Board of Regents vs. Bakke - The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title 6)

 Board of Regents vs. Bakke - The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title 6)

Oppression has been a massive problem that has inhibited the moral progress of the United States. Throughout the civil rights movement, there have been many political figures that have fought to allow equal opportunities despite race. Countless public figures wrote speeches, created boycotts, educated, and put their own lives on the line for fighting for equal education, jobs, pay, protection, and arguably the most important American freedoms. 

Regents vs. Bakke supreme court case argued that the University of California used race as a determining factor in admissions. This was an upset across the nation as the civil rights act of 1964 (title 6) directly prohibited any racial discrimination in public places. This case was also in violation of the 14th amendment as all persons born in the United States are subject to equality including race, gender, religion, sexuality, ex. The supreme court ruled in favor of Bakke prohibiting racial quotas. These quotas were intended to only allow a certain number of people per race to attend the university. After the case ruled in favor of Bakke, universities transferred from racial quotas to performance-based acceptance. 

While oppression is still and nationwide problem the civil rights act of 1964 and the Board of Regents vs. Bakke case was an essential stepping stone to ending discrimination within the United States. Without this case happening, the world would not be where it is today. It has impacted our lives tremendously and still does to this day. It has changed the admissions process for schools all around the world.

Sources: 

• https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/civil-rights-act-of-1964?gclid=Cj0KCQiAsoycBhC6ARIsAPPbeLtg5X_XXmGJ7WteTCwjJhJkJ61C4L_k7AxxrHDTt4yVOuHcQDtX2akaAkyLEALw_wcB 

• https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/regents_of_the_university_of_california_v_bakke_(1978)

In the Heat of the Night Reflection

 In the Heat of the Night 

The movie, “In the Heat of the Night” by Norman Jewison, is about an African American police detective in Sparta, Mississippi named Virgil Tibbs He is arrested because the racist police chief, Bill Gillespie, was suspicious of him relating to a murder they are currently investigating. Tibbs is able to prove his own innocence. When he does this, he and Gillespie put racism to the side and joined forces with one another to track down the real killer. When they work together, they are a power duo. They go through every part of the town. Tibbs is making enemies as he fights and hunts for the truth and to find the real killer. This film is an Oscar winning award. It won this award in 1967. 

Virgil Tibbs

They could not have solved the murder without detective Tibbs and his knowledge. He led the investigation and made it have the outcome it did. He shows white people that a black person can be a detective also. He gets paid a lot more than a white detective and is highly ranked because of his good work. 

Compared to “Gone with the Wind” and “Band of Angels” 

In all three of these movies, we see the power the men had back in the day and how the women had to be their puppets. They had no say or choice in anything they did. In Gone with the Wind, we see a woman who is sending her husband off to war. She has to look pretty and proper no matter what. In Band of Angels, we see a woman who gets sold when her father dies to another slave owner to pay his debt. Lastly, in In the Heat of the Night, we see a naked woman trying to seduce the police chief. All three of these movies show the power men have over women because of their higher social ranking. Although these movies all have different plots, they deliver the same message to the audience. 

Feminism

At the film's beginning, we see the police chief pass a naked woman looking for him to come inside. She was looking at him through her window. I felt that scene was completely unneeded and shows nothing in relation to the movie. I feel this violates a woman although she agreed to do this scene.

Sources

- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061811/plotsummary 

- https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/in-the-heat-of-the-night/cast/1030201217/

Harlan's Dissent in Plessy

 Harlan's Dissent in Plessy

Justice John Marshall Harlan was famous for being the only dissenter from the US Supreme Court in the ruling of Plessy vs. Ferguson. This case was ruled that the United States is a “separate but equal” place. This upheld the segregation laws. Here is a little bit about Harlan. Harlan was born in 1833 and died in 1911. Many people learned a lot from him because of how open-minded and willing he was to reevaluate issues and search for new facts to change societal causes. 

In the 1950s, Harlan’s reputation drastically changed. This happened because of two events in 1954. One of them being the Court’s adoption of his famous dissent in Brown vs. Board of Education. The second one was President’s Dwight D. Eisenhower’s nomination of his respected grandson and brand to the High Tribunal. 

Justice Harlan’s dissent became immortal became a law in the Brown vs. Board of Education case. This is because the court overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine. The court prevented congress from abolishing slavery. It was stated that it is unconstitutional and a violation of the 14th amendment. The 14th amendment states that “nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” 

Because of this breach of the 14th amendment, Harlan took the Plessy court because they embraced the separate but equal doctrine. To him, that was morally unacceptable. It did not appear to be satisfying to the 14th amendment. This is because there was not a strict set guarantee of the equal protection part of its law. In favor of Plessy, the court supported segregation. 

Justice Harlan was extremely mad and outraged with Plessy. This was visible and noticeable to everyone. Harlan believed that during the court's ruling of this case, Plessy would be viewed like Dred Scott vs. Sanford which happened in 1857. This was when the court stated that black people could never be citizens in the United States of America. 

Sources

- https://www.thinkwy.org/post/justice-harlans-imperishable-dissent-in-plessy-v-ferguson#:~:text=Justice%20Harlan's%20dissent%20in%20Plessy,badges%20and%20incidents%E2%80%9D%20of%20slavery

- https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1335/john-marshall-harlan-i

Three Civil Rights Workers

 Three Civil Rights Workers

On June 21, 1964, 3 civil rights workers were murdered and tortured by the KKK in Mississippi. These three men were named Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman. Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman wanted everyone to have freedom, be treated equally, and have learning rights. They fought for this and defended all of these causes and human democratic rights, but this ended up getting them killed. 

They traveled to Neshoba County so they could investigate Mt. Zion Methodist Church burning. The church was torched by the KKK. This happened 20 years after the church became a national symbol. The was also a black community church. This church had a core freedom school. Freedom schools created a path and started a journey for many young black Mississippi citizens. The case was concluded and dismissed that this fire was intentional, but there was no longer any search or investigation to happen. That possessed Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman to take it into their own hands. 

There were many other people who got murdered for fighting for the same justices these three men fought for. During this time, they discovered 8 other bodies of African Americans that have been found. They found the body of Herbert Oarsby, who was a 14 year-old boy. He was wearing a Congress of Racial Equality t-shirt. They also found the bodies of Henry Hezekiah Dee and Eddie Moore who were both 19 years old. Lastly, they found another five men they were not able to identify. 

The authorities, such as President Lyndon Johnson, thought the disappearance of these men was a Civil Rights Movement publicity stunt so they could get their work recognized by the world. Their bodies were found on August 4, 1964 buried at a dam site in Neshoba county where they traveled to investigate. In 1980, Ronald Reagan decided to launch his general campaign right in outside of where the bodies were the three civil rights workers men's bodies had been found. 

Sources

• https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/chaney-goodman-schwerner-murdered/ 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/26/upshot/think-they-got-killed-1964-lbj-and-three-civil-rights-icons.html  

• https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/07/01/419168251/20-years-ago-mount-zion-ame-was-set-on-fire-last-night-it-burned-again 

• https://snccdigital.org/inside-sncc/culture-education/freedom-schools/ 

Hazel Scott

 Hazel Scott 

Hazel Scott was a black classical jazz pianist and singer. She was born June 11, 1920 and died October 2, 1981. She was the most successful and well paid African American. Hazel was born and raised in Hollywood, but moved to New York to further her career where she fell in love. 

She was married to Adam Powell and they had a son together. Eventually, the married couple got divorced. Adam Powell was 12 years older than her and he had an affair with her. 4 days after Powell’s divorce with his ex wife, he married Hazel. Hazel took herself and her son to Paris. 

Whenever Hazel Scott would walk into a venue or any public place and they were racially segregated, she would walk right out. When Hazel Scott was 22 years old, she starred in a broadway musical. She refused to play a maid or prostitute. She would only play herself in a film. That was in her film contract. In 1943, the May West Musical was released. The director planned for them to wear dirty aprons while sending their men off to war. Hazel went on strike until they were changed to attractive floral dresses. Racial segregation is something she is extremely passionate about. 

Because of how successful and famous Hazel Scott became, her own show was produced. On April 14th, 1950, the Hazel Scott Show was released. It expanded from being aired once a week to 3 times a week. Everybody wanted Hazel. 

In 1963, she joined James Baldwin protesting racial injustice in America and supported Martin Luther King. Hazel Scott wanted to change the world and make it a better place. She wanted to end racial segregation for all. She wanted everyone to be treated equally. Up until the day Hazel died, she worked hard for what she loved and for what she believes in. 

Sources: 

• In class video

Mock Trial - Brown vs. Board of Education

 Brown vs. Board of Education - What I Learned

The Brown vs. Board of Education changed our world in so many ways. This went on from December 9, 1952 to May 17, 1954. White students and black students were being separated. When they would be put together, white students would go home and complain to their parents or their parents would complain about it saying they feel uncomfortable being in the room with someone different than them. This case was ruled unconstitutional even if segregated schools were separate but equal. 

Supporting Segregated School Systems

African Americans are a minority no matter what happens. White people and black people believed in different things and had very different views on religion. At this time, white people felt that God wanted them to be separate because the United States of America was a separate but equal country. They believed they were born to be separate, so why should they be put together? White children's parents argued to the court that their children would feel out of place if they are thrown into a classroom with kids that are nothing like them. Lastly, another thing that was argued is that this does NOT violate the 14th amendment. The 14th amendment states that “no State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” 

Against Segregated School Systems

Image 2: From class 

As shown in the second image, white students have space in their classroom while black students are crammed in. We can see the difference between the way these students were treated differently. School systems were anything but equal. African American children have received far less funding than white students white kids when it comes to schooling. White students get a better education overall. It has been proven that separating the kids does nothing and all it does is limit America's growth as a society and economically. Having children separated for learning purposes does nothing for them besides show them that it's not okay to be different.

Sources

https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/brown-v-board-of-education