Project Description
Written By Alyn
Black people were separated from white people in the past. What do you do when you have trouble? Maybe run or call for help? If you were born Black, life won’t be fair because in 1730 and later Blacks were slaves. A lot of people were slaves. Black people wanted freedom in the past, but now we still don’t have freedom.
Without any equality…
Without freedom, it would be like having nothing to do, nothing to see. That is why we have a statue to give us freedom and justice.
Drawing of Freedom Not Freedom Drawn
Alyn has had the same dream twice. He dreams he is climbing a mountain and once he reaches the top he notices the “Statue Of Justice” After asking my son what does the statue of justice represent he told me, it represents “Freedom and equality.” I then asked him to draw a picture of what he keeps dreaming about; the above visual is an example of what the statute of “Justice” looks like.
Written By Alyn [During the Film Preview Screening, Forum, and Audience Questions and Answers Lessons Learned From the 1963 Boycott]
But in Chicago, it was a little bit free. Black people still held signs because things were not fair. They just wanted freedom with equality. The students in the boycott wanted new books, they wanted to study in good schools not buses and they also needed to know about their history just like me.
Alyn has endured ongoing racism as early as 6 years old at CPS Burbank Elementary. As a result, Alyn has been taught not only about African American history, he is learning about the importance of it and his rights to feel empowered. Today, Alyn attends a private school where he is earning As and Bs, he loves science, people, and God. He constantly says, “God doesn’t only see everything we are doing but God is in my heart!”
A Note From Alyn’s Mother
My son has become a curious yet cautious thinker. As his mother, I am a justice major at Northeastern Illinois University and I not only read literature to him, I expand his thinking by allowing him to attend cultural events on campus along with events in our community. I am sure my son will grow while helping others grow in his process called life. He believes in change, he lives for betterment.
To see, hear and feel as Alyn did, please visit Lessons From the 1963 Boycott – Then and Now
