Eulogy for Grandmother
My grandmother was a strong woman. No matter how strained my families’ relationship could be at times, I loved her unconditionally. She was the woman who would buy me gallons of ice cream and soda frustrating my mother to no end. Whenever I spent the night she would let me stay up as late as I wanted watching TV. Crossing the street to my grandparents’ house was a daily event, which I looked forward to every morning I woke up.
There was the day when my Mom had to many things to do to take me to see the Clydesdale Horses. I was probably 6 or 7 at the time. I had spent the whole day moping around the farm not telling anyone why I was so upset. To cheer me up grandma took me with her to drop off Woodruff, one of the farm hands who lived in town. I lay in the back of her huge station wagon, crying to myself as we past Main Street. Woodruff was hearing impaired, he also lacked the ability to effectively speak. Somehow he communicated to grandmother something was wrong. Needless to say my grandmother dropped Woodruff off and marched me down to Main Street to see those horses. Like a good grandmother should, she spoiled her grandson to no end.
In a way she really shaped who I was to become. Around 12 I wanted to start skateboarding so badly. My mother would not allow it. I secretly saved money to buy a used set up from an older kid in school. My grandmother, although completely against the idea of me doing it, hid my board in her closet every day for weeks until she finally told my mom I was skating. Anyone who knows me realizes that skating pretty much shaped my teen years and even early adulthood. I can’t think about who I am today without thinking of her.
She brought me to the hospital more times then I can count. If it wasn’t asthma it was for some type of stitches. Once she calmly picked me up after phoning to tell her I put an Ax in my leg. She was calm and collective the entire time. She was never judgmental about it, I am sure raising her two sons wasn’t that different. She prodded me about tattoos and being vegetarian, but she always went out of her way to find me something to eat.
The Civil Rights Movement symbolized the challenge and opposition to the racial injustices and segregation that had been engrained in American society for hundreds of years. Events that took place in the 1950s and 1960s, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, sit-ins, speeches and numerous protests define this momentous time in United States history. Speeches during this period served as a means to inspire and assemble a specific group of people, for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X it was the black community that needed to rise up in hopes of achieving equal rights and voting rights for the blacks.
One very important figure at this time was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King had a dream and his dream still lives on now even decades later. Dr. King was a non violent Civil Rights leader. King wanted everyone to be treated equal all over the United States. He lead marches and gave many speeches. True freedom and equal rights was all black people wanted. Being equal meant having the choice to go where ever they wanted and do what ever they wanted no matter what color of skin they had, so this is a little of what the Civil Rights Movement was all about.
Despite the great efforts put forth during the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 in which the black community and its supporters refused to use public transportation, transport segregation still remained in some southern states. As a result the civil rights group, the Congress on Racial Inequality (C.O.R.E.), began to organize what they called “freedom rides.” In 1961, the group began sending student volunteers on bus trips to test the implementation of new laws prohibiting segregation in interstate travel facilities (Peck, 161). Most notable was a trip they took from Washington, D.C., making stops in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Upon arrival the group was met with violence and brutality from the Ku Klux Klan and others, but this did not deter them from getting their voice heard. In September 1961, the Attorney General petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission to draft a policy making racial segregation in bus terminals illegal, and in November this was put into effect. The Freedom Riders gave national publicity to the discrimination that black Americans were forced to endure and, in doing so, helped bring about change not only in bus terminals but in the nation as a whole.
The civil rights movement throughout the 1950s, was a threatening turmoil of violence, movements, and social reforms that helped shape America and show the result that men were not all equal. Civil rights still continue to be a struggle today in the United States, but there is a clear image of the forward direction us, as citizens, are going. Several Americans, black and white, protested, demonstrated, and boycotted all over America to end segregation, and gain equality for all. The process of the civil rights movement in the 1950s was a long and hard one, but the full efforts led to improvements in the equality of African-Americans.
Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” revolves around a conversation the mother has with the Dee, the daughter that went off to college and her sister Maggie. A discussion over who is more deserving of the hand stitched quilts sewed together by their mother, Grandmother, and Aunt Dee. During their conversation, both daughters will demonstrate how they appreciate their family quilts, but sadly, we can conclude that only one of the girls illustrates how to appreciate one’s culture. Maggie uses the quilts to remember her Grandmother Dee, while her sister Dee changes her name and only wants to use the quilts to decorate her home.
It was not until the modern civil rights movement of the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, a period that some call the Second that these discriminatory laws and practices finally began to give way. During this period, African Americans and their allies finally confronted long-standing oppression, injustices, and prejudices as a unified movement for integration instead it became a total liberation and identity movement.
Theresa Smith was born on December 3, 1925 in Materson, NJ. She died in Williamsville on March 2, 2005, at age 80. Theresa Smith was great grandmother of one, grandmother of five of us, mother of three, sibling of three sisters and two brothers, and wife to one great man, my grandfather, Ron Smith.
My relationship with my grandmother paved the way of my education, my faith, my success. Her understanding and unconditional love, as well as, faith in me along with my past experiences, helped shape my character today. I am currently a high school graduate, who was ranked number 4 in my class with a 3.79 G.P.A. Not to mention, on a full scholarship to college, and by the end of July have a total of eleven college credits before becoming an official freshman.
Historically, the Civil Rights Movement was a time during the 1950’s and 60’s to eliminate segregation and gain equal rights. Looking back on all the events, and dynamic figures it produced, this description is very vague. In order to fully understand the Civil Rights Movement, you have to go back to its origin. Most people believe that Rosa Parks began the whole civil rights movement. She did in fact propel the Civil Rights Movement to unprecedented heights but, its origin began in 1954 with Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka was the cornerstone for change in American History as a whole. Even before our nation birthed the controversial ruling on May 17, 1954 that stated separate educational facilities were inherently unequal, there was Plessy vs. Ferguson in 1896 that argued by declaring that state laws establish separate public schools for black and white students denied black children equal educational opportunities. Some may argue that Plessy vs. Ferguson is in fact backdrop for the Civil Rights Movement, but I disagree. Plessy vs. Ferguson was ahead of it’s time so to speak. “Separate but equal” thinking remained the body of teachings in America until it was later reputed by Brown vs. Board of Education. In 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, and prompted The Montgomery Bus Boycott led by one of the most pivotal leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. After the gruesome death of Emmett Till in 1955 in which the main suspects were acquitted of beating, shooting, and throwing the fourteen year old African American boy in the Tallahatchie River, for “whistling at a white woman”, this country was well overdo for change.
Good afternoon, let me just start by saying that the kindness, support, friendship, and love extended to me and my family during this difficult time has really touched my heart- we are sincerely appreciative!
How would you feel if you were told you can’t sit in the front of the bus or you can’t dine in a certain restaurants because of the color of your skin? The civil rights movement was a movement that held massive numbers of nonviolent protest against racial segregation and discrimination in America especially the southern states during the 1950’s and 60’s. The struggle of African Americans to gain equal rights in America during this time was a major problem. The civil rights movement was not only about stopping racial segregation amongst African Americans but also to challenge the terrible economic, political, and cultural consequences of that time. But with the help of great leaders and organizations in the civil rights movement, help brake the pattern of African Americans being discriminated against and being segregated. Martin Luther King Jr. And Maya Angelou were great leaders who had a huge impact on the civil rights movement; even though Dr. King was in the field marching and protesting to fight against segregation and Angelou wrote poetry to inspire the movement and people aware of segregation, they both helped put an end to segregation here in America (American civil rights movement).
I want to thank my mom and dad because they are always there to support me in every decision I make. My mom works so hard to support me and my two siblings since we were little. She sacrifice a lot for us to have a good life and to have a good education. My mom is from the Philippines and went to HongKong to work and fulfill our needs, she sacrifice her life and time for us. When she was offered to work here in Canada she accepted the offer and though of bringing us here, since there are a lot of opportunity for us here.She worked two years in Hongkong and six years in Canada, she's been away for us for eight years she did not mind doing it because she needs to be there for us. She always think of our future and our lives first before her.
The African American Civil Rights Movement was a series of protests in the United States South from approximately 1955 through 1968. The overall goal of the Civil Rights Movement was to achieve racial equality before the law. Protest tactics were, overall, acts of civil disobedience. Rarely were they ever intended to be violent. From sit-ins to boycotts to marches, the activists involved in the Civil Rights Movement were vigilant and dedicated to the cause without being aggressive. While African-American men seemed to be the leaders in this epic movement, African-American women played a huge role behind the scenes and in the protests.
She could explain anything to me and I would understand straight away. She helped a lot for my education and always was there to help. My parents knew that she could teach me and show how hard it is these days and how hard I should work. That is why they always made sure I saw her enough but it never was for me.
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” A first impression is a person’s initial mental image of another person. It is formed upon the very first meeting of two people. Everyone makes and receives first impressions. Our physical appearance is the biggest factor that influences others’ first impression toward someone else.