To Joy my Freedom: The plights of black women and men in the
In the racial tense New South Georgia passed laws that pushed Jim Crows further along in its early and detrimental development. In 1891, Georgia passed a law permitting cities to “enforce the color boundary” (Hunter, 99) by making blacks sit in the rear of trolley cars even if there was open seats in the front. This law was not only unfair to the African-American paying customer but it also had a detrimental effect on them as a people. However, when this law was implemented the black men and women responded by not sitting in the rear. Black women were most vocal in their boycott in 1896. As Hunter revealed in the book “ These ladies have declared that they will not patronize that street company”, a neighborhood black newspaper reported. “ This time has come when no such actions are necessary to secure our rights.” This statement proved that black women were not willing to let the white legislators pass these unjust laws and get away with it while the black community sits around and lets them do it. Therefore many boycotts were started. Black people started walking, riding bikes, and doing everything else that would prevent blacks from using streetcar transportation. Was residential segregation legal? And was i
The most contradictory issue was the issue of what segregation was all right and what wasn’t. The wealthy whites always had blacks as servants and had contact with blacks everyday. But here is where the contradictory part comes in. It was okay for blacks to be servants but when they were in a subordinate position, however when they moved into an all-white neighborhood it was unacceptable. As Hunter brought out in her book “It is no more contaminating or humiliating for colored persons to ride in the same