Thursday, May 19, 2011
Oscar Romero and America's Fight for Civil Rights 8-8
Oscar Romero spoke often about the need for all of us to fight injustice. He believed that God was with those who suffered and stood by and supported those who took a stand for what was right. Romero gave his life for those suffering in El Salvador, but his words about justice ring true in America's own struggle with civil rights.
The 8th graders of the Arrupe Division have learned about Romero and his steadfast faith in religion class and now they are connecting his words to the American Civil Rights Movement in social studies class. By examining these case studies we can all deepen our commitment to fighting injustices thereby drawing us closer to God.
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"We know that every effort to improve society, above all wn society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses;that God wants; that God demands of" - Oscar Romero
ReplyDeleteThis quote from Oscar Romero really expresses the decision of the Freedom Riders in 1961. They might have thought that traveling between states on buses in white sections was risky. However, this quote shows why theses people did what they did and stood up for their righs. They felt that they should be able to sit wherever they want and to go to different states without fear. A law in 1946 said that there would be no segregation on buses from state to state. It took a lot of courage to do this, espcially in the South at the time with the KKK and very critical whites. This quote is saying that God supports the choice of the Freedom Riders to fight for equality. It explains that God asks us to make these decisions to have a just world. The Freedom Riders might have felt more secure and safe if they knew this quote and knew that God was on their side to protect them if they were fighting for justice.
- Nick Triant
"We know that every effort to improve society, above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses;that God wants;that God demands of". This quote relates to the topic of The Murder of Medgar Evers because he was a man who tried to purify the civil rights of the African American culture. He did everything that he could to help the culture of the African Americans. My topic, The Murder of Medgar Evers, shows injustice and sin alot. It shows the two things in many different ways. One way that it shows injustice is the whites didn't want the blacks to have any of the rights that they had because they thought they didn't deserve them. The murder of Medgar Evers shows sin at many different levels. One way that it shows sin is the whites did unspeakable things to the African American culture. Medgar Evers worked for the NAACP and was a proud supporter for the rights of the African Americans. Although there were many threats from white people to both the African American supporters and the African Americans. After the speech of John F. Kennedy on national television about civil rights, Medgar Evers was in his dive way and was shot in the back and killed by and Enfield 1917 rifle. Medgar Evers was a man that tried to portray what God had wanted people to do and he will always be remembered for what he did.
ReplyDelete-Connor Noonan
"When the church hears the cry of the oppreseed it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises."
ReplyDeleteThis quote is significant to the topic of The Scottsboro Boys because it relates to the cruel opression that the defendants faced during their arrest, trial, and conviction. When the Scottsboro Boys were on trial for allegidly raping two white women, there was much prejudice among the jury and those who lived in the area. For example, from the time the youths were arrested to the time they were convicted, they were constatly accompanied by military personel. This action was apparently to protect the boys, but it appears more hostile than friendly. Also, whenever the boys would make appearences to court, there would always be a menacing crowd of people that would accompany them. These people, although said to be nonviolent, did pose hostility upon the defendants. Lastly, another source of opression towards the Scottsboro Boys were the people involved with the case itself. The trials were actually finished all in one day, and had very weak supporting evidence. The jury of the trial was all white, and to make matters worse, the two people who started the fight on the train were not even called in to testify. All these oppresssive factors added up to comense the slaughter of such innoncent people. The Scottsboro Boys had done nothing wrong, and when they were struck by oppression i dont even think they had a chance to cry out. As father Ramero said,the church "cannot but denounce the social structures the give rise to and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises". In this circumstance, the social structres of white supremacy in the south are completely responsible for the unheard cries of the Scottsboro Boys' misery.If it wasnt for blind hatred, none of this would have happened.
-Ryan D'Alelio
" May this Body immolated [sacrificed) and this Blood sacfricied for Mankind nourish us also, that we may give our body and our blood over to suffering and pain, like Christ--not for Self, but to give harvests of peace and justice to our People" This quote by Oscar Romero reflects the 1965 march from selma to Montgomery. This does because the march was all about how much these people gave up for this to happen. I can see Romero's words living out my topic because he says " we may give our body and our blood over peace and justice to our people" This directly shows what the people who marched did. They gave up their body and blood along with their safety just because they cared so much about a cause. This shows extreme dedication towards ending segregation and I have the uttermost respect for these people.-Cullen Clougherty
ReplyDelete"Brothers,you cam from our own people. You are killing your own brohers. Any human order to kill must be subordinate to the law of God which says,"Thou shalt not kill". No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the law of God. No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time you obeyed your conscience rather than sinful orders.
ReplyDeleteThis quote best fits my topic of the NAACP. I believe this because they stood up for blacks when whites were discriminating the. It shows that no one should kill because of what you look like no one should kill period. As we learned earlier race is real. Everyone is brothers to another so why would you kill your brother? Romeros words live out in my topic because it shows if your brother is being killed don't conform. Fight for what is right. For example if you were a soldier ordered to kill your own family. Would you? No you wouldn't kill anyone espiacally your family. One of the ten commandments is thou shall not kill. I truly don't understand why this is happening.Some people say it is because I'm not from that time. I don't take that as a valid excuse. It means nothing. The NAACP felt the same way and fought for it. Thats why I believe that this quote best fights my topic.
- Mike Timperio
In my paragraph above I meant to say race isnt real. Spelling error sorry.
ReplyDeleteMike Timperio
"Brothers, you came from our own people. You are killing your own brothers. Any human order to kill must be subordinate to the law of God which says, 'Thou shalt not kill'. No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the law of God. No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time you obeyed your consciences rather than sinful orders." This quote by Oscar Romero relates to the 1965 March from Selma to Montgomery. It does so because it it explaining how the police were brutal to the blacks marching for their rights. When Oscar Ramero says "You are killing your own brothers... No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time you obeyed your consciences rather than sinful orders." I fell like it is directly relating to the white policemen killing the black protesters. Yet, when they are doing this, they are killing their own people because we are all children of God. That is why I believe this quote is the most related to my topic.
ReplyDelete-Charlie Flaherty
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ReplyDelete"We know that every effort to improve society, above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses; that God wants; that God demands of us."
ReplyDeleteThis quote best relates to my topic, Freedom Rides, for many reasons. My group is focusing our research on the 1961 CORE Freedom Ride, in which 13 men and women, both blacks and whites, traveled in two Greyhound buses to test segregated transportation facilities throughout the Deep South. In the quote above said by Oscar Romero, he is saying only we can change our society and God demands us to create a just and equal society for all people. The 13 men and women that traveled from Washington DC to New Orleans risked their own lives to protest and challenge segregated areas of the Deep South because they felt that segregation was wrong and it needed to be ended. During this trip, many lives were lost. When in Alabama, the white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, attacked one of the buses. They lit the bus on fire and made all of the people aboard to get off the bus. Once off the bus, KKK members began beating the riders savagely with bats, firebombs, rocks, and racial slurs. Even though the Freedom Riders went through all of this harm and witnessed their friends being beaten and even killed, they felt that God had blessed them to carry out this mission and to achieve racial justice.
-Michael Marchioni
"We know that every effort to improve society, above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses; that God wants; that God demands of us."
ReplyDelete-Oscar Romero (RIP)
I find a "more meaningful examination" of the Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Edu. Court Case because I saw honest people looking for ways to set things right, and I saw other people doing and promoting bad things, and not thinking twice about them.I saw how that choice/decision affected families, and honest people across the state, and country. I saw important town leaders not caring at first, but then seeing the right choices to make themselves, not just because they want to be re-elected, or to become more famous, or to be promoted to a higher ranking position, or to please someone else. They did it for themselves, because they knew it would it make them a better person, and because it would change so many families' lives for the better. I see Romero's words in my topic because he clearly states that God wanted(and wants)society to be improved, and some citizens took it upon themselves to do exactly that. A family complained that thier child had to nearly take a TRIP to school, while a better, cleaner WHITE school was a good BLOCK from their house. That family took that issue to court becasue they knew it was not right. By doing that, they not only carried out God's wish, but improved the lives of children around the state.
“We know that every effort to improve society, above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses;that God wants;that God demands of us” - Oscar Romero
ReplyDeleteThis quote relates to The Murder of Medgar Evers because Medgar Evers because the world at this time was nothing but sin. All people were doing were discriminating, whites hating on blacks because of their skin colors. It all did not make sense to blacks and shouldn’t have to whites.The murder of Medgar Evers shows how whites hated the blacks so much they wanted to kill people that took a stand. Medgar Evers was a member of the NAACP and was killed because of his actions supporting civil rights. This criminal act shows sin is the whites did crazy things to the blacks, beatings, mobs, and lynchings. Medgar Evers worked for the NAACP and was one of the few who took a stand against whites and fought for the rights of the African Americans. There were many threats from the whites to both the civil rights supporters and the blacks themselves. Medgar Evers was in his drive way when he was shot in the back and killed by Byron De La Beckwith hiding in a bush with a sniper rifle.
"We know that every effort to improve society,above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses; that God wants; that God demands of us."
ReplyDelete- Oscar Romero
Thia quote by Oscar Romero means that God wants us to strive to improve society, especially because society is so full of sin and injustice. God wants us to try to prevent this injustice; he tells us to treat people equally. God does not want segregation, he wants us to fight against it. THe SCLC, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was an organization made up almost entirely of Black Christians. It fought against segregation and injustice like God wanted. It strove to bring equality in God's name.
- Deke Murphy
"Brothers you came from our own people. You are killing your own brothers. Any human order to kill nust be subordinate to the law of God. 'Thou shalt kill'. No soldier is obligated to obey any order contrary to the law of God. No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time you obeyed your consciences rather than your sinful orders."
ReplyDeleteThis qoute above relates to the Scottsboro boys and their story because they were accused of rape and then were killed by the death penalty. The women knew the boys didn't do anything to them and so did the court. They didn't give the boys a fair trial and they were killed. The qoute says you should listen to your conscience and your heart rather than the sick leaders. if they didn't listen to the sick southern white men the young black boys would not of been killed. They didn't deserve to die and it is wrong they were killed. The qoute from Oscar shows he wants us to do whats right and what God would want us to do. If the people at the time lived their life the way the qoute says you should society would of been a better place
"Brothers you came from our own people. You are killing your own brothers. Any human order to kill nust be subordinate to the law of God. 'Thou shalt kill'. No soldier is obligated to obey any order contrary to the law of God. No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time you obeyed your consciences rather than your sinful orders."
ReplyDeleteThis quote shows that the people of this time were very racist and they wanted to rid of the African American people in America. This also shows that some people (Black and White) took this to notice and they thought that it was wrong. Most, if not all, Whites in the South were all for segregation of schools and public works of all cities. This proved controversial in Washington and in the rest of the country. Just because these people have a different colored skin doesn't mean that they are inferior. That is why my partner and I thought that this quote was important.
-Matt McCahill
We suffer with those who have disappeared, those who have had to flee their homes and those who have been tortured."
ReplyDeletethis relates to my topic, the murder of medgar evers. i say this for a couple of reasons. one reason is because the hatred and segregation that the blacks had to go through in the south made a lot of black people leave their homes and flee to the north because they couldnt stand it anymore. also, if the KKK didnt like you because yoyu were black or a white helping a black person, they could make you disappear and turn up dead. another reason this ties into my tpic is because medgar evers was killed and in my mind, being tortured and getting killed are the same type of pain. knowing that you wont see your loved ones anymore is torture. that is how this quote ties into the death of medgar evers.
Kelan Brady said...
ReplyDelete"Brothers,you came from our own people. You are killing your own brothers. Any human order to kill must be subordinate to the law of God which says,"Thou shalt not kill". No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the law of God. No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time you obeyed your conscience rather than sinful orders.
This relates to my topic of the NAACP best. Oscar Romero is emphasizing the point that all men are created equal, no matter their race, gender or any other group. He gives the soldiers that are ordered to kill innocent people a choice: to continue following orders and continuing to kill, or following their conscience and doing the right thing, which is to lay down their arms. These soldiers are killing friends and strangers alike, and Romero reveals to them that they don't have to do this and that they have a choice. Even if another person is a different color than you, that doesn't mean that they arn't human. This is the point that Oscar Romero is trying to emphasize.
-I apologize for the tardiness of this post. Tried to do it at break as Mrs. Wilson said, but there was an issue with the post and I was unable to post the comment. Completed it right when I got home.
Jonathan Griffiths said...
ReplyDeleteI think that the forth quote down really was the best to describe my topic of Scottsboro Boys. It talks about how a person should not kill anyone especially if the non guilty man in a trial was killed for no reason for false accusing is just like our topic. this kind of talks about how the topic of Scottsboro Boys is like and it is really quite similar. That is why i think the forth one down is most like my topic.
This is the quote: Brothers you came from our own people. You are killing your own brothers. Any human order to kill nust be subordinate to the law of God. 'Thou shalt kill'. No soldier is obligated to obey any order contrary to the law of God. No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time you obeyed your consciences rather than your sinful orders."
ReplyDeleteJonathan Griffiths
Anthony Mastrocola
ReplyDeleteMr.Ahmed
"We know that every effort to improve society, above all when society is so full of injustice and sin, is an effort that God blesses;that God wants;that God demands of".
i beleive that this quote connects with my topic "March on Washington" because in this they marched through washinton both black and white marched for better rights for blacks. as desegregaation in schools,aswell as to get a bill passed in congress and get higher wages. this quote goes along with the march because these people aretrying to make a change for the better as trying to desegregate the school which had huge walls to block out blacks form the white schools. this is an examplebecause they are fighting a huge force of sin and segregation and racsim and they qre seacrching for justice in this land.aswell as the people who supported higher wages who fought against greedy big business owners and congressman who didnt want the bill to be passed that would make life easyer for everyone. this also says that people who fight for these types of justices in the face of injustice are doing the want of God.
For my quote i chose the second to last quote. I chose thisd quote because i felt that it was a perfect example of the freedom riders. In this quote it talks about sacrifice. The freedom riders were people who worked to fight racial injustice. They rode busses through the south premoting social justice. Many times on their trip they were attacked, jailed and sometimes killed. These people sacrificed to fight for others.
ReplyDelete