Eyes on the Prize: Aint Scared of Your Jails

 

1.     What did John Lewis say about the way the students dressed and the manner in which they entered the sit-ins? Why do you think they were so particular?

• He describes them, by saying they looked like they were dressed to go to church, and they walked into the local stores in a orderly- peaceful manner, and very quietly took a seat at the lunch counters. I think they were so particular in making their presence as harmful and peacefully as possible, because they wanted to shift the attention on  how the whites would act so aggressive and violent towards them, and the only thing the Blacks had did to provoke that, was sit in a segregated area.

2.     How did Black communities support students who protested?

• Black merchants would provide food to those in jail and home owners would put up money for bail.

3.     What was the “negro buying power” in 1960? How did the African Americans in Nashville use money to create change? 

• In Nashville, in 1960, "negro buying power" was estimated at 50 million dollars a year, with 10 million spent in the downtown stores alone. This policy was basically used to put pressure on the mayor and the political side of Nashville to make their rules equal, by controlling how much the black population spent their money at white stores.

 4.     How did boycotters respond to African Americans who tried to shop at white owned stores? What are your thoughts on their methods?

• They sent down educated committees to convince them that was not the thing to do. They didn't hurt them, but they did snatch and tear things away from them so that they would hall on the ground, and they told them to stay out of town. And the word spread quickly, not to go down town.

5.     What is SNCC (pronounced Snick)? How did it start? What was Ella Baker’s advice to the students? Why?

• SNCC stands for Student Non-violence Coordinating Committee. Ella Baker advised the students to stay independent of adult organizations, because the students should set the goals and directions to maintain the control of the student movement.

6.     How did President Kennedy’s assistance to the King’s affect him politically?

• He gained more African American votes toward his presidency election, that helped him win.

7.     What was the purpose of the Freedom Riders?

• To put the pressure on President Kennedy to ban segregated interstate travel. An interracial group would ride through the South; whites sitting in the back and blacks sitting in the front, and they would remain sited even if demanded otherwise. Also when they would stop at rest stops, the white riders would use the black facilities and the black riders would use the white facilities.

8.     How did the mob react to white involvement in the Freedom Riders?

• They violently beat them up along with the black freedom riders, because they were so astonished by them willing to help blacks.

9.     How did Dr. King and the First Baptist Church respond to attacks?

•  They stood their grounds and continued to fight for their rights, despite the mobs

African American Involvement in the War

A.A. Soldiers in WWII Helped Pave the Way...
1.) Before 1941 African Americans only served a supportive role of the soldiers in World War II, but in 1941 that role shifted. African American civil rights leaders had pressured the government enough to convince them to set up an all black combat units as an experiment. This experiment was designed to see if African Americans could perform tasks at the same level as whites in the military.  
2.) "Double V" was the symbol of black participation at the time. "Double V" meant two victories: victory against the enemy aboard and victory against the enemy at home (racism, discrimination, Jim Crow, prejudice, etc.).
3.) In World War II there weren't as many black troops in the military, as opposed to how many there were in the Vietnam War. World War II served as a breaking grounds for African Americans to enter the military, whereas in the Vietnam War, the military was fully integrated and black soldiers were on the front lines. According to Mr. De Shields:  "The Vietnam War was the one war in which blacks did it all. They were the generals, they were the leaders, they flew the airplanes, they drove the tanks, they were in combat units, they led troops in battle, they did it all and they did it well so there was nothing left to prove."  
4.) I think the pressure of being the first trained group of Black piolets helped motivate the Tuskgee Airman to be the best airman in the military, because it gave them a sense of power, honor, and something to prove.
3 Women Red Tails Left Out
1.) Bethune's position as head of the "Negro Section" of  the NYA helped benefit the Red Tails, by her getting the governments support in opening up training programs on the campuses of historically black colleges and universities.
2.) Brown played a critical role in promoting the image of black aviators to help fight racial prejudice and expand opportunities for all blacks and she convinced the paper to cover the associations air show.
3.) In 1941 Eleanor Roosevelt convinced Rosenwald Fund to help expand the pilot-training program at Tuskegee.
4.) I think these women have been left out of the spotlight of this particular history, because women have always been perceived as less importance and their roles aren't celebrated as much as the opposite gender.
Standing Tall on Giant Shoulders...
1.) Dovey Roundtree’s connection to Bethune originated in the  friendship that Roundtree’s grandmother, Rachel Graham, forged in the 1920’s, when Bethune was barnstorming through the South to recruit members for her National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. Roundtree’s grandma and Bethune's status placed them within the same orbit, and the two formed a bond born out of their common passion for justice.
2.) Bethune saw military service as a way for African Americans to break down walls that had proven impenetrable by any other means.
3.) Both Bethune and the First Lady, Roosevelt, shared the common goal of bringing African American Women into the military as first class of WAAC officers, but feared racial trouble.  The new plan involved waiting until the Corps was underway, and admitting black officer trainees later. But Dr. Bethune would not relinquish the historical role she’d carved out for the 40 African American women she’d personally selected to enter the Corps.
4.) Roundtree spent 40 years paying back Bethune by serving as General Counsel, pro bono, to the National Council of Negro Women, the organization Bethune founded.  And in every forum where she spoke, she invoked Dr. Bethune’s name.
5.) Bethune had a tremendous effect on Roundtree's life, in a positive way.