Artifacts

During the first semester of my freshman year at Ohio State, the most compelling and thought-provoking class I took was my Civil Rights/Black Power Movements class in the African and African-American Studies Department. Although I have always been passionate about human rights and learning about the civil rights movement in past history classes, I have realized that a significant amount of black history is neglected in textbooks. One of the recurring themes in the class comes from Frederick Douglass’s 1857 poem and the idea that “power concedes nothing without a demand.” Throughout history we tend to view racial protests as quick and instantaneous, when in reality, they take years if not decades to gain advances towards social change. After studying several racial movements and black leaders in the class, each successful gain toward progress was granted as a result of the struggle from a group of people. In other words, a social movement and fight for equality will not be successful if no one struggles throughout the process. This has been demonstrated throughout history with the number of black men and women who have been assaulted and killed trying to fight for their rights. Frederick Douglass’s poem is still extremely applicable to today’s world, and its message has developed my desire to find a career in which I can help the marginalized and has allowed me to be more empathetic towards minorities and those who are still deprived of their rights in society.

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