced discrimination, they were never the objects of caste-like oppression” (Wise, 2012, pg.52). The policies practiced by schools that prevented enrollment of Black students became illegal only as a result of the Brown vs. Board of Education, 1954 decision. In my assessment of the interviewees’ year of marriage and the years she spent in college, I came to this conclusion. She dated a Black man while they both attended the same college. I further concluded that the Brown vs. Board Education, 1954 decision opened opportunities for multicultural and multiethnic students to attend the same colleges. My mother did also benefit. She became the first in her maternal lineage to attend college. She attended Roosevelt University, graduating in 1972. Roosevelt University was integrated. The campus environment included international students, returning adult learners, and students from all walks of life. My mother invited students of all races, color and creed to our home when she attended Roosevelt University. While I wrote my notes from the interview, I could not help but ponder if the Interviewee had the same experience when she entered college. I am also curious to know if she witnessed any racism when she was a youth or in college. These answers could provide me a greater understanding of her life experiences. I am certain that, her life …show more content…
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment granted equal protection. The 15th Amendment granted the right to vote to men regardless of race, color, or previous servitude. These three constitutional amendments however well intentioned, did not guarantee States would uphold these laws. Some years back, I located a poll tax record in the National Archives available through the web portal Ancestry.com. The record was a grim reminder of the practices played out in Mississippi. Men of African descent had to “pay” a tax to vote. This illegal maneuver to disenfranchise Black voters was one many used in the South from 1870’s through the 1970’s. Civil rights for Blacks have been trampled. Today we read about widespread voter fraud and trickery. Polls have been closed early, identification requirements have been changed, and many Black voters have been removed from voter rosters. The interviewee did not provide any commentary on these Amendments. It is safe to say that she is versed on injustices faced by Blacks who desired to cast their votes. She is a U.S. History professor. The 15th Amendment is applicable to our interview. The interviewee shared with me that she had married a man who was born in Peru. She did not share with me if he had become a U.S. Citizen during their brief
Brown vs. Board of Education, 1954, was decided six years before my birth. By the time I began kindergarten in 1966, schools in the South and in Chicago were still segregated. Mandates to ban “separate but equal” schools were of little consequence to the thousands of school age youth who had to attend schools on the South Side of Chicago. “Willis Wagons “ were brought to Black schools to manage overcrowding. Chicago Public School Board president Willis sought to remedy overcrowding by delivering mobile classrooms on playground and parking lot spaces at Black schools. Busing and transfers to neighboring white schools was nixed. Parents in Chicago called for boycotts and protests. In the end, Black youth as late as …show more content…
“Even though European ethnic groups faced discrimination, they were never the objects of caste-like oppression” (Wise, 2012, pg.52). The policies practiced by schools that prevented enrollment of Black students became illegal only as a result of the Brown vs. Board of Education, 1954 decision. In my assessment of the interviewees’ year of marriage and the years she spent in college, I came to this conclusion. She dated a Black man while they both attended the same college. I further concluded that the Brown vs. Board Education, 1954 decision opened opportunities for multicultural and multiethnic students to attend the same colleges. My mother did also benefit. She became the first in her maternal lineage to attend college. She attended Roosevelt University, graduating in 1972. Roosevelt University was integrated. The campus environment included international students, returning adult learners, and students from all walks of life. My mother invited students of all races, color and creed to our home when she attended Roosevelt University. While I wrote my notes from the interview, I could not help but ponder if the Interviewee had the same experience when she entered college. I am also curious to know if she witnessed any racism when she was a youth or in college. These answers could provide me a greater understanding of her life experiences. I am certain that, her life …show more content…
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment granted equal protection. The 15th Amendment granted the right to vote to men regardless of race, color, or previous servitude. These three constitutional amendments however well intentioned, did not guarantee States would uphold these laws. Some years back, I located a poll tax record in the National Archives available through the web portal Ancestry.com. The record was a grim reminder of the practices played out in Mississippi. Men of African descent had to “pay” a tax to vote. This illegal maneuver to disenfranchise Black voters was one many used in the South from 1870’s through the 1970’s. Civil rights for Blacks have been trampled. Today we read about widespread voter fraud and trickery. Polls have been closed early, identification requirements have been changed, and many Black voters have been removed from voter rosters. The interviewee did not provide any commentary on these Amendments. It is safe to say that she is versed on injustices faced by Blacks who desired to cast their votes. She is a U.S. History professor. The 15th Amendment is applicable to our interview. The interviewee shared with me that she had married a man who was born in Peru. She did not share with me if he had become a U.S. Citizen during their brief