Aguirre and Turner want to say that every one has its own ways to face difficulty in life especially the member who receive unfairly treatment of racial
discrimination. Those ways brings them to still make the best in various situation.
C. Review of the History of African American in the 1960s
The story of African American was unforgettable one. In beginning, African Americans were brought to United States as slaves. As Black women, the
beginning history was very difficult. Angela Y. Davis in her book Women, Race and Class states:
Black women were women indeed, but their experiences during slavery- hard work with their men, equality within the family, resistance, floggings
and rape- had encouraged them to develop certain personality traits which set them apart from most white women 1983: 27.
From the quotation above it is known that the position of black women and black men were same in during the slavery. As time passed, women also did resistances
to get their rigths. Interestingly, the position of women to struggle for black rights was
strong because the Black woman’s sense of community was a powerful force in this time of crisis Hine and Thompson, 1998: 268. There were more women
in the movement than men in the years before 1964. Some of women were inspired to join the community because of their friend or family around them. In
other words, community holds an important role to their resistance toward racial discrimination at that time. Such difficult and worse thing brought them to make
black community. This community makes them together to face all crucial things to get their rights.
Black women in the 1930s and 1960s knew how to organize, were accustomed to working together, and felt a strong kinship with members of
the community beyond their immediate families, the church and
community in which they had been involved for two centuries and especially in the sixty years before the Civil Rights Movement- made them
ideal political activists Hine and Thompson, 1998: 267.
This period also become the first step for them to get freedom. Cashmore states:
On December, 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, refused to give up her seat to white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her action was
to prompt changes of monumental proportions in the condition of blacks in the Use. It provided the impetus for the most influential social movement
in the history of North American race and ethnic relations. That was the beginning of Civil Rights Movement in United States. Her attitude brought
protest from black community in that time. Almost people in the world who concern to racial discrimination that Black people faced in the past
know Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. He became leader of black community and could mobilize grassroots black protest and was made to mount a
sustained campaign of black protest 2004: 81.
As time passed, some black women were found their way to get freedom. One by one began to appear and to show their skill and power. There were some who
successes in business, politics, the arts etc. History written some Black women who had been fighting for so long to
change the racism face of America. Women were also leaders, playing key roles in initiating protests, mapping out strategies, and mobilizing
necessary resources. They were Ella Baker, Rosa Parks, Daisy Bates and Diane Nash Bevel. These women and others had kept the issue at the
forefront of the American consciousness and conscience. Finally, their effort was success. The federal government started to catch up, passing the
Civil rights act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 Hine and Thompson, 1998: 283.
From the history above, it can be known that it was only a matter of time
until African America was accepted by Americans. Black women showed their ability even though was not direct. Those black women like Ella Baker and Rosa
were just some names from million names of African American women who had been struggle. Their successes in some aspect like business, politics, professions
and arts leads Americans to realize that they also have a power.
