African-American's: Enslavement, Racial Violence & Civil Rights

After reading through the posted articles and websites for this weeks reading, it was shocking to read about lynching or racial segregation during the 18th and 19th century, which isn't too long ago. While some of the passages were a slave narrative, and others were abolitionists like Angelina Grimke or a civil rights leader like Ida B Wells, all have some things at least one common characteristic: discrimination against African-American, mainly because of their "skin color" and rose from the birth of slavery between the 15th-16th Century.

While much of these first few readings was not really "new" information as most of it is learned through out general schooling. What was very interesting to me was the more recent occurrences of forms of lynching. Although lynching is a felony, it seems that in some towns or places where there is still racial tension and a form of segregation, hate crime occur.

While reading the article about Brandon McClelland in 2008, was shocking as it was one of the more recent incidents. By reading the article and developing my own opinion on the article I feel as though there was some type of racial tension even though the article states,"they were friends".

I was also shocked to hear that a defense attorney in Texas had previously let Mr. Finley "off" by believing his story.

The article states:

"In 2003, Lamar County D.A. Gary Young served as Mr. Finley’s court-appointed defense attorney when Mr. Finley pleaded guilty to manslaughter for shooting a friend to death.
The victim in the Finley manslaughter case was White and Mr. Finely told police he was sitting in a truck with his friend when two Black men tried to rob them. Mr. Finley said he fired at the robbers but accidentally shot his friend. An autopsy determined the victim suffered three gunshot wounds to the head, but the district attorney at the time accepted Mr. Finley’s story that the shooting was an accident. He was offered a plea bargain on a reduced manslaughter charge and eventually served a little over a year of a four-year prison sentence. The alleged robbers were never found."

This quote from the article sound like the story given, wasn't the complete truth. it seems as though the killer, Mr Finley,  got off "free" with barely a "slap on the wrist".

It seems as though the views of these people in these parts where its still racially divided have swayed decisions when it come to"hate crimes" and it doesn't seem like there is a fair neutral way for African Americas to get equal justice to the "whites" in those areas.

Coming to America: Chapters 7 & 8

While both chapters were very interesting to see the push, pull, means, and types of jobs many of these immigrant had. Another thing that i found interesting was the little communities each group made for themselves as a way to become comfortable to their new surrounding in America with familiar languages, traditions and even familiar people.

I was especially interested in the story about the Italian immigrants since I am half Japanese and half Italian. I am very close with my grandparents on my mothers side (Japanese) but was only able to know my grandmother on my fathers side (Italian) since my grandfather passed away when my father was only 20 years old. Since my father's mother passed away a little over 7 years ago, I was still very young and didn't know that they had an amazing immigration story as well. Although I will never know the entire immigration story from either of my grandparents there are a few detail of their story that I have heard from my great-grandmother since she lived until she was 95 years old.

My great-grandfather and great-grandmother were married and both came from Sicily. They moved to New Jersey then eventually moved to Pennsylvania because of the Italian community there and their friends had moved there a few years prior.  Once settled in in PA, my great-grandfather was a tailor and a shoemaker and had his own shop. My great-grandmother helped him run the family business which was in a building in which they lived on top of their shop. The eventually had son, which was my grandfather and raised him there since their business was a success.When my grandfather got old enough he helped in the shop before and after school. My great-grandmother Jenny also told me about a story when she was at the shop alone one day preparing food for dinner in the afternoon and my great-grandfather and grandfather were both out running an errand. Since their business was successful they were very wealthy and was the only shop with and "open" sign in their window. That day a police officer showed up to the shop and told my great-grandmother, "you know, those signs aren't allowed to be posted without paying a fee.. its gonna cost ya!". So my great-grandmother, with her spunky attitude tells the officer to, "Come around the back". As she met the officer she handed him a white envelope. I was eager to hear how much money she gave him but the response I got was, "I only gave him $5... its not like he was gonna tell anyone... I know that officer was tryin' to trick me so I sent him on his way and never heard back from him!"

Remembering this story makes me think of how many other officers around America might have been doing the same thing to "newer" immigrants to find ways to take advantage of them or try to scare them. This seems like it would have been a common practice for "old" immigrants or people in high job positions maybe of British decent.