1)

4/9/2021 – FORUM FRIDAYS: THE LITTLE ROCK 9 AND OPRAH

In this week’s lecture, we discussed the modern Civil Rights Movement, which occurred during the second wave of the Great Migration. In our coverage, we examined the 1957 integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, where 9 black teenagers known as the “Little Rock 9” faced opposition and daily harassment from classmates, teachers, parents and random white citizens. In 1996, the “Little Rock 9” met up with some of their tormentors from high school on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Please watch both clips below and give me your thoughts in 2-4 sentences. Would you forgive your tormentors if you came face-to-face with them years later?

2)

4/2/2021 – FORUM FRIDAYS: ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

In this week’s lecture we examined labor, voting and living in the urban North. As we learned, African Americans continued to face white supremacy as they migrated from the South to northern cities, including Detroit, MI.  We also learned about the white allies that joined African Americans in their fight for racial justice. One of the biggest white allies that the black community had was First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Please watch the short 5-minute clip below on First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s advocacy of racial equality and the Detroit Race Riot of 1943 and give me your thoughts in 2-4 sentences.

3)

3/26/2021 – FORUM FRIDAYS: THE IMITATION OF LIFE

In this week’s unit, we discussed the presence of African Americans in popular culture and Hollywood during the second wave of the Great Migration. Unfortunately, in the early days of Hollywood, blacks were relegated to playing stereotypical roles in TV and film. One such example came in one of Hollywood’s most successful films of all time, The Imitation of Life. This film presented two problematic black caricatures, “Mammy” and “The Tragic Mulatto.” Please watch the video clip regarding the film below and give me your thoughts in 2-4 sentences.