- Published: August 25, 2022
- Updated: August 25, 2022
- Level: Intermediate School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 6
The Vernon Johns Story: Transformation of Baby Dee As a daughter who eventually withstood criticisms and ordeals that confronted her father in the process of initiating Civil Rights Movement for the black people who had been subject to racial injustice by the coexisting white community during the 50s, Baby Dee may be claimed to have yielded to character with notable transformation at significant stages in the story of Vernon Johns. In her early years, Baby Dee appeared to have attempted expressing freedom of a young person who had yet to learn of her father’s radical church ministry and political struggle of upholding the rights of the black society amid severe racial discrimination in Alabama. At one instant, after her father was finished administering a service, Baby Dee entreated the reverend if there was a way they could ride a bus to get to leisure but Vernon replied in disagreement on discovering the imposed segregation, of the blacks from the whites, in Montgomery buses. On the initial phase of dealing with the situation of her father, Baby Dee was finding how essential it was to communicate well and build on a deeper level of bonding with her father. She started feeling anxious towards their condition, recognizing how profoundly involved Rev. Johns was to the congregation and his stance regarding civil rights and equality especially for his kind. As she told her father about an awful dream where she witnessed his dead body lying filled with blood, Baby Dee likewise mentioned her fear of death. This makes a picture of a character whose weakness emerged out of being helpless, inexperienced in such setting that enabled Vernon’s disposition to amply contrast his daughter’s view and preference of a conventional working head of the family. The moment she got alienated with the unique actions his father took beyond the expected functions as a clergyman, baby Dee began responding with rebellious behavior. Together with Enid in disobedience, they had gone to school through the segregated bus. Her youth could sense suppression which was making huge impact upon self-esteem particularly in relation to the neighbors and classmates who had become rather irrationally critical of her case. One may anticipate that around this point, Baby Dee had managed to develop an attitude which equivalently sought to negate the measures set forth by the encompassing principles of the outspoken Vernon Johns when the latter insisted on pursuing his philosophy on business which he believed would empower the black people in terms of political and economic aspects, and resolved to begin selling commodities by the church, Baby Dee had to withstand humiliation in her campus. By the time she was all set for a debate competition at school and Vernon occurred to clash against the established policy in the segregated bus on their way, they got off in shame instead since the reverend would not give in, due to which Baby Dee failed to attend to her scheduled activity. Consequently, the bitter daughter grieved and reacted in further opposition to her father’s similar rule that disallowed going to movie theaters under segregation, exclaiming: “ I don’t have to do everything you tell me.” The audience may observe the growing maturity in the way Baby Dee was retaliating and gaining some definite control of the situation. It indicates how her transformation catapulted from someone in the realms of fear and wanting to keep constant bond with the father to a type who had discerned the essence of making arguments to show independence of thought and emotion apart from apprehension for disappointment or loss. On perceiving more of her father’s quest at materializing the movement on civil rights in association with godly principles lived by, Baby Dee finally realized the truth and conviction in the faith of Rev. Johns, of his genuine consistency of battling with inhumanity against their race. Thus she became gradually changed and during one vigorous sermon in which Vernon blatantly brought up the unjust killing of Deacon Hill by the police, Baby Dee’s father was taken from the pulpit to face the judge. With sense of discontinuity of a good fight in this incidence, Baby Dee made another shift of paradigm, spontaneously rising from her seat to be one with the reverend’s spirit and sang “ Go Down Moses.”