Reaction to a video - Essay Example

Little did I know that in the history of America, a Black adolescent could be shot dead for having whistled to a white woman. Before watching this video, this whole racism thing seemed like a melodrama to me but after having seen this video, things have started to make more sense to me and I can now understand why people take racism so seriously. I had not learned about this before probably because I never understood the importance and gravity of the real issue. Basically there is a whole history, and a very tragic and dark history of America when it comes to the people of color in general and the Black people in particular.

It would be totally wrong to suggest that circumstances and conditions for the Black Americans today are the same as they were in the 1950s. However, this does not mean that the radical change in the status and acceptability of the Black Americans in America since 1950s has made the study of such videos irrelevant. I think that this topic should definitely be taught in the high schools in America even if racial discrimination is not as apparent in the American society today as it was before so that our children and young generation can really understand the seriousness of the issue like I did after watching this video. . It breaks my heart to see Emmett Till’s mother narrate the tragic account of his only son’s murder at this age.

Especially when she says, “…I saw that his tongue was chopped out. I noticed that the right eye was lying on midway his cheek….” (Mobley). At the same time, I feel proud of that brave and courageous lady for having the guts to show his body as such to the world “I think everybody needed to know what had happened to Emmett Till” (Mobley). The picture of Emmett Till’s mutilated dead body oozes a very strong message that can shake the foundations of the law-making and law-enforcing agencies and organizations of our country.

Unfortunate and tragic events like this should not be forgotten and should always be shown to the young generation to instill hatred for racism in their hearts and to motivate them to behave in a civilized manner in the society. This sad event also has some lessons for the young generation; lesson of bravery can be learned from Willie Reed who stood up against the whole crowd of White men and testified how Emmett Till had been killed. Even though Many Till could not get the justice she was looking for, yet the murder of her only son and the trial and then acquittal of the murderers created such a spur both in the national and in the international sphere, that exposed the racist face of America as well as the lack of justice in American institutions and also became the basis of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, ultimately leading to equality of rights between the Black and White Americans.

Racism has lost strength in the roots of the society which it had back in the 1950s, but it has not altogether vanished. Even today, several accounts of racism are witnessed in