To Sir, with Love Movie Reaction

 To Sir, with Love is a movie about a recent engineer (Mark Thackeray) looking for work. Mark Thackeray finds a teaching position at North Quay Secondary School. The school took in all the kids who were turned down from their previous school. Most professors are fed up with their antics but say they are mostly good kids who come from bad homes. Mark keeps a calm demeanor with his students.

After letting himself be upset by the students, he returns to the classroom with “a new approach to teaching his students and sets strict ground rules. The students will be leaving school and entering the adult world soon. His new strategy is to treat them as adults and allow them to discuss issues of their choosing. He emphasizes this by throwing out all their textbooks. As part of being adults, he insists the students will use proper forms of address (both toward him and amongst themselves) and take pride in their appearance and deportment”(https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062376/plotsummary/)

The students return to their normal state. When Thackeray realizes that they are unexposed to the history and culture of their city, he proposes a class outing. The students have a great time and are starting to appreciate their teacher. 

In gym class, a student (Carl Buckley) is forced to vault. All the students object, but he does it anyway. The vault collapses under breaks under his weight. Thankfully he is not seriously injured. Potter, another student in the class, threatens the teacher. Mr. Thackeray is forced to defuse the situation, he tells Potter to apologize, and with this statement is not invited to their dance, and almost loses the support of the class.  

Thackeray receives a job offer during one of his lowest moments in the movie. He shows up at the dance, and all seems to be well. He was gifted a present from his class, along with a song. At the very end of the movie, we see him open his gift in his classroom. He takes his job offer out of his pocket and rips it up.

EOTO Reaction

 The negative team talked about all of the hurt, pain, and violence that happened in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Josh talked about the death of RFK (Robert F. Kennedy), he broke the news of MLK's death and asked that everyone act with love and peace and not violence, many thought he was the only one to help the country, but a Palestinian immigrant killed him, and his death was a set back of the African American community.

Brad talked about Redlining, which was buying houses during the great depression down payments for houses were 50%, and the gov lowered the payments and drew a red line that they thought wouldn’t be paid off, the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

Max talked about the assassination of Malcolm X, he joined Islam, joined the civil rights movement because of nonviolence, the motive and person who killed him have always been under speculation.

Grace Ann talked about the assassination of MLK (Martin Luther King Jr.), one of the leaders of the civil rights movement, who gave multiple well-known speeches, standing on the balcony when shot dead, MLK shooter died in jail, and the USA honors him on January 16th.

Gabbie talked about the Boston Bus Riots, the governor ruled that the Boston school community had to stop segregation, people threw things at the buses that had AA children, and many AA children did not come back to school after the first day due to the fear they had on the bus.

Kayla talked about anti-miscegenation laws. They were mixed-race marriages were illegal, and the Lovings were subject to one year in prison or to leave Virginia, they were arrested in the middle of the night, and on June 12, 1967, the law was overturned. 

The positive team talked about all of the good things, like the multiple new acts put into place in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Lucy talked about the term affirmative action, a policy aimed at increasing workplace and educational opportunities for people who are underrepresented in various areas of society.

Abby talked about the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). There were laws that apply to all types of jobs, work to prevent workplace discrimination, receive thousands of calls a year but do not have enough funding to help everyone, and helped start the natural hair movement for AAs.

Kaylie talked about The Voting Rights Act of 1965, which stopped voting discrimination by making African Americans take tests before voting.

Lindsey talked about the  Fair Housing Act of 1968, it was signed into law 7 days after the death of MLK, made neighborhoods mixed incomes, barriers gradually came down, and fostered the opportunity for everyone to live where they want to without fear of discrimination.

Elliot talked about Thurgood Marshall, the senate had a six-hour debate before being let in, participated in multiple cases regarding the civil rights movement, and spoke in debate for Brown v. Board, five senators who did not approve of him joining, 69 to 11 vote, served for 21 years.

Jonathan talked about the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, and orientation. MLK’s ‘I Have A Dream’ speech persuaded people to join the movement.

Board of Regents v. Bakke Historical Overview

 We have two decades of African-American progress leading up to the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke.

“Between 1960 and 1970, blacks and whites improved their socioeconomic status. Among both races, educational attainment increased, occupational distribution was upgraded, and real purchasing power rose markedly. In almost every comparison, the gains were somewhat greater among blacks than among whites and thus most indicators of racial differentiation declined”(The 1960s: A Decade of Progress for Blacks?). 

In 1963, in Martin Luther King Jr.'s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech he expressed “his faith that one day white and Black people would stand together as equals, and there would be harmony between the races”. This speech would go on to be one of the most influential speeches in history and “served as a defining moment for the civil rights movement, and he soon emerged as its most prominent figure” (Black History Milestones: Timeline). 

In July 1964, Congress signed the Civil Rights Act. “At its most basic level, the act gave the federal government more power to protect citizens against discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex or national origin. It mandated the desegregation of most public accommodations, including lunch counters, bus depots, parks and swimming pools, and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to ensure equal treatment of minorities in the workplace. The act also guaranteed equal voting rights by removing biased registration requirements and procedures and authorized the U.S. Office of Education to provide aid to assist with school desegregation” (Black History Milestones: Timeline). 

In August 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act. “The Voting Rights Act sought to overcome the legal barriers that still existed at the state and local levels preventing Black citizens from exercising the right to vote given them by the 15th Amendment” (Black History Milestones: Timeline).

In the 1970s the advances of the civil rights movement combined with the feminist movement which created the African American women’s movement. “There can’t be liberation for half a race,” declared Margaret Sloan, one of the women behind the National Black Feminist Organization, founded in 1973. A year earlier, Representative Shirley Chisholm of New York became a national symbol of both movements as the first major party African-American candidate and the first female candidate for president of the United States”, “Chisholm became the first Black woman in Congress in 1968, when she was elected to the House from her Brooklyn district” (Black History Milestones: Timeline).

In the mind 1970s, “many universities were seeking to increase the presence of minority and female faculty and students on their campuses. The University of California at Davis, for example, designated 16 percent of its medical school’s admissions spots for minority applicants. After Allan Bakke, a white California man, applied twice without success, he sued U.C. Davis, claiming that his grades and test scores were higher than those of minority students who were admitted and accusing UC Davis of “reverse discrimination.” In June 1978, in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the use of strict racial quotas was unconstitutional and that Bakke should be admitted; on the other hand, it held that institutions of higher education could rightfully use race as a criterion in admissions decisions in order to ensure diversity” (Black History Milestones: Timeline). 

Brown v Board of Education Reaction

 Brown v Board of Education was a case brought against the state of Kansas. It said that state-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th Amendment and was therefore unconstitutional. 

On the side of Brown, Kayla gave the historical overview. She said, “The American population was experiencing an economic boom. The court challenged separate but equal, the civil rights movement was happening, and the Cold War had begun”. 

Gabbie gave the moral argument. She said, “The separate but equal mindset is unjust. Our country should be united but segregation does not do that”. 

Josh gave the religious argument. He said. “It is clear why we should integrate schools. We should no longer have segregated schools, god made everyone equal, unity is a spiritual relationship, and the continuation of segregated schools is an insult to our belief”. 

Grace-Ann talked about the economy. She said, “It costs more to have two of everything for schools, only half the tax money goes to schools so it creates worse conditions for students. It is more beneficial to integrate the schools, and every student deserves a blue-ribbon education”.

Brad gave the legal argument. He said, “Separate but equal is a flawed statement, it violates the 14th amendment. Black schools are of consistently lower quality than white ones, white students are 4x more likely to graduate high school than black students”.

The team of lawyers for Brown gave a very compelling argument.

On the side of the Board of Education in the state of Kansas, Lindsey gave a historical overview. She said, “There was a separate but equal doctrine. Brown vs Board started with one girl who was denied access to white schools the father sued and it went to the Supreme Court. There is nothing in the 14th Amendment that stops the states from segregating places and people”. 

Lucy gave the moral argument. She said, “Black children have been exposed to more illness and violence. The white children may not have been exposed to all of that, you have to look at how the kids were raised. The white students who graduated high school would most likely go to college unlike black students, so we should keep the school segregated”. 

Johnathan gave the economic argument. He said, “If schools are mixed it could harm the white students, and the black students would slow down the learning process for everyone. If schools were desegrated there would be a cutdown on teachers. It is important for the economy since it gives black people a job that they might not have if everything was desegregated”.

Abby said, “The constitution did not require the integration of schools. Segregation was not harmful to black people”.

Elliot gave the legal argument. He said, “The main topic is whether or not the segregation of our schools is unconstitutional. Are black students allowed to receive an education? yes, they are, so how is segregation unconstitutional?”

Both sides gave very compelling arguments to support their team.

"Driving Miss Daisy" Reaction

 Watching “Driving Miss Daisy” was an eye-opening experience for me. Since I am Jewish I understand the son’s frustration with his mother. My grandma is just as stubborn as Miss Daisy was. 

The movie begins when Miss Daisy gets into a car accident. Her son arranges for her to have a chauffeur, Hoke an African American man, to take her where she needs to go. It takes a lot of time for Miss Daisy to get used to having Hoke around. 

For the first couple of days, Hoke would do household chores to pass the time, but as soon as she saw him she would scold him. When she finally left the house, she refused to get in the car with him. It’s not until he is driving right next to her, and is seen by her neighbors that she decides to get in the car. 

Even though the relationship between Miss Daisy and Hoke got off to a rocky start, in the end, you can see the trust, loyalty, and love between them. 

Throughout the film, there were many racial issues. The first time is when Miss Daisy woke up and went downstairs to her pantry. She notices canned salmon missing from the stack and finds the can hidden in the garbage. She calls her son and forces him to get to her house right away. He gets there and tries to reason with her. She is not listening and wants Hoke fired. 

As Hoke walks in, he is immediately confronted with an urgent conversation. He goes to put his coat away, but as he is leaving the room, he says that he ate a can of salmon. He then proceeds to tell her that he picked up a can to replace it. This stuns Miss Daisy. She then dismisses the issue and goes to get ready for the day. 

Another instance is when they are on a road trip to Alabama to go to Miss Daisy's brother's 90th birthday party. They were on the side of the road having a picnic lunch when two officers approached them. They are skeptical of Miss Daisy and Hoke. They eventually let them leave since the registration and I.D. check out. 

Along with the racist moments, there are moments of bonding and full friendship. When Miss Daisy and Hoke are visiting a cemetery to clean the graves and leave flowers for her loved ones, Hoke offers to go put the flowers on the next grave. 

She tells him the name and the approximate location of the gravestone. As he is looking over in the approximate direction, he turns back to her and tells her he can’t find it. 

She says then go walk over and look. It comes out that he can’t read. Miss Daisy is taken aback by this and helps him sound out the beginning and end of the name so that way he can find it. 

Later on in the movie, you see her handing him a gift. It’s a book that will help him learn to read. The final moment that stood out to me was one of the final scenes. Hoke walks into the door and can’t find Miss Daisy. 

As he is going upstairs he finds her all upset and anxious that she is going to be late for work. He brings her upstairs to look for the papers. She sits in the chair in the corner and tells Hoke that he is her best friend. 

That moment really touched my heart, because I saw the evolution come full circle from the beginning of the film. 

I really enjoyed the film and would definitely recommend it to anyone.

EOTO: Sundown Towns

 Sundown Towns were all white communities, neighborhoods, and counties all over the country that kept blacks and other minorities out. 

“The name derives from the posted and verbal warnings issued to Blacks that although they might be allowed to work or travel in a community during the daytime, they must leave by sundown” Sundown Towns •.  

Also, they didn’t just discriminate against one minority. They also prohibited Jews, Native Americans, Chinese, Japanese, and others. 

“Although it is difficult to make an accurate count, historians estimate there were up to 10,000 sundown towns in the United States between 1890 and 1960, mostly in the Mid-West and West. They began to proliferate during the Great Migration, starting in about 1910 when large numbers of African Americans left the South to escape racism and poverty. As Blacks began to migrate to other regions of the country, many predominantly white communities actively discouraged them from settling there.” 

The areas would have signs posted around towns making it clear that only one group was allowed after sunset. 

Some towns would use discriminatory covenants not to allow minority groups to buy or rent a home. 

“Businesses that served Black customers or hired Black employees would be boycotted by the white townspeople, ensuring that Blacks had few, if any, job opportunities in those communities.” 

Many towns also used violence or harassment to chase them away. 

“In some instances, white mobs perpetrated racial cleansings that expelled entire Black communities in a single day.” 

“In other cases, white gangs utilized systematic threats of violence punctuated by lynchings or public acts of racial terror.” 

“In many cases, whites resorted to “whitecapping” or “night riding,” acts of organized, extralegal violence executed under the cover of night, that sought to terrorize Black families and communities” Sundown Towns - New Georgia Encyclopedia. 

“After World War II, sundown towns shifted from being primarily independent smaller towns in rural counties to being suburbs and parts of major metropolitan areas. 

Unlike earlier waves of sundown town creation, when towns with a demographic history that included African Americans purposefully became more white over time, many new suburbs were organized from their inception to be virtually all-white” Sundown town | Meaning & History | Britannica. 

In the present day, there are still Sundown Towns. Although they don’t have that name anymore, they still have the racial history that will forever follow them. All 50 states have at least one, but most have 10+.

Some major states that have Sundown Towns are California, Texas, Florida, New York, and even our state of North Carolina, Sundown Towns by State - History and Social Justice.

EOTO Reaction Post

 The Reconstruction Era had both positives and negatives. 

I am going to start with the negatives. 

Lynching is a public killing of an individual who has not received any due process. 

They were often carried out by lawless mobs. The Ku Klux Klan, founded in 1886 in Tenessee, the main target was the Freedman Bureau, it restored white rule in Tennessee, Georgia, and NC, led to the Force Act of 1870 and the KKK Act of 1871. 

Carpetbaggers intended intention was to become rich and gain political power. Lincoln’s Assassination, soon after the war ended Lincoln gave a speech that argued for Black men and veterans to have the right to vote. 

The end of Military Reconstruction ended with the Compromise of 1877, a compromise was reached between Republicans and Democrats. 

Black Codes, designed as a restrictive law designed to limit the freedoms of African Americans, Grandfather Clause, Literacy test, and segregation of public schools and public places. 

With the negatives, come the positives. 

The Freedmen’s Bureau, a federal agency to help the newly freed, existed in the southern states, fed millions, built schools, and helped reconnect family members. 

Founding Black Colleges in America, were unallowed, in 1837 Cheyenne University was the first Black College established, 1851 the University of the District of Columbia was also established, and they had major controversy. 

The 13th Amendment banned slavery, the 14th Amendment, granted citizenship to all persons and gave and guaranteed equal protection of laws, southern states would be punished for not allowing African Americans to vote. 15th Amendment granted African Americans the right to vote. 

The First African American in Congress, Rhodes Revels- was well educated, and Joseph Hayne Rainey- the first black man and former slave to serve in the U.S. House of Reps.