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We Hold These
Truths
By
Stefanie Dao
“We hold these
truths to be self-evident
That
all men are created equal”...
These words have
been etched in America’s heart
Since
the day that she was born.
Yet when it came
to accepting others
This
exceptional phrase seemed to fail.
People were
demanded to be kept apart
Only
because of their heritage and legacy.
When this
problem reached the highest
Of all
courts in the nation
The people
decided to keep all
“Separate but equal.”
But there is no
way in our country
For
equality to exist
If we are all
forever to be kept separate
From
each other.
Many years from
that day in history
The
fight reached a turning point,
And it was
concluded that schools
Can
never be “separate” and “equal”.
Slowly, slowly,
over the years
Things
began to change.
And the world
that we know today
Started to take shape.
Had those people
in the past
Never
fought their war
The future would
be separated
And
equality would not be true.
For the children
of our homeland now
To be
with people of other races is natural.
Our outsides may
be different
But
our hearts remain the same.
Thurgood
Marshall
By Gaby Anaya
African-American
people were sad.
This guy got
mad.
His name was
Thurgood Marshall and he believed
That everyone
should be treated with equality.
He was a lawyer
and he wanted to
Stop segregation
at schools and everywhere.
Some whites
thought the way the blacks were treated was fair.
Mr. Marshall
didn’t care.
He beat them in
the courtroom in the Brown vs. Board of Education case.
He made sure no
one was discriminated because of their race.
He proved that
African-American kids felt inferior by placing
Two dolls in
front of them, one black and one white.
The girls chose
the white.
Of course
Thurgood was right.
He beat the
system but he did it
Without blood or
a fight.
No More
Segregation
by Trenise
Collier
People, people
please listen up,
The United
States has really messed up.
They’ve
separated children in school because of their skin.
This really
isn’t the way the future should begin.
I’m trying to
tell you this is unconstitutional.
Don’t you
understand, segregation is not crucial.
I have an idea
that sounds pretty good,
Get Brown to the
Supreme Court, she’ll do what the rest of us should.
Dr. Clark
understood, that children were rejecting their own race.
The court then
agreed that this was a huge disgrace.
Now in 2004,
we’re understanding much more,
That segregating
schools was something we shouldn’t have done before.
Equality
By Matt
Thompson
Equality.
Everyone is equal.
Equality.
No more segregation!
Equality.
We are all one.
Equality.
The government gives justice to all.
Equality.
Everyone has dignity.
Equality.
It is like we are free forever!
Equality.
We all have rights and responsibilities.
Equality.
It’s kind of like a dove created equality along with peace.
Equality.
It is the sweetest thing to have ever happened, like eight equal
slices of apple pie.
Walking
By Buffy
Jamison
Walking down
that road, that bumpy road, never giving up.
At first you’re
strolling along with not a care in the world.
The sun is
shining, the breeze is sweet, then all of a sudden
you see a nice
restaurant and you start to get hungry.
You want to
go in and eat, but you can’t, it’s the law, and
it feels like
you’ve just slipped and fallen into a puddle of shame and anger,
but you get back
up and you walk, walk, walk towards the freedom.
You keep
walking and walking and you meet a friend on the way,
but only for a
short while, then you’re on your own again.
Others are
doing the same thing although you don’t realize it,
they’re walking,
walking, walking towards the peace.
By yourself,
but not really alone, one in all and up against the law,
fighting,
fighting, walking, walking, walking towards the justice.
The friend
you thought had left joins you again
only this time
with a few more friends.
More and
more people and more and more friends, more and more
of you walk, and
you’re striving, striving, striving for your rights.
One by one,
hundred by hundred, thousand by thousand,
you are joined.
The walk
turns into a march, and you start to sing together
full of hope,
peace, and heart.
Knowing in
your hearts that you are right together, you are
strong together,
you are one together, as you march together,
you’re marching,
marching, marching, marching towards equality.
It has been
long and you are tired but you hold your patience,
unknowing your
journey is almost over.
You stop and
you speak, you speak in every which way. With
passion, with
power, without fear, without hate, you wait and you wait.
Then you
speak, and speak again, when finally, you are heard,
you’ve gained
your freedom, you’ve gained your peace, you’ve
gained your
justice, you’ve gained your well-earned rights,
you have your
equality.
We’ve won,
we’ve won, we have won our equality. This is our
right, this is
our freedom, this is our democracy, this is
equality.
The Fight for
Our Rights
by Bryne
Berry
Together
That’s what we were meant to be
Not locked behind closed doors
To fight to be free.
The right to fight
The injustices of a cruel land
Like a distant traveler
Caught in the deep quicksand.
Girl
Linda Brown
Went to school
one day
To walk up the
steps
And then only to
be turned away
To be turned
away from a right
Because of the
color of your skin
That did matter
if you were black or white.
Man
Thurgood
Marshall walked up
To the Supreme
Court
He stood there
proud
As a jester
presenting to the King’s court.
He asked to be
heard.
His voice so
loud and deep.
The passion in
his voice
Let no one fall
asleep.
Freedom
Heard he was
For he had
persuaded the judges
And thus had
won.
Now we all have
the choice
To choose which
schools to be
With thanks to
Linda Brown
And Thurgood
Marshall, now the king.
Segregation
by Stefan
Behrendsen
Across the years
and many times,
Segregation’s been the crime.
A big thick wall
going upward for miles
The people
on both sides face many trials.
Although many
people have fought,
They cannot
win, or so they thought,
But then there
came a man called Thurgood,
Who
throughout segregation has stood
A target of
aggressors’ anger,
But he
wasn’t in a lot of danger.
He decided law
was the way to go,
In his
mind, justice wasn’t so — so.
For civil rights
he worked hard.
With many
segregators he sparred.
There was a big
case he decided to take,
For
segregation he hoped to break
To stop people
from feeling inferior,
And halt
segregators being superior.
The case he won
by way of law.
It left
many people watching in awe.
Although a black
was Thurgood Marshall,
His victory
was not partial.
Supreme Court
Justice he became.
No other
event will be the same.
So when you’re
outside some day
And watch
many races able to play,
Remember why
segregation is gone to stay.
Equality
by Kelcey
Nichols
Linda went to
court
With twelve
families.
They went to
court,
To win equality
by law.
Though many did
not like it,
They ended
segregation.
Now the schools
are integrated,
With children of
all colors.
All of this
because twelve families
Stood up against
wrong.
They walked out
of the courtroom,
Their smiles a
mile wide.
People
nation-wide cheering
Because they won
equality by law.
Steps to
Equality
By Chalissa Wilson
There was a
need.
In
the beginning, man created racism and discrimination.
Hatred bubbled like a boiling pot in the hearts of
Americans.
There was a
fight.
Weary from the
struggle, blacks no longer tolerated being mistreated.
Something had to
be done.
There was a
change.
The passed law
was a veil of equality over segregation. Still, hearts and
minds had
to be renewed.
There was a
victory.
Now America
strives for equality:
Freedom,
opportunity, and justice... for all. |
