Sophia Hall

Sophia Hall

Dear Henry Louis Gates Jr.,
(1619) The hot sun was beating down on their skin. There backs were hunched over, picking cotton, and tobacco… ( Early 1900’s) There freedom was declared NOT! Still, people were mistreated. Well, only African Americans of course. Life for them, was terrible. Riots were happening, and people thought this was okay? Well it wasn’t… So many people were hiding under fear of being killed or tortured by the K.K.K, Police, or anyone really.
But some weren’t hiding. Madam C.J. Walker wasn’t. Rosa Parks wasn’t. Ruby Bridges wasn’t. Malcolm X wasn’t. Martin Luther King jr. wasn’t. The Black Panthers weren’t. And so many more people. These people lit the souls of other people. Creating something powerful- It was called freedom!!!! All of these abolitionists inspire me every day: To be who I am, speak, and be proud of myself. These abolitionists changed me…
Madam C.J. Walker was amazing. I could definitely tell she was proud of herself. She created a hair product during the Reconstruction of African Americans. That was sort of brave, because some white people were angry that African Americans could actually do something, other than picking cotton or tobacco.
Rosa Parks was also very amazing. Before I watched “ Many Rivers to Cross” I didn’t know much about her. All I knew was that she refused to give her seat up, to a white person. “ Many Rivers to Cross” showed me her passion, and dedication , to fix Segregation on buses.
Another person I really admire is Ruby Bridges. I can’t believe you actually got to interview her for your documentary! I love the quote she said “ They didn’t see a black girl going to school. They saw a change.” This was very important to know. To continue your research on her, I bought a book during black history month. It was called “ Through My Eyes”. It was a book she wrote herself, it was so interesting. After, reading the book and watching the part about her in “ Many Rivers to Cross” it made me think. Why were people so angry about an innocent little black child going to school? It’s cold and ignorant. That’s when Black Vs. Board of Education was created.
Next came Malcolm X. Malcolm X was a great abolitionist, although, he was very violent towards some people. Slavery did waste a lot of lives, so Malcolm X sort of had the right to be violent.- BUT- there’s always another way besides violence.
That’s what Martin Luther King Jr. had. It was called peace. He was fighting for the right to be human, which means equal. If Martin Luther King Jr. was still alive, I would spend more than a million dollars to hear one of his speeches. One of his most famous speeches was “ I Have A Dream”. That speech spoke to people, he forced effort, passion, hope, and energy into people. I recall watching Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. join together once in 1964, in “ Many Rivers to Cross”. They marched for voting rights for African Americans.
“ The Civil Rights Movement without the media would be like a bird without wings,” they said. Everything seemed to be working out! It was like climbing a mountain, almost at the top! But then, they fell. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated… It was so sad. There is one part from the documentary that I will never forget. It was a group of African Americans holding up signs saying kill us. After everything they have been through, they get no happiness!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s crazy.
But then, the Black Panther party came along. The Black Panthers inspired people, They were sometimes seen as violent. I didn’t really like that tachte. But, they sort of took a push along segregation. Soon people were demanding freedom, instead of asking for freedom.
Now i’m going to talk about the KKK and police harassment. I’m pretty sure that Madam C.J. Walker was part of the act, that caused economic jealousy. Which may have angered the KKK. In “ Many rivers to cross” I remember seeing pictures of the KKK. They were dressed in white robes, and were so scary looking. In fact, when my father was younger, he had a run in with the KKK. They came to his house, and burned the cross in my father’s front lawn, when he was 8 years old. Living in Cincinnati,Ohio… It’s so sad to know that people actually do these terrible things. All because someone is black!!!!!!!!!! What do you think?
Police Harassment is something scarey. I think it’s something our nation can’t change. But we can. Our laws and words that create our constitution, can only convince people.
But- if we take MADAM C.J WALKER’S bravery, ROSA PARKS daunted personality. RUBY BRIDGES determination, MARTIN LUTHER KING J.R’s peace, MALCOLM X’s determination, and THE BLACK PANTHERS force, if we put it all into our nation we can live in peace forever.