Klansville U.S.A. Documentary

This documentary was explained as the civil right movements grew in the 1960s, the long-dormant Ku Klux Klan reemerged with a vengeance. North Carolina was seen as the most progressive southern state, and they saw a boom in the membership of the Klan under leadership od Grand Dragon Bob Jones. In a fast three years, North Carolina grew to 10,000 members, which gave them a nickname, Klansville USA. That is where the documentary title came from.  

I thought this was a very interesting and informative documentary about the Ku Klux Klan. It explored the origins of the Ku Klux Klan, its revival at various points in our country’s history, and how it came to dominate North Carolina in the 1960s. During this time, North Carolina was seen as the most liberal southern state. It was such a dominate force in that state for a period that North Carolina lost its reputation as the Tar Heel State. This documentary also focused on the leader of KKK, which was Bob Jones. It elaborated on his reasons behind his ability to organize his power. 

Klansville U.S.A.

Overall, I enjoyed watching this put together documentary narrated by Oliver Platt. There were vintage film clips, and insightful commentary. In my opinion it provided a good analysis on the KKK, and why this occurred in North Carolina with their given nickname of the Klansville USA. 

EOTO Board of regents vs. Bakke

 Board of regents vs. Bakke Supreme Court Case

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

   I am here to share with you the Board of regents’ vs Bakke Supreme Court case. This was held due to the Equal Protection Clause of the fourteenth amendment and Title VI (6) of the Civil Right Act of 1964 being violated by a university’s admissions policies that used race as a clear and exclusive basis for admission decisions. 

In this instance, Bakke was a white man who applied to the University of California at Davis' medical school. When he applied, the school had available spots and his admissions score was significantly higher than the typical admittee's, but due of the school's racial quota system, his application was turned down. Prior to this, the school used a quota system in which white applicants could only apply for 84 of the 100 openings, with the remaining 16 openings going to people of color. Bakke filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming that the flagrant racial quota system violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and was unconstitutional. 

For affirmative action in the Bakke case, it determines that race could be considered, but the use of a strict quota system was unconstitutional in college admissions decisions. The University of California Davis School of Medicine in 1970 adopted an affirmative active program to create a dual admissions system to increase the number of students admitted who were educationally “disadvantaged.” To this day the Supreme Court has gone back and forth on the constitutionality of affirmative action. 

 

Hazel Scott

Hazel Dorothy Scott was a Trinidad-born American jazz and classical pianist and singer. She was born on June 11, 1920 and died October 2, 1981. She was a vocal opponent of racial discrimination and segregation. She used influence to enhance the portrayal of Black Americans in movies. Hazel’s parents got a divorce and she moved with her mother to New York City. Due to this situation, she got extremely close with her mom, and called her mother, “the single biggest influence in my life.”  

Who was Hazel Scott, the forgotten jazz virtuoso who fought against racial segregation?

When Hazel Scott entered a venue or any other public space and noticed that it was separated based on race, she immediately left. Hazel Scott made her Broadway debut when she was 22 years old. She objected to playing a maid or a prostitute. In a movie, she would only ever play herself.

 

She was among the first artists to include a clause in all her contracts prohibiting her from performing for segregated crowds. Scott attributed her bravery to her mother's role model, a proud and independent woman. Scott's popularity and talent also contributed; by 1945, she was drawing sizable crowds and earning an annual salary of more than $1 million. In the summer of 1950, she made history as the first African American woman to host her very own television show. 

 

The Hazel Scott Show

In the Heat of the Night Reflection

This movie was about Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger), the racist police chief of small Sparta, Mississippi, makes an arrest on suspicion of murder of African American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier). Tibbs teams up with Gillespie to find the real killer once he establishes both his own and another man's innocence. Tibbs makes enemies and unusual friends while looking for the truth as their investigation takes them across every societal level of the town.

In the Heat of the Night 

I thought this was a fantastic movie that provided a window for those who do not live within the United States and are complete unaware of the racial issues. The film made a significant contribution to educating viewers of other races about how difficult it was and still is to respect another’s human rights, despite the fact that they share the same planet. 

I also found the title song by Ray Charles to be very interesting. The actors in this movie did an excellent job and helped the film new consistent and fascinating. iT Was a social drama film with powerful and important scenes. 

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Harlan's Dissent in Plessy

In the controversial Plessy v. Ferguson decision, in which the majority used the "separate but equal" test to sustain segregation laws, only Justice John Marshall Harlan dissented. In the historic case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954), in which the Court overturned Plessy and determined that "separate but equal" was inherently unconstitutional and a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, Justice Harlan's immortal dissent became law. 

Plessy v. Ferguson

In The Civil Rights Cases of 1883, Justice Harlan presented a crucial 13th Amendment argument that he reaffirmed in his dissent in the Plessy case, arguing that the amendment accomplished more than just ending formal slavery and involuntary servitude. Additionally, "badges and episodes" of slavery were forbidden. He claimed that the 13th Amendment "declared universal civic freedom in the nation." The anger of Justice Harlan over Plessy was evident. He thought that Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), in which the Court ruled that Black Americans could never become citizens of the United States, would be seen as equally harmful as the Court's decision in Plessy. 

John Marshall Harlan

Justice Harlan's career and life offer numerous lessons, not the least of which is a reminder of the importance of open-mindedness and the readiness to reexamine matters in light of new information and shifting social conditions.

The Lynching of Emmett Till

Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African American from Chicago and took a trip to visit his relatives in Mississippi on August 28, 1955. A few days into his visit, he and a group of friends and cousins went into a nearby store to buy candy. Emmett was later accused of acting “familiar” with the young white female storekeeper. He was reported whistling and flirting with this white woman. He was then murdered for this action four days later. 

 

A timeline of Emmett Till’s accuser’s changing stories

The people that abducted him were the white woman’s husband and his brother. They forced him to take off his clothes while having to carry a 75-pound cotton gin fan to the bank of the Tallahatchie River. These two men beat him to death by gouging out his eye, then proceeding to shoot him in the head. Lastly, they threw his body tied to the cotton gin fan with barbed wire into the river.

Will justice finally be done for Emmett Till? Family hope a 65-year wait may soon be over

Because of this shooting, a movie was produced to expose the racism behind the attack while working to have those involved brought to justice. Obviously this is a true story of Mamie Till-Mobley's relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmet Till. 

    

Till 2022

Brown vs. Board of Education

 The Brown vs. Board of Education went on from December 9, 1952, until May 17, 1954. This was a significant ruling by the U.S Supreme Court establishing racial segregation in public schools in the United Sates is unconstitutional, even if segregated schools are otherwise comparable in quality. When they put the two colors together, the white students after being at school all day go tell their parents how they felt uncomfortable being in the classroom with someone who was a different color. It signaled the end of legalized racial segregation within the schools in the U.S.

Brown v. Board of Education, Second Round

Against segregation in schools

During these times, black students were crowded into a small space in the classroom, whereas white students had plenty of room. Cleary we can see how these students were handled differently from one another. Systems of education were far from being equal and accommodable. Now when it came to school funding, African American students received much less compared to white students. This means that white student's receiver better schooling. Studies and reports have shown that children being separated has no positive effects and instead serves to impede America’s social and economic development. During my classmates presenting, my fellow classmate mentioned how black students used to walk to school pass the white kids walking to theirs and how it lowered their self-esteem. This showed those kids that everyone should have same opportunities.  

The road to school desegregation

Supporting segregated school systems 

No matter what, African Americans are always seen as a minority. Black and white people held radically distant religious beliefs and worldviews. Because the United Sates was a distinct but equal country at the time, white people believed that God wanted them to be apart. This was because they felt that since they were separate since birth, there was no reason for them to ever grow together. Parents of white contended in court that their children would feel alienated if placed in a school with students who are not like them.

Most Americans Say Segregation in Schools a Serious Problem