The Civil Rights Movement

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A southern white child in the 1950’s was out walking with his parents on a Sunday afternoon. He and his family were on their way to a local park to spend some time out in the nice weather to sum up their weekend. When they arrived the little boy was perplexed by the sign near the entrance of the park. The sign read, “White Park”. “The grass is green, the wood chips are brown, the swings are blue, and the slide is yellow; I don’t understand why they would name this park ‘White Park’” the young boy thought to himself. When he asked his parents as to why it was not named green, brown, blue, or yellow park, but instead “White Park” they did not want to explain to their young child the ongoing issue of segregation that was going on in their present day world (Watson). The Civil Rights Movement was a movement to fight for the end of segregation between blacks and whites and additionally provide the same equal rights for the blacks that the whites had. This was a movement that lasted a long fourteen years and occurred during the time period between 1954 and 1968. Two big names most people have heard of that were involved in the Civil Rights Movement were Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Anyhow there is another person that is not as well known but had a huge impact on the Civil Rights Movement was a woman named Naomi Long Madgett. Naomi Long Madgett’s was a writer who was especially well known for her poem, “Midway”. “Midway” was used to encourage the blacks who were protesting during the Civil Rights Movement to not give up on their fight for equal rights. Naomi Long Madgett’s poem “Midway” illustrates the Civil Rights Movement’s dedication.
Madgett’s poetry piece, “Midway”, was great motivator which encouraged devotion from the p...

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...ited

"A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968." School Library Journal 1 Apr. 2005: S61. eLibrary. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
Ball, Jane L. "Guide to Literary Masters and Their Works." Literary Reference Center 2007: n. pag. eLibrary. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
Dreier, Peter. "Rosa Parks: Angry, Not Tired." Dissent, 1 Jan. 2006: 88. eLibrary. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
George, Charles, ed. Living Through the Civil Rights Movement. Detroit: Christine Nasso, 2007. Print.
Magett, Naomi Long. "Midway." Blue Ridge Journal Outstanding Poems. Blue Ridge Journal, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
“Rhyme.” Dictionary.com. Houghton Mifflin Company, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.
Watson, Harry. "Front Porch." Southern Cultures, 1 Oct. 2008: n. pag. eLibrary. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.
Zissou, Rebecca. "Freedom Fighters." New York Times Upfront, 22 Apr. 2013: n. pag. eLibrary. Web. 25 Sept. 2013.

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