Read the excerpt from Warriors Don't Cry.Those matches were big events in my life because we traveled downtown to the Robinson Auditorium, a place usually reserved for white people only. Those were the times when I got to go outside my neighborhood, outside the world where I spent most of my life. We sat in the same room with white folks, able to observe them close up. I wanted to get to know them better, to see what it was they had that put them in charge.
Read the excerpt from Warriors Don't Cry.The announcer said it was 7:55 as Mama squeezed into a parking space, and we settled ourselves quietly for a moment, trying to identify the buzzing noise that seemed as if it were all around us. It resembled the sound of crowds at my high school football games. But how could that be? The announcer said there was a crowd, but surely it couldn't be that big.
Read the excerpt from Warriors Don't Cry.As hard as I tried not to care, I couldn’t start my morning without knowing what the governor, his National Guard, and the school board were up to. I had to face the awful truth. Grandma was right, I was letting those people determine how I felt, and how I lived a great part of my day.
Read the excerpt of President’s Eisenhower’s words from Warriors Don't Cry.IKE SAYS HE WILL USE LAW.TELLS FAUBUS: COOPERATE WITH US"The federal Constitution will be upheld by every legal means at my command," President Eisenhower had told Governor Faubus. The President had sent a telegram to Governor Faubus saying he was sure the governor, the National Guard, and other state officials would give full cooperation to the United States Supreme Court.
Read the introduction.Voter participation is the cornerstone of a democratic society, and America’s young people should seize this privilege as soon as they are able. Some youth wait until a presidential election year or until confronted with a compelling political issue. Instead, everyone ought to register on his or her eighteenth birthday and embrace this rite of passage into adulthood.
Read the excerpt from Warriors Don't Cry.Dear Diary,The two days since I first went to Central felt like I was living in some stranger's life. Today I won't think of integration, I won't think of Central High, and I won't think of the white people. I will spend the whole day finding the perfect disguise to wear to the wrestling matches. . . .No matter what, I'm gonna be a regular person. I'm gonna have my usual date with Grandma and my secret, pretend date with Vince at the matches.
Read the excerpt from Warriors Don't Cry."Then you don't have anything to be concerned about." Mother Lois maneuvered through the unusually heavy traffic. "I don't know where all the cars could have come from," she said. We both craned our necks, curious about all the unfamiliar cars and people. Certainly there had never before been so many white people driving down the streets of our quiet, tree-lined neighborhood.
Read the excerpt from Warriors Don't Cry.The voice on the radio grew more urgent as the announcer described the ranks of Arkansas National Guardsmen who ringed Central High School. Hearing the news as we drew near our destination, Mother said, "I think I’ll park here. The meeting place is quite a ways away, but from the looks of things we won't get any closer."
Read the excerpt from Warriors Don't Cry.The next day, in the Sunday paper, I saw a pitiful closeup photograph of Elizabeth, walking alone in front of Central on that first day of integration. It pained my insides to see, once again, the twisted, scowling white faces with open mouths jeering, clustered about my friend's head like bouquets of grotesque flowers. It was an ad paid for by a white man from a small town in Arkansas. "If you live in Arkansas," the ad read, "study this picture and know shame. When hate is unleashed and bigotry finds a voice, God help us all."I felt a kind of joy and hope in the thought that one white man was willing to use his own money to call attention to the injustice we were facing. Maybe the picture would help others realize that what they were doing was hurting everybody.
Read the introduction.I support the purchase of streetlights for our community. My young sons enjoy riding their skateboards in the street in the evening, but darkness makes this a reckless undertaking, even with reflective gear. Further, our family has contributed dues to the neighborhood association for nearly ten years, and no structural improvements have been made during this time. The association has money saved for projects such as these, and it is time to use these funds to promote safety.
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