Still Being Held Down

During one of our readings in my African American studies class, we read about the Civil Rights movement and when it began to come into play. Many organizations began to form to fight for their rights and for equality. Many groups such as the Freedom Rides, SNCC, and, SCLC began to take place. While we were discussing  the matter in class we brought up the topic about the role of the children within this movement. Many African American children played a role during this time and the parents were a hundred percent behind them. On the opposite side, during the riots, many whites attacked camera men from filming and taking photos of the events that were being taken place. One camera man in particular was held by an attacker who let a couple of white women claw him in the face and beat him. Then the same women allowed their children even get involved in beating this man. I was shocked!!!!! Reading that made me think of an instance that took place in the school where I was completing some of my field experience hours for one of my education class. It was a first grade class. During Black History Month the students had to write a couple of sentences of some facts about a famous African American person then provide a picture. While completing this assignment the students had to present them in class. During the presentations, one little white boy got up and presented Abraham Lincoln and talked about the penny. The teacher was astonished!!!! She couldn't believe it. After the presentations were over she took the little boy aside and asked him why did he do Abraham Lincoln when that was not a famous African America?. He told her that his father told him that he could not do his project on a black person, so his father chose the penny. After school, the teacher  made a phone call to the parent and asked about the project and the father specifically told her that his child was not going to be apart of recognizing black people for what they did!!! When I heard this I was furious!! I couldn't help but think why did some white people still try to keep black people from moving ahead. All children need to know their history and shouldn't be deprived of that. Racism is still being taken place and parents are still teaching their children to play a part in in it. Just like the mothers allowing their children to beat the camera man that was only trying to capture the trials that blacks had to face for equality, the father was trying to deprive his child of seeing who was in the forefront during that time.