In the Spike Lee film 4 Little Girls, it depicts the people and events leading up to the one of the most dreadful hate-crimes that occurred during the civil-rights movement in the city of Brimingham, Alabama. The wicked act was the church bombing which killed four little black girls respectively named Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley. Within this city segregation was still a major factor just like in many other cities in the United States. For a child living in that time it was hard to comprehend how institutions operated and treated certain people due to the color of one’s skin. Many African Americans protested for their rights, eventually Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to protest and support them. While protesting they would be constantly attacked and placed in jail. On one faithful Sunday as church service was occurring a bomb went off killing four little girls, the incident brought the nation to its knees. Throughout the film there were themes or colliding forces that dealt with authority and corruption, and youth and order. Within the film it was stated that the majority of the police force in Alabama were either …show more content…
One of the films messages was the attack on white women by so called black brutes. Many white Americans became frustrated to the point of lynching black men if they were accused of raping a white woman. Lynching was considered a civil act since this justified the crimes committed by black men. The man responsible for the church bombing which took the lives of four little girls was named Bob Chambliss. He saw in a newspaper that a white women was raped by a black man, this irritated him causing him to gather dynamite to commit the attack on the church. White Americans want to protect and value white womanhood from that of the African American
1. How did she divide her class for the project? Why? Mrs. Elliot divided her class by eye color in order to teach her students that it was wrong to judge and mistreat people because of their physical features.
Mrs.Bates tried to do everything she could to make the Little Rock Nine look good and persevere through Central. Mrs.LaNier says “Thanksgiving was one of those times. The national media want to check on how the integration process was going, so Mrs.Bates staged a thanksgiving dinner”(LaNier 109).Little Rock could not risk losing any more factories or people because of integration and the bombing. Mrs.LaNier says “On the other side Mrs.Bates and the NAACP were just as determined to spin the story the other way-that integration was going fine”(LaNier 108).
At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance- a New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power by Danielle L. McGuire, does not sound at first like a book that would provide ample information about the role of the Ku Klux Klan in the Civil Rights Era, but through the various cases and demonstrations presented by McGuire, the reader is given insight into the Ku Klux Klan that has yet to presented by another author read for this study. In her book, McGuire analyzes various court cases and movements from the early 20th century into the 1970s to show the growth of the civil rights movement through black women's resistance. She focuses on the particular women involved and the role that respectability
Everyone in America deserves civil rights. But, about 50 years ago, not everyone was treated with the respect they deserved. If most people in America had believed in civil rights, then the horrible crimes of this era would not have been committed. The 16th Street Birmingham Bombing was one of these horrid incidents. The Birmingham Bombings showed Americans that segregation is wrong and it needs to come to an end by all means necesary.
Danielle L. McGuire’s At the Dark End of the Street, “an important, original contribution to civil rights historiography”, discusses the topic of rape and sexual assault towards African American women, and how this played a major role in causing the civil rights movement (Dailey 491). Chapter by chapter, another person's story is told, from the rape of Recy Taylor to the court case of Joan Little, while including the significance of Rosa Parks and various organizations in fighting for the victims of unjust brutality. The sole purpose of creating this novel was to discuss a topic no other historian has discussed before, because according to McGuire they have all been skipping over a topic that would change the view of the civil rights movement.
You’ll get us killed.’” (Moody, 349). This illustrates African Americans’ fear of being killed and their desperation to go back to their normal lives. Although the bombing was not directly involved in the civil rights efforts, it is related to how the
African American children, especially those with disabilities, provide an easy outlet for the police and campus security to act upon their white supremacist beliefs. In the case of Madisyn Wordlow, she was punished based on the security guard’s idea that he was “teaching her a f------ lesson” (qtd in Boroff). She had not actually stolen a piece of candy, but that did not matter to the guard. From his perspective, this was the perfect opportunity to humiliate and degrade an African American girl. He went on a power trip and belittled a child for their skin color, turning accusations about stealing a piece of candy into an event that scarred Wordlow for life.
From Discrimination to Diversity You would never guess that Birmingham, Alabama—the beautiful, vibrant, and culturally diverse city that we live in today—was once a city of brutality, hate, and discrimination. In 1963, the South was part of one of the largest movements in history—the Civil Rights Movement. Segregation between white and colored citizens was prevalent, from restaurants and amusement parks to restrooms and water fountains.
Towards the beginning of this movie, many blacks were looking at the white men with hatred for raping and nearly killing a ten year old black girl. The men transformed the innocent little girl’s life forever. The men were instantly
Since Josephine lied in the stand, saying that Richard sexually assault her, when he only spoke to her. As a result, Lyle the man who killed him was found not guilty. Also, in Emmitt trial the killer was also found not guilty because they couldn’t really prove that it was Emmitt body due to the how badly the oppressors bit him, the family realize it was Till because of the ring he had with his initial. So because of segregation two people died for nothing and not given the opportunity to lives as free mans. The effect of this changes throughout the play shows how unfair, justice was and how some white folks set a point of power toward black as Amzi more said “a white man was superior” in Eye on the
When the racial tension that develops throughout the narrative finally erupts [in a sequence beginning at 1:29:04], Tina is unsurprisingly absent, attesting hooks’ summation that “the presence of black women in the film take the heat off and replace it with erotic play”. Nevertheless, though outnumbered by ten men, a secondary female character, Ella (Christa Rivers), is present at Sal’s as the conflict unfolds. Until this point, Ella serves a deindividuated roll as a member of a collective featuring Cee (Martin Lawrence), Punchy (Leonard Thomas) and Ahmad (Steve White) that sees her repeatedly belittle. Lacking the autonomy to challenge the behaviour of her peers, Ella thus shares in their actions and mannerisms upon entry to Sal’s, particularly by castigating Mookie for his refusal to allow them into the building [1:29:17].
Rabbit Proof Fence, directed by Phillip Noyce was set in 1931 and is based on a true story in which three aboriginal girls (Molly, Gracie and Daisy) escape their mission during the stolen generation. The assimilation that took place during the stolen generation and was evident throughout the film. The beginning of the assimilation in the film began with the removal of the girls from their indigenous homes, families and culture. It is further illustrated in the film with the ways the english treat the young natives. The children are required to stop using their native tongue and to only speak english.
Black women are treated less than because of their ascribed traits, their gender and race, and are often dehumanized and belittled throughout the movie. They are treated like slaves and are seen as easily disposable. There are several moments throughout the film that show the racial, gender, and class inequalities. These moments also show exploitation and opportunity hoarding. The Help also explains historical context of the inequality that occurred during that time period.
Black women has had to watch their men be taken from them and beat on while white women enjoy the life of kids and their men and you know what secretly back in the day our men as well (where do you think mixed babies come
This is made apparent in one of the dialogues delivered by a Ku Klux Klan member, Clayton Townley, “…They hate Mississippi! The hate us because we represent a shining example of a successful segregation…” This dialogue delivered with immense pride and annoyance sets a very menacing tone to the scene as the audience realizes the extent of hatred and heartlessness with which the African Americans are seen. Agent Ward as a reply to Mayor Tilmon’s question, delivers another Powerful dialogue, “it’s (baseball game) is the only time when a black man can wave a stick at a white man and not start a riot.” This dialogue delivered with mocking seriousness establishes the extent of violence portrayed in the film as it indirectly narrates the menacing gravity of what an African Americans’ assumingly harmless actions can lead