Encouraged to create a change

Nine students desegregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Those 9 students, and others who followed shortly after, endured pervasive harassment. We spoke with Dr. Sybil 

Jordan Hampton today about experiences with desegregation at Central High that clearly still haunts her. She encouraged us to take advantage of our educational opportunities because she sacrificed for us.

Roscoe Jones and Kurt Carrington expressed their worries that the efforts they made to bring the vote to the disenfranchised were for naught. They weren't disheartened, though, to see low turn outs the polls, at least they didn't express that to us. It inspired me that they are still looking forward to making a difference everyday and in the future. 

Every activist we met with encouraged us to create change. They shared their frustration that our generation has not stepped up to be the foot soldiers of the continuing struggle. Young people who do not take advantage of their right to vote dishearten them, and students who don't/can't fully embrace the opportunities of desegregated education. They do not want their pain and sacrifices to have been in vain. I hope that I can make a difference in the struggle, but I'm still not sure how. I worry that I would not be as brave as they were. 

Eva Schneiderman,

12^th grade, The Park School

Exercise your rights

We went to an amazing museum that expressed and showed things that text would not. It made our virgin eyes see what is pass the textbook, beyond the school building, out of our old mindsets. In the museum it showed to me personally that we as generation with endless use of this source to further our knowledge should us it to not be so ignorant to what the world is. Also, these vivid pictures and videos made me realize that our ancestors did so much for us but we do not exercise our rights and we need to start because it was not done in vain. Across from the museum was this statue of people being attacked by dogs and hit with high amounts of pressured water. In these statues you could see the emotion in every one of them. You could see the fit and the drive to make changes. After leaving we had lunch wit 3 women that marched, taught, and fought for rights. The women's names are Ms.Cleopatra Goree, Ms. Catherine Burks-Brooks, and Ms. Mimes. Each one of their stories varied but all built up to the bigger theme that we have to keep the strive to make the world better. These words stuck with me like glue on two pieces of paper. Also, they said it’s our turn to make a change its make thing about how can each school community to come and make a change in Baltimore. These women impacted my life and the whole group to change the injustices in our world. I was really honored to have them come and give us these points of views and life stories. It was really a blessing.

Amber Smiley

12^th grade, Cristo Rey

A huge education gap

Yesterday, I wrote about my experience at Simmons high school and failed to analyze the atmosphere of the school compare to mine in Baltimore in my comments. It is only after meeting Dr. Sybil Hampton this afternoon that I was able truly comprehend the situation and go beyond the superficial writing I did last time. 

As I entered the school, I saw two posters at the entrance bearing the message that having a child at a young age is a guarantee that a young adult's dream and ability to have fun is over. In the same way, the school hardly had any inspirational, or positive positives like "Dream Big" posters that I was used to see in my school. Thus from the beginning, the African American children living in Money, Mississippi are fearful and option less because they have been educated and raised with the message that if they commit one mistake: it is over.  In addition to that, the high school lack of computers, many books and many posters encouraging readiness for college  means  that these children are not encouraged and often not  motivated  to go college; therefore resulting in their community overall ability to never really move up the wealth latter. 

The percentage of diversity is so low at Simmons School as I only saw one white student during my stay at the school. That being due to the fact that the parents of the child were most likely too poor to afford an education to one of the all white private school (as is has been done by many Caucasian families) created in Money, Mississippi  by the white community.

This current situation is another example of the huge educational gap present between poor African Americans, poor Caucasians( and other poor minorities) and Caucasians, where one see the majority of the whites students taking advanced classes and getting into more colleges while African Americans and other poor minorities often graduate from high school below their grade level and have low college acceptance rates. 

Ultimately, this revelation made me hopeful because despite the fact that these young adults do not have the same opportunities and resources that I have, they were still fueled with hope and that feeling is one that I know is going to motivate me every single to continue to work hard, become successful and help others by making a change. 

Rochinelle Dongmo

12^th grade, City College

The burden of Hate

"Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated." -Coretta Scott King

I believe this quote sums up the Civil Rights Movement, especially the feats by individual members of SNCC and the SCLC. Dr. Martin Luther King constantly preached nonviolence, but his message didn't necessarily answer the question of why using actions and words instead of fists and guns is better. Mrs. Scott King's justification not only responds to this point, but it also targets some of the principles of Malcom X and many white radicalists during the 50s, 60s, and the 70s. Their promotion of violence would never work - violence stems from hate. Violence stems from rage - it stems from acting on hate and anger, and this is what leaders of the Civil Rights Movement were morally apposed to. Hate is, in essence, strategically suicidal. Not only would it corrupt the soul, but it wouldn't get you far. There were many moments when African Americans wanted to grab their guns from their homes and start a violent backlash, especially after Bloody Sunday. But if that began, the opposing side would only retaliate with larger weapons and a mass of people with those larger weapons; African Americans and their allies would only lose the battle. Blows from a bat injured someone physically, but the policeman at the end of that weapon hurt themselves internally, a part far more invaluable.

I've always known this, but discussing the emotions of anger and violence with leaders of the Movement allowed me to understand it both intellectually and emotionally. Both Sybil Jordan Hampden and Andrew Young forgave the cruelty they faced; they could understand it. They said to us that we should never act upon our emotions - upon our anger - but we should rather respond logically and leave the emotions behind. Like I've said, I've always known this; it's embedded in childhood fables and stories of teachers and parents. It just makes sense. But something about this became clearer on this trip. When I asked our special guests questions, prodded their minds further, their answers were always clear and simple and well thought out. They've lived through some of the hardest struggles, but they never fought back. This courage, this internal strength, is something I'll always remember. I will always look towards them when I face my own hardships and problems. Why get angry and emotional in any situation? What good would that do?

Also, Coretta Scott King was an underrated, highly intelligent woman, so I thought we needed to mention her name at least once.

Sabina Diaz-Rimal

12^th grade, The Park School

                                                    

Fight back

We started the day off by visiting Little Rock Central High School. I would like to say how amazing the school is. It is a huge school with a beautiful campus. I guess that os what 1.5 million does for you. However, when we visited Dunbar High School, I noticed that the constructors did try to create the separate but equal building with the same structure of the school, but it does not compare to the size of Little Rock Central High School. Hearing the story of the Little Rock Nine is difficult for me to listen to because I cannot imagine going through what they went through just to get an education. The park ranger told us a story about how one of the Little Rock Nine was expelled because she fought back. It was a rule for them not to fight back but to what extent could someone take all of the abuse? Also the students in school did things far worse than her, and they were not expelled for that. There was definitely inequality within this which makes me ever more happier that she fought back and stood up for herself.

Listening to Sybil Hampton saying how some of the men were saying that they would definitely fight back, which I would agree with. But, then she said that you would be dead if you did and it's hard to deal with someone physically, verbally and emotionally abusing me. While at the National Civil Rights Museum, I took a quiz where it asked where would I fall under for the nonviolence category. My result was Malcolm X and the quote it came with said "I can only be nonviolent with someone if they are also nonviolent" and that is exactly how I feel. I would be open to being nonviolent and doing the movement if I was in this time period but I would not be able to promise that I would not fight back. I definitely know that this would make me a target and people would want me dead, but also if I did not fight back I could die as well so why not stand up for you either way? 

Daekwan Jacobs

12^th grade, City College