A Sunday to Remember

Engl 165-04 Fall '22, Engl 165-16 Fall '22

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The book starts on a normal Sunday morning and everyone was doing their normal Sunday routine. The day ends in a terrible fright as someone throws a bomb at the poor church. The news spread like wildfire over the radio and everyone knew about it in no time. Imagine waking up that day and planning on doing what you do every Sunday. The church was full of innocent people who just wanted to worship their God that Sunday. What kind of person would bomb a church full of innocent people? Innocent lives were lost that day to the hatred someone had for black people. Many families lost their loved ones and with that, they gained a lifetime of grief. I do not know what I would do if I was ever in a situation like that. To be living my life like I do every day and for something so bad to happen so suddenly would be something I would never recover from. What could I or anyone else have done to make the bombing affect the town any less? How do you make it easier for someone to live every day after that knowing that someone they loved is now gone? Nothing could change the hatred this person had towards black people nor could it bring the victims back. What could anyone have possibly done to stop something like this from happening? People fought long and hard to make a change in the world and this was the response they got. After the bombing happened the violence got so much worse. More innocent lives were lost and the only real reason for it was because the victims were black. If this was not enough to show the world that black people need help, then what will really show them?

 
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3 Innocent Lives Taken by the KKK

Engl 165-04 Fall '22

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Mickey Schwerner, Andy Goodman, and James Chaney were Civil Rights Workers. They worked in Mississippi, registering black Americans to vote. They were killed by the KKK for their actions of fighting for equality for all. The men were caught in a trap by the KKK on their way back to Meridian. A police officer pulled them over to arrest them. After being released, they were then attacked by members of the Ku Klux Klan, and shot to death.

Mickey Schwerner moved to Mississippi with his wife, Rita, after he was hired to work for the CORE. Prior to this career plan, he attended Michigan State University and Cornell. At Cornell, he was known for working to have a colored student be accepted into a fraternity. Schwerner was originally from the North but felt the need to go down South with hopes of making a change. The casualties of the other 2 men were because the KKK wanted to go after Mickey; however, Goodman and Chaney were with Mickey at the time. He chose to go to Mississippi because he believed he could make the most difference there with the higher number of white-surpemacists.

Andrew Goodman was also born in New York. He was a Jewish-American who became a Civil Rights Activist while studying at Queen’s College. He joined CORE while attending. As part of the Freedom Summer Campaign, Goodman was sent to Meridian along with Schwerner and Chaney. They first met with the families and members of the Mt. Zion Methodist Church in Longdale to see how they were doing after their church had been burnt down by the KKK.

James Chaney was born and raised in Meridian, Mississippi. From an early age, he was taught to have a great amount of racial pride. Him and his friends were suspended in high school for wearing buttons demonstrating their activism. Fighting for his rights was always something that felt very important to him. James had never gotten married. He participated in the Freedom Rides before becoming part of CORE. Chaney worked with colleagues, Goodman and Schwerner to investigate the church bombing. This was a trip that unfortunately, the men never made it home from.

I believe that I would join a cause that had the potential to get me harmed if it was something that was very important to me. I have always been raised to stand up for what I am passionate for and would like to believe that if it was needed, then I would have the courage to take a stand and fight for what I believe in.

Linderd. (2021). Michael Schwerner Biography. Biography of Michael Schwerner. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/price&bowers/Schwerner.htm

Missing Fbi Poster urging for information about the whereabouts of Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner. (2019). The Andrew Goodman Foundation. photograph. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://andrewgoodman.org/news-list/living-the-legacy-of-goodman-chaney-and-schwerner-55-years-later/.

The Stonesong Press Inc. and The New York Public Library, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (2021, November 28).
Andrew Goodman, activist born. African American Registry. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://aaregistry.org/story/andrew-goodman-activist-who-gave-his-life/

University of North Carolina Press. (2021, November 28). James Chaney, activist born. African American Registry. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://aaregistry.org/story/james-chaney-fought-for-civil-rights/

 
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Senseless Killings by The Ku Kluz Klan

Engl 165-04 Fall '22

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These three men pictured above, Mickey Schwerner, Andy Goodman, and James Chaney, were all workers for, a civil rights organization, The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Mickey was born in New York city. All three of these men were Civil Rights Activists, fighting for change, in such a cruel world. Michael Schwerner (Mikey) , hailed from New York City. Andrew Goodman (Andy) also hailed from New York City. James Chaney was born in Meridian, Mississippi. Michael and Goodman were both white males , it was not uncommon for whites to engage in civil rights activism, during this time.  Andy and Michael were both Jewish, educated men, with a drive to promote social reform , for the benefit of African Americans.

 

These three young men, were traveling from the remains of a charred church, in Langdale, MS, which had been burned to the ground by members of the KKK , days prior. The three, were pulled over for speeding , when attempting to return back to Meridian, Mississippi. The driver was  James Chaney. James was arrested and charged with speeding , while the other two men were arrested and brought in for questioning for burning down the church. I do not believe Chaney was speeding , I believe the vehicle he was driving brought attention to him and his driving. Chaney was a black male, and he was driving a vehicle with two white passengers, which drew unwanted attention to him. Upon arrival to the jail, all three men were not allowed a phone call , or the opportunity to pay any of the fines , in order to be released. When they were finally released the men were ordered to get out of town  but were never given the opportunity. When the men did not arrive back to the CORE headquarters , workers started calling around to report the men missing.  Staff at The CORE began calling police stations to inquire about the possible arrest of the men , which was standard protocol. When callers reached the jail the men were being held , the jailor declined to state that the men had ever even been in the town.

As headlines reached all around the world, the two white men , received more media attention than Chaney. Mrs. Schwerner, wife to Mickey and CORE worker, fought to change this narrative. She advocated for everyone , even though her husband was one of the men missing. Investigations by the FBI turned up the vehicle driven by Chaney, which had been attempted to dispose of and fairly soon ,human remains. Members of the KKK had been tipped off by the towns sheriff and alerted of the location of the men. The men were followed, kidnapped, and shot one by one. The case went on to obtain national attention ,but only a handful of the criminals responsible served time.

I would speak up for something that would get me killed. I live by the narrative ,”Is this worth dying over?”, maybe one day I will find the issue that would end with me sacrificing my life. I have yet to find that cause, but I feel like it will happen one day. My life is not worth more than the next person’s , except t me, and that’s a selfish narrative to abide by.

 

 

(Murder in Mississippi | American Experience | Official Site | PBS)

(Andrew Goodman Biography – Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline (thefamouspeople.com)

(James Chaney, Activist born – African American Registry (aaregistry.org)

(Michael Schwerner Biography, Life, Interesting Facts (sunsigns.org)

image-mickey schwerner | Tumblr

 

Human Rights Activist

Engl 165-04 Fall '22

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As an activist, I believe that human rights play a big role in today’s society. I feel like everyone should be able to believe in their own rights and not be judged for them. Everyone should be treated equally, despite their beliefs. All humans should be treated fairly despite what political party, race, or ethnicity they consider themselves to be. Everyone has the right to their own freedom of speech. In today’s society, people often start conflicts with others when they feel like their freedom of speech is being mistreated.

During my lifetime, I have not had many opportunities to play a role as a human rights activist. When given the chance, I have always tried to advocate for human rights on social media. No matter the circumstance, I feel as if everyone should be treated equally and loved. Unfortunately, the world has not come to show that everyone is being treated equally. I hope that one day in the future, I will have more opportunities to be with a group that shows equality to all. I have spoken out about how we are entitled to our human rights and have freedom of speech. One day in the future, I would like to attend a protest on behalf of those who feel like they cannot speak on their behalf.

Today’s world has become a very cruel place. It is crucial that we fight for what we believe in. There are many advocates in today’s society for human rights. There have been activists who attend protests to speak out for those who feel like they cannot. We have many advocates that will speak out for everyone’s equality. I hope to be able to have an opportunity to join a group and attend a protest about our human rights. As I have mentioned many times before and will mention again, everyone deserves to feel loved and deserves the same as the person you sit next to.

I believe that it is effective for our world. It shows that even with how bad the world has become, we can still love one another and fight for each other. I believe we definitely have some work to do and the world still needs change, but we need to fight for it one day at a time. Human rights are so important and make us who we are.

 

Let Freedom Ring For All

March Blog Prompt

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The saying “Let Freedom Ring” is a metaphor that symbolizes the sound of a bell representing hope and equality. Martin Luther King Jr. used this metaphor in his famous “I have a dream” speech. This quote has been used to symbolize freedom for all Americans. At the time of his speech, freedom was not accessible to all citizens of the United States. It had to be fought hard for. Lives had to be sacrificed to achieve it and make a difference in this world. By Martin Luther King Jr. saying, “let freedom ring,” he meant it for every person in the world, regardless of race or gender.

Honestly, I do not know if I would be capable of doing what generations before us had to do to fight for equality and freedom. Many people had to risk their lives and were beaten senselessly for trying to go against the forces who disagreed at that time. I would like to believe I would have the courage to make a difference and fight for our rights, but it is hard to know for sure without being put in that position. If I was, I could only hope that I would be brave enough to take a stand and do what was needed to conquer freedom for myself and my people. 

I am not sure that today’s generation would have the backbone and be able to commit to such a hard and life-threatening challenge. Our generation can only imagine what previous generations endured through textbooks and what school teaches us. I think it is hard for any of us to understand what these struggles were because we have not had to see them, or at least not as intensely as our ancestors did. If the world was how it used to be and we saw how important making a difference was, then we could find the grit to fight; however, our lives do not compare to those of the past. 

Events like these are still important to be taught today because we need to see what occurred in history to make sure that history doesn’t repeat itself. Equality is still not achievable for everyone, and it will be many more years before our world does see humankind as a whole. These issues still need to be taught and fought for until equality is achievable for all.

 
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