He Had a Dream

1. He Had a Dream Loren Hill-McVein, Mary Esparza, Jenine Wolfe, Amanda Ellerbee, Laura West

2. History of the Struggle... An important part of moving forward is remembering the struggles of the past. We still struggle with reminders, going back hundreds of years, of Institutionalized Racism as obstacles to achieving the American Dream.

3. Milestones in African American History 1619 - First slave arrives in the United States 1780 - Pennsylvania becomes the first state to abolish slavery 1807 - Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves 1839 - Slaves revolt on La Amistad (one of many historical revolts) 1849 - Harriet Tubman escapes slavery and begins the Underground Railroad 1863 - Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect 1865 - 13th Amendment prohibits slavery 1876 - Jim Crow Laws are passed in the South (segregation laws - separate but “equal”) 1909 - NAACP is formed 1925-1949 - Harlem Renaissance 1951 - Brown v. Board of Education (desegregation of schools) 1955 - Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on the bus 1963 - March on Washington - “I Have a Dream” Speech 1964 - Civil Rights Act

4. Music and Poetry are also used to both Educate and Protest Injustice Strange Fruitby Billie Holiday (1939) “Southern trees bear a strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.” Tennesseeby Arrested Development (1992) “Down and out, losing ground Although I am Black and proud Problems got me pessimistic Brothers and sisters keep messin up Why does it have to be so damn tough…” “Where the ghost of childhood haunts me Walk the roads my forefathers walked Climbed the trees my forefathers hung from Ask those trees for all their wisdom”

5. David and Goliath The Underdog CAN be Triumphant Wyatt Walker - Ch. 6 “burn forever…” “The trickster is not a trickster by nature. He is a trickster by necessity.” “We got to use what we got.” “A little Brer Rabbit trickery.”

6. But with every two steps forward, there is often one step back. Progress has not come easy. It has been painful and frequently even deadly.

7. The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952) “I am an invisible man. . . .The point now is that I found a home -- or a hole in the ground, as you will . . . My hole is warm and full of light. Yes, full of light . . . And I love light. Perhaps you’ll think it strange that an invisible man should need light, desire light. Light confirms my reality, gives birth to my form . . . In my hole in the basement.” “After Invisible Man” by Jeff Hall

8. Rhetorical Appeals Leave Lasting Impressions on the Listener “Education, Students, and the Youth…” - Malcolm X “With0ut education, you’re not going anywhere in this world.” “Education is our passport to the future, but tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” “ A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.” “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

9. Riveting Scenes in Books, Plays and Movies Captivate Audiences and Make Us Ask Questions A Raisin in the Sun (1959 / 1961 & 2008) To Kill a Mockingbird (1960/1962) Roots (1976/1977) The Color Purple (1982/1985) Glory (no book / 1989) Get on the Bus (no book / 1996) Amistad (no book / 1997) The Help (2009 / 2011) The Butler (2013 / 2013) 12 Years a Slave (1853 / 2013) The Jackie Robinson Story (no book / 2013) Fruitvale Station (no book / 2013)

10. The Talk MUST Continue...

11. There Can No Longer Be Excuses “Racial Bias Begins in Preschool” editorial by Leonard Pitts Jr. Fact: “...black kids make up about 18% of those attending preschool, but they account for 42% of those who are suspended.” Questions: “Are schools routinely bending little black boys and girls toward failure?” “How can we fix this, build a society in which every one of our children is encouraged to stretch for the outermost limits of his or her potential?”

12. “There is no more neutrality in the world. If you’re not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem.' - Eldridge Cleaver

13. Works Cited