Blood Done Sign My Name Analysis

Timothy B. Tyson wrote this autobiography while he was a professor of African American studies at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The book was published in May of 2004, but was based on true events happening in 1970. Blood Done Sign My Name revolves around a young African American man named Henry Marrow, who served in the Vietnam war, being shot and killed in his hometown neighborhood because he flirted with a white woman. Tyson was just a boy that lived in Oxford, North Carolina when this tragic event happened. Tyson’s friend Gerald said to him, “Daddy and Roger and ‘em shot ‘em a nigger”, a statement that will probably stick with him forever. Tyson’s father, Vernon, who was known as the minister at the Methodist church, did not allow the word “nigger” to be said inside of their home. Vernon firmly believed that all people were God’s children and race was not and should not be an issue to us people if it was not an issue in the Bible.

Here’s a comparison with the ideas of two online reviewers. In “Blood Done Sign My Name: Echoes of the South's troubled past,” critic MiChelle Jones is positive towards the book and focuses on Tyson’s charming style, innate historic value, and unique perspective as he chose the familiar story of racism and set it in a time that was more preoccupied with other news, ending with an assertion that it’s a commentary to the country’s recent past. In a Kirkus Review post, the review spends time establishing Tyson’s role in the story and in the story’s events, wrapping up with praise and saying that the book is a reminder of civil rights being a struggle on both sides. Both online reviews give Tyson more limelight as part of a central idea in the book. They don’t touch on details of how Marrow’s trial changed the movement in Oxford, but they do agree that the book is a powerful revival of the struggling and violent truth that came with civil

Tyson mentions white supremacy, and how it helped Robert Teel and his two sons get out of the jury with a slap on the wrist. In addition, Tyson also provides interviews with local citizens many years after the trial and asks them about what has changed in Oxford since then. Tyson intended to write this autobiography to go in depth about civil rights and to also educate the readers more about Afro-American studies.

“From that point on,” after witnessing the body—and Mamie’s courage—“Mississippi began to move” (Bush 3). On July 2nd 1964, John F. Kennedy signed the civil rights act into law. Now, This was meant to be a turning point in history and the act of gunning down a black youth became a staple case of racism considering it was the case that led to the enactment of the Civil Rights Act. However, within the emergence of this new racism, “African American males between the ages of 15 and 34 comprised more than 15% of all deaths logged in 2015 by investigation into the use of deadly force by police” (Swaine 1) even though African American males only make up 2% of the population. From Emmett Till’s gunning down in 1955 to Walter Scott’s in 2015, we are witnessing history repeat itself when America can clearly see, “of course the evidence is not there, but we are still claiming skin color was not a factor” (Crump 2). The city of North Charleston, S.C., was all too willing to accept the officer’s version of events, even though the physical evidence clearly showed that the officer had landed four out of eight bullets in Scott’s

This is proof that there is racial discrimination in law enforcement that affects police brutality. This also reinforces the culture of people of color being less human than white people, which takes its roots all the way back to slavery in America. When slavery was still prevalent in the United States, white people believed that black people(slaves), did not feel pain like they felt pain. After slavery was abolished, black people were still strongly regarded as inferior to white people and white people still saw them as wild creatures rather than human beings. White people saw themselves superior to every other race of people, so it was common for them to mistreat other races that weren’t white. This mindset is not as strong as it was in the past but, it is still strong enough to affect the choices police officers make during interactions with people of color. As a result of discrimination at the police level, many people have turned to court system’s to reach justice.

Racial injustice against people of colour is an immense, ongoing issue that has not only targeted lives but has also taken many innocent lives. In America, these racial divisions date back to the days of slavery, where black people were denied of their basic human rights because of discrimination. In present day, some individuals view America as a post-racial environment, due to such victories as electing a black president; but the brutal, fatal and unjust events in Ferguson, Missouri prove that these divisions are still present. On August 9th, 2014, an unarmed, 18 year old black teen was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer. The events that led to the death of Michael Brown occurred on an early morning where Mr. Wilson stopped Michael Brown and a friend after leaving a convenience store. An altercation occurred which prompted Mr. Brown to flee and officer Wilson to begin shooting. The death of Mr. Brown caused the city to stand up against police brutality through peaceful protest, looting, and even violence, to gain justice for Mr. Brown and his family. As the protests grew, the police used military tactics such as, tear gas, to “maintain order” during the unrest of the city. In recent, news the grand jury decided that Officer Darren Wilson was not responsible for the death of Michael Brown, which led to a larger public outrage not only in America, but also across the

All across the nation, in the news the black community has been making their voice heard, in regards to white police brutality, and murder against the unarmed black community. Many of these brutal attacks and flat out murders of unarmed black people haven’t been largely prosecuted, some officers have even been acquitted of any wrong doing or murder. This has led to outrage in the African American community at large. The shooting of an unarmed black teen named Michael Brown caused the racial strain in this country to break.

Any individual with any seed of compassion and humanity will agree, the events that led up to the unwarranted death of any individual, those noted in his article included, are appalling. Subsequent to evaluation of this article, readers are left with an appreciation that the author believes that there is an overwhelming conspiracy, which currently persists, that people of color are at imminent risk of being lynched by a mob. Had this article

The heated issue of police brutality and police officers violating civil rights has extensively covered media headlines for several years. Hundreds of people are killed every year by police officers, and many of these cases bring up issues of police brutality. More often than not, it is usually a white police officer and an african american offender encounter that sparks media attention. The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri is just one of these cases that has caused a major divide in the United States. Michael Brown was fatally shot by Officer Wilson after an unfriendly encounter in the streets. Those who believe that Officer Wilson made the right decision in shooting Michael Brown, point to the fact that the grand jury chose not to indict him. Although Darren WIlson was not charged after the shooting of unarmed Michael Brown, some people believe that his actions were unlawful and he should have received some sort of punishment for his wrongdoing. Acknowledging all of the facts of the investigation, Officer Wilson did not act properly in the circumstances of the time.

“So while this is the story of a small boy in a small town one hot Southern summer,” Timothy B. Tyson writes as he closes the first chapter of Blood Done Sign My Name, “it is also the story of a nation torn apart by racial, political, social and cultural clashes so deep that they echo in our lives to this day.” Thus begins Tyson’s story of the murder of Henry Marrow, a 23-year-old black man who was shot in the town of Oxford. The murder was a turning point in Tyson’s understanding of race relations in the small town where he lived and it sparked an investigation of the role racism played not only in his community but around the U.S., from the abolishment of slavery to the present. Although Tyson primarily uses examples from his own experience and the experiences of his family and neighbors, he draws details from the political and racial climate at the time to add context to his story. However, Tyson’s accounts of racism in Oxford, North Carolina also add a sense of reality and familiarity to the much broader examples. Tyson uses examples of the color line, paternalism, and the normalization of racism to reveal the different ways that racism has manifested in American society.

a few years now, police brutality has become an extremely controversial topic and has raised many debates and questions about law enforcement and civilians. Police brutality has been common for decades. However after the death of African Americans such as Michael Brown, Alton Sterling, and Philando Castile, many other African Americans have rose up in protest and anger. The anger stems from these men dying at the hands of police which the civilians believe they died from situation that should have been handled differently. Cases like these have caused a major divide with African Americans and law enforcement. Many people wonder where the relationship between the two went wrong and how police brutality became such a big issue that seems impossible

Over the past few decades, there have been a series of African Americans killed by law enforcement officers. Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, John Crawford III, Eric Garner and countless others. The aftermath: the officers who murdered the unarmed men have either been acquitted or there was no indictment. What happened in Ferguson is years, if not decades in the making. African Americans are simply tired of having to bury friends and family and discovering the officers, meant to protect the law and serve the people, are killing black lives and are almost always found not guilty.

In the exceptional historical autobiography Blood Done Sign My Name, Timothy Tyson, a University of Wisconsin professor of African-American studies and a man who experienced the race relations in his Southern hometown, introduces the death of Henry Marrow and the events that would take toll afterwards. The murder of the young black veteran in 1970 would widen the racial gap in Oxford, North Carolina, and ignite a flame within the city. Tyson portrays the details of this drama and the events that occur afterward through multiple perspectives, which involve his younger 10-year-old self, his Methodist pastor father, budding black activist Ben Chavis, and one of the murderers of Henry Marrow. A well-written book that provides personal, historical

When examining the several approaches of the Civil Rights Movement that are discussed in Blood Done Sign My Name, I found that no approach on its own would of accomplish something. Whether it was the nonviolent marches which were not able to seize the attention of the white authority, or the racially motivated violence which petrified whites, through the combination of these: radical, liberal, and conservatives; the Civil Rights Movement was able to push for what they strived.

Police Brutality has stemmed from racist attitudes, discrimination, and prejudice to African Americans. In the movie “Fruitvale Station” the subject of police brutality is touched on through the true story of Oscar Grant III an African American young man who was assassinated in 2009. The movie follows Grant who is played by Michael B. Jordan in his final twenty-four hours of life. The shooting takes place after Grant and his girlfriend are on the subway returning home in the early morning on New Year’s with some friends. After a fight breaks out on the subway the police are called and Grant and his friends are taken off the train and handcuffed after a verbal altercation between Grant and the police officers one of the officers takes out and shoots Grant. Grant is taken to the hospital where he passes away. The officer who assassinated Grant was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and spent a year in jail. The main theme this movie follows is police brutality. The reason I chose to discuss this movie is because Police brutality is a very large issue that has occurred too often in the past few years in this country. Oscar Grant is one of the many African American men who have lost their life and left behind a family because of senseless police brutality. Police Brutality is a very difficult issue to discuss because people should feel protected around police rather than fear for their lives and for many people of color this is their reality. Police brutality solely stems from racist attitudes, discrimination, and prejudice of African Americans in the United States.