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Society’s struggles 1
 Running head: SOCIETY’S STRUGGLESCommunication is Key: Society’s Struggles Are No SecretChristine N. RodriguezHialeah Gardens High SchoolEnglish I Honors – Period 6
 
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“Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy and transform our pending nationalelegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood.” Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963) spoke these movingwords in his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (p. 2). Even though he wrote this in the 1960’s, ashe was striving for the rights of African Americans and for a peaceful country, it still pertains tous now. This message is especially relevant today because American brothers and sisters, of allcolors and backgrounds, have elected its first African American president. We have come along way in this country, but the road has not been easy. It has been long and bumpy to say theleast. Black people have experienced constant strife often due to the white man’s need for power and disregard for mankind. From slavery to segregation, African Americans have had deal with pain and suffering, as well as a loss of freedom and family. These obstacles are often found inhistory books and literature, which paints a sad picture of how dreadful it was for the black community. For example, the hurdles African Americans have faced are explained in Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees (2002). Though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was meant to pavethe road and provide rights to black Americans, the author reveals the African Americans’ongoing struggle with registering to vote, racial tension and desegregation.In the 1960’s, one of the greatest difficulties for African Americans was registering to vote.Something that was a basic right for white people seemed to be a constant struggle for black  people. It is obvious that it was a challenge because less than ten percent of African Americansfrom the South had registered to vote. “White officials used all kinds of devices to keep blacksfrom voting, including literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather clauses, intimidation and violence”(Benson, 2004). Innocent people were brutally and senselessly murdered while registering. InThe Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd describes this problem through Lily’s description of national events, as well as Rosaleen’s attempts to register. Lily shares with the reader that the
 
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night before Rosaleen goes on her quest to vote, a man in Mississippi is killed while trying toobtain his voter’s card. The author also describes the African Americans’ strife through theevents that occur with Rosaleen, a black woman. Lily shares with the reader that she hasoverheard the deacon telling T-Ray that black people will be refused a card if they “forget somuch as a dot on an i or make a loop in their y” (p. 27). As a result, Rosaleen spends countlesshours practicing her cursive to likely be denied a card and her right to vote. This event in thenovel resembles the strife dictated in history books about blacks registering to vote. What is sadis white people did not have to jump through the same hoops to register, which was very unfair.Because they believed in their rights, African Americans would not give in. Millions took to thestreets in the south to host massive demonstrations. The black folks of this era had the sameunrelenting spirit as Rosaleen, which is a strong statement about their ability to overcome anyobstacle.Racial tension was a major struggle the black society faced during the Civil Rights Era. From peaceful marches to visits to the movies, white people, mobs, and policemen often harassed black Americans. A peaceful march or bus ride by black activists was often spoiled by violenceand brutality. In Alabama, a busload of black people was firebombed and many were injured asthey rode to peacefully protest. Moreover, police officers, who were meant to protect citizens,turned their dogs, weapons and nightsticks on protesters. They even went so far to use powerfulwater hoses to hold black people back and keep them from protesting. This conflict in Selma,Alabama included the murders of both black and white Americans as they worked together to bring about positive change. It was so horrific, the incident is now known as Bloody Sunday.In The Secret Life of Bees, Rosaleen and Zach and his friends deal with similar tension andviolence. Though no one is murdered in the novel, their struggle to vote and peacefully walk the
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