Today I 'll talk about the idea of progress. The idea of progress can be defined as an improvement, a development or a change – a technical, scientific or social advance which contributes to making the world a better place. This year we studied several documents dealing with the idea of progress. We described a picture of the Lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith in 1930 and listened to Billie Holiday 's song "Strange Fruit". We also watched the movie "I am Not Your Negro" and drew the link with Mr. Brainwash mural called Inauguration Day. I 'll use these documents in order to illustrate the notion I chose and answer the question : How does Barack Obama symbolize social change and to what extent does he embody the American Dream? I 'll …show more content…
They organized events such as lynchings which most frequently targeted African-American men and women. A picture taken during the Lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith in 1930 shows us how these events were seen as happy gatherings. Couples and families would dress up and meet there. What was first a poem became one of Billie Holiday 's most famous song. "Strange Fruit" deals with the description of lynchings. The beautiful landscape, the scents of flowers and fruits are set up to be compared with the blood and broken bones of human beings brutally beaten and …show more content…
James Baldwin 's notes are what prompted "I am not your negro" 's creation. It rejuvenates Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers, and Malcolm X 's ideas as well as his own, and shows how one of the strongest community gathered and made history. More importantly, it shows the fight some of the bravest men and women started, with many dying prematurely, but not in vain. We learn about MLK 's involvement, his famous speeches, the march from Selma to Montgomery, his assassination. We learn about Malcolm X 's controversial ideas and about Medgar 's activism, his assassination and how devastated Baldwin was. These leaders were the proof that speeches and marches worked. It was the push many black people needed in order to take action and make their voices