In Martin Luther King Jr’s writing, “A Letter From Birmingham”, he discusses many ideas around racism and the horrible ways he was treated as a person of color. After reading this piece, I wanted to focus in on the idea of how Martin Luther King Jr and other African American people stood their ground to combat racism. In this writing, he discusses the various ways of segregation between white and black people. Not only were African American people unfairly treated and segregated on the streets, but they were also mistreated in court. People of color constantly felt and still feel misunderstood and ignored.
It is important that as a country we listen to them and understand that we are all equal. It is also important that we look at the historical steps and achievements made by African American people. In 1954, “the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its verdict in Brown v. Board of Education, ruling unanimously that racial segregation in public schools violated the 14th Amendment’s mandate of equal protection of the laws of the U.S. Constitution to any person within its jurisdiction.” (Histoy.com, page #1) Another huge moment in black history was went sports began to no longer be segregated. Blacks at the Net is a source that singles in on tennis. “The black players and coaches of the 1940s and 1950s transformed professional tennis by opening doors for players of later generations. They challenged the racism in both the game and society in order to participate in an exclusive sport.” (Sundiata page #27) Protests, sit-ins, and march ins also caused huge changes in black history. For example, Recent U.S. protests have tackled various societal, economic, and political issues, evidence of the continuation of movements against patriarchy, racism, economic discrimination, and social injustice. Movement and protests in history all the way to modern day have sparked change in our system. Although we are not where we need to be with equal rights, each day is a step closer. It is important that we all come together to fight for equality and realize that we are all in this together.
Djata, Sundiata. Blacks at the Net: Black Achievement in the History of Tennis, Volume One. United Kingdom, Syracuse University Press, 2006.
History.com Editors. (2009, October 14). Black History Milestones: Timeline. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-milestones
Danielle K. Kilgo, S. (n.d.). Protests, Media Coverage, and a Hierarchy of Social Struggle – Danielle K. Kilgo, Summer Harlow, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2021, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1940161219853517
Hello, great work on your discussion. I was unaware of the Blacks at the Net movement for African Americans to be integrated into tennis. I would be very interested in learning more about this and about ways they fought for rights to participate in other sports as well.
Hi! I found your context presentation very interesting because I never thought about segregation within sports. Throughout my education about this topic, I learned about the Brown vs Board of Education, but never once did it cross my mind that sports were segregated too! I would also be very interested in learning more about Blacks at the Net! I know this was a movement that focused on tennis, but were there other movements that happened with other sports?
Nice work! I never thought the racial issues are so serious around the world since I am living in a country without any racial problems. But after reading your post, I think everyone should be treated equally. Because everyone has the same potency and no one is perfect. We should not judge others only depend on their skin color and try to eliminate discrimination between races.
Nice work! I never thought the racial issues are so serious around the world since I am living in a country without any racial problems. But after reading your post, I think everyone should be treated equally. Because everyone has the same potency and no one is perfect. We should not judge others only depend on their skin color and try to eliminate discrimination between races.
Nice job on your post! I thought you did a great job picking these historical situations, as well as explaining their significance in regards to the racial issues that they entail. The one that I thought was most interesting was when sports were no longer going to be segregated.
Hey, you did great job putting in a lot of factual evidence. I really enjoyed how you incorporated the whole society as a whole and how we need to work on this issue together. Many times people think it is not their problem, but if we all take a part helping overcome, it can be better achieved. The sports example about Tennis was very interesting, I did not know about this. I was always taught about the different movements like Rosa Parks, and all the bathroom/ drinking fountain segregations.
Great job! Loved reading more about this issues and hearing your viewpoint on it. I too agree that our country needs to do a better job at considering all people as equal, that is why Martin Luther King Jr. was so important because he advocated so heavily for these things. I also loved how you mentioned that yes, our country is still divided but we are making important and monumental steps to making it a better place, whether that be through protests or even more diversity within politics.
Nice work, Grace. Equality is something our nation has never needed more than right now, when you mention the moment in Black History about the removal of segreation in sports and how it opened up doors for current and future black players in the 50s, I began to think about all of the doors that have recently opened in a similar aspect. Kamala Harris is the first black and Asian American vice president, imagine all of the doors that are now open for these individuals now and for in the future. The 50s brought in the courage and ability for black tennis players to play tennis, and now, over 60 years later, we have Serena Williams, one of the greatest and most successful tennis players- who is black. So imagine the kind of leaders we will have in 60 years who are black, Kamala Harris is an example of someone who is both influential now, and for generations to come.
Thanks for this post! I was unaware of the movement to integrate sports, and it reminded me that many of the things we take for granted and consider normal today were once controlled by the injustice of racial segregation. I think this should push us to think about where society still treats people differently and do something about it. Like it was said in the letter, “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” and in response to calls to wait until a better time “this ‘wait’ has almost always meant ‘never’.” In your post you said “ it is important that as a country we listen to them and understand that we are all equal” I think that as a country we unfortunately are not all treated as equals yet. We should understand that we have to treat everyone as equal and fight for equal rights even if society doesn’t always see it that way.
Great post! I appreciated the inclusion of the integration of sports. This is something we should talk about more, as we wouldn’t want it to be forgotten how African Americans had to overcome so much in the on-going fight for equality. I also agree that we have a long ways to go before we reach a country that is truly equal for all types of people that reside within it.
Hello! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your context presentation. I agree that this country needs to work on understanding and recognizing that we are all equal, regardless of race and gender. The movement for the integration of sports was something I did not know previously, so I appreciate its addition to your context presentation. I feel its inclusion really emphasized the scale on which segregation truly affected essentially all aspects of life.
Hi! I really appreciated the way your post was written in a respectful, well-educated manner. I also liked how you recognized that America is trying to combat this racal injustice issue. I liked when you mentioned “Although we are not where we need to be with equal rights, each day is a step closer.” I really think it is important that we recognize our little victories!
I really enjoyed your context presentation. While we have made great strides towards equality, we still must realize there is much work to be done. Our country is deeply rooted in practices and ideologies that disenfranchise people of color. We need to continue to challenge these ideologies for the betterment of mankind. MLK paved the way, but we still have a long road ahead.
Always remember, “Silence is complicity.” If you see something, SAY something.
Well said! I enjoyed reading you post and think that you did a great job of summarizing specific historical events, which all support your main point of racial inequality. I enjoyed reading about the Blacks at the Net example, as I could indirectly relate. I was born and raised in a very diverse town and both my soccer and lacrosse teams consisted of individuals of all races/ ethnicities. I have always been a team player and always trusted the ability of my teammates, rather than creating a prejudice around their race. Together, we all worked as a team and did not let our differing races impact our success.
This is incredible work with how you presented the reading, it makes a straight forward and what is happening type of approach and see all viewpoints of staying your ground between segregation. As well for how we should treat each other as respectfully as we can within our community. As like you said through movements with one another is how we make a change to our society and fighting one step closer to equality.
I always find the protests from years past very fascinating! I was not aware of the protests and movements that happen so early in Tennis, and that was very exciting to learn. It’s very saddening to me that to this very day, 70+ years after all the legal battles, the world still has so many issues with racial injustice. I was lucky that I had teachers that really stressed how important the political leaders were and I was even luckier that I did my own research when I was younger. Hopefully in the future, children won’t have to be lucky to have these things happen to them, but they would just be guaranteed to have a good education on these subjects.
This is great, Grace! I love learning about smaller/less heard of movements that pushed for integration. I was not aware of Blacks at the Net. I think the existence of the organization is a testament to how deep racial tensions ran within American society in the 20th century. I think it’s also a testament to the great lengths African American leaders had to go to in order to achieve representation and integration. I also appreciate how you tied in movements we are seeing today like BLM. I too hope and work for a day where equality reigns.
Good work! I was unaware of many of the specific types of racism that you mentioned in your presentation. I also liked how you took multiple different perspectives on how segregation occurred during this period such as how you presented the segregation in every day life along with segregation from a sports perspective as well. Finally, I like how you provided a positive perspective, racism is still an issue even today, but every day is one step closer to eliminating it.
I think you are right and your example is very consistent with the actual situation. The status of blacks has gradually increased over time, but we have not completely eliminated the notion of racial discrimination in everyone’s minds. Because the concept of race has formed a stereotype in many people’s minds. We need more efforts to completely eliminate the concept of race.
Hello! This is a really interesting post! I wasn’t aware of Blacks at the Net and its connection to the desegregation of tennis. I think you bring up a good point about how it is important that we remember the movements and pushes we’ve made toward equality in the past, and that the fight is still very much ongoing today. Something I’ve found interesting is the images that are chosen to depict these movements, particularly in Dr. King’s case. Most often we see these images in black and white, and it was only recently that I found out that most of them were actually decolorized after the case to make these events appear to have happened a long time ago. Sharing and spreading these images in color has been an eye-opening step for me, because it is a good reminder that these this is still fairly recent.
I am glad that we had the opportunity to discuss Martin Luther King Jr’s writing in this class and discuss the depths of racism in different settings. I think you did a great job in summarising and bringing to light the important segments from the writing!
I felt a sense of pride and inspiration reading about what MLK and other activists sacrificed to stand their ground. Despite all the historical achievements, it is unfortunate that racism is still a raging issue today. However, I like that you ended on a positive note- “Although we are not where we need to be with equal rights, each day is a step closer.” I believe we will reach a point of no racism soon, and I hope to be alive for that.
Hi, I think you did a great job on this context presentation. Before this week, I never had a chance to really get to know about segregation during that period, and your post about segregation in sports brings up a point that i never realized. But what I know is that there should be no tolerance for racism, everyone is equal to each other and has the rights granted. And we should all come together to fight against racism to make the world a better one.
Great work! Racial discrimination is a very serious problem for a long time. I’m glad that you mention this topic. You also mentioned a lot of things that I didn’t realize before, like the fact that there is racism in sports. It’s hard to get rid of the prejudice in people’s minds, but we’ll keep trying. I believe that in many years, the race problem will disappear. We should treat each other as respectfully as we can within our community.
Hi! I enjoyed your post about Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail. Blacks at the Net is a program that I had never heard about. Reading this post made me realize that sports were also an important factor in fighting racism and fighting for civil rights in the 1950s and 60s. I liked how you compared this to current events in fighting for equality, and against racism. Although it is true that there have been improvements, we still need to make changes in order to reach true equality for all citizens. What would you do to end the systemic racism that is present in our society?
Great job on your presentation! Martin Luther King’s letter was instrumental in his movement for civil rights. The Blacks at the Net program was a great example of racism being fought in a different area than we typically hear from. Representation for everyone in every area, including sports, is extremely important. Thank you for connecting what MLK and so many others did generations ago to current protests today.
Good job on the presentation, you did a very good job explaining the ramifications of racism as well as Martin Luther King’s influence on ending segregation. I never knew about Blacks at the Net and the way the helped to end segregation in Tennis as well as sports as a whole, you did a great job explaining their impact in that aspect of racism.
Really great job on your post! I love how you included the importance of protests, sit ins, and marches. Considering the recent events of our country, which included protests and marches for black lives matter, this is more important now than it has been in a while. Unfortunately, while these protests were taking place, I heard a lot of negative talk about them. A lot of people were saying that nothing would be accomplished from these protests. My answer to them is this; look at history. So much has been accomplished in the past for black lives and the fight for equality by protests. It historically has worked, so I hope we continue to advance.
Loved your post! I think this is still very prominent and important today, with the Black Lives Matter movement and fight for equal rights still going on. History repeats itself! I have always been interested in the Civil Rights movement, but I never really learned about the desegregation of sports. I liked how you tied the movement to the events occurring today. Very interesting post!!
Well done on the post. I like how you focused on a goal of unifying society to try and tackle this issue as a community effort. There are aspects of America that can be improved if we collectively acknowledge there is room for improvement and put in the effort to change the norm and head towards equality. Also, I was not aware of the blacks and nets story. It surprised me that when sports were being protested that the players used similar tactics that were used with the diner sit-ins and protests during the civil rights movement. Thanks for teaching me something new.
Hi, Great post! I completely agree with everything that you said and agree that everyday is a step closer! However, I’d be interested to hear your opinion on what kind of timeline you think is reasonably for the injustices to be completely fizzled out. To me it kinda just seems like we have to wait until these older generations that control the politics and law pass until we are able to see real change. I feel like this is something that is right on the cusp because a lot of younger generations have always grown up in/around a mix of cultures. Thanks for sharing!
Hi! I thought your response was thought out very well. I remember asking my Grandma about her childhood and how racism was when she was growing up. She told me they would have water fountains that were labeled “white” or “colored.” For me, it is very hard to think that our world was so different. I often wonder if I would have thought that having separate bathrooms, schools and even seats on the bus would be odd if I lived during that time. I am so grateful for the improvement of our society today. There is still room to grow, however where we are now is so much better than what was happening in the 40s.
Hello. As an African American man in America, it feels great to see people begin to come together as one and unite, although we have much more ground to gain on this journey to a truly equal America. I like the points you made about African Americans standing their ground, I very much agree. Wouldn’t it just be easier for the Martin Luther King Jr’s of the world to just spare their own lives and quit on their dreams? Yes, it would be easier, but instead they decided the freedom of their people was worth dying for. Im sure if Martin Luther King Jr was alive today, he would do it again!
In my opinion, though it is now a modern society bouned by law, the phenomena of discriminaiton is still a huge problem in the society, there are still many violent event happened on the black people, especially many policemen treat black people different from the others. Moreover, the huge difference between males and females can also be identified as systemetic injustice. Since a long time ago, women started to have lower social status than men, and nowadays, this has become a huge social problem and is difficult to be solved. No matter what the injustice is about, people should gather and try the best to solve such injustice.
This is a super interesting post, I had no idea the sport of tennis contributed to the Civil Rights movements. Typically we hear about basketball, baseball, or football, so it was good to see a different perspective. I also like how you tied overall equality to racial equality, because it is important that we also strive for gender equality, sexual orientation equality, and equality in general. The advances in racial equality over the years have also contributed towards the equality of others, which further signifies the importance of general equality.
Hi!
This is very interesting for me! I’m from China and I don’t know much about the racial problems in the US. Now I have a better understanding! This is very useful for me.
Thank you so much for sharing, it’s great! Your summary and wording methods are very accurate, and you also mentioned some more practical examples to help me understand better. And I really like what you mentioned that we should accept and actively choose to listen to the views of oppressed people. This is very important. Because this is also the real core of the liberal democracy pursued by the United States. We need to constantly revise ourselves in the course of history to gain true democracy and freedom.
Hello! Great job with the presentation, truly incredible! I like what you had brought up about racism in different countries. Sometimes it’s easy to be closed minded to the problems of other areas when all we typically see in the news is within our own state or nation. It was nice to be able to see a different perspective. I agree with everything that you talk about. I really like what you said about giving the oppressed a stage to express what they had gone through. Because if people do not understand the injustice how can they work to change if! Again great presentation!