The Fight for Social Justice

The document under study is a video of the testimonies of former Civil Rights activists / veterans of the Civil Rights. We can hear 3 people who took part in the movement, one of which was a reporter who took pictures of the event at the time and a teacher who teaches in the University these students used to go. At the time, these activists were all students.

The organized a sit-in in a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Jackson, Mississippi, 1963. They wanted to put an end to racial segregation in restaurants. It is interesting to note that there were also white people who took part in the fight for social justice.

Their strategy was to go to a five and dime lunch counter, sit at the counter reserved for white customers and ask to be served politely and peacefully. The goal of this strategy was to highlight the absurdity of segregation and make people aware that everyone should be treated equally despite their skin color.

(We will continue the study of the video next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 The Fight for Social Justice

The document under study is a video of former Civil Rights activists / veterans of the Civil Rights sharing their testimonies during a famous sit-in in the 1960s. They used to be students at the time of the event. There were white and black activists working together for the same cause.

They organized a sit-in in a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Jackson, Mississippi in 1963. The goal was to put an end to segregation in restaurants and denounce the inequality of this system.

They chose to go to a five and dime lunch counter and sat at the counter reserved for white people. Their objectives were to make people aware of the absurdity of the situation, to highlight  the belief that all citizens should be treated equally despite their skin color.

(We will continue the study of the video tomorrow. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Battle Over South Africa

The document under study is an extract from the TV show “The Crown”. In this scene, we can see Queen Elisabeth II discussing with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Indeed, they are discussing about the place of Africa in the Commonwealth because of the Apartheid regime. Queen Elisabeth wants South Africa to be sanctioned because of the unfair regime that goes against the values of the Commonwealth. However, Thatcher is against sanctioning them for economic reasons that could be a disadvantage for both countries. Moreover, Thatcher thinks that the Commonwealth serves as the remaining of the British Empire, therefore the British monarch should not have a say on the governments in place the different countries of this organization. Nevertheless, the Queen would like thatcher to sign a petition signed already by 48 countries of the Commonwealth willing to denounce and sanction South Africa.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Battle over South Africa

The document under study is an extract from the TV Series “The Crown”. We can see the Prime Minister at the time, Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elisabeth II. They are discussing about the fate of South Africa and the possibility to sanction the country because of Apartheid. Indeed, Apartheid does not correspond to the values of the Commonwealth. Therefore, according to the Queen South Africa should be sanctioned for the way the country treated its black citizens. As a result, she asked Thatcher to sign the petition that denounced their wrong actions. However, Thatcher does not agree, and explains that England should not try to sanction South Africa because they need South Africa for the good of their economy.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 Harriet Beecher Stowe

The document under study is a video that promotes the movie entitled “The Abolitionists”, released in 2013. In this extract, we learn about the famous abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, a white American woman who lost her son to cholera. As a result, she decided to write a novel about slavery to connect her own loss of a child with the slave mothers who had their children taken away from them. In fact, in her book entitled “Uncle Tom’s cabin”, she humanizes the experience of slavery by giving her slave characters emotions. As a consequence, her book won over many Americans who changed their minds on the ethics of slavery. Moreover, her novel was very successful, when it was published in 1852, 245,000 copies were sold. To finish with, the title of her book refers to the place where the slaves lived on the planation compared to the Big House of their slave masters.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

The document under study is a video about the famous American writer who wrote a novel entitled “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” in 1852.  Harriet Beecher Stowe was a mother who lost one of her sons because of cholera. As a consequence, she linked her loss to the losses of slave mothers who had their children taken away from them. As a result, she became an abolitionist. Through her book, she gave feelings to the slaves and gave them back their humanity.

The title of her book is linked to the place where the slaves were living on the plantations. They were small houses compared to the big house of the slave master. Her novel was very successful as 245,000 copies were sold in America.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 The Present in Question

The document under study is a video published in September 2022, few days after the death of Queen Elisabeth II. It deals with the fact that people seem to be concerned if the Commonwealth is going to still exist while King Charles is on the throne. The Commonwealth is seen as a diplomatic organization where the membership is voluntary. Nevertheless, some countries decided to leave it: Pakistan in 1972, who did not agree with the recognition of Bangladesh. Moreover, Gambia decided to leave in 2013 because its head of state saw the Commonwealth as a form of neocolonialism intuition. However, it rejoined the Commonwealth in 2018 with another political leader. It is interesting to note that some countries who were not part of the British Empire also joined in such as Mozambique, Rwanda, Togo… because they share the same democratic values.

Furthermore, some countries were suspended or even forced to withdraw because they did not comply with the Commonwealth values: South Africa (1961), Nigeria (1999).

Empowering the Future

The document under study is a video about how the Commonwealth values its youth. It was published in October 2024. They created a platform so that young people can take initiatives through music, sports, debate and acting. On top of that, these projects responded to the needs of all the communities of the Commonwealth. Besides, the Commonwealth promotes mental health and we and well-being. In order to elaborate these projects, a thousand of young people, organizations, ministries and parliaments took part in them.

To conclude, the Commonwealth cannot be seen as a controversial organization because in order to join it, you can volunteer to do so. In addition, the countries are free to choose to have the British monarch as their Head of State or not. To finish with, the values of the Commonwealth that are freedom, equality, education, human rights, democracy, respect and friendship emphasize the idea that it is a very positive organization for all its members.

Homework: Learn the lesson.