Joe - Freeman, Janice

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Résumé :

The book Joe was written by Janice Freeman two years ago as a sequel to her previous book titled The Family Secret. The book Joe like The Family Secret is about racial injustice and is based on true events learned from the Civil Rights Movement under Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other African American leaders. Both books illustrate how racial segregation was practiced and how it not only affected African Americans but also Whites who believed that their behavior was acceptable. The cruelty evolved in racial segregation brought the African Americans to the point that they were not taking it anymore. Their past in the South had included slavery and mistreatment. Even though the Civil War was fought to correct this situation the mistreatment continued for a hundred more years by Southerners who wanted to keep African Americans down for their cheap labor. This continued to keep the wealth in White people's hands. This generation of African Americans insisted that the Federal Government intervene until Whites changed. Some Whites gradually changed and finally believed that African Americans should not be held in racial contempt and inferiority that they were held in for so long. This was brought about by the intervention of the Federal Government with the use of Federal troops. Whereas, some Whites tried to cooperate, others had a die-hard mentality to hang on to racial injustices. Joe and members of his family didn't want to abandon their bigoted lifestyle of hatred and intolerance. Because of changing circumstances in the economics of Whites they gradually saw the light. They married women who knew the Lord and who began to show them the wrong in racial injustices. In time, with patience and kindness they were able to show their husbands the errors of their ways. Joe's change caused him to see such a wonderful difference in his life.