Heat of the Night Movie Reflection

    Heat of the Night is my favorite movie that we have watched this semester in class. It was full of mystery, suspense, action, and unlikely friendships. The movie follows a black detective from Philadelphia who helps a police force in Mississippi with a murder case. The movie takes place in 1967 and race relations were very different in Philadelphia then it was in Mississippi. In Philadelphia the schools were integrated, there were lots of job opportunities for black people, and society was overall very blended. 

    During 1967, there was a peaceful protest in Philly called the "Philadelphia Walkout." During this protest teachers, students, and officials walked out of school and peacefully protested for equality and desegregation of schools. Philadelphia was much more progressive than Mississippi and you can see why the two main characters butted heads so much and had a hard time getting along. Mississippi during the 1900 was way different then Philly. In Mississippi there was still a lot of violence and discrimination shown towards black people. "The racial terrorism ranged from cross burning and church burning to beatings and murders. In 1964 alone Klansmen had killed 6 people, shot 35, and beaten another 80." (American Public Media) There was a clear difference in treatment towards black people in these two states and the movie did a great job at demonstrating the struggle for people in Mississippi and the deep South to accept that black people. 

    In the movie, you see the Police Chief originally arrest the black detective as a suspect to the murder. He later learns that the detective is a respected man from Philly and that he can be a big help in solving the case. The police chief from Mississippi goes through an identity crisis through the movie and he struggles with accepting the black detective or sticking to the social norms of Mississippi and discriminating against the detective. It is interesting to see the police chief struggle with following the detective vs following his own agenda. One of the most powerful scenes is when the detective gets ganged up on and jumped by a bunch of white men and the police chief bursts in and stops them. This was a defining scene and a shift in the police chiefs beliefs. He finally begins to accept the detective and together they are able to catch the murderer. 

Reconstruction Video Reflection

The Reconstruction Era Documentary showed that even with all of the progress that the United States had made, there were still so many people that were stuck in their ways. Racism is a thing that we are still dealing with today, and it is something that we shouldn’t be dealing with. During the reconstruction era, black people were able to sit in the House of Representatives, allowed to be in the Senate, able to get jobs, and so many more opportunities were given to them. While there were so many progressive steps made for black people, there was still so much racism and discrimination happening in society. “After 250 years of slavery, white southerners could not quite accept 4 million former slaves as equal members of their society.” (Reconstruction Era Documentary Pt.1) This quote is from the documentary and it describes the violence and hate shown towards black people during the reconstruction era, which was supposed to be an era of change, togetherness, and acceptance. 

            The Mother Emanuel Massacre was one of the things that stood out to me the most in the documentary. The massacre happened in Charleston and nine black people were killed. They were shot during a Church service which in my opinion is very messed up. Church is supposed to be a place of worship, peace, and celebration of faith. It is supposed to be a safe place and the fact that a shooting would take place in a Church shows how violent the Reconstruction Era really was. The Church where the shooting occurred was one of the oldest black Churches in Charleston and the disrespect the shooter showed was wrong. The violence was unbelievable during this time period and while it was harmful, it also sparked the Civil Rights Act and the peaceful protests that led to the disappearance of discrimination.  

Board Vs. Brown Keypost

Social Norms Argument Pro Slavery Script:

    Times are changing in America, and moving forward it is important to remember where we stand as a country. Through segregation we are a stronger country and through division we will be able to grow. Combining black and white schools is against the culture of the United States. Giving equal rights is one thing but joining the culture of our two separate communities is not the norm of Kansas as well as the rest of the South. Oliver Brown insisting on his daughter being enrolled in an all white school has never happened before and it shouldn’t. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People or the NAACP is fighting for a cause that does not fit the norms or what our society looks like.

    Education is important, everyone should have access to learning to read, write, and further their knowledge. But with schools segregated, children will still get an education. Black and white children will still both be able to learn. Combining black and white schools will not impact what children are learning, but it will change the culture of our society. White people and black people should remain separate, they should not date, they should not be in the same schools, and segregation should still be considered acceptable.

    Conformity is a large part of everyday American life and if people will not conform to the values of the South, then what will our society turn into? People are angry, people are scared, and people are confused. Fully getting rid of segregation will make many people upset and that is not what we want. Black and white Americans all still have access to equal amenities. Black people have their own restaurant's, movies theaters schools, and most importantly their own norms and customs. We are equal but we are separate.

    Forcing a change upon the South will not make things better, it will be confusing to everyone. Separation is what keeps our country moving forward and joining the schools will start the end of our functioning social norms. 

Board Vs. Brown Key post Continued:

    After arguing on the pro segregation side of Board Vs. Brown, it is interesting to see the perspectives of why so many white people thought that combining races in schools was a bad idea. The thought of combing races and disrupting the culture of white and black citizens was disturbing to so many people and in my opinion it is sad that joining the schools was such a big deal. Desegregating schools was a change for our society and a huge turning point in history for the United States.

    When I think of segregation all I can think about is the sports movie Remember the Titans. The movie is takes place in Virginia during 1971 and the desegregation of a high school. The movie follows a football team that struggles with desegregation. The whole town protests against the school desegregating and there is violence shown towards the new coach who is African American. There are bricks thrown through windows, fights between black and white teammates, and many threats made to the black players on the team. This movie shows how harsh and cruel it was when the schools were being desegregated and how it was such a shift when the law past. Board Vs. Brown was a huge historical shift in the United States and while things were rocky in the beginning desegregation became a reality.

More Info on the Case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jSu8_oeCQU

Links:

https://americanexperience.si.edu/historical-eras/post-war-united-states/pair-untitled-library/

https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/1950s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_rights_movement_(1896%E2%80%931954)

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka

 

Hazel Scott Video Reflection

    Hazel Scott was a very savvy and an amazing woman. She was a trend setter for African Americans everywhere and showed them that it was possible to chase their dreams. Hazel was trained on piano and saxophone. She was born in Spain, but once her father died she moved to New York to live with her grandma and mother. Once Hazel was in New York, her musical genius began. She played in an all woman bands and through connections she got the opportunity to go to Julliard. Her fame began to grow and grow until she was one of the biggest names in music as well as one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Hazel was a brilliant performer, a TV host, a respected actress, and an idol to people everywhere. 

    Aside from her fame, Hazel faced a lot of adversity and overcame many challenges. She was constantly doubted because of her skin color and in the beginning of her career she had a harder time gaining momentum in her career. She was able to perform at mixed clubs and later in her career she would agree to perform only at clubs and theaters that allowed both black and white people. Hazel was a historic woman and she made so many steps possible for African Americans everywhere. It was hard for Africans Americans to make a name for themselves in a world that was dominated by mainly white people. The entertainment, music, and restaurant industries were ran and dominated by mainly white males. Hazel had to break so many social boundaries to get the success that she did. Hazel used her fame to stand up to racial segregation. The industry didn't like her for this and that was why it is hard to find tracks of Hazel Scott in history books. Although she was a musical legend, an activist, and a loved woman she didn't get the recognition she deserved based on her skin color. While this is extremely messed up, Hazel Scott still paved the way for African Americans everywhere. 

Video of Hazel Scott playing Piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTtX7QVaQWk

EOTO Reflection

    All of the EOTO's were very disturbing but also very informational. The culture of the United States during the time of discrimination and the 1900's was disturbing and a little unbelievable.  The EOTO that stood out to me the most and which one was the most mind blowing was the Lynching of Emmet Till.

    Emmet was a 14 year old boy and he was murdered for flirting with a white woman. In 1955 Emmet was visiting his family in Mississippi where he was supposedly seen flirting with a white woman. This happened during the time of discrimination and it was strongly against the social norms of the time for a black and white person to date. "Emmet was abducted, forced to carry a 75-pound cotton gin fan to the bank of the Tallahatchie River and ordered him to take off his clothes. The two men then beat him nearly to death, gouged out his eye, shot him in the head and then threw his body, tied to the cotton gin fan with barbed wire, into the river." (History.com) This brutalization of Emmet shocked the country and even caught the attention of Martin Luther King. 

    The murder of Emmet Till helped motivate the Civil Rights Act and was one of the sparks that led to the peaceful protests and powerful changes that led to the end of discrimination and segregation. Martin Luther King heard about the death of Emmet and he was furious about where the culture of the United States was heading. He stated in one of his speeches, "this might be considered one of the most brutal and inhuman crimes of the twentieth century.” (Stanford University) And Martin Luther King was right. The devastation of Till's murder led to antilynching campaigns, peaceful protests, and much more. He was a 14 year old boy and his life was ended over something so small and so stupid. It is crazy to me how different society used to be and how things like lynching were considered acceptable.

    Emmet Till is now considered a hero to the United States. There is a bronze statue of him that stands proudly in Mississippi. The murder of Till is still a tragedy and should always be seen as one instead as a piece of history. He was a young boy whose life was taken away from him because of racism and prejudice. Emmet was a hero, he helped spark the Civil Rights movement which saved so many other black people. But the life of a 14 year old was taken, and he still had so much to offer the world. It is eyeopening how this is how the world used to be and we are so lucky that it isn't anymore.