"And everyone knew that when the color line was breached, housing values would collapse, spinning downward until Garland Avenue was swallowed into the ghetto and everything was lost."
The quotation refers to Garland Avenue in Detroit, Michigan during the 1920s. At this time, there was a clear divide between Black and White neighborhoods that was enforced through restrictive covenants and other discriminatory practices. As more African Americans moved into neighborhoods like Garland Avenue, property values began to plummet due to fears about integration. The statement speaks to the systemic nature of racism and its far-reaching consequences. While it is true that desegregation could lead to lower housing values, this decline was an avoidable consequence. It was caused by decades of oppressive policies such as redlining and restrictive laws that limited access to resources and opportunities for African Americans. These unjust practices resulted in white flight from cities like Detroit as well as disinvestment from previously vibrant Black neighborhoods, further entrenching inequality between races in terms of economic security and quality of life. Thus, it accentuates the importance of dismantling oppressive systems that perpetuate inequality.
“The threat of violence was constant. Across the cotton belt, planters organized terrorist cells: the Regulators, the Whitecappers, the Ku Klux Klan. Operating under the protection of darkness, the Klan and their fellows targeted anyone who dared to challenge white domination.”
The excerpt highlights the intensity of racism and violence in the cotton belt during the early twentieth century. Racism was not only alive but also actively enforced through terror tactics at this time. These groups used tactics such as lynching, night-riding, burning of crops and homes, and other physical assaults to intimidate African Americans and other minority populations into submission. In addition to these violent acts, they also spread propaganda against their victims in an attempt to maintain white supremacy. The statement also reveals how these terrorist cells operated with the "protection of darkness." This alludes to the secrecy with which these acts were carried out for perpetrators to remain anonymous. Finally, racism was not just a regional problem since it stretched across the Cotton Belt—encompassing states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia among others.
“It took him twelve more years to fulfill his parents’ instructions, a dozen long, hard years of schooling to master the material that would make him an educated man and earn the pride that was expected of the race’s best men, all the while working as a serving boy for white people”
The narrative focuses on Ossian Sweet who was charged with murder after defending his family against an attack by a white mob. This quote speaks to the immense struggle that Sweet endured to reach his goals and live up to his parent's expectations. It highlights the systemic racism he faced as a Black man in America, where he had to work twice as hard as his white counterparts even though he was just as capable. He worked long hours while attending school, all while serving white people notwithstanding their inherent prejudice towards him. Despite facing discrimination and hardship every day, he still stayed focused on achieving his dreams. During this time, it was especially difficult for African American men to get an education due to systemic racism and discrimination. Even if they were able to attend school, they often faced hostility or even violence from white teachers and classmates. As such, Ossian's parents knew that pursuing an education would be incredibly difficult for their son and yet still encouraged him to do so as a way of demonstrating pride in his race.
