Blog 12 Something learned from EOTO 3

During the most recent EOTO and mock trial, I found that everyone had a very interesting topic worth talking about. The one that kept me thinking was the Greensboro sit-in for several reasons. First I find it interesting that this event occurred twenty-five minutes from where we go to school.  

(Photo from history.com) This photo to me shows the courage that these young college students to stand up to injustice. You can see the smile on each of their faces and that is because to them at this point they succeed at their goal. You can see that the entire dinner seating is taken up by these students from A&T University in Greensboro, NC. 

Another part of the trial that was interesting was the Montgomery Bus Boycott where African-Americans boycotted the bus system. Something I learned about this was I was not aware of was this was caused by the arrest of Rosa Parks, the courageous advocate for civil rights. In the following days over 40,000 people boycotted the bus system, which most used as a method of transportation. I learned that in Mongomery, Alabama 75% of all riders were African-American I was thinking about how much money must have been lost during this movement and the number. Most during the 15-day protest walked miles to work

(Photo from blackpast.org) 

Blog post 11 EOTO and Mock trail 3

 One of the most significant movements post the Supreme Court decisions on Equal rights, was the acts of the Freedom Rides. They were a group of African American and white citizens who joined together to protest segregated bus terminals. Starting in Washington, DC this group drove busses to the segregated south to challenge the non-enforcement of the United States Supreme Court decision on segregated buses.

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-rides#:~:text=The%201961%20Freedom%20Rides%20sought,terminals%2C%20was%20unconstitutional%20as%20well. 

On May 4, 1961, the group left and headed toward New Orleans in Louisiana. They started to see protests and members started to become arrested in Virginia. But when they reached South Carolina some group members were beaten and arrested. Along the journey through the South, they were constantly told they would never make it through Alabama and should stop immediately. The group without hesitation decided to keep going and reach Alabama on May 14th. Before their arrival in Anniston, AL the police gave KKK members full authority to strike against the Freedom Riders. 

 When they arrived chaos erupted and immediately a bus with freedom riders was lit on fire and sent people running for their lives. When they exited the bus they were met by a violent and angry white mob. The police officers did not stop anyone and continued to arrest the Freedom Rides. 

https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/freedom-rides

Blog 14 EOTO and Mock Trial 4

 

There should be many factors into being accepted into college but race should not be one of them. Each year having a certain number of spots open for racial minorities takes away from the opportunities for hard-working candidates to have a shot at a prestigious school. In this case, 16 out of 100 seats were reserved for “Blacks, Asians, and American Indians' ' at the University of California Davis. The idea that some schools want to hit a “quota” to diversify their schools and not look at a candidate for their real academic achievements is unconstitutional and deserves to be heard today. Economically, schools that ultimately use the quota system will fail in the long run. Bakke, a prestigious white student, was denied twice due to this decision by the University of California Medical School despite having significantly higher MCAT scores and a higher overall grade point average. The argument here being made on my side is that the 14th Amendment clearly states that Americans in similar circumstances should be treated as equals. Title 6 of the Civil rights Act of 1964 says that institutions that receive funds from the Federal Government cannot discriminate on the basis of race. By focusing on race for admissions, this school should fully lose its Government funding. The immense cost to run a school of this size is based on hard-working American people who deserve to have their money put into school systems and towards a fair and equal admissions process. I am not saying that major universities including the University of California should not be diverse but people from all economic backgrounds deserve to have an equal opportunity without having to worry if they are going to make the other 84 spots. In this situation, Bakke is being denied a great education due to a direct violation of the 14th Amendment which has made such tremendous strides up to this case. In the long run, if decisions continue within schools allowing this to happen, those schools will see a dramatic decrease in applicants and acceptances which leads to a lower overall yearly revenue. In other words, schools with this quota system will fail. 

 

Economically schools with a quota system have it in place to benefit a certain race and lose money each year due to it. For students applying to know that there is a chance that the prestigious university they applied to will fail them due to race and schools trying to meet quotas is frightening. It's not only failing that student… It is failing the entire school system as we know it. A system not based on race but on academics and school achievements will be economically beneficial in the long run. This country was founded on the land of opportunity and we are not giving the American people the benefit of that promise. 

Post 13 The March Video

The movie, The March, a PBS documentary that digs deep into the work of Dr. Martin Luther King and the March on Washington. With more than 250,000 people in attendance for the March on Washington for Jobs and freedom, it crushed the record for the biggest multicultural event in American History. Members of powerful and revered civil rights organizations, labor unions, and civil rights leaders from all the states joined together in unity for one main idea. That idea was to protect the rights of African-Americans in the United States. This documentary digs into the events that lead to the march event occurring and the Government's response.

This is truly a mind-blowing photo to me and speaks a thousand words. Thousands of Americans joined together to highlight the economic inequalities during this time. People from all different walks of life joining for the March on Washington is what America is about. People joining together not for agreements but for the overall respect for each other and love for their country.

 The march was seen as an event that could always occur in America for the reason that cultures mixed,  fundraising, and the chance for people to meet nationwide groups. Instead, this was turned into the biggest civil rights protests to ever occur. Besides this, PBS goes on to talk about the fear, chaos, and sadness of the African-American community. What makes this so interesting is the fact the documentary is told through the eyes of people who were there that day. Not only will this give an idea of what happened. But this gave me a sense of connection with the speaker throughout the whole documentary.