Impressions In The 1960's

Words: 1153
Pages: 5

First impressions are sometimes the only impression one gets the chance to make. In a society where racial inequality was rampant, how can a good impression ever be made if you are looked at as a monster just because of the color of your skin? Due to severe prejudices, many were unable to get work, gain equal education, conditioned to unfair and harsh punishments, and in many cases the inability to simply support their families. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is what every American hopes they can achieve in their life and in many cases that dream was not achievable for African-Americans. After years of enduring extreme injustice and prejudices, the 1960’s seemed like the perfect time for real change. The lack of equal opportunities …show more content…
In many cases, black men were lynched for petty crimes such as engaging with a white person, suspicious behavior, demanding respect, and simply dating somebody outside of their race. Although, crimes like this were committed across the country at the time, it was not until the case of Emmet Till that the American people decided that was it. The brutal beating, torture, and subsequent murder of Emmet Till gained national attention and people were astounded that such an erroneous crime could be committed on someone of such a young age. At the age of 14, Emmet Till traveled to Mississippi from Chicago, Illinois, to spend the summer living with family. Eyewitness accounts tell varying stories, but all have a similar outcome, a naïve young teenager made forbidden contact with a 22-year-old white woman that was working in a grocery …show more content…
Throughout American history, prejudices against blacks have led to deadly and in many cases extremely violent outcomes. March 8, 2017, Breana Harmon, a white female, went missing and found herself self-mutilating in the middle of the woods. In her dazed and confused state, she stumbled upon a church and continued to enter hoping to gain help. Although, Breana never explicitly tells church officials she was raped, when prompted, she says she was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by two-unknown-black men while another subdued her. When detectives began to investigate Harmon’s story, something just did not add up. “Medical workers didn’t find evidence she had been raped, and the holes in a pair of blue jeans discovered at the alleged crime scene didn’t match her injuries, according to the Dallas Morning News” (Moye). As the word started to spread in Texas that there were three-black males accused of such a horrific rape, many people got on to social media to violently threaten the accused. Like Emmet Till, these men had their lives threatened because of the words of somebody else. As death threats came in, news started to break that many inconsistencies were found in Harmon’s story. Investigators discovered that the three men accused of the kidnap and sexual assault were made up by the “victim”. The victim was upset that her relationship with her