Speaker Tells First-Hand Account of "Mockingbird" Era
While studying Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, 8th grade students at the Middle School for Boys gained insightful historical context by hearing the account of someone who lived through the Jim Crow era.
Carla Young, head of the Cranbrook Schools Office of Community and Multicultural Programs, recognized the opportunity for the students to gain invaluable insight into the world of the novel. She and 8th grade English teacher Patrice Hill organized for the students to meet someone who could tell them exactly what the "Mockingbird" era was like for African-Americans across the country.
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Carla Young, head of the Cranbrook Schools Office of Community and Multicultural Programs, recognized the opportunity for the students to gain invaluable insight into the world of the novel. She and 8th grade English teacher Patrice Hill organized for the students to meet someone who could tell them exactly what the "Mockingbird" era was like for African-Americans across the country.
Joseph DeBose, father of Young's colleague Debra, was born in Jacksonville, FL in 1929 and experienced the Jim Crow laws during the 1930s and 1940s. In speaking to the students, he shared his powerful account of the discrimination he, his family, and his community experienced during those difficult decades in America's history. “I am here to tell how I faced and battled discrimination,” DeBose told them.
His story was a testament to the reality of discrimination in the United States, and brought the words discussed in Lee's novel to life for the students. His daughter Debra is proud of his narrative and was impressed with the warm reception he recieved by the students with whom he came to speak. "I was very proud that he was invited. I knew he had a story to tell," she said.
For full details about Joseph DeBose's story, click here to read the article on hometownlife.com.
His story was a testament to the reality of discrimination in the United States, and brought the words discussed in Lee's novel to life for the students. His daughter Debra is proud of his narrative and was impressed with the warm reception he recieved by the students with whom he came to speak. "I was very proud that he was invited. I knew he had a story to tell," she said.
For full details about Joseph DeBose's story, click here to read the article on hometownlife.com.
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Joseph DeBose and 8th grade English teacher Patrice Hill
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