To Kill A Mockingbird Racial Equality Analysis

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that can give a clear lesson to further the movement for racial equality. Scout is a little girl in the south. She is the main character and protagonist of the novel. She lives with her brother Jem and her father, Atticus in Maycomb, Alabama. She is very intelligent, thanks to her father. There is a clear connection between To Kill a Mockingbird and the Civil Rights Era, as well as issues of racism today.
Scout learns the town's colossal issue with class on her first day at school when Walter Cunningham does not have lunch or lunch money. Her classmates ask her to explain to the teacher why Walter won't take a loaned quarter to buy lunch, and she lectures the teacher on the Cunningham's financial situation and …show more content…
This is purely because he is a black man and his accuser is white. The evidence is so powerfully in his favor, that race is clearly the single defining factor in the jury's decision. Atticus agrees to represent Tom Robinson as best as he can, and a few other townspeople are on his side, including Miss Maudie and Judge Taylor, but most are not. Jem and Scout also believe in racial equality. Atticus doesn’t want them to see Tom’s trial, but they watch it in secret. Mr. Heck Tate, Bob Ewell and Mayella Ewell give their account on the event. Tom Robinson then gives his account and his boss, Link Deas defended him. Lastly, Atticus gives a closing speech in Robinson’s defence. Sadly, Tom Robinson is convicted and sent to jail. He was later shot for trying to escape from prison. Sadly, this is something that occurred very frequently before the Civil Rights Act and other progress that has led to equality. In this century, there are still a great amount of African Americans and other minorities that are wrongfully convicted due to their race. For example, in 1889 5 men were wrongfully convicted for assaulting and raping a female jogger in Central Park. The jogger was 28-year-old Trisha Meili. The men confessed after long and exhausting interrogations by the police. They were famously named the Central Park 5. In 2002, serial rapist Matias Reyes confessed to the rape of Trisha Meili. These men were black and hispanic teenagers. They were under pressure and were not given the opportunity to defend their claims and therefore were wrongfully convicted. They each served between 6 and 13 years, but after Matias Reyes confessed they received compensation at the very least. Many black people have recently died in the name of racism including Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Ezell Ford, Kajieme Powell, Dante Parker, John Crawford, Tyree Woodson, Victor White, Jordan Baker. These are just some people who were murdered by the