Mock Trial: Board of Regents v Bakke

The argument I am presenting today is in favor of Mr. Bakke and the economic growth that will be prevented if he is unable to attend medical school. Mr. Bakke being rejected from attending the University of California, Davis Medical School twice is a violation of his civil rights. His rights should be protected under the 14th amendment. However, it was instead a direct violation of his civil rights inciting that with the violation of the 14th amendment to attend the institution. It also inhibits his economic growth since he is unable to attend medical school. It affects his economic growth due to not gaining income. This prevents him from making money to help grow the economy and also from a personal perspective his lack of income will leave him poor and destitute. 

Mr. Bakke has applied to the medical school in California twice in hopes of advancing his career. However, that was unable to be accomplished due to the fact that he was rejected to give space to minorities which will grow their economic standing. Leaving Mr. Bakke to fall behind due to the fact that he was rejected. The rejection is preventing the personal economic growth he would have if he was able to attend medical school. He is now suffering from a lack of personal prosperity that was taken away by the minorities who received admission into the institution.

Further research shows that Mr. Bakke received better test scores and had a higher-grade point average as opposed to the other candidates that applied that were minorities. Denying him admission will only harm his potential economic growth since he is unable to attend medical school. In closing, the evidence above shows that Mr. Bakke will have to struggle for the rest of his life and be behind in his economic status due to his rejection from the Californian Medical School. 

Sources 

Bakke decision | law case | Britannica

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke | Oyez

Heat of The Night Reflection

The Heat of the Night film is centered around the job and help provided by the Black detective Virgil Tibbs from Philadelphia who is going through Mississippi to visit family. He gets involved in the murder mystery as a suspect due to his suspicious nature of being a black man in the state of Mississippi. As the movie progresses, we see that no evidence was given to support the arrest of Officer Tibbs, so he goes against the Mississippi police department and head chief Bill Gillespie and does his own investigation to solve the homicide case. 

The movie shows the aspects of being discriminated against as a detective of the police force and race relations in the 60’s. The movies we have seen as a class show very little complexities of Black characters in a progression of time since the era of Gone with the Wind and Band of Angels. The two previous movies were centered around the era of slavery and romance, and to see a movie with such a different plot and action was intriguing. I believe the movies lack of romance in the plot made the movie better. The last point I would like to make is about the wonderful acting ability of Sydney Portier.

Heat of the Night as a whole was captivating in part due to the mystery of the film, and only made better by the brilliance of Sydney Portier’s acting. Sydney's ability to portray the emotions of anger felt by his character throughout much of the movie added to the emotions felt as an audience throughout the film. An example of heightening emotions felt by the audience would be when Virgil Tibbs speaks to Endicott about his whereabouts when the victim was murdered. The conversation leads to Endicott feeling inferior for having to answer to a Black man. The questioning continues which leads to the altercation between Virgil and Endicott, where both men slap each other. The reaction I had to the altercation between these two men was pure shock, because I was not expecting for Virgil to slap Endicott partly, because a black man defending himself against a white man was shocking to see due to the time period of the movie taking place in the 60's.

Brown vs Board of Education reaction blog post

The mock trial on Brown vs Board of Education was interesting. The opposing parties of the argument allow segregation and the other argument allows integration. The Brown vs Board of Education was the case in Topeka, Kansas to fight for integration. The plaintiff was Oliver Brown who was determined to fight for his daughter's right to a better education in an environment with more resources to aid in her learning. The resources and education black kids received presented a different image than what actually occurred. In reality it was separate but not equal because the institutions attended by white children were well kept and held to the highest esteem, while the institutions for black children were run down and overcrowded. 

The arguments presented by the lawyers for segregation were based on religion and social standards that allowed for segregation to be a part of life and by saying that God felt integration was not allowed. The arguments presented to keep segregation enforced could only be argued from a religious standpoint. 

The arguments made to keep segregation went against the doctrine of separate but equal, however the United States of America enforced segregation in schools until 1954. The integrated environment was portrayed as a positive environment for black children’s education, but the environment was harsh and unwelcoming. This was detrimental to their mental wellbeing and fueled the negative racist stereotypes and scrutiny they faced everyday attending school. 

An example of a better education and negative stereotypes that arose from integration of schools is the Little Rock Nine in Arkansas. The nine high school students in Arkansas were faced with racist remarks and assault when attending school, the environment became so dangerous that the black students were escorted to school by the national guard. Another example of integration and its effects on black children is Ruby Bridges. She was only eight years old when she went to an all-white school and suffered the same hostility and discrimination as the Little Rock Nine in Arkansas. 

In closing, I would like to say that the landmark case of Brown v Board of Education gave way to integrated institutions. Integration has fostered diversity all across the US and the world. Without this landmark decision the world would not be as developed as it is today. 

Sources

Brown v. Board of Education: Summary, Ruling & Impact - HISTORY

The Little Rock Nine | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu)

Ruby Bridges | National Women's History Museum (womenshistory.org)

EOTO Voting Rights Act Blog Post

The EOTO presentation I had was on the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act outlawed illegal voting tactics in Southern states. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. The act enforced the 15th amendment which granted Black men the right to vote. The obstacles that came with gaining the rights to vote were opposition items such as literacy tests, harassment, and violence if Black people tried to vote. 

In 1964 leading up to the passing of the voting rights act was the Bloody Sunday March in Selma, Alabama. The march was to demonstrate the dedication to the fight for civil rights, which was met with opposition by the Alabama police who incited violence. The march led to Lyndon B. Johnson and congress to discuss effective voting rights. The voting rights bill was passed and it became a big piece of civil rights legislation in the United States. 

The passing of the Voting Rights Act was a pinnacle achievement for the Black community because it led to pillars of equality that became more encompassing for the black community. The Voting Rights Act was created to level the playing field for the black community and catch up with the other voting acts that had been passed for white men and women. Black people were the last to receive the benefits that other races were afforded in regards to the right to vote. 

Expanding upon the difficulties that came with voting rights such as literacy tests and guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar at the voting polls to prevent a ballot from being cast. Another form of danger was lynchings and harrasment. The literacy tests scrutinized the intelligence of black people and was made to put them in a box of inferiority. The other issue that arose when black people tried to vote was harassment. The harassment and lynchings that occured toward black people when they tried to vote was a way of silencing their voices and opinions. 

The issues faced by the black community were acts of voter suppression, before it earned a name for itself on a national scale. The history of voter suppression in the 50’s and 60’s has spiraled into present day voting registration among black people. The suppression suffered by Black people in the present day is shown in the voting requirements and districts. In closing, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 gave way to the civil rights movement as it progressed through the years and created a revolution for black people. 

Sources

Voting Rights Act | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica

Voting Rights Act of 1965 | NAACP

Historic Lynchings in the U.S. South Are Linked to Lower Levels of Voter Registration Among Black People | RAND

Voting Rights Act of 1965 - Definition, Summary & Significance - HISTORY

 Voting Rights Act (1965) | National Archives 

Section 4 Of The Voting Rights Act (justice.gov)