Questions.Reflections

1. The NAACP served to bring together the struggle to overcome the many issues that plagued African Americans. After the end of slavery, many Blacks were on the receiving end of harsh treatment as well as malicious acts of hate. The NAACP formed in order to promote justice among all colored races. By working primarily through legal actions, the NAACP has made great strides in becoming a large proponent of Black rights. For example, the NAACP has been behind many court cases that have had dynamic effects for Black rights ( Brown vs. Board of Education, Guinn vs. United States….etc).

2. Specifically, the Oklahoma NAACP made news in a landmark case that admitted the first African American into the law school here at the University of Oklahoma. In 1948, the NAACP’s case Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma forced integration on the University of Oklahoma Law School. Just two years later in 1950, the NAACP struck again in a case of segregation that was ruled by the Supreme Court as illegal. This ruling ended all segregation at the University of Oklahoma and a huge victory for African Americans all around.

3. In many ways, the legal movement was a helpful tool along side sit in’s, the Montgomery Bus boycotts and other forms of protest. Specifically, the NAACP helped to gather a case for Brown vs. Board of Education. In this landmark case, Brown’s victory overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine that was implemented in Plessy vs. Ferguson. It was these landmark cases that created more leeway for Blacks to gain more civil rights. By creating these historical legal work, the NAACP helped pave the way for the Civil Right’s Laws that we now have today.

4. By creating such landmark litigation, the NAACP has changed the lives of African Americans today. Were it not for these court decisions, the African American race may still be at the feet of the white men. The NAACP shed light on a problem that was far stretching, and in some ways, it still is. However, the legal actions of the NAACP have changed the aesthetic of our society for the better. The African American experience is a much more agreeable way of living than it might have been in the 1800’s up until the 1950’s.

5. Reconstruction began after the Union defeated the South and won the Civil War. Not only was the war-torn country in need of a face life, but the social shambles that lay after the abolishment of slavery still needed to be addressed. While many legal implementations were initiated (for example, The Freedman’s Bureau, 13th, 14th & 15th amendments), the social stigma of former slaves followed African Americans for years. Not only that, but the all repressive government also overlooked former Black slaves when it came to disbursement of land. Essentially, without land, Blacks had no legal or economical power, as many were forced to return to their white owners to beg for work. The social implications after the civil war and the abolishment of slavery were far greater that the difficulty of passing laws to give equal rights to Blacks. Many people took matters into their own hands and simply refused to hire Blacks. The punishment for breaking said laws were not as strictly enforced as they should have been.

6. Today, the NAACP still works hard to fight for equal rights for Blacks. In 2007, the NAACP filed landmark lawsuits against the biggest sub prime rate mortgage companies amid the United States financial crisis. Moreover, they are major proponents for improving Black education as well as better funding for inner city schools.

7. After hearing our speakers, I believe that I have a better understanding of the history of the Black struggle. To me, I never understood that the Black population took on the mentality of “living a life of struggle” (especially in the 1960’s). After supplementing my reading with our speakers, I am truly amazed at the legal intricacies that have worked their ways into laws. The NAACP has truly changed the lives of so many Black citizens today. Learning about the Ada Sipuel case was especially rewarding since it happened right here in Oklahoma. It inspires me to know that somebody with drive and unwavering convictions was able to change the history of an entire race. I feel very rewarded to know that I am a part of that history just by participating in this African American Studies class.


Sources:

1)http://naacpriverside.wordpress.com/2007/07/14/today-the-naacp-filed-an-historic-lawsuit-against-mortgage-lenders-alleging-racial-discrimination/

2)http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/N/NA001.html

3) http://www.africanaonline.com/orga_naacp.htm

4) Introduction to Black Studies, 160-168