The Soiling of Old Glory - Essay Example

The Soiling of Old Glory Racism and violence are bad and they are highly condemned or we should not turn a blind eye to them so Louis P. Masur book “The Soiling of Old Glory” The Story of a photograph that Shocked America “discuss this problem in detail. The photograph that shocked the America is a sickening photograph and reflective picture which reflects the story of passage of arms between Blackish man and white people in which a well -dressed black man is being grabbed from behind and a white man wants to hit black man with American flag. At that time Attackers and victims seems quiet. April 5, Monday morning when students of South Boston and Charles town boycott of classes to participate in the rally against busing at City Hall Plaza and the Federal Building because from June 1974 Boston had deliberately maintained segregated schools, first step to raise a conflicts between Black and white people/students. The US District Judge and his companions ordered a program of busing which promotes more and more desegregation, boycotts in all over the city which disturbs the normal Life and violence had vexed the schools and city because of this the studies of students totally disturbed. Two hundred white students combined for the march to City Hall Plaza. Some students don’t know the reason of rally but they attended the rally for any reason and basically no reason of this rally. This rally just propagates the air of race and class. White students hated blacks they followed their parents; students enjoyed days off from school, students having immature minds just need a reason to hang out with their friends. This movement of anti-busing portrays that people filled with patriotism and defend their liberty against this cruelness of a judge. Southside people belongs to South Boston also participate in this anti-busing movement and a spokesman James Kelly the leader represents the South Boston and he is also the president of South Boston Information center. Kelly is an educated person and got his graduation degree in 1958 from South Boston High School and he had a keen interest in games he played a football. He was a sheet metal worker and belongs to a very poor family; he learned trade from his job experience and raising his family in South Boston. Kelly was a child labor he didn’t earn much money he said “We were renters all our lives. I understand what it’s like to live week to week”. (JAMES KELLY) Kelly becomes economically unstable in 1967. He also spent his time in jail because of his drinking problem Kelly words about him is that “I am not a very nice guy to my family”. Kelly stopped drinking and his last drink on March 24, 1971. In 1973 Kelly get injured during his job sheet of metal slide injured his right hand and he get compensation from his company. During these holidays the busing crisis starts so he takes interest in this movement. Kelly and City Council president Louise Day Hicks gets active and take action against the desegregation orders of Boston School Committee in 1960s because they were their neighbors and friends so Kelly had not much interest in politics but due to these issues he get involved in politics. He always support and helped the people in their efforts because he wants to defend his community against this busing issue and charges of racism Kelly became active and organized a committee in early September 1974 through South Boston Information Center and work on inaccurate press reports about opposing to busing in aspect of all these segregated issues Kelly organized the protest on April 5. So the relationship of class and race introduced the character Kelly from South Boston. Kelly invites a people, students to protest against and opposed to busing. Kelly wants to end these busing orders, wanted to accurate reporting of racial incidents and he supports the people who want that superintendent to resign. Hicks who support Kelly and these protestors help them when students, marchers arrived at City Hall. She invited them into the empty council chamber and embodied the South Boston community. Her dress also represents the love towards her country and she also declares that “the flag is motherhood and apple pie”. Hick and Kelly serve students with food and chocolates. Suddenly a black man reached their and turned the corner and move towards his way. This man is a Ted Landmark he is a lawyer for the Contractor Association and that day he had a meeting in City Hall on minority hiring construction jobs. Landmark basically belongs from Kansas City His parents separated because of their personal misunderstandings between them Landmarks was raised by his doting mother and nourished under his grandparents and two aunts. Landmark takes interest in politics from his grandfather because he read newspaper “New York Times” daily and attended the ceremony by leaders daily. Relationship between race and class started in Landmark mind when he was in the first cohort of blacks ever to attend the prep school. Then he went to Yale in 1964 and got admission there and He was one of sixteen black students in the freshman class and there he took interests in central civil rights movement within a campus or outside the campus. He introduced as a political editor for Newspaper Yale Daily and there he had an experience to suffer a lot because he is a black man. When his companions saw that Landmark is a black they treat them harshly and drove him to South Boston. In south Boston Landmark first time experienced racial hatred as they never had by the act of people live in south Boston hate black people. So from that time Landmark’s view of this relationship between race and class is very definite. Landsmarks get hurts when he knows the news of Martin Luther King’s assassination and he also attends King’s funeral. At that time Landsmarks realized that white Americans dislikes Black and they don’t want that they live united, they don’t want peace they just hate black and wanted to get out from their country. Now Landsmark take serious step towards racism and thinking about social responsibility. He discussed this issue with university Chaplin Sloane Coffin who is a liberal clergyman and opposed the Vietnam War always supported civil rights and get involved in peaceful acts of civil disobedience. Landsmark attend regular meetings with Coffin in which they discussed the injustice in city and work on to transform an unjust society. Suddenly Landmark decided to get enrolled in course of architecture and much interested in architecture profession which had very few black members Landsmarks was friend with architect’s daughter and she invites Landsmark in her wedding ceremony which was held at white-only country club but her father was unhappy with the invitation of Landsmarks. When Landsmark knew this he got hurt and being ignored by her family. Landsmarks moved to Boston after his completion of graduation, when he reached he got astonished by found that people of African descent ran the country and doing a terrific and high level jobs. People belong to black race delivers unspoken message that people of different color always happy under same color of their leader. He realized at that moment that all the elite black American Leaders helps and give super jobs to the people belongs to black race this is the pernicious act by black leaders which effects of a racism because discriminations starts and culture of different class and race people hate the black people. Like Kelly start the rally against segregation of schools and anti-busing conflicts and in that rally a young man focused Landsmark considered him as an enemy and wants to hit him or kill him with American Flag it means people dislikes black people wants to get out them from their country. At the same time Forman took the picture which becomes the remarkable photograph in the history of Boston city. Photograph of Forman and portray of Landmark delivers a positive message in front of society that in busing protests both Blackish and white people were against these busing orders. Author Louis P Masur saw a photograph of racism and class fight in the New York Times. He was staring the picture for a long time then he wants to know the story behind this. This image is full of feelings people felt as much as seen, reflective, searing image that discomfits the demands by people. Masur saved this photograph with him and after some years he contacted Stanley Forman who takes this photograph. Masur met with Stanley and he told him the story of that shot and shared with him other pictures of that day. Masur researched the image inveteracy and learned the identities of some people in this photograph. An editor Bill Lewis suggests the title of Forman’s photograph is “The Soiling of Old Glory “when Forman submitted this picture for Pulitzer Prize consideration in 1976. Bibliography Masur, Louis P. The Soiling of Old Glory. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. Read More