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Injustice In The Great Debaters

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The “Great Debaters” is an inspirational drama based on the true story of the small, Texas, African-American Wiley college debate team. It was directed by Denzel Washington, produced by Oprah Winfrey and starred Washington and Forest Whitaker. The movie dramatically and visually addresses the cold reality of racism. It goes beyond its predictable plot though because the young debaters did not just argue about topics; they asserted themselves as human beings during the time of the harsh reality of Jim Crow laws in 1930’s America. This film successfully portrayed the social issue of racial separatism and injustice between the blacks and whites in the deep South of the Great Depression. Racial separatism is the belief that different races should remain segregated and apart from one another. It has and always will create injustice in society while delivering harsh consequences. Although its magnitude is a far-reaching, global issue, in the US, it was especially evident in the deep south of the 1900’s. After the Civil War, Jim Crow laws were issued to actually enforce this racial segregation in the Southern United States and lasted until 1965. The movie takes place In 1935, when …show more content…

- played by Forest Whitaker- was one of the first African Americans to receive a Ph.D. from Boston University. The first scene to portray the issue of racial separatism was in one of the earlier scenes of the movie, when Professor Farmer was mercilessly humiliated in front of his wife and children by two white farmers after he accidentally hit their hog that ran in front of his car. Because of Jim Crow, he was left helpless to defend himself or defy a white citizen. He was even unable to look the men directly in the eye for fear he would be perceived as confrontational. To avoid any violent backlash against him or his family, he agrees to pay $25 - his entire monthly pay check. This was far more than the hog was

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Others might say that segregation shows that one race should be inferior, but segregation is wrong because people united together are stronger. The hatred of whites motivated them to separate African Americans. For instance, “When the black students, known as the “Little Rock Nine,” attempted to enter Central HIgh School, the segregationists threatened to hold protests and physically block the students from entering the school (source B).” In simpler terms, these black students were excluded from the school for their color differences. In consequence, segregationists’ threats caused the Little Rock Nine to be escorted to the school through a back door.

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On the bus scene with Samantha, a Wiley debate team member, the whites enjoy a front row seat while African Americans are forced to sit in the back; off the bus you see a bench labeled whites only, and in Wiley College you notice only African Americans. The separation by skin color

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’s heroism shone through when he persevered during a time of emotional distress. Emotions were high among the team when they drove through a lynching mob on the way to Howard University. Witnessing the white mob beat, hang, and tar a Negro was James Farmer Jr. ’s first real exposure to raw southern racist. In the movie, James Farmer Jr. is a very young boy with minimal real world experience. He comes from a very prominent, educated family, thus it would be no surprise if he never experienced any type of extreme racism.

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