Blog #46 - Reactions to 13th

So we saw 13th, a powerful documentary that examined the way people of color, specifically African Americans, in America have been treated throughout American history.  Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, talked about how our current system of mass incarceration is just another phase in the way white America has controlled the bodies of Black folks, from slavery, to convict leasing, to Jim Crow, and now as part of the prison-industrial complex.

A lot of the legal rationale for controlling the bodies of Black Americans comes from the loophole in the 13th Amendment - see highlighted section below:

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Because of that loophole, Black Americans, predominantly Black men, have been subjected to countless offenses.  The prison system in America, according to the film, has become an extension of slavery.  We see this in the way prison labor is used to manufacture furniture, clothing (lingerie from Victoria's Secret), grow potatoes, fighting California wild fires, and other products of the modern American capitalist system.  In fact, companies like Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Whole Foods, and others have employed prison laborers - see link for more companies.  

Director Ava Duvernay, in an NPR interview, said that she was shooting for two audiences with the film: people who know what's going on and people who don't.  She wanted the film to spark discussion about how Black Americans are being treated in this country and trace a line from slavery in the 19th Century to the incidents of police brutality in the 21st Century.  

Some questions for you after watching the film: 

1. Does the film prove its point that slavery hasn't been outlawed, just reformed?  Why or why not?  

2. What do you think can be done about the prison labor system?  Should those firms that use prison labor be boycotted?  Should awareness of this system be raised among the general American population?  If so, how?  If not, why not?  

3. Should the 13th Amendment be amended to change the prison system?  Why or why not?  

4. Should laws like Stand Your Ground that are written by ALEC be allowed?  Why or why not?  To read more about Stand Your Ground laws, click here. 

5. Are more body cams on police officers the best way to deal with police brutality?  Why or why not?  

6. Colorado voters recently passed Amendment A, a law that abolishes prison labor without pay.  To read more, click here.  Do you think this is something that should be done nationwide?  Why or why not?  

Answer 4 out of 6 questions.  400 words total.  Due Thursday Feb. 7 by class.  

To see artwork capturing the #lastwords said by those killed by the police, see this website, Shirin Barghi's work.  

Blog #33 - Follow up to Civil Rights unit - Racism dead? Klan in the classroom, say what?

Finally, this blog is getting close to being done.  Part of the reason I've taken a lot of time on it is because I've wanted to say exactly what I mean with the blog.  I try to do that with all of my blogs, but especially b/c this one tends to fall into a sensitive area, I want to be particularly careful about what is said. 

On Wednesday and Thursday, we discussed (as a long-overdue follow-up to our Civil Rights unit) some issues concerning race in America.  One issue concerned how Americans viewed racism after the 2008 election: 1. Was racism a pretty much done deal since the country had elected a black man, so let's, as a nation, move on to other things like our tanking economy?   2. Or, had America achieved some kind of post-racial enlightenment by electing Barack Obama, a man whose skin color would have kept him barred from an equal education had he lived in, say Topeka, Kansas back when Linda Brown lived in the early 1950s (he wasn't born until 1961)?  3. Or, as many of you voiced your opinion agreed, that racism hadn't perished in 2008 and that news of its death had been greatly exaggerated. 

We then turned our attention to the unfortunate occurrence in Lumpkin County H.S. in northern Georgia last week when a few American history students and their teacher offended students as they walked through the school hallways dressed in Klan robes (though the teacher claims that sheets were used, not robes).  The teacher didn't inform anyone of what she was doing, rumors spread throughout the school afterwards that the Klan had been roaming the halls, and that there had been no school-wide announcement to correct the record.  “The brief appearance of four robed and hooded figures caused a commotion in the cafeteria as several students became upset and angry. Some became angrier than others.” Principal Tracy Sanford said 1.

News Update!! - Apparently, in nearby Gwinnett County schools in Lawrenceville, GA, another social studies teacher had the same idea of dressing her kids up in Klan robes for a re-enactment and was told to stop.  However, by the time the teacher was told to stop, she had already done a similar activity with her 8th grade class at Sweetwater M.S..  In the Atlanta Journal Constitution article I found about this event, it makes one major distinction: the Gwinnett County teacher, Stephanie Hunte is black where as the Lumpkin H.S. teacher is white. 

The AJC's Rick Badie wrote about many of the issues that we had discussed in his editorial dated Friday, May 28.  Why weren't these things pre-approved by an administrator?  Why not inform the kids in the school as to what's going on before the students go traipsing through the halls?  But I think he misses the point when he says that the administrators will lend "an ear to those with objections."   I don't think many of us get the point here. 

(If you'd like to tell Mr. Badie your opinion, be respectful and send him a copy of your response and a link to the blog at his email address rbadie@ajc.com). 

I don't think either of these projects should have gotten past the planning stages.  For the most part, asking kids to re-enact something in a structured framework is fine, even if they are reenacting a contentious, controversial or previously accepted idea in history (one makes me think of Social Darwinism).  But, I think there comes a point in time where some issues can be taught in a different way and do not need to be taught through re-enactment.   What were the teachers allowing the students to do as Klansmen?   When the student becomes the person who perpetrated the heinous race crimes, what are we actually trying to teach that child (especially when it comes to the 8th graders - seriously, are they having a moment of soul-searching reflection as the hoods slip over their heads)?  Then, the teachers didn't take into account other people, mainly students of color, who these re-enactments might negatively affect.  One student at Lumpkin H.S., Cody Rider, felt very strongly about it, and had to be restrained by members of the staff in the cafeteria (see video below).  Furthermore,  the Lumpkin H.S. teacher still thinks her students should have just filmed that segment off-campus, which to me, shows that she still doesn't get that there's anything wrong with having her students put on Klan robes...eh, sheets.  She thought she was doing the right thing by teaching her AP students about racism, but could she be teaching the nation something else instead?

I don't even know where to start with questions, b/c I think I answered most of my own questions above. 

Please answer the following questions:
1. Why does it seem that white America tends to be clueless when it comes to racial sensitivity?   If this Klan reenactment offends most members of the black community, but other black Americans don't say anything or other more visible black Americans just dismiss the media circus as a tempest in a teapot, who should you listen to?  Why? 

2. Watch the video below on Tim Wise talking about "How White People Talk About Race" and share your reactions.  Do you think his comments are accurate?  Why or why not? 




Due Thursday, June 3 - 200 words

Sources: 
1. http://chattahbox.com/us/2010/05/25/georgia-students-wear-klan-robes-through-school-with-teachers-ok/
2. http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/gwinnett-schools-investigate-after-535560.html
3. http://www.ajc.com/opinion/rick-badies-gwinnett-a-537781.html?cxntlid=daylf_artr

That's So Gay

Here are a couple of public service announcements that try to get people to think about using the phrase, "that's so gay". The first one includes Hillary Duff.







http://thinkb4youspeak.com/

Blog #18 - D.I.Y. Blog - Git 'Er Done!

(Before we begin, I must say that I have been highly impressed with the quality of the thinking and the depth of analysis that has gone into the questions. I am especially impressed by the students who I am working w/ for the first time this semester - wrapping your head around these blog questions can be a little tricky sometimes. Well done, and keep up the good work!)

During this Civil Rights and Women's Rights movements unit, we've seen a lot of injustice and been witness to tremendous acts of courage and bravery. I think that there are still many questions left unanswered, so I decided to let you guys ask the questions for a change.

1. Do you think that affirmative action is good or bad for America? - Tyler F., Phil,

2. If Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were competing for different political parties instead of the same party, who do you think would win the national election for the presidency? Why? - Alyssa T.

3. If you were Fannie Lou Hamer, would you feel that registering to vote was worth all the hassle after? - Derek M., Raekeshia,

4. What if Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King were alive today?

• How would they react to today's tragedies like Hurricane Katrina?



• How would the world be different today if they were alive? - Jake C.



• Which one's tactics/philosophy would you join today? - Kelsey

5. Do you think the things that Senator Obama said in his speech about distractions from the real problems that face America is true or not? Why? - John C.

6. Why do you think someone so unimportant to politics like Bill Russell (or other sports figures in today's world) can have such a big social/cultural impact on America? - Matt Bergin

7. How could the response to Hurricane Katrina have been improved? - Jourdan, Jessica, Jason S., Paul, Carleigh, Ian,

8. Do you think we would be closer to energy independence and newer forms of alternative fuel if if Al Gore had won the election in 2000 instead of George W. Bush? - Tyler H.

9. Which do you think had a bigger impact on the country and why: the Civil Rights or the women's rights movement? - Rob S., Robbie L.,

10.If you were a leader of the Civil Rights Movement back then, would you be a leader more like Dr. King or more like Malcolm X with regard to philosophy and tactics (non-violence vs. by self-defense / convert the opponent vs. black power and nationalism)? Or would you be something completely different? Why? - Stefan, Stefanos, Amber

11. Why is it taking so long to rebuild and repair New Orleans? - Nick

12. How would life be different for women if the E.R.A. amendment had been passed? - Matt Bajorek, Raffi

13. Why did the Bush administration take so long to get down to New Orleans after Katrina? - Ashley D., Alex D., Bethany, Raffi, Ian, Raekeshia, Stefanos,

14. Has women's advancement during the past 40-50 years hurt or helped men? Why? - Nikita

15. Women have always had difficulty with gaining equality and respect from men. So, why would some women dress scantily and only care about their looks to attract men? If women truly wanted to be better, why act dumb and do nothing? - Emma

16. Why do you think women in the 1950s were so dissatisfied with living "the ideal life" as a housewife? - Mollie, Tommy

17. In your opinion, would the appearance of the current female image of "beauty" have changed if pop culture sensation Twiggy not been discovered? Why or why not? - Angelina, Gina

18. Will discrimination ever be over in the future? - Audrey

19. Even though V.P. Al Gore had won the popular vote in the 2000 election, he lost the electoral vote to Governor George Bush. Do you agree that the current voting system we have is o.k. (with the electoral college) or should it be reformed to something else? - Paul

20. Was the non-violent protest method the best way to fight Jim Crow and establish Civil Rights? Why or why not? - Bethany, Sarah, Raffi, Ryan, Marin, Christy, - (It may be easy to judge this in retrospect since it worked, but would a self-defense strategy have worked faster or provoked a more violent reaction from a very racist, resistant South? - the editor)

21. Pretend you didn't know the outcome of the Children's March: would you have taken a stand with the other kids of Birmingham, AL in May of 1963? Why or why not? - Lydia, Angelina, Bethany, Sarah, Kelsey, Ally R., Amber

22. If you were 18 this year, who would you have voted for in each of the primaries and why? - Robert G.

23. If you had lived in New Orleans or in the Gulf Coast region in late August 2005 and Hurricane Katrina was bearing down on the area (pretending you don't know the aftermath, of course), would you have evacuated or stuck it out? Why? Why do you think so many people who could leave stayed? - Sarah

24. Who do you think was the most influential woman in the women's movement? Why? (here's a link to help you with your decision - http://www.legacy98.org/move-hist.html )- Ben, Ally R.

25. Were there parts of Senator Obama's speech of March 2008 that you agreed / disagreed with? Why? - many people asked this question in several different ways.

26. The children of Birmingham, AL marched for freedom. Despite being jailed, their attempts eventually worked, and things became integrated in the South. Many people think that kids can't change history even though here is at least one example that proves them wrong. What would students / teenagers today march for and feel strongly enough to fight for (and maybe even be willing to go to jail in protest)? - Katie B.

27. Do you think you would have urged your state representative to vote for the E.R.A. Amendment back in the 1970s or would you have worked w/ Phyllis Schlafly to defeat the amendment? Why? - Christy

28. How can you try someone for a crime in 2005 that he/she might have committed in 1964 like with the Mississippi Burning case? - Emily C.

29. Why did it take so long for President Kennedy to react to the racism going on in his own country back in the early 1960s? - Lorne

30. How do you think sexual independence has changed women's roles in society today? (Others have asked similar questions about the Pill or Helen Gurley Brown's book, Sex and the Single Girl) - Claire, Tommy

31. What do you think the "proper shape" is for men and women today? - Ryan B.

Pick any one of these questions and answer it fully. You may NOT pick your own blog. Minimum word reply is 200 words.

Due Monday, April 14th, 2008.

Journal #13B - 40 different ways to look at JFK

After reading and listening to the different views of President Kennedy's life as seen through different biographers' eyes, it's time for your opinion/assessment.

John Kennedy's biographers are usually broken into two groups: one group works to reinforce the image of Kennedy as icon, as the ideal president. They tend to gloss over the difficult stuff in his life with the idea that it's not important to know that kind of info about him. These biographers also stress his good qualities and downplay his bad qualities.

The second group of biographers are iconoclasts; they are trying to poke holes in the JFK myth by finding evidence to refute many of the cherished (and false) stories about the Kennedy family, clan, and presidency. These biographers are like realist authors - they give you the gritty details of a person's life; the fact that this person was the president doesn't seem to phase them.

The American people have consistently voted JFK (along with Lincoln) as their greatest American President, yet historians have given him the title "Most Overrated" in American Heritage magazine. When looking at his Congressional record, he didn't do much. Almost the same thing can be said for his Presidential record; how significant were the Peace Corps and the race to the moon in the long run?

Your job: answer the following questions:
1. Share your assessment of the man and his job as president by looking back at your notes on the 8 sections of the book. Explain your reasoning with specific examples.
2. Where should biographers draw the line on their subjects? How much is too much and how little is too little?It really boils down to what the main job of a biographer is.

250 words minimum. -Due Wednesday - 2/13/08

http://www.maryferrell.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page - Great link to a tribute website to a JFK archivist, Mary Ferrell.

Blog #4 - Do you have a right to your job?

One of the issues brought up in the video on the Homestead Strike of 1892 that we watched on Tuesday/Wednesday was the idea of a worker having a right to his/her job. The workers at the Homestead steelworks believed that they had a right to their jobs, that the right was a fundamental right as an American much like the right to vote or free speech or owning fire arms.

Carnegie and Frick, on the other hand, didn't believe that they had to listen to their unions and no intention of honoring any unions at all. Frick locked out the Amalgamated after their contract expired on June 30, 1892 and with Carnegie's approval, had every intention of breaking the union and replacing them w/ lower paid non-union workers.

As we know, most of the workers ended up out of work for good. Some skilled workers came back in other jobs at lower pay at Homestead. And the Amalgamated Steel Workers Union was gone from Homestead.

Does a worker have a right to his/her job? If so, does it depend on the worker's circumstances (for instance, if the worker is an adult or teenager / full time or part time / has children, married or single)? Why or why not? If not, why not?

If a worker does have a right to his/her job, how can a company downsize in troubled times? What options does a company have when it needs to cut costs? Today, jobs are being sent overseas and people are being laid off during a recession. Would those practices have to stop if unions and workers have more of a say-so in the management of a company?

Due Thursday 10/11- minimum 150 words answer. Please take the time to read over your classmates' responses and comment on/critique their ideas.

How could you change things?

For the last couple of weeks, we focused a lot on racism and racial segregation between African-Americans and white Americans. We learned about how often the African Americans were abused and beat by the white people. We also studied the famous human right activist, Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister, who made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, which served as the climax of the March on Washington, the largest rally of the civil rights movement. Lastly, we learned about Malcolm X, a Black Muslim Minister, who tried to speak out against racism using Black Nationalism as his theme.

Both of these men proved their point which was to show that African-Americans really deserved to be treated fairly in the United States of America. We also talked about many black movement groups such as the “Black Panthers”. It was their job to promote civil rights and self-defense. They were active throughout the United States in the late 1960s into the early 1970s. Even though, this racial segregation was aired on live television, white people still tried to make African-Americans look like fools and feel more uncomfortable just because of their different skin tone. However, since the African-Americans prevailed in their efforts to become equal, the whites turned out to be the fools.

Here's a couple of questions:
1. What would you have done to change the view of white Americans towards African-Americans?

2. How would you have felt if one of your family members that lived during the 1960s-1970s was brutally beaten by white police officers? How would you have reacted?

Ian K. - 5th Hour

Who really killed Malcolm X?

After Malcolm X broke with the Nation of Islam and began to preach Islam in his own way, the leader of the Nation of Islam (Elijah Muhammed) became very upset with Malcolm's choice to teach Islam in a different way than what he taught. When Malcolm's family was constantly dealing with threats and attempts on their lives, Malcolm felt that things were getting out of hand and therefore decided to renounce the racist teachings of Elijah Muhammed and hoped to bring Islam and black nationalism to black Americans.

During Malcolm's last speech he was gunned down by several Muslims. Although a few of Malcolm's assassins were caught, Malcolm's assassination is still a mystery. Who do you believe really killed Malcolm X and why?

Adriel

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/malcolmx/malcolmx.html - link to some evidence about Malcolm's death.

Hurricane Katrina - what can we do better?

In the past week, we have been learning about the effects of Hurricane Katrina not only on the places hit by the hurricane but our country and even the world too. I thought it was very interesting to learn about different peoples' views on whose fault they thought it was. Most people who did not vote for President Bush to become president in the first place were quick to blame him, but from my point of view I feel that it was everyone’s fault all the way down the tree of the government system.

Everyone including President Bush, FEMA, Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco, and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin were responsible for this catastrophic event that might have been able to be prevented had the people in high ranking positions of government worked together. If they had worked together they could have established a plan of action if something like this were to occur.
Who do you blame for this slow response and recovery efforts? Explain.

What kinds of plans can be established now to improve the emergency response to this and other unforeseen disasters? Explain.

Editor's note: We looked at the whole Hurricane Katrina fiasco in the context of the unfinished Civil Rights Movement. Many of the images that we saw in New Orleans were of the poor, elderly and left behind. A great many of them were African-Americans. I wanted to examine the reasons why so many were left behind and how this connected to the CRM. Even now, we're still in awe at how unbelievably mixed up the relief effort was in the first week and the subsequent finger pointing and blame game. Frontline's The Storm was especially helpful.

Malcolm X

Malcolm X stood for what he believed in because in he knew in his heart it was right. X even traveled to Saudi Arabia where Mohammed gave his last speech. There, if you travel around the Kabaa several times you began your pilgrimage. While traveling around the Kabaa, X discovered the American "Negro" could never be blamed for what they were put through. This means that we could never be blamed for our reactions to slavery or being discriminated against. All we can do is STOP looking back, and START looking forwards.



Why do you think African Americans aren't to blame for reacting to racism with violence, according to Malcolm X?


Imani


Official website of Malcolm X: http://www.cmgww.com/historic/malcolm/index.htm

Is there another Dr. King out there?

In the past week we have been learning about MLK and what he has done. We have been learning what it is to be a leader, and how he was a leader. We have also learned the reasons people respected him and why they did. Martin Luther kind lead nearly thousands of people in protest to prove something to the world, and that is something I think that is extremely honorable, and brave. I do believe without him that the world would be a completely different place then it is today.

1. Do you think that there would have been has many movement for people in poverty or for African Americans if there wasn’t a Martin Luther King. Why?

2. Do you think any body else had the potential to be another Martin Luther King and to lead like he did? If so who?

Erin D. - 6th Hour

CNN's website on James Earl Ray, Dr. King's assassin - http://www.cnn.com/US/9804/23/ray.obit/#1

Questions about the Memphis 1968 strike

This week, after watching the videos, we learned that not only were the adults involved with the Civil Rights movement but so were the younger people too. Everyone was so into the movement that they would do anything. Some worried that MLK's non-voilent protests were out dated by the late 60s and that the younger people wouldn't be able to protest that way. In Memphis in 1968, the march soon got out of hand and many people were injured.


Questions: Why do you think that the non-violent march suddenly turned into a violent riot so quickly? Also, what would you have done if you saw other people starting to turn to violence at a rally?



Kristin M. - 6th Hour

The Children's March

In class we learned about and watched a video (The Children's March) about the how kids started a chain reaction within the Civil Rights Movement. In the video, it showed how kids came from everywhere to march in the streets of Birmingham, Alabama. It also showed how the kids wanted to go to jail so they could help out in the movement of the black race. The march of all the kids were successful but unfortunately, a little later four little girls (under the age of 14) were killed in a bombing of the church were the march was born.

Even though it was a non-violent protest, what do you think would have happened if the police force of Birmingham decided to shoot and kill all (or even some) of the young protestors? How would that affect the city and its populaton? How would MLK's reputation have changed?

Ashley L. - 6th Hour

Why did the Panthers need the guns?

Watching the video about the Black Panthers on Wednesday, why do you think they chose to carry firearms if their ultimate goal was to promote equal constitutional rights for all African Americans? Even though they're an extremist group, they chose to promote violence rather than stop it. As President Kennedy mentioned in the video, "Violence only breeds more violence."

Also, why do you think they thought that they felt that they needed to carry those wepons in spite the fact that it was legal at the time?

Alex L. - 5th Hour

What would you do if you lived back then?

My question is:
If you were an African American living during the Civil Rights Movement, what would you have done? Would you have joined the movement, or would you be too afraid of going to jail? Do you think you might have partcipated in a sit-in or a march?

Kaitlyn - 6th Hour

Editor's note: If it were me, I would go to jail and break the unjust laws like Dr. King talked about in the "Letter from a B'ham City Jail". Unjust laws are against morality.

Has the dream been deferred?

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.


I have a dream today." – “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King jr.

Martin Luther King jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream" speech marked a major turning point for all those against racial injustice. Blacks everywhere spoke out against prejudice and racial injustices that were unconstitutional. They were slowly introduced to white society and became an integrated part of our nation. However, today we still encounter numerous instances of racism and injustice. Whether it be on the news or even just walking down the halls at school we find that though blacks are “created equal", they are still considered a minority by some. Even 40 years after MLK’s motivating speech, it seems that society has still not gotten things right.

Would you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
Anna B.

Could You Handle It?

Aston was wondering:

I am wondering what the African American kids that went to school in the white school system felt before the Brown vs. Board?

What would you have felt if you were discriminated against during school? Do you think you could handle what they went through?

Malcolm or Martin? Too much? Too little?

This week we talked about the segregation problems we had back then. We talked about how the civil rights leaders fought injustice not just for blacks but for every minority. Examples of leaders are MLK, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X.

Black Americans continued to protest and the fight against injustice in a non-violent way until Malcolm X came. The situation escalated to the point of black madness of Malcolm X. Do you think Malcolm X went too far? If so, why?
Do you think MLK did too little? Why or why not ?

What are some similarities between the two of them?

Gil C. - 5th Hr.

Build the Dream - National MLK Monument in D.C. - http://www.mlkmemorial.org/

The Official Website of Malcolm X - http://www.cmgworldwide.com/historic/malcolm/

Inequality in schools - what can be done?

Jeff K. asks:

Is it fair today that just like back then (before segregation) when the white schools were better than the blacks school to have the Private schools in the nation be better than the Public schools in the nation?

Is it fair that parents with more money or a higher standards of living can send their children to a school that offers maybe more classes, than parents with less money who can't afford to send their kids there?

Should all schools be the same as to what they offer for classes and what they teach? Should we get rid of the differences between these schools and give everyone a fair chance to succeed What do you believe should be done?

Questions about the Emmett Till case

I think its interesting that we are learning beyond Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. They are cool and all but we have been taught that since second grade.

With the civil rights video, "The Rage Within"... why did the grandfather (Mose Wright) let the white people take his grandchild from Chicago (Emmett) from him? (Emmett was later found dead in a lake).

Why did the jury find the obvious killers innocent? Was it to put even more of a message to blacks not that they should not break the rules of segregation? Or was it because the jury didn't really pay attention to the case and just sided with the white men?

Leah

_____________________________________________________________

One more from Mariah:

So many incidents occurred that were similar to the Emmett Till case in that the verdicts were injust and unfair. Why is it that most of the cases and occurrences that we have heard about and been taught about are only involving blacks when other minorities were also fighting for their rights? Was it because the other minorities didn't want to have to do the dirty work because they knew when the African-Americans recieved the rights they deserve all the other minorities were also entitled and would recieve then as well?