Plessy Vs Ferguson

Son, imagine a world where you had to fight for your basic rights, where you were stigmatized as inferior, and where you were segregated in every domain of your life all because of your darker complexion. Boy, you were a former slave so you know the difficulties and derision of being born in a time like that. Listen here son, the state of Louisiana during the Reconstruction Era had established various laws that codified inequality and racial disparities, but Plessy v. Ferguson was a significant stride toward washing away racial injustice. Plessy v. Ferguson may have proved to be a major setback to the Civil Rights Movement for an extended time, but the battle we fought for equal rights was not lost or worthless. It was not the result of the …show more content…
We were excluded from the Chicago Fair and forbidden to exhibit our talents and achievements. This exclusion contributed to our already growing anger and humiliation. However, this anger provoked us to speak out against the injustice. Our great leader Douglas criticized the whites for setting others to a standard they could not follow themselves. He further contended the white onlooker’s behavior explicitly contravened the basic American principle of a democratic system because it was largely inconsistent with the inherent beliefs of justice, equality, and freedom. So you see, son, this open segregation enticed us to raise our voice; otherwise, we may have stayed submissive and docile. Being barred from everything hurt our pride and amplified our resentment. In addition, we were the target of increasing advertisements in which we were portrayed as violent, threatening, and predatory. The whites even characterized us as having globular heads and altered speech. Again, my sweet boy, this openness of unfairness and the consistent defamation of character inspired us to contradict these …show more content…
The whites asserted that the problem lied not in them, but in our own personal character and only self-help would achieve racial progress. We became actively involved in our battle for equal rights and liberation. My sweet boy, we knew to create schools, churches, and institutions in which the courage to challenge white supremacy would emerge. In order to challenge the authority, we had to establish our own identity. Our churches were not only a place of worship, but a place to train, inspire, and dream of a better America. We were viewed as barbaric and hostile, and in order to contradict those stereotypes, we had to establish a peaceful foundation first. Our leaders encouraged us to acquire survival skills and education that would make it utterly impossible for whites to deny us our rights and freedom. If Plessy had not confronted authority, we may still be passive, scared, and intimidated. Instead, we portrayed our resistance to slavery by disobedience, by running away, faking illnesses, and doing mediocre work. This was our way of confronting our employer who were obstructions in our fight for equality. My boy, we knew this was outright rebellion, and condemning slavery would only provoke the whites to seek vengeance, but the fight itself was worth

Show More