African Clark Essay

Mary Mcleod once said, “We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends.” This quote comes from a woman whose true intentions were to establish, empower, equate, and implement black education. These were the goals of women educators during the civil rights movement which was during the years of Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow laws were racially segregated laws in the United States ranging from the years of 1876 to 1965, which is nearly 100 years. “America designed a Jim Crow system of education to deny access for to quality education to Negroes.” (Lovett 2005). Education for blacks during this time period was very limited and restricted African

Clark’s role was very impactful and pushed for educational and teachers rights. Clark was one of the Key leaders and role players in South Carolina NAACP branch; “To insure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group citizens to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic processes.” The South Carolina branch was a force to be reconded with, this was due to the fact that they would challenge the status quo and go against the grain of the norms of society; the leader of this movement was Septima Clark. Due them defying the status quo the NAACP received a lot of hits and hatred from the politicians in South Carolina because they were eradicating unjust laws of the state. As a result to the NAACP agitating these politicians they made it illegal for public school teachers to associate with Civil Rights organizations; Clark refused to denounce the NAACP and there fore she was fired from her job as a public school teacher. This resulted in Clark loosing her retirement fund and for the next decade she fought fer benefits back from her retirement which she later received. Septima Clark was a fighter and an echoed voice for change in the educational system in the South. “Septima Clark spent forty years as a public school teacher and civic organizer in the Jim Crow South, teaching citizenship by helping people to help themselves.” Clark was a leading figure in the NAACP and strived for racially equality in the Jim Crow era and with her efforts she was able to set up one of the most influential cases in American history with a lady named Esther Brown v. The Board of