Why We Cant Wait
BOOK REPORT "Why We Can't Wait," by Luther King, Jr. "WHY WE CAN'T WAIT" Martin Luther King, Jr.I was reluctant to read this book that was originally assigned as a part of my African AmericanStudies, but I am very glad that I did. As a black female born in 1981 who grew up in aneighborhood that did not have the black only signs or white only signs that were talked about inthe book, I had a hard time understanding why race seems to be such a big issue in this country.As I saw it, slavery happened a long time ago and bigots were idiots to be ignored until they alldied off. Why all this talk of discrimination and affirmative action? Why all the pleas foracceptance and peace? I heard my parents talk about the things that they and my grandparentshad to face. The injustice, the unfairness, and the down right prejudice they had to deal with. But,to be honest it seemed like so long ago. I felt disconnected from those stories they shared withme. Now I sit with the book in my hand, unwillingly I open it. I am startled by the stabbing of
I recommend it highly for anyone, especially those of us born too late to understand the civilrights movement and the horrors that prompted it firsthand. Why We Can't Wait describes not only the Birmingham campaign, but also examines the history ofthe civil rights struggle and the tasks that future generations must accomplish to bring about fullequality for African Americans. It opened my eyes to some of the injusticesthat took place before my time. I can plainly see my parents and grand parents and those aroundthem humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored. I felt like I was there watching the things happen that he was talking about How could ablack man "pull himself up by his bootstraps" if he has no shoes? How could the children of poorblacks in the south go to college, even if they were allowed to, when their parents couldn't affordthe tuition? While I still do not like the idea of racial discrimination of any kind, I now see thatthere is reason to try to tip the scales back a little. " I tremble atthe fact that they had to deal with their first names becoming "nigger" and their middle namesbecoming "boy" (however old they were) and their last names becoming "John," and when themen's wives and mothers are never given the respected title "Mrs. For instance to go to the same school withwhites, eating at the same restaurants, black children able to play at the same playground withoutthe labeling of colored only. Deliberate speed means giving some courtesy and consideration to the need for softening old attitudes and out datedcustoms, democracy must press ahead, out of the past of ignorance and intolerance and into thepresent of educational opportunity and moral freedom. The decision of integration by the supreme court which gave approval to pupil placementlaw. In 1954 the supreme court had handed down a decree callingfor desecration of schools with all deliberate speed. However as the years passed and reached the 1950's -1960's. Our people still struggled for equal rights and liberty, to end segregation, to live in peacein harmony.
Common topics in this essay:
Luther King,
Downtown YMCA,
American Studies,
African Americans,
African American,
Civil Rights,
Godly King,
Suddenly King's,
Birmingham Anger,
Bull Connor,
luther king,
martin luther,
martin luther king,
african american,
luther king jr,
king jr,
can't wait,
civil rights,
parents grand,
grand parents,
parents grand parents,
civil rights movement,
supreme court,
rights movement,
schools deliberate speed,
|
Acceptance Essays
