Growing Up Black
For some, growing up black entailed battling the twisted perceptions attributable to the legacy of slavery. Cultures have depended upon slavery as a supply of low value labor since ancient times. In America, the slave trade of Africans into North America started within the 1400s and was deemed unlawful by 1808, yet the smuggling continued beyond the ban for one more 50 years. Despite restrictions in the legal slave trade, slavery thrived in the production of cotton, tobacco, sugar and rice.
Clearly, the legacy of slavery continues to plague some black people. When a black person complained of four hundred years of slavery as his justification for poor performance or behavior, he referenced this time in history.
The Civil War was partially fought to free slaves between 1861 and 1865.
Jim Crow anti-black laws influenced society from 1877 to the mid-1960s.
As of at present, less than 50 years have passed since the Civil Rights movement led to authorized safety towards cruelty and homicide which dragged on for many years until America had had enough of that type of conduct and refused to tolerate it. With new legal guidelines in place and a change in social habits, the long term effects of psychological and emotional torture from slavery proceed to stir anger, depression, alcoholism and drug abuse from low self-esteem.
Historical past supports the truth that black persons are sturdy and courageous. Blacks have fought for the U.S. in every battle it has ever engaged, proving over and over again their worth and capacity as much as some other race of people who can call themselves Americans. Nearly all of the stories instructed about “notable” blacks involve extraordinary citizens making contributions to American society.
Uncommon Hero: The John Seagraves Story is a lifetime biographical portrait of an African American teenager who stopped college to assist feed his family at age 10. One week shy of his 17th birthday, he enlisted within the U.S. Navy. By sheer will and determination, the brave sailor turned into an unknown hero of the Pacific War.
Blacks coming out of the Jim Crow south from the WWII era, also known as the “silent generation,” knew about disappointments. The one method to cope with disappointment was to overcome it with hard work. John found that top efficiency came from work and dedication, perception and strength. Phrases and excuses got him nowhere.
John Seagraves was the first black sailor to interrupt the color barrier on the USS NORTH CAROLINA battleship as a 20mm gunner when black males could not operate a weapon onboard. The unlikely gunner and his gun crew helped save their ship from a kamikaze assault downing the plane 30 ft from the side of the ship.
He and his gun crew are ceaselessly memorialized on USS NORTH CAROLINA, probably the most successful and extremely decorated ship within the history of the U.S. Navy. He’s one among many military, American and African-American heroes whose story has by no means been told… until now.
Any family advantages from the connection between the generations. The divide is misunderstood because the duty, honor and sacrifice of these previous generations has been lost or forgotten.