Race Riots: Rosewood and Black Wall Street

Destinee Williams 

Ms. Robertson

Race Riots: Rosewood and Black Wall Street

1.      What were the two distinctions about Greenwood that may have made its neighbors envious?

·      Greenwood had indoor pluming and a fantastic school system that highly educated African American children

2.      Based on what we have learned about Africa why do you think Greenwood was nicknamed “Little Africa”?

·      There were many high achieving African Americans coming out of Greenwood which is why they began to call it “Little Africa”

3.      Although we have not learned about Wall Street why do you think Greenwood was called “Black Wall Street?” Is there another place today in the United States that could possibly be nicknamed “Black Wall Street?”

·      The Tulsa Race Riot was one of the main reasons they began to call Greenwood “Black Wall street” and because there were many historical accomplishments that occurred there.

4.     How did the National Guard respond to the massacre? 

·      They arrested and detained 6,000 black Tulsans who were released only upon being vouched for by white employers and citizens.

5.     How did the interviewees remember the Greenwood community before the massacre?

·      It was one of America’s wealthiest boomtowns.  If you wanted to build your business, Greenwood was the place to do it; everyone had they’re own business and was making money.

6.     What was the name of the man who “assaulted” the white woman? How does this lynching compare to the others we have read about?

·      Dick Rolland was convicted of assaulting the white women.  This does no compare to the other lynching because normally the blacks never did fight back.

7.     What did the interviewees remember the actual day of the massacre?

·      Everything was in flames, they can see the smoke and hear the gunshots everywhere. Everyone was feared for his or her lives.  All blocks were destroyed and more than 5,000 blacks were left homeless.

8.     What do you think it took so many years to “uncover” Rosewood?

·       

9.     How did Ms. Minnie Lee remember the Rosewood Massacre?

·      She remembered everything just burning down.

10. What incident caused the massacre?

·      Fanny Taylor screamed for help telling people a black man had entered her home and rapped her.

11. According to Mr. Fred Kirklin how many man joined the mob? What did they do to those running out of houses?

·      The mob had returned as thousands.  They would shoot everyone that would run outside of the house.

12. How was John Wright remembered? Who was he?

·      Owned the general store and was a hero.  He opened his home to many of the children and women who were hiding from the mob.  Luckily he was capable of getting a message out to the railroad companies say “the town is on fire, send a train”

13. Why do you think Ms. Minnie Lee never told her family about Rosewood?

·      It brings back too many bad memories.  She didn’t want them to know her struggle and how she has come along.

14. How did the Greenwood community respond to the massacre? How do you think they were able to find the strength to move forward?

·      They responded, as would any other person who would have come across this horrible experience.  I feel that with God and faith by their side they were able to overcome the horror and move forward with their lives.

Eyes on the Prize

Destinee Williams  

Ms. Robertson

Eyes on the Prize

1.      What did John Lewis say about the way the students dressed and the manner in which they entered the sit-ins? Why do you think they were so particular?

·      The students were dressed like they were on their way to church and entered in a very professional manner.   Being that they were black they must carry themselves like this in order to look well educated and credible.

2.      How did Black communities support students who protested?

·      They began to unite behind the students.  Black merchants supplied food for those in jail and homeowners put up property for bail money.

3.      What was the “negro buying power” in 1960? How did the African Americans in Nashville use money to create change? 

·      Negro buying power was the amount of money blacks had spent buying things from white businesses, evidently keeping them in business.  They stopped supporting these businesses buy not shopping in the downtown stores in so that their company would receive pressure to change their rules and regulations.

4.      How did boycotters respond to African Americans who tried to shop at white owned stores? What are your thoughts on their methods?

·      They would snatch bags and things away from them, letting them fall on the ground and demanding them to stay out of town.  I think these were suitable methods because they needed to get their point across someway somehow.

5.      What is SNCC (pronounced Snick)? How did it start? What was Ella Baker’s advice to the students? Why?

·      SNCC is a student nonviolent coordinating committee.  Over 200 students attended an organizing conference and later met under the sponsorship of the southern Christian leadership conference.  She had advised them to stay independent of adult organizations because she felt the students should maintain control of their own organization.

6.      How did President Kennedy’s assistance to the King’s affect him politically?

·      Kennedy’s call to the judge to get King out of jail gained him much political support from blacks, leading him to barely win the election.

7.      What was the purpose of the Freedom Riders?

·      The purpose of the Freedom Riders was to easily point out the racist people in the south to create a crisis so that government would be compelled to enforce federal law.

8.      How did the mob react to white involvement in the Freedom Riders?

·      A mob fire bombed the lead bus and blocked the exits.  The second bus was met in Birmingham by a mob of clansmen and beat freedom rider Jim Peck.

9.      How did Dr. King and the First Baptist Church respond to attacks? 

·      He made a speech to the public which stated that they should remain calm and not panic.  To stand up for what they know is right and that is freedom.  Remain as one and stand together.

AMH

Destinee Williams

African American Soldiers In World War II Helped Pave Way for Integration of US Military

1. In 1941 African-Americans soldiers proved themselves to the government that they could perform tasks on the same level as white soldiers.

2. It meant victory against the enemy aboard and the enemy at home

3.  During World War II blacks were not aloud to fight on the front line, by the Vietnam War they were.

4.  They had to prove themselves because they were the first black pilots that were protecting Caucasians. 

3 Women Red Tails Left Out

1. With Dr. Bethune being the head of NYA she was able to convince people to hear what she was trying to do for African Americans with aspirations of becoming a pilot.

2. Willa Beatrice Brown she helped prove that black service men earned the equal treatment that they deserved as loyal Americans.

3. Eleanor Roosevelt rode with a black pilot on a plane.

4. These women have been left out of history because they were women let alone black women and around that time blacks and women had no type of authority. They definitely weren't going to give a woman recognition for a movement like this.

Standing Tall on Giant Shoulders: Dovey Johnson Roundtree and her Debt to Mary McLeod Bethune

1. Round Tree met her as a young adult, newly arrived in Washington, D.C. and looking for federal employment after her graduation from Spelman college and 3 years of teaching.

2. Dr. Bethune felt strongly of them that she enlisted her closest political ally, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in the fight to bring black women into the first class of WAAC officers.

3. Dr. Bethune took the African Americans side and First Lady Roosevelt took the opposing side.4. The past 40 years from the time of Mary's death in 1955 to the time Round Tree retired in 1996, she served as general counsel, pro bono, to the National Council of Negro Women, the organization Dr. Bethune founded. Whenever and wherever she spoke she invoked Dr. Bethune's name.

5. Dr .Bethune's impact on Round Tree was she taught her to be an office assistant also by taking her place in the WAAC.

Marcus Garvey

Destinee Williams

October 20, 13

Marcus Garvey Mini Bio Questions

1. Marcus Garvey influenced Malcom X, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandella.

2. Some of the ideals of the U.N.I.A. were about black self-determination.  It was important to get blacks to take pride in ones race.

3. The Black Star Line was a shipping company that he planned to use to transport passengers back to Africa.

4. Garvey would support white supremacist’s who wanted Blacks to return to Africa because he wanted to help blacks get on their feet and build their own individuality.

Harlem 1900-1940

6. “Capital of the Negro World” a.k.a. Harlem, some of the major similarities between the Harlem and “Black Wall Street” were that blacks hustled and did all they could to rebuild themselves. It was a striving black community.

7. The Negro World was a weekly newspaper that was the voice for UNIA. The Garvey Movement/UNIA were similar to the NAACP because they were both political movements for the rights of Africans.  “If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.” If one does not have certainty in themselves no one else will see it in them either. “With confidence, you have won before you have started.” With confidence you are giving yourself a chance, which is half the battle therefore, you’ve already won. Without confidence you are giving yourself no chance, therefore you have failed.

8. The role of children in the march was take stand for themselves. Their banners read "Mother, do lynchers go to heaven?" "Mr. President, why not make America safe for democracy?" Children would want to be involved in the protest because they were just as affected as adults.

9. Similarities between Jack Johnson and Muhammed Ali were that they were both very legendary in boxing. The article says the “great white hope” was to take the title away from him.  After boxing Johnson opened his own supper club “Club Deluxe” in Harlem.

10. The New York Black Yankee’s played from 1936-1948. The team founded in Harlem. The team seemed to handle their hectic schedule by punishing. Although Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was a financier of the team he was best known for a tap dancer and an actor in films.