Fred Shuttlesworth

“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Many people may wonder what this quote means or may even wonder where this quote is from. The quote mentioned is by Martin Luther King Jr., a significant figure in American history. King mentioned this quote in his Letter from Birmingham Jail in April of 1963 as he waited to gain civil rights. Many have been taught about Martin Luther King Jr and his speech "I…

An African man by the name Anais once told me a story about a young boy by the name Nicholas whom, at the age of fifteen lived with his parents seventeen miles outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. In the depths of the country, they had no neighbors. One day, Nicholas’s father asked him to drive him to the city where he had an all-day conference. His father prompted him on getting all his chores done, getting the car service before he could enjoy the city and also to pick him up at 6:00pm where…

In the 1860s, the north and the south fought against each other over the long-standing controversy over slavery. At the end of the Civil War, slavery was abolished by the 13th amendment and slaves were free from their masters. The ex-slaves were free, but it would take some time for them to gain equal rights. Former slaves faced obstacles for equal rights like voting and segregation for nearly a century. Although the 14th and 15th amendments helped blacks with equal rights there was no one to…