Exercise 2

Key Question: Has the criminal justice system historically operated differently for black citizens than white citizens?

Examine the sections called “Treading the Tightrope of Jim Crow”.

Discussion Questions:

• How was justice evaded in the following cases?
  • Scottsboro Boys
  • Recy Taylor and Gertrude Perkins
  • Jeremiah Reeves
  • Emmett Till
• What does it say about racism and segregation that justice was denied these individuals?
• What do these individuals’ stories of violence and injustice also tell us about the relationship between gender and racism?
• Why was it so difficult for Rosa Parks and other black activists to achieve justice for individuals like Taylor, Perkins and the Scottsboro Boys?

Sources:

• “Will Mississippi Whitewash the Emmett Till Slaying” Jet magazine
• PBS Map: A Fateful Journey

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