As defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, home, is “ones place of residence”. Home can serve not only as a place of rest but also as a place of peace, a place to escape the struggles of day. However, home can also be that place of struggles and could hold no peace or rest. Home for me was a place of rest and peace even though I was hardly ever there. Between working a full-time job along with balancing a girlfriend and a gym schedule, I only went home to sleep and change clothes. Outside of the Edgewater community where I lived; my home was Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1871, Birmingham quickly grew to become one of the south’s leading producers of steel and iron, giving it the nickname, “The Magic City”. Now, Birmingham can best described by its schools, weather, and nightlife.
In the Civil Rights Era, the city of Birmingham was another victim of hate, racism, and segregation. The 16th Street Baptist church bombing was a result of that hate. In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for protesting in Birmingham which resulted in his famous “The Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Segregation of schools was a major challenge in the education of African American children. Black schools did not have the same opportunities and resources to be successful compared to white schools. Over a century later that is still somewhat true. The highschool I which was Ramsay High School attended excelled academically, even though we did not have as good desks, hallways, or even
Additionally, Birmingham and other southern urban areas had been the scenes of bombings coordinated at African Americans and social equality nonconformists. “One of the tragedies of the struggle against racism is that up to now there has been no national organization which could speak to the growing militancy of young black people in the urban ghetto (Carmichael).” One of the tragedies of the battle against bigotry is that up to now there has been no national association which could address the developing militancy of youthful dark individuals in the urban ghetto. This shows how even today things have curved in a good way because of leaders who stood ground and believed that this was not the right way.
In 1951 schools were separated by skin color, or segregated. The Brown v. Board of Education trial was brought to court because a third-grader, Linda Brown, was not allowed to attend the elementary school that was closest to her house. She wa required to take the bus to school across town instead. In the trial the point that “Education for Negroes is almost nonexistent(13).” This is an example of how there were old problems in the Fourteenth Amendment that needed to be changed. Another issue that was brought up in the trial was that, “Segregation… has a tendency to retard the educational and mental development of negro children…(19).” Without the proper education at segregated
In her article on school segregation, Hannah-Jones describes how the school district which Ferguson resident Michael Brown graduated from, ranked last in overall performance for Missouri schools. The death of Michael Brown in August 2014 spurred riots not only in St. Louis, but also in other cities nationwide. Hannah-Jones states how many St. Louis area school districts have “returned to the world of separate and unequal”, which was widespread before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision. Black and white children in the St. Louis region are educationally divided,
Martin Luther King Jr. also seeks to further his point logically by explaining to the people of Birmingham that most places in the United States aren’t segregated to the extent that Birmingham is. He also makes a point to say Birmingham’s “ugly record of police brutality is known in every section of the country” and that “it’s unjust treatment of Negroes in the courts is a notorious reality“ (King 233). King also states “there have been more unsolved bombings in Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than any city in this nation” (King 233). By making the statements that no other city treats African Americans as badly as Birmingham and that the injustice that is taking place in Birmingham is a reality that everyone throughout the country is aware of, King
The local schools were a source of communal pride and were priceless to African-American families when poverty and segregation limited severely the life chances of the pupils. A major part
What does the term “home” mean? How does the idea “home” apply to the text you read?
Home is a dwelling where people unwind, mature, and can safely reside. Coates, Andreou, and Owen see home as a material structure and are chiefly concerned and focused on the importance of access to home. On the other hand, Shammas, Iyers, and De Botton view the abstract concept of home, which emphasizes that home, is about creating feelings and memories. Home is not a material place where it can be several different places and have no meaning. Home is a place where you create fond memories, feelings, and grow with the culture.
Most people define home as a comfortable setting which provides love and warmth. In Scott Sanders “Homeplace” and Richard Ford’s “I Must Be Going” the concept of home is defined in two different ways. Sanders believes that by moving from place to place, the meaning of home has been diminished. Sanders believes that America’s culture “nudges everyone into motion” (Sanders 103) and that his “longing to become an inhabitant rather than a drifter” (103) is what sets him apart from everyone else. Ford prefers to stay on the move. His argument is life’s too short to settle in one place. He believes home is where you make it, but permanence is not a
The road to the historic desegregation of Little Rock Central High school began in the 1930’s when the NAACP tasked future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall with fighting segregation in schools. By 1950 he had helped to strike down segregation in universities in several states. In 1951, the NAACP aided parents of black children attending public schools in Topeka, Kansas in attempting to overturn the state’s segregation laws. After a three year court battle, the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education Topeka culminated in the abolishment of school segregation laws in 21 states. (Seeds 1)
Birmingham, Alabama was described by King to be “probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States” and was heavily impacted by racial discrimination. The city was in need for change, the failure in previous desegregation campaigns did not benefit the predominant racism that occurred in Birmingham. In 1963, Birmingham had a population of almost 350,000 people, 60% white and 40% black meaning white dominated in numbers. Racism occurred everywhere, Birmingham had no black police officers, firefighters, sales workers in department stores, bus drivers, bankers or even store cashiers. Segregation was dominant in Birmingham whilst racism being evident throughout the city.
The bombing in birmingham was devastating for the people living there. A bombing that killed families, children and innocent people all because if racial discrimination. White supremacist had hatred for “negroes” so they bombed a church of innocent people. Not only was a church was bombed but racial riots followed. Many suffered from burns and gashes. Family's suffered from the lost of children.
The word ‘home’ is something that is often misunderstood. Home makes up your identity and not many people know that. Therefore you ask me, ‘what is home?’ Home is not just in your house. Home is a place that surrounds you. It’s you environment and cause for emotions. Your home is where you are with the people that surround you (peers, family, and strangers), as well as cars, houses, stores, and/or toys.
In April and May of 1963, Birmingham, Alabama was a focal point for the civil rights movement. Birmingham was home to one of the most violent cells of the KKK and violence against black people was so commonplace (especially in the form of explosives) that it was referred to as “Bombingham.” It was these conditions that lead Martin Luther King to arrive and organize a series of non-violent protests in the city. These protests were relatively low key and weren’t very well attended. This was due to the fact that political rivalries between King’s organization, the SCLC, and other civil right’s organizations like CORE and the NAACP. However, the Birmingham protests soon became headlines due to the response of the city’s police
It is no doubt about it that everyone has somewhere that they have adapted to long enough to call it there home! A place they can relax and really be their selves, for some it may have been their grandparents house, aunties house or wherever they felt comfortable. Well I of course felt comfortable in my own home, a four bedroom house on the west side of North Miami. My home in Miami was perfect I had my own room, I was very comfortable there, and it was a place to get away from the world.
What is home? If one looks in a dictionary the answer would come out to be, “The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.” However, for anyone who has had an actual home, they would know that such a term goes much beyond its concrete description. It is an impassioned aspect filled with values and foundation of nurturing. A home is not just an abode built to live in; in fact, that is just a definition of a house. Home is a place where one not only feels comfortable, but a place they look forward to opportunely live in every day. A home is built not by bricks or wood, but with the bond of family. A home is a place that reminds a person of countless memories and values when he walks through a