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GIRL TALK |
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The Reality of Racism: Six Teens Fight for Their Rights
Ever heard of Jim Crow laws*? Did you think that overt racism doesn't happen any more because of new laws and the Civil Rights Movement? Think again. Six black students from Jena, Louisiana are sitting in jail awaiting their fate in a case that echoes similar conflicts from the fifties and sixties. As the courtroom battle rages on, we are reminded that racism—and those who dedicate their lives to fighting it—are still very much a part of our world today.
The plight of the nicknamed "Jena 6" began last September, when a black student sat under a tree in his schoolyard that was traditionally occupied by white students. The next day, students arriving at school found nooses hanging from that same tree. (Nooses represent the threat of lynching, a common method by which whites have terrorized communities of color.) The nooses, later discovered to have been hung by three white students, were dismissed by the school's superintendent as a "prank," and the three students were allowed to return to school after a three-day suspension.
A few days later, several more students staged a sit-in under the same tree to show their support for the black students, and their disagreement with the carefree attitude taken by the superintendent toward the white "pranksters." The school responded by calling the district attorney, who arrived with armed policemen to break up the protest.
Then, in October, a black student was beaten for entering a private all-white party. A white student pulled a gun on several black students at a gas station later that month, claiming self-defense. The black students managed to wrestle the gun away from him, but were then charged with assault and robbery of the gun. No charges were filed against the white student. In late November, there was an attempt to burn down the high school that left its main academic building in ruins.
The conflict reached its peak a few days later when a white student was allegedly attacked in a school fight. Though the student was released from the hospital a few hours later with minor wounds, the six black students involved were charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy—both felony charges.
Since that first day in September, when nooses appeared in the schoolyard tree, controversy has surrounded the racial conflicts in Jena and the trials of the Jena 6. The students and their families have tried to have the charges dropped and have advocated against the racist and unjust behavior of the school and police. But the white population in Jena, which is 85 percent of the town, seems determined to keep the trials moving forward.
Want to join others in voicing your outrage at the treatment of the Jena 6? Visit these sites for information on how you can make a difference.
www.friendsofjustice.wordpress.com
www.colorofchange.org/jena
* Jim Crow laws: laws that were established in southern states to maintain segregated schools, transportation, and other public accommodations based on race.
Sources: www.colorofchange.org, www.democracynow.org
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Could what happened in Jena, Louisiana happen where you live? Have you seen racist behavior in your school or town/city? What did people do about it?
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