"But the docent was so unwilling to face human rights abuses of the past- and the inequity of the present that still kept most nonwhites out of Greenbrier." (902)
It is hard to imagine slavery and segregation in 2017, but in reality it was not that long ago. Slavery was abolished in December of 1865 with the thirteenth amendment. 152 years ago is not as old as some people try to make is seem. Even after slavery was abolished, blacks were still not treated with the same respect as other races. Segregation lasted until 1964 when the Civil rights act was passed that required all state laws and local laws to end it. My parents were born just two years later in 1966. My grandparents had to go through segregation for most of their childhood and young adult lives. This is very hard to imagine and it really puts things into perspective. When we think of segregation it is often presented as being in another lifetime and so long ago. However, segregation was going on when my grandparents were alive and ended right before my parents were born. This also means that there is a huge possibility that some of my friend's grandparents were for segregation and did not want it abolished. This is probably hard for people to admit, but not being willing to acknowledge what happened in the past does nothing to help our future. "She completely lied." (902) It is almost easier to lie and be oblivious to it, than to acknowledge that it happened. The lady at the country club knew that those two black girls wouldn't be sipping tea in the old days, they would be serving it. It is understandable that people are just trying to be polite and not rub anyone the wrong way, but it is better to just accept the past. "Those who are condemned to the past, are likely to repeat it." (George Santayana)
"It was our oasis from the real world where we could simply be carefree." (923)
Every person has that one place they consider their safe haven. Some where you can be yourself, unwind, and just be. For me, this is my room both at school and my house. I love to have time to myself to relax, do homework, and just think about life. I would consider my self a huge homebody who could stay home most weekends and be completely happy. However, every once in a while it's good to go out and have a good time. It is good to go explore, meet new people, and just enjoy life. "I'm happy to have the privilege of meeting so many people there whose beliefs are different from my own." (923) Meeting people are different from you, can challenge you in so many ways. When someone has a different opinion from you, it is so easy to just block out what they're saying and not listen to why they view things the way they do. Although we don't have to completely change our opinions to match theirs, understand their view can allow us to view things from a different perspective. UT is so blessed to have so many different people with different backgrounds and experiences. If we take the time to listen, we can learn a lot. "You can never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view." (Harper Lee)
It is hard to imagine slavery and segregation in 2017, but in reality it was not that long ago. Slavery was abolished in December of 1865 with the thirteenth amendment. 152 years ago is not as old as some people try to make is seem. Even after slavery was abolished, blacks were still not treated with the same respect as other races. Segregation lasted until 1964 when the Civil rights act was passed that required all state laws and local laws to end it. My parents were born just two years later in 1966. My grandparents had to go through segregation for most of their childhood and young adult lives. This is very hard to imagine and it really puts things into perspective. When we think of segregation it is often presented as being in another lifetime and so long ago. However, segregation was going on when my grandparents were alive and ended right before my parents were born. This also means that there is a huge possibility that some of my friend's grandparents were for segregation and did not want it abolished. This is probably hard for people to admit, but not being willing to acknowledge what happened in the past does nothing to help our future. "She completely lied." (902) It is almost easier to lie and be oblivious to it, than to acknowledge that it happened. The lady at the country club knew that those two black girls wouldn't be sipping tea in the old days, they would be serving it. It is understandable that people are just trying to be polite and not rub anyone the wrong way, but it is better to just accept the past. "Those who are condemned to the past, are likely to repeat it." (George Santayana)
"It was our oasis from the real world where we could simply be carefree." (923)
Every person has that one place they consider their safe haven. Some where you can be yourself, unwind, and just be. For me, this is my room both at school and my house. I love to have time to myself to relax, do homework, and just think about life. I would consider my self a huge homebody who could stay home most weekends and be completely happy. However, every once in a while it's good to go out and have a good time. It is good to go explore, meet new people, and just enjoy life. "I'm happy to have the privilege of meeting so many people there whose beliefs are different from my own." (923) Meeting people are different from you, can challenge you in so many ways. When someone has a different opinion from you, it is so easy to just block out what they're saying and not listen to why they view things the way they do. Although we don't have to completely change our opinions to match theirs, understand their view can allow us to view things from a different perspective. UT is so blessed to have so many different people with different backgrounds and experiences. If we take the time to listen, we can learn a lot. "You can never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view." (Harper Lee)
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