- Published: January 18, 2022
- Updated: January 18, 2022
- University / College: University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Level: Masters
- Language: English
- Downloads: 21
identification (all above optional – if you need them) History and Political Science Topic Letter of Introduction to Medgar Wiley Evers
The Letter
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To: Mr. Medgar Wiley Evers
Dear Sir
The State of the World Today
I live in a world in which many strides have been made thanks to your enormous sacrifices. Giving up your family, your security and eventually your life has meant that I can live in a community, in which everyone has a right to vote and has access to education. I could run for and be elected to public office if I wanted to, and I have had, and my children will have access to education equal to that of any other American citizen.
My education is nearing its completion and I have been able to pursue a course I want to, thanks to my parents’ economic well-being, and the human rights culture you helped to establish in our society. But there are still problems among us that you would feel it was necessary to confront, and I believe you could give us some guidance on what we should be doing to remain true to your legacy.
Without money, the hard-won right to education remains elusive. So many young Americans today are prevented from achieving their full potential educationally as their families do not have the financial resources to ensure their tertiary – and sometimes even their secondary – education. The pressure to enter employment for the children of families who live in poverty is huge. Children need to be earning dollars to contribute to the survival of the family. And in a kind of vicious circle, the only jobs available to baseline educated people are low-earning, and low-status, without many prospects for advancement and future success. So, many of our children are drawn into, for example, the drug industry and organized crime syndicates take full advantage of the desperation of our children and families.
It seems that the great contribution you made to human rights for all of us is being undercut by a kind of economic segregation, which continues to exist for certain communities. As people live in disadvantaged communities, they are forced into situations where the stereotypical perceptions of those communities are able to continue. I believe that you would feel great disappointment and sadness if you were to see this unfair and seemingly unstoppable situation in the country you loved so, and fought for in foreign countries. Politically, we have benefited; socially and economically we have a long way to go.
We have to, like you did, recognize and identify the reality of our situation, and begin to act as you did to change it. With community efforts, supported by Federal Government, we can make it possible for parents to get out of the cycle of poverty, and be assisted in providing their children with decent and complete education. We can agitate for effective job creation programs; for better and more consistent crime fighting in severely affected neighborhoods; for community-based strategies to allow people again to take pride in their neighborhoods and their contributions to society: a kind of activism which would take some sacrifice and require selflessness, similar to what you so willingly were calling for.
You were an inspiration to many in your life and refusal to compromise, and can continue to be our inspiration to change and improve our society today. My greatest hope is that we find a way to make you proud of our continued fight for equal rights in every area of our lives and communities.
Yours truly,
References
Evers-Williams, M. & Marable, M. (2005). The Autobiography Of Medgar Evers: A Heros Life and Legacy Revealed Through His Writings, Letters, and Speeches. Washington: Basic Civitas Books.