Americans now and past, have been divided by many things. A major division of our people was race. America's past was littered with black inequality. There have been some Black American leaders who have not given in to racial division such as Harriet Tubman, and Melba Pattillo Beals, and Frederick Douglass. Harriet Tubman stood up against the division of race by freeing slaves and playing a major role in the Underground Railroad. Tubman risked her own life in order to free Black Americans from slavery. She was originally in slavery herself in Maryland, so she related to the Black American slaves she was rescuing. Harriet Tubman started by bringing slaves into states where slavery had been abolished. In 1850 The Fugitive Slave Law was passed. It said that slaves found in non slaves states were to be returned to their owners. Tubman then had to bring the slaves into Canada. Harriet Tubman was a great leader who did not bow down to the injustice and mistreatment of our people. …show more content…
She was part of The Little Rock Nine which integrated Central High School. She and the other eight high schoolers were outcast, discriminated against, threatened, and attacked because they wanted equality in their community. There were times when Melba wanted to give up. She had lost all her old friends, but she made new ones and stayed strong. The Little Rock Nine pushed through and went on to pursue successful careers such as journalism, politics, and teaching. A particularly strong quote about the integration in Warriors Don't Cry was “ I felt such a surge of pride when I thought about how my people had banded together to force a change,” (Beals