Melba Patillo Beals 'Warriors Don' T Cry

“I am, was, and always be a catalyst for change” (Chisholm, 1970). Shirley Chisholm was a Visionary Leader and Ethical Leader by challenging the country to live up to ideals of equality and opportunity, while navigating the rough political landscape, contending with racial and gender discrimination. In this essay, I will review how Shirley Chisholm used her visionary leadership traits by becoming the first African American congresswoman to create diversity and how she used Idealized Influence to garner votes to run for U.S. presidency. Additionally, I will review how Chisholm displayed Ethical Leadership by challenging the seniority system in Congress and how she used her moral values to stand up for what she believed in. Finally, I will review how Shirley Chisholm’s visionary and ethical leadership behavior is personally relevant to me. First, let’s review how Chisholm used her visionary leadership traits.

Despite the importance of the movement vocabulary, Ailey expresses that “Cry is about the dance and the dancer”. Therefore, the expression and emotion that Deborah Manning projects are equally important to facilitate the audience’s reception of the full significance of the work; The difficult time of emotional and and physical struggles for the African Americans.

After her year as a Central High student was over and she was able to reflect upon her experiences, Melba came to the conclusion that the adults that watched the white children torment and abuse she and her friends were simply afraid. They were afraid of change. They were afraid that the social structure that placed them above blacks was going to crumble, leaving them at the mercy of people who they’ve kept down for so long. Most of all, Melba learned they were afraid that once blacks started going to the same school as their children, they may begin to date, marry and make families with their children.

Little rock, Arkansas 1957 in Warriors don’t cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, her and eight other African American, high school students integrates Central High School. Only eight of the nine that begin at Central High lasted for the full year. Melba and her eight friends face new wars every day. These are some of the traits she uses to survive her year and overcome her enemies at Central High School. Melba relies on her courage, faith, and not only her physical strength, but her mental strength as well.

Grandma India is another character that is significant. She is Melba’s grandmother and her backbone during the struggle of her integration at Central High. Throughout the events within the story Grandma India was always by Melba's side, especially when she felt like giving up on everything that was going on. But Grandma India strengthens Melba with her religious faith and determination by repeating the phrase “God’s warriors don’t cry”. Throughout Melba's struggle, Grandma India would demonstrate peaceful and respectful methods to combat the harsh treatments she received for her skin color. Towards the end of the book Grandma India is diagnosed and later dies from leukemia, this leaves Melba alone having to find strength in herself.

Melba Pattillo Beals is a very determined young lady. She presents many strong personal characteristics in her time of integrating Central High School. However, she faces many adversities through this battle for her freedom and equality. During her rough time Beals questions her faith and family. She later learns that her strength and security is in God. In the book Warriors Don’t Cry Melba Pattillo Beals presents the idea that courage, faith, and fear are vital in her search for freedom and equality.

   Confinement drives a being to extreme extents. Rosa Parks, who wants to live life as an ordinary woman, comprehends this captivity and experiences it each day. She desires a standard life of a woman who comes from work, but discrimination restrains, harried, her from that very practice. Rosa Parks noted, “No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” (Parks, 6) In this statement, Rosa Parks argues

After the incident with Melba and the white man, I am more certain that integration is not going to happen too soon. I have to be influential and teach Melba the right thing, but I don’t know if I have much hope left in me. Without Marissa, Melba’s little soul would have been conjured by evil. Even though things are not looking up, I will keep praying; I know that God will answer my prayers.

Throughout Melba’s time of being a fifteen and sixteen year old she went through the struggles of having to deal with adversity. There were times where she was put down by her peers at her new school and even the people that she thought were her friends from her old school because she had chosen to be a part of the Little Rock Nine. Melba soon begins to learn that things were only going to get worse from there, but as she goes through each day she remembers what Grandma India tells her on the daily. Her promise to God that she’d push through even comes to mind during hard times. During the times of what should have been the greatest moments of her life were most likely her worst ones. Melba’s fortitude was tested by the malicious acts of many

Its Time for a Change As an activist in The African American civil rights movements Rosa Parks states that “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it’s right.” Rosa Parks demonstrates that by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger on Dec. 1,1995 in the city of Montgomery, Alabama. People were outraged by the step Rosa Parks had taken because of her refusal, boycotts broke out insisting on equality for all. Some may say she didn’t do much but thanks to her the city of Montgomery had no choice but to lift the law since it was unconstitutional. Therefore, she had a positive and powerful impact on American society because she stood up for what she believed in, encouraged others, and gained people rights.

When faced with political adversity, women and black people in the United States of America are often consoled with this phrase: be patient. Eventually things will change, and time will erase the adversity that they face. This is often said as a way to restrain others from taking action and working to create change. Those who say this phrase to women and black people fail to acknowledge the change that came from the work that the people of the black and women’s liberation movements over time. Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote serves as a response to that common phrase, as well as a reminder to those who strive to make change to continue their efforts, because if they didn’t, then time would overall perpetuate the status quo.

In order to spark a profound movement, in which one feels the obligation to right an injustice, one must peacefully disobey the current laws in order to ignite the debate in society on whether or not the issue at hand is moving toward the world we want to live in. In doing so, the originator of the cause must willingly accept the consequences given with dignity, to create an impact on the minds they are attempting to reach. Throughout history, two significant figures have successfully done this to improve society as a whole. Muhammad Ali, a man known as “The People’s Champ,” risked his entire boxing career to evade fighting in a war he didn’t believe fighting in, and Rosa Parks, a woman known as “The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” stood up for her own, and all African American’s rights as American Civilians. Muhammad Ali and Rosa Parks both promoted great movements of that time, which shaped the positive society we have today.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny” (King) Martin Luther King speaking these infamous words is only a small portion that reveals the inspirational nature that allowed him to overcome racism. Oppression whether it is for race, gender, sexuality is still a “ series of unfortunate events” that occurs in our world every single day. The ground that America was built on was based on equal rights for all, yet 200 years later injustice not only exists but thrives. However, if nobody overcame oppression what would our world look like without those heroes and leaders?. In Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther king is depicted as a man who was able to fight for his people and his freedom even after all the horrific encounters with racism he had to witness. In Sherman’s Alexei’s, “What you Pawn I will Redeem”, Jackson Jackson, even after left homeless and alone, fought to get his grandmothers regalia back. Dana Johnson’s Melvin from “Melvin in the 6th grade”, lived through bullying and violence but was still able to remain a hero in Avery’s eyes. What made those people so amazing? Is it there charm, wit, perseverance? Leaders become influential when other people strive to have those same heroic qualities. A true hero is an ordinary person who exemplifies forgiveness, passion and empathy which allow them to overcome an oppressive situation and

Nelson Mandela once remarked, “When people are determined they can overcome anything.” In literature, one can explore what it really means to be determined, to turn injustice into fuel to motivate the struggle to build a more just society. In Malala Yousafzai’s I Am Malala, Malala is faced with injustice in the form of education being denied her because she is a girl. She finds herself speaking up for what is right—namely, that girls should get an education just like boys. Similarly, in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor, Cassie deals with the ongoing issue of racism. Cassie is not afraid to speak her mind even if she knows she’ll get hurt by doing so. Through an analysis of these texts, we see that when someone is faced with injustice it forms their identity as a person because in discovering the problem, they gain a resilience within. This new acquisition compels them to change and speak out against the obstacle they face.

    “We Only Ask for Justice” reads a sign designed by protesters of the 1903 march for workers’ rights (Pinkerton Josephson). Mother Jones organized a march to the President in order to fight against the injustice of child labor. Nelson Mandela walked the long road in hopes of finding freedom for all, and Melba Pattillo Beals worked alongside eight others to help integrate Little Rock’s Central High School, strengthening her inner warrior. These three individuals devoted their lives to causes that are imperative, and although they all had their separate fashions of standing up, they all were fighting for the same cause: human rights.