What would you do if you saw a man dangling from a telephone by his neck? In the mid 20th century it was common practice to hang African Americans as a medium of punishment. The worst part is, the mass majority said nothing about it and even contributed to these murders. Looking back to this period in the United States, it is important to examine the details of what was happening. Often times there is more than just meets the eye when looking into situations like this, and in order to fully grasp what was happening looking past the superficial truths is necessary. Similarly, when reading about a topic such as the Civil Rights Movement it is important to examine contemporaneous events from all points of view rather than limiting yourself to how one individual perceived a given situation. The article "Court Termed Unfair for Blacks" and essay Time and Distance Overcome, allow for a deeper understanding of Stokely Carmichael's "Black Power" speech.

Throughout the history of the United States, African Americans have been mistreated by white Americans on countless occasions and in varying degrees. A speech delivered in October of 1966 by Stokely Carmichael to the white students at the University of California Berkley illustrated some of the adversities black people encountered while living in the mid 20th century. His main focus in this speech was that white people created their own sense of supremacy over blacks and rather than blacks fighting for equality with whites, whites needed to learn that they weren't better than blacks because of the color of their skin. In trying to prove this point, Carmichael brought up an example about how African Americans criminals are punished more severely than white criminals. He does this by saying "Can you name me one black man who's killed anybody white and is still alive" (Carmichael). These words resonated with me because never before had I heard an accusation of this kind while studying the history of the Civil Rights Movement. History is studied to learn about the mistakes humans have made in the past in order to avoid repetition in the future. In light of this, it is important that what is taught in schools includes everything, especially how African Americans were actually treated in the mid 1950s and 1960s. One example that shows their mistreatment compared to white Americans is through judicial rulings. 

A New York Times article titled "Courts Termed Unfair for Blacks" by Deirdre Carmody talks about the findings Dr. Marvin E. Wolfgang found through his research, which in part discussed the relationship between crime and skin color. Through his research, Dr. Wolfgang found that whites and blacks were dealt with much differently in regards to judicial punishments. In the article, this statistic shows the relationship between the raping of individuals with the same skin color " ... between 1940 and 1964 in Florida, 125 white men were convicted of raping white women and 68 black men were convicted of raping black woman. In each category, approximately 4 percent of those convicted were sentenced to death" (Carmody). Although the rapists arrested were dealt with equally, in regards to the percentage that were sentenced to death, there is a clear distinction between the number of rapists that were actually arrested between the two races. The reason for these lopsided totals is that black citizens were regarded as the outcasts of society so no one cared if they were beaten up, raped, or murdered. A second statistic mentioned in this article discusses the bias between black on white and white on black rape. This statistic reads "84 black men were convicted of raping white women and 54 percent of them were sentenced to death. Eight white men were convicted of raping black women and none were sentenced to death" (Carmody). This statistic created an illustration that I had never before seen because it shows the extent in which racism was present in American society. Not only were black men treated more harshly than white men, but the well being and safety of black women were neglected. When I reread the quote by Carmichael, I can hear the anger in his words because unlike before, I now know the extent to which African Americans were mistreated and why he felt so inspired to deliver this speech. Besides the facts presented in Carmody's article, I was also able to understand the quote by Stokely Carmichael in greater depth after reading "Time and Distance Overcome" by Eula Biss.

In the story "Time and Distance Overcome", Biss writes about the invention of the telephone and the erection of telephone poles throughout the country. However, the majority of the story focuses on the fact that these telephone poles were used as gallows for the hanging of African American men. Throughout the story she describes over 20 different instances in which telephone poles were used to hang these men, each of which was because of something they had done or were accused of doing to either a white male or female. The description in this story allowed me to understand the quote from Carmichael's speech in greater detail because it gives different examples about the general idea of black inferiority in the eyes of the judicial system. Never in this story did she speak of a time in which a black man was lynched because of what he had done to a person that shared his skin color. Which in turn leads to the conclusion that white people, specifically the white people that were members of the judicial system, didn't care what happened to black people. In contemporary times, when a member of any race is accused of a crime they are given the right to prove that they are not guilty. However, in the mid 20th century it seems as if the United States judiciary didn't want to waste their time on a black man's freedom. Instead they turned their head and looked the other way, letting the white people of society deal with the African American criminals as they saw fit. If the judiciary did accept a case of a black man, it often resulted in their execution, as stated in the findings of Dr. Wolfgang's study. Ultimately this story elaborates on what Carmichael is saying in that, no matter the situation, white people feel that it is never wrong to kill a black person regardless of if they are guilty or not. In realizing this, I was able to see why Carmichael said what he did in the quote presented earlier, and why he was fighting so whole heartedly to end white superiority. He yearned to show people that no matter what color their skin was, they were all equals, and consequently should be treated as such. 

Seeing events from various point of view is always helpful when trying to find the truth behind any given situation. In the example of my attempt to understand the quote from Stokely Carmichael's speech, my examination of "Time and Distance Overcome" and Dr. Wolfgang's study report, enabled me to interpret the quote in greater depths by learning what was taking place during the time in which this speech was delivered. This new found knowledge allowed me to connect with Carmichael on a more intimate level and fully grasp what he was trying to say. Whatever the argument might be, not looking for the driving force behind it will create a blindness of all that is supposed to be seen. By expanding your knowledge, you open the door for further connections and a more thorough understanding of what is ultimately trying to be portrayed. 

