I Am An African American Female

I interviewed my grandparents, Janet and Earl Patterson, for this exploration. The questions that I asked where, ‘Why do you think the Civil Rights Act had to happen, and Can you tell a bit about any experiences you have had with this?’ Mrs. Patterson had a lot to say about her beliefs of why the Civil Rights Act had to happen, which made me really think about how lucky I am to live in the time that I live in. They both had a heartbreaking story about something that was done wrong to someone they knew before the Civil Rights Act, or something that happened to them even after it was put in effect. Their statements are proof enough of reasons why in our schools, we should teach more about the Civil Rights Act to make sure something like that does not repeat itself.

Decades have passed since the end of the American Civil War, a war in which hundreds of thousands of individuals died defending what each considered to be just. One of the bloodiest wars in human history, the repercussions of the Civil War did not finish when the South lost the war and African American slaves gained their liberty. Continual tension existed between white and black citizens after the South lost the “right” to possess slaves. The transition was especially hard to handle by white citizens who, for decades, failed to recognize the human dignity of their fellow black citizens.

One’s family’s history, culture and environmental factors can influence a great deal of who they are. In fact, all three of these factors have influenced a great deal of the young woman I am today. To begin with, I am an African-American woman of Haitian descent. My family immigrated from Haiti years before I was born seeking a better life. I grew up in a close-knit family that worked odd jobs to reach ends meet. I remember fondly, my mother, a single mother working three jobs struggling to put food on the table, clothes on me and my three sibling’s backs, and electricity in the house. My mother never had time to rest, enjoy her day or spend time with me or my siblings. We often took cold showers, and had many hungry nights. Due to the amount

I am an African American woman born in raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I lived in the inner city of Milwaukee until I was about eight years old, and shortly after we moved to the Village of River Hills. My mother grew up in the city of Milwaukee also. My father grew up in Jackson, Mississippi and moved to Wisconsin when he was ten years old. Growing up, I traveled from Milwaukee to Mississippi at least seven times a year. Initally, while visiting it was a culture shock for me. My grandmother drove the School bus and lived on a farm. She had many horses as pets and as a means for transportation. In Mississippi I l learned that is was not ok to call adults by there first name and it is a sign of disrespect and it is rude to not look at a

Although the civil rights movement was a major change for Blacks in the South, it also was a life-changing for whites in the south as well. Although some southern whites actually hoped for and wanted change, some feared it. What would become of their “Southern way of Life” as they knew it? Whites were already taught the blacks were beneath them. Through years of slavery and segregation, white were raised to believe that African Americans, they were “unclean and shiftless”,” unintelligent and oversexed.” They were taught to believe that African Americans were less than they were and all they were good for was the “cleaning’ and the

In front of us stood a small house with old cars parked in the overgrown grass and cats lounging on the porch. Still, in the humid, breezeless Alabama summer air, hung a confederate flag. Never before have I ever had to make a decision like this-- a decision on whether it was safe for me to approach a white person or not. The question was not one of comfort, as it may have been in New York, but one of SAFETY. As we walked through the streets it was apparent that some people were disturbed by our presence in their neighborhood-- some wouldn't even look at us, others were friendly, but there was a general feeling that we weren't welcome there. I felt like a character in one of those 1950's-60's books that I love reading, except this was real-- as real as the overcast sky above me. It wasn't too pretty and I wished there was sunshine, just as I wished that the people would have responded differently, but like the sky- there was not much I could do about it; it was and is in God's hands. There is racism in the South; there is segregation by choice in the South; these are

Schools were desegregated in 1968, when I was in the fifth grade. Even though we were now going to the same school, not much else changed where I lived~ at least from my young perspective. I graduated in 1976, and blacks and whites still lived on opposite sides of Highway 77, the road that dissected my town. Affirmative action where I lived meant that a hiring freeze was on, the sentiment being that if the government thought it could tell us who to hire, then we wouldn’t hire anyone. During the day while at school we were friends, but when we went home it was to our side of town. My house was one of the oddities, in that we had our black friends over to dinner and hang out during the day, although we

I was born in a small steel mill town in Northeast Ohio with a population around 28,000 of which 80-85% were white non-Hispanics. The crime rate was low, and the only area in town where I saw black families was on the East side of town (on the other side of the tracks). On my way to my Grandmother’s house, blacks were often seen coming out of all black churches and hanging out on front porches and street corners. At that time, I do not remember any personal interaction with any black families, but in the evening, us kids were always told to lock the car doors. My parents owned a mobile home community, gas/convenience store, and bottled gas business, and I remember riding with my father to deliver propane to many

Segregation in the south was everywhere and a common day thing; being black in the South during this time was hard for black people. My dad recalls, a time when he went to get food from a diner and his family was forced to go too the back. As my dad describes it; “This was very common for us, if

“Large cities and metros have distinct advantages when it comes to attracting high-skill people, high-tech jobs, and other economic assets in more global knowledge-based economies” (Florida 363). That statement tells us that cities are interested in one type of people and if you don’t fit into that category they don’t care where you end up. Along with that, Richard Florida in The Rise Of The Creative Class said, where the creative class is larger there tends to be higher levels of happiness. On the opposite spectrum where the working class is larger happiness levels tend to drop. It explains why those groups stay segregated and don’t intermix. The creative class and the working class aren’t the only groups who don’t intermix. “…whites lived in neighborhoods with a median income over $54,000, blacks and Latinos lived in neighborhoods where the median income was roughly a third lower” (Sampson 294). Certain races are segregated into certain communities and certain work districts. Along with that, people who live in the same area feel more comfortable around each other. People live by others who are similar to their selves except in commercial areas. In commercial areas all classes are intermixed except for the poor. In the industrial areas the working class live and work downtown and the rich live in the suburbs. It is similar for the corporate areas except the rich live in the

Staten Island, New York, born and raised, a place known to New Yorkers for being racist. The population is predominantly Caucasian, and the minorities inhabit approximately one-third of the island, growing up my parents mentioned stories about particular areas in which black children weren 't welcomed. Young and fearless, I didn 't pay these stories much attention, not to mention I didn 't have a reason to frequent said areas. By the same token, Rosebank where I lived, a predominately White neighborhood, which was becoming increasingly diverse in cultures as the decades passed.

Being a young girl at the time I was quite mature for my age. I knew right from wrong. While in elementary I knew my place as an African American. Being segregated became a way of life and I did not see what was so wrong. My momma always said “never cross the white line”. What she meant was to stay on my side of the fountain and out of the white folk’s way. Not fully understanding the problem it did not seem like a big deal. I would always listen to momma and obey. I never once thought about speaking up or crossing that white line momma talked about. It was not until middle school when I began to

As an international student, seeing this side of America, of the oppression of black people, makes me feel ashamed that one of my goals growing up was to come to the United States, “the best country in the world”. It also makes me wonder whether it is worth it to live here and to continue fighting against social injustice. I feel defeated when I reflect on the fact that the civil rights activists fought for equal rights, so much so that some of them died because of their passion, yet America still treats black people as second class citizens. This constantly makes me wonder how long this fight will last and who the winners are going to be. However, I remain hopeful for the American future and the future of black people in America because of

The discussion on any issue related to sexuality has to begin from what the Bible teaches about sexuality and marriage. The first account of creation as given in Genesis 1 affirms the equality of sexes, since both were created in the image of God and both share the stewardship of the earth. The second account of creation as given in Genesis 2 affirms the complementarity of the sexes which constitutes the basis for heterosexual marriage. John Stott lists three fundamental truths that emerge from the second account of creation. The first truth is man’s need for companionship. God found that it is not good for man to be alone (2:18). Being created in the image of God who is love, man has the capacity and the need to love and to be loved. Here God declares that He will make ‘a helper’ or companion ‘suitable for him’. This companion was also designed to be his sexual partner with whom he was to become ‘one flesh’ and procreate children. Secondly, Genesis 2 reveals God’s provision to meet man’s need. God parades before Adam all the beasts and the birds that he created. Having found no suitable companion for man among them, God makes a woman out of man. This was a special work of creation in which the sexes were differentiated. Out of the undifferentiated humanity of the

Some people may think the institution of marriage was traditionally defined as between and man and a woman. But on the other hand, others believe the concept of “traditional marriage” being defined as one man and one woman is mistaken. According to the old book of Genesis, it states that marriage is between a man and a woman involving unique reproduction and creating a family to nurture their children. (Peterson) A connection is made as a result of marriages are mostly between men and women who have children and raise them together to build a family. Traditional marriage being defined as man and woman is historically inaccurate. Modern and ancient examples of family arrangement consider heterosexual