The Activist Generation

Our interview candidate, Ms. C

For Ms. C, a high school history teacher in Northern New Jersey, her forty two year teaching career has echoed her view of how life should be lived. To her, life should be lived in giving back to the community and in service to others. But where does this ideal come from? It doesn't come from religion or good parenting. Rather, it comes from her time in college which was in the 1960s, a time that was marked by protesting, and other acts of passionate service for the community.

1960's fashion

 In order to understand the implications of the 1960’s, it is important to revisit what this era was like. One aspect would be the fashion which was first influenced by the prior decade, the 1950’s, but soon lead to more freedom and expression through clothing. Specifically,
women were able to progress out of the “housewife” dress and become more expressive with shorter skirts, brighter colors and designs. Expression was
forthcoming especially within music. Popular artists such as The Supremes and Jimi Hendrix made headlines as well as British artists (The Beatles,
The Who, The Kinks, and  the majestic David Bowie to name a few). Interestingly enough, a movement called “message music” was also popular. These songs had messages of empowerment and messaged against war and advocated for peace. Bob Dylan was one artist known for his contribution to this movement as this genre of music became anthems for rallies, protests, concerts and sit-ins.

Civil Rights

 Although there was a start to freedom of expression in fashion, art, culture and music, there was also a fierce protest against infringement of rights for various races and women. Some important legislation, among others, that changed these infringements was the Civil
Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.  The Civil Rights Act made way for races to be treated equally and fairly in places of school, work and public services (such as restrooms).

Voting Rights/ Womens' Rights

Women were included within this equality as well to be treated equally legally. The Voting Rights Act disabled discriminatory actions towards voting rights which helped to alleviate some discrimination towards African-Americans and other cultures. The power of activism was one of the many reasons for the social changes and legislations created.


The Vietnam War was also a huge avenue for activism. More than 500,000 troops were sent into battle by the Lydon B. Johnson Administration,because of this college rates increased significantly since those in college were not sent into war. The United States presence in the war was due to the need to prevent the spread of communism in order to contain communism (communists allied with North Vietnam). These events along with others in the 1960’s were major causes to the rise of protests and service. Ms. C was impacted by this decade’s ability for action.

Vietnam War

In the modern age of newspaper, radio, phones, music and television, what's cool has always shaped the lives of high school and college students. Coming from a very cloistered childhood, Ms. C found it hard to relate to other kids and teenagers. It wasn't until she attended college in the 60s, the decade that was most influential in her life, that she started being able to relate to others through interaction and learning. In the 60s the cool thing to do was protest, which says a lot about the era that she grew up in. To her, protesting US involvement in Vietnam and protesting racial segregation was not just a hobby but a way of life. The generation she belonged to believed that you had to give back to society which meant that all of her friends became teachers or social workers or entered into a field or occupation in which giving back to society, in some way or another, became the overall job description.


After 42 years of teaching, Ms. C sees no end in sight. Every year she teaches she is already thinking of next year's curriculum and how it is being affected by the events of today. When asked if she had thought about retiring she said that, to her, the only thing she wants to do is teach. So retiring would mean giving up the biggest part of the past four decades in her life. She did say, however, that retiring wouldn't be too bad because she has two beautiful young granddaughters that she would love to spoil and retiring from teaching would give her more time to do
that.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the students posting.  As such, this writing reflects their perspective alone; historical errors or discrepancies are also their own.  The director of this blog does not necessarily agree with the views and/or opinions expressed.  Names have been shortened or changed to protect individual privacy where necessary. 

Baseball Scores on the Wall

For our oral presentation, we had the privilege of interviewing and conversing with Ms. B. One thing that made this interview more of a fun experience and less of an assignment was the conversation between the three of us: It seemed more like a documentary that we were filming. Dorothy is a New Yorker from the city, just like us. She grew up in Brooklyn, which is literally next door to Queens; the borough that we both grew up in. She gave us personal accounts of a few crucial moments in American history, such as the Great Depression and Prohibition. Ms. B also explained to us how her husband played a crucial role in the division of the Bell Telephone Company as well as the emergence of AT&T as a major company. She also provided us with a thorough glimpse of what New York City life was like in the early and mid-1900’s. Following her descriptions and occasional narrations of moments in her life, we were able to picture the street vendors selling french fries, the above ground subway line that ran from downtown Brooklyn to Jamaica, Queens (which still runs today). When she told us about the weekly baseball scores chalked up on a building after innings as well as the forbidden movie theatre known as “The Itch,” all we could do was imagine. 

Although these things were interesting to imagine and learn about, they also made us appreciate the things that we have today: iPhones, and Netflix were not so popular back then! Nonetheless, her childhood and adolescence was slightly synonymous with ours. She witnessed the Great Depression. We are currently witnessing a recession. She grew up during World War II and the Cold War; we grew up during the Wars in Iraq. Despite our differences, there were things that we could relate to in Ms. B’s life. Overall, it was a touching experience.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the students posting. As such, this writing reflects their perspective alone; historical errors or discrepancies are also their own. The director of this blog does not necessarily agree with the views and/or opinions expressed below. Names have been shortened or changed to protect individual privacy where necessary. 

STOP JOSEPH KONY NOW: JOIN THE KONY 2012 CAMPAIGN AND SPREAD THE WORD

If you do not know who Joseph Kony is, here is a quick break down: 

1. For 26 years he has terrorized, murdered, maimed and raped Ugandan people.
2. For 26 years he has abducted children [some as young as four or five] and forced them to kill, maim, and rape. Sometimes he forces them to murder their own parents.
3. An organization called Invisible Children brought Kony and the children he targets to the attention of leaders in Washington, after 8 years of pressure, they finally decided to take action.
4. In October, 2011 President Barack Obama sent a small contingent of soldiers to help train and strategize with forces fighting against Kony.
5. Those forces could leave any minute, if we do not continue to ask our leadership to push forward. 
6. This year, people all over the world are using this film to keep the movement going:

Please join the campaign, repost the film on facebook, blogs, in emails, in twitter and help change history.

Air Raids, Nuclear War, and a Little Roller-skating

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the students posting. As such, this writing reflects their perspective alone; historical errors or discrepancies are also their own. The director of this blog does not necessarily agree with the views and/or opinions expressed below. Names have been shortened or changed to protect individual privacy where necessary. 

Ms. M had so much to share with us. We learned so many things ranging from her childhood memories, college life, how she met her husband and her favorite things to do. But maybe most importantly, how the World War II and the Cold War affected her daily life

Her life began near Rochester, New York on 80 acres of land in the country. On her family’s land were picnic groves and barns; one of her favorite pastimes when she was younger was roller-skating with music playing on the jukebox in one of the large barns.  Her father William was a wholesale grocer and her mother Edna, did the accounting work for their store. Carolyn told us that her and her sister grew up with a nanny who took care of them. Her brothers were always off working with something to do with the war and her parents were running the store.

 Because of WWII, Ms. M mentioned that her family would go through air raid drills. During these drills they would line up in the hallways, sitting down with their legs out in front of them. As a small way to help out in the war effort, the school children were encouraged to purchase stamps and eventually, victory bonds. Rationing was also in place during the war. The rations were a way for the government making sure that everyone got their fair share. Because Carolyn’s father was a grocer, her family dealt with fewer limitations. WWII ended with some of largest civilian deaths in history. Later on during the Cold War, all across America, many people were filled with fear because of the possibilities of nuclear weapons being used. Ms. M confirmed that she lived in fear during this time. 

 Throughout her life Ms. M always excelled in math. She was not like other girls who would become nurses or teachers; Ms. M had other ideas. Ms. M’s aspirations were to use her math skills to become an accountant. She attended Rochester University and completed her undergraduate degree in Economics and Business Administration. During her junior year at Rochester University, Ms. M went with a singing group to Germany. Because of the relations the United States has with Germany, the families that Ms. M stayed with would always bring up the subject of how the United States bombed Germany during the war.

Later on, Ms. M lived in Yorkville, in an apartment with her friends. While living in Yorkville, Ms. M met here husband, who had been pursuing education in the law field. They later married and moved to Queens. From Queens they moved with their baby daughter to West Nyack, where Ms. M still lives today! Ms. M was very excited to tell us about her many adventurous trips which all seemed to include outdoor activities such as camping, skiing, canoeing, tennis, and Ping-Pong. Ms. M also told us about trips to New York City where she and her girlfriends would see ballet and theater presentations together. 

"Don't Let the Bow-tie Fool Ya."

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the students posting. As such, this writing reflects their perspective alone; historical errors or discrepancies are also their own. The director of this blog does not necessarily agree with the views and/or opinions expressed below. Names have been shortened or changed to protect individual privacy where necessary. 

Hello, our names are Carly, Jordan, and Matt. For our oral history project we interviewed Richard who was part of the anti- war movement which occurred in the 1960’s. His journey began with, of course, a woman who sparked his particular interest; she got him involved with volunteer work which consisted of working with other ethnics groups. Doing so, cause him to look at the world differently and he became engulfed with expanding his knowledge. Also contributing to this was the fact that he was attending George Washington College in Washington D.C.; the center of political and protestor conflicts. Richard expanded his knowledge by attending teach-ins and reading books on the war, the past, and how war impacts home life. As he began to speak more of the anti- war movement with his family conflicts sprouted between him and his father as a result of his father being a War World Two Veteran. What his father did not understand was that being a part of the anti-war movement did not mean that he was anti- solider, movement participants were pro- solider they just wanted them to come home.

Richard’s first large demonstration was the March on the Pentagon which was said to have had somewhere between 50,000- 100,000 people involved. During these times people would knock on his door and state that they were involve with the movement and ask “Can we stay in your room?” he would reply yes. Everyone would then throw money into a hat and they would order pizza or some other kind of takeout, which was a bonding experience. 

Unfortunately, the anti- war movement took a dark turn in 1968 and assassinations such as Martin Luther and Robert Kennedy occurred. After Nixon’s inauguration more demonstrations transpired, both peaceful and violent. A peaceful example, as seen in the picture, is when protestors would put flowers into rifles. Violent examples consist of the police throwing gas canisters into the crowd and then the crowds retaliating and throwing them back at the police. Also after the police would break up the demonstrations, people would continue to act violent by vandalizing things such as throwing bricks through windows. In response to these brutal acts, Richard would sit in the shower for long periods of time meditating. He sat in there for so long for two reasons: the first is that he had to wash the gas off of him and the second is that he would feel emotionally dirty for having participated in such aggressive demonstrations.

In 1969, Richard was drafted. He knew the draft laws due to his previous experiences as a draft counselor and therefore was aware of the three options he had: he could go to jail, flee to Canada, or go to the front line. Richard visited a “friendly physician,” a doctor who is against the war and is also seen in the picture, who discovered a polinidal cyst in his lower spine. He became ecstatic with joy because this random cyst that had never bothered him before might just be the thing that saved him from going overseas.  While he was waiting to have his physical, he decided that he really wanted these people to see the ugliness of this cyst. Remember now, this was pre- AIDS days, Richard took a q-tip from a random garbage can and irritated it to the point where it started to bleed. When he went in there and showed his cyst to the doctors he heard one man go “EWWW.” Richard kept thinking “Yes! Yes! Yes!” and later received a 1- H. A 1-H meant that he was not to go overseas right now but in the case of a nuclear attack, they would call him. After a year, Richard was never bothered by the cyst and he was never called to go to war.

Years later, Richard was teaching in North Carolina when he and a few others from the history department decided to take their students for a trip to Washington D.C. On their last night there, they visited the Vietnam Wall where Richard then began to stroke the engraved names. He became engulfed with emotion repeating “Damn…Damn…” and then started to sob. Surrounding students became frightened and went to fetch other teachers but Richard was not paying attention to them, he could not shake the thoughts and flashbacks of our loss and the loss of the Vietnamese people. 

 As you can see, the anti- war movement had a huge impact on Richards’ life and it formed many views that still stick with him today. The movement had its ups and its downs but in the end he was happy to have participated in it, it just goes to show you that “the littlest things can mean a lot.”

A History of Nyack

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the authors. As such, this writing reflects their perspective alone; historical errors or discrepancies are also their own. Names have been shortened or changed to protect individual privacy where necessary. 

When I heard that there were elephants buried in Moseley Field, I thought it was just a legend that upperclassmen had made up. My partner and I decided to dig deeper to find out the true history of this area before Nyack College came into existence. We enjoyed getting to know Ms. S. and listening to all of her stories. You know you are going to get a lot of information if you happen to interview a librarian, and Ms. S. has volunteered at the Nyack Library for 10 years so she is highly qualified to be in that category. 

Yoga in the Park

This story actually starts with Ms. S’s mother, who went to see her sister in Duluth, Minnesota and see if she could find work. She was hired as a nanny for a rich family. The children loved her so much, that the Thompsons asked if she would travel with them to Florida for the summer. She agreed to stay on with the family, and eventually the family travelled to Nyack, New York, but liked it so much they ended up staying there. That is where she met her husband, who had started off working with his father as a shoe manufacturer, then once the oil burners were invented, he began installing heating systems for the houses. This oil heating system was a big improvement to the coal furnaces, which had to constantly be replenished and they left soot and ash on the furniture and clothes. He worked all over town, and one of his jobs was to install a heating system in the famous Dr. Pierre Bernard’s elephant barn.   

Elephant balancing on beam

Dr. Bernard owned a lot of property in town and provided entertainment and new ideas from overseas. The Clarkstown Country Club (CCC) was for patrons to enjoy themselves, and also learn about eastern philosophies. There was a theatre, library full of Sanskrit literature, and even a circus with international actors. There were several acts that included the well-loved elephants, which had been brought in from India. “Mom”, a famous elephant, who was also the largest at the time, died of old-age, but she was well cared for, even in her last days. Dr. Bernard built a huge stadium, which had a baseball field and a track for dog races. Unfortunately that establishment no longer exists, for some apartment buildings now stand where the stadium once was. Dr. Bernard brought in professionals to play, but local teams could use it as well. Ms. S’s brothers played on a local team called the Wildcats. Dr. Bernard brought many ideas and philosophies from overseas, including yoga. This explains the name he was known by, “Oom the Omnipotent”. His wife Blanche DeVries, helped him run his establishment and taught yoga. "During Bernard's first year in Nyack, the townspeople summoned the state police because they saw yoga exercises being practiced on the lawn and thought that Bernard was establishing a love cult. 
Upon arrivalthe police found nothing suspicious and the matter was dropped." (New York’s Lower Hudson Valley)

Piermont Pier

Ms. S grew up during World War II. She remembers the panic of when soldiers would knock on her door asking if they could check in her chicken coop for Prisoners of War that had escaped from Camp Shanks. Camp Shanks was were the UnitedStatesian soldiers were equipped to go to Europe before being sent on their way out of the Piermont Pier, and where POWs were kept. Air raid drills were terrifying. Her parents put their coats on the kitchen windows so that she and her brothers could finish eating with the candles lit. In kindergarten, she would bring in 10¢ to get a stamp for her bond book to help with the war efforts. They also collected aluminum cans to be made into ammunition and weapons. Since her father worked in the oil heating business for Camp Shanks, he got to know a few soldiers, so Ms. S’s family would keep some of their cars in their yard until they got back.

The Clarkstown Country Club went into a financial decline and eventually had to close down during World War II. The same thing happened to the stadium. The Tappan Zee bridge was completed in 1955, since there had been a shortage of steel due to the Korean War. Ms. S said that “not that long ago she knew everyone in the area. But then after WWII, when the bridge opened up in the 1950s, the whole area changed. People came, people left...”

Victory Gardens and Comic Books

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the authors. As such, this writing reflects their perspective alone; historical errors or discrepancies are also their own. Names have been shortened or changed to protect individual privacy where necessary. 

The Interviewee

• For the Oral History Project, our group interviewed a woman by the name of Ms. P.
•  Ms. P was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Ms. Pwas two years old when World War II began
• Ms. P moved to and spent most of her childhood in San Francisco, California
• She had two other siblings and was married at 19
• Ms. P’s father worked at Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, worked nights at a mortuary and was a TA at the University of Berkley in English Literature
• Ms. P’s mother worked at the administration office at the University of Berkley and also cleaned factory offices

Contextual Research

•  World War II began in 1939, due to Hitler's invasion of Poland and Britain and France’s declaration of war on Germany.
• In 1941 the United States joined the war due to Japan’s attack of the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
•  Sparked naval battles between Japan and the U.S. i.e. Battle of Midway
•  1941 Nazi Germany and its Axis Powers declared war on the U.S.
• Allied Powers: Britain, France, the U.S. and the Soviet Union
• Axis Powers: Germany, Italy and Japan
• 1944 German defeat at the Battle of the Bulge and D-Day (Allied invasion of France)
• May 7 1945 Germany surrenders to the western Allies
•  August 6^th and August 9^th1945 the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• September 2 1945 Japan surrenders officially ending the war
• 1945 Auschwitz is liberated by troops of the Soviet Union
• It is estimated that more than 55 million people died during World War II

What We Learned

Throughout the interviewing process, we learned about the importance of victory gardens in World War II.

•          Victory gardens which particularly popular in San Francisco, where our interviewee was from. 
•      Victory Gardens were planted by families to prevent food shortage and to ensure that there would be enough food for the soldiers. 
•      At the time, many had to ration foods like sugar, butter, milk, cheese, eggs, coffee, meat and canned goods

In the interview with Ms. P, we learned about the role of war bonds in World War II.

•      War bonds were established to help fund the war.
•      The government encouraged citizens to buy war bonds and in return the government promised to pay the bonds back with interest over the period of roughly 10 years.
•      War bonds were bought by purchasing stamps that were usually 10 to 15 cents each.
•      As Ms. P described one of her memorable childhood experiences, she stated, “We all bought our stamps and pasted them in the books and filled them up and turned them in. ”

Rosie the Riveter

•     Rosie the Riveter was a cultural icon, representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II
•     Rosie the Riveter is based upon an actual song and person

•      Perry described Rose as “[the symbol] of women stepping in to do what was necessary to keep the home front going and to keep the war machine going.”

Entertainment of the 1940’s:

•      World War II proved to be the Golden Age of Comics
•      Comic books during the Great Depression and World War II were established for cheap entertainment for only 10 cents. Comic books like Captain America and other Heroic Comics showed a lot of tension between America and The Nazi’s.
•      Captain America and other characters were inspirational characters that instilled hope and perseverance in the people of the U.S. states. When the characters were up against Hitler they never lost a battle showing that America can never be defeated.
•         Perry recalled attending the cinema’s once a week for 11 cents on Saturdays.
•          In addition, Perry recalled that one could only “eat one piece of bubble gum at the corner store because there wasn’t sugar being wasted on nonsense in those days.”
•      Cartoons became a big sensation during World War II
•          In 1942 Navy torpedo boats were being launched, Lieutenant E. S. Caldwell of the Naval Operations office in Washington, wrote a letter to Walt Disney in Hollywood asking Disney to design an emblem for their fleet “mosquito boats” A few days later Disney delivered this emblem and it was such a hit that every torpedo boat had a Disney mosquito, word got around in the Army about what Disney did, Disney was bombarded with requests
•        There are many major cartoons that are known today that were involved in WWII: Dr. Seuss and Loony Toons.
• 
  
•         Looney Tunes were a big hit during World War II. Bugs Bunny was the mascot for Warner Brothers. Bugs played in a lot of episodes imitating Adolf Hitler. A lot of the Looney Tunes cartoons were banned and could not stay on the air.

 Radio was a primary source of entertainment for Ms. P

•       Ms. P recalls learning to fox trot with her father to “The Way You Look Tonight” on the radio
•      Songs that Ms. P mentioned included:
•      Mairzy Doats: “Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey, a kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?”
•      Bell Bottom Trousers: when the sailors came to town everyone sang this jingle
•       “Bell bottom trousers, coats of navy blue, she loves her sailor and he loves her too.”
•          Bing Crosby was an important singer and actor of the 1940’s
•          Bette Davis was a renowned actress of film, television and theater, known for her roles as an unsympathetic character.
•          Betty Grable was known for her pin-up shots and appearance in magazine covers.

The End of World War II:

•           At the end of World War II, Perry described that “Everybody in the whole neighborhood went out in the streets laughing and crying. And they were so happy the war was over. That was an interesting experience that was the first time I saw people pouring out of their houses with this kind of open emotion. You know, because people more or less stayed in their own yards, in their own houses the rest of the time.”

The Rise of the Great Depression:

•           Mobilizing the economy for World War II provided a helpful solution to the Depression. Millions of men and women joined the armed forces and others went to work in well-paying defense jobs.
•      As Ms. P recalls the effect of World War II on the Great Depression, she states, “the whole country came out of a serious Depression, Roosevelt was doing his best to fight with….and you know the work programs he did a lot of good, but it was really the war, the industry, the steel mills, you know that helped bring the economy of the country back.”

Conclusion

•          World War Two profoundly affected the world and the U.S. and still continues to influence us today in that this past historical event can provide a glimpse of what our future could look like or rather what we can prevent in the future.
•      This Oral History Project allowed us all to delve beyond factual information previously learned in high school and middle school and learn about the intimate relationships and characteristics revolving around those who lived during World War II.

A Local Life

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the authors. As such, this writing reflects their perspective alone; historical errors or discrepancies are also their own. Names have been shortened or changed to protect individual privacy where necessary. 

Mrs. W was our interviewee and she was born in 1943. She currently lives -------, where she also works. She currently works in the ------ Library and is the village Historian.

She was born during World War II. During World War II, women were heavily involved in the workforce and men were drafted to enlist in the army.

The U.S. was part of the Allied forces, which consisted of Britain, the USSR and France. The enemy forces, called the Axis Powers,  consisted of Germany, Italy and Japan. The U.S. got involved after being attacked by waves of Japanese planes at Pearl Harbor in 1941. The Japanese surrendered to the Allied forces after two atomic bombs were dropped on two major cities in Japan.

Korean War

The Korean War was familiar to Mrs. W because her babysitter suddenly disappeared one day. Years later she learned that he was actually in Korea, participating in the war. The Korean War was a fight to ensure that Communism wouldn't prevail.  The United States and South Korea fought North Korea until a truce was signed in 1953.

Vietnam War

After a long period of economic involvement, U.S. military involvement began when U.S. Destroyer ships were attacked by North Vietnamese forces. President Johnson ordered the U.S. to attack back. The U.S. wanted to prevent South Korea from taking over North Korea. This war was very controversial and many people felt that America had no right to be there. 

From this experience we learned that this era was marked by tension and confrontation. Mrs. W was hearing about all of these events in the news and she told us that she was unsure of what the future of America would be. Democracy wasn’t present everywhere and America wanted to show its dominance. America showed its dominance whenever necessary and the US won every way except for the Vietnam War. The American citizens had no choice but to hope and pray that their country would remain a democracy and that America would remain a powerhouse. Mrs. W made it throughout hard times and she developed a strong sense of pride in our country.

Our Own Rosie the Riveter

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the authors. As such, this writing reflects their perspective alone; historical errors or discrepancies are also their own. Names have been shortened or changed to protect individual privacy where necessary. 

Today is Monday....it's grocery day. After you get the kids off to school and do the daily household chores you head to the local market. On your way home you see a poster that catches your eye. It has a woman on it drilling and the slogan reads, “Do the job HE left behind. Apply US employment service.” You laugh at such a thing, “Apply for a job? You? Who has the time to work?” With all the chores to do and daily tasks that need to be accomplished: getting the kids ready in the morning, doing the daily and weekly chores, helping Mrs. Smith your elderly next door neighbor with her chores, getting supper ready, helping the kids with homework, getting them ready for bed. How could  you possibly add a job to that schedule? But then you remember that the electric bill is due on Thursday and you have absolutely no clue how it will get paid. Billy, your eldest son, does need a new pair of shoes. You look down and realize that you could use a new pair yourself. With all these things spinning around in your head you almost walk past your house. You go inside and unload the groceries. You sit down at the kitchen table and look at the stack of bills and wish that you had someone to help you. Then it hits you that the someone that used to help you is currently stationed across the world fighting a war that seems like it will never end. You start to cry but wipe away the tears angrily and refuse to give into self pity. You can do this, you have to for your kids, for your husband and for yourself. You start to write down a schedule of all of the things you do and decide that with a little help from the kids and Mrs. O’Neil down the street you can add a job to the schedule. You get up and grab your purse and go down to the employment office to see what jobs are available. During WWII this scenario was probably common. With a lot of the men away at war,  women had to step up and be a housewife as well as taking on a job. The poster that this lady saw was also a common sight. Rosie the Riveter was propaganda campaign by the government to get women to join the work force and support the war effort.    

For our Oral History Presentation my partner and I interviewed Mrs. P. She is a local resident and has lived here for twenty-four years. She has also been the village historian for thirteen years. Previous to working as the village historian she was a social worker for a local psychiatric center. As a women who lived during WWII, Mrs. P was effected by the war. She worked in three different industries: infrastructure, sales and agriculture. She said that she remembers the tough economic climate that followed the war. People were living in basements because housing was scarce. During the war houses stopped being built because everyone was focused on the war effort. 

During our research my partner and I learned three major lessons. First we learned to appreciate hard work. Today in our “I want it now and with no effort” world we find it hard to appreciate hard work, but during WWII people were willing to work hard. Sometimes they worked hard in their jobs in the factories but never got to see the end result because the tank they were building would only be used overseas. Second we realized the importance of spending time with the elderly and gaining knowledge through their life experiences. Today we look at the elderly like they have nothing to offer us but if we would just pay attention we would see that they have a lot to offer. They have wisdom that comes from experience and a lot of them have untold stories. As young American students we think that we should make more time to listen to them and enjoy their wisdom and untold stories...and maybe even a few good wholesome jokes. The third lesson we learned was the lesson of patriotism. Coming out of a long war that our generation got to see the beginning and the end of, I think that patriotism has been lost in the mix of life.  Patriotism was lost in politics. It doesn't matter what your political party or church says about the war-- to us, supporting our troops is so important.

From da Gama to the Afrikaans

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the authors. As such, this writing reflects their perspective alone; historical errors or discrepancies are also their own. Names have been shortened or changed to protect individual privacy where necessary.  Note: the interviewee's words appear in red.

“When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said, "Let us pray." We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.”

― Desmond Tutu

"Africans: A people of beastly living, without God, law, religion, or common wealth”

― Richard Hakluyt

"Differences are not intended to separate, to alienate.

We are different precisely in order to realize our need of one another.”

― Desmond Tutu

           

From the excursions of Portuguese captain Vasco da Gama in 1497, to the footprints of the Dutch native Boers in 1652, apartheid would slowly begin to develop in the womb of the “unknown,” and in the name of the “undiscovered,” stretching itself across nearly a five-century period.

Now, what exactly is apartheid?  A term with Afrikaans origins, apartheid, or “apartness,” is the political system of racial segregation peculiar to the Republic of South Africa.  This policy was officially included in the Afrikaner Nationalist Party (ANP) platform in 1948, catapulting the ANP to power for the very first time. 

Cassandra M. Bruyns, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, born in 1947, and a Freedom Fighter against the apartheid system, sat down with Team Freedom Fighters, students from ------, ---------, ---------- NY, to explain what it was like being a South African against injustice and segregation in the age of apartheid.

At this monumental time in South African History, the Chinese were considered “white,” Japanese were called “non-whites” or “coloured,” darker skinned peoples of any ethnicity were considered “black,” and caucasians were thought to be superior.  They were divided into many different classes, and the country was totally overtaken and controlled by a regime that established a system wherein race and ethnicity was the cornerstone of all social and political life.   

Was apartheid a political strategy, or was it a call for genuine separate development?  We may never know, but its original purpose was separation of all races.  Apartheid held no bounds.  This meant it not only included a separation of whites from nonwhites, but also nonwhites from each other as well as from Bantu peoples (9 groups of native South African blacks who make up 75% of the population).  No intermingling of “colors” in a sense.  

“You could not mix with other races, you were kept apart in homelands, you were kept totally apart.  You had to go to separate schools…they used to have two bridges going over a railway, one for the whites, one for the nonwhites, and that was not a choice that was law,” said Mrs. B in regard to the different elements of apartheid.  To be more specific, those who were distinguished as nonwhites were widely known as Coloured, (people of mixed black, Malayan, and white descent) and Asian (mainly of Indian ancestry).  Blacks and Coloureds were denied entry into many public places, were unable to live in areas where whites were the “majority.”  Their areas of employment and residence were limited and blacks were also unable to vote or own land.  The destruction of African family occurred very rapidly due to privileges and unfair treatment amongst siblings and parents who were all different skin colors. Mrs. B expressed a time when apartheid hit home: "My mother was a mixed woman but she was very white.  I have a brother that looked like her and a sister that looked like her and along came a bus…my mother got on the bus with my brother and I couldn't get on.  I was not fair skinned enough…and I have been fighting it ever since."     

Born in the heart of this oppression, Mrs. B explained a firsthand encounter with the horrors of her own homeland, “Where the bus came along, there was a black old lady standing with crutches with one leg and it was hot!  The bus came along and they used to have these bus inspectors.  They were checking what the drivers were doing and whether they were keeping the law, whether they were letting the right amount of people on…This inspector was related to me, he jumped off the bus, this inspector, and he wouldn't let that black lady on the bus because there was no space…she had been standing there for hours and hours.  I wanted to take her crutches and hit him.  And that's when they had a big scene and I had to leave because I got that angry.” 

        

A young well-educated political activist, and lawyer, born the son of a highly placed tribal advisor in rural Umtata, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela began campaigning in the public eye for the rights of Blacks in South African, as early as 1944, when he joined the African National Congress.

“When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw,” said Mandela, in his autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom. Being that Apartheid was a governmentally sanctioned decree, underground anti-apartheid groups such as Umkonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) headed by Nelson Mandela, and the Anti-Apartheid movement of Canada (AAMC), were formed in an effort to combat this legal type of segregation. The majority of the opposition against the South African government was fought with non-violent methods, intelligent thought and peace.  However, in 1964 after Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison for acts of treason and sabotage against the government, many Africans turned away from their peaceful resistance. 

“So when I came there (Canada) and there were people over there (South Africa), we were talking to them, and they started grouping in the streets and it became more violent and more violent and then it became so violent.  So many people lost their lives that the international community had to step,” said Mrs. B in the Team Freedom Fighters interview.  The government too became violent in response to the post-Mandela imprisonment revolts. In 1976, five hundred black students were shot during protests, and in 1977 and 1980 black leader Steve Biko (1946–1977), and trade unionist Neil Aggett were killed while in police custody.  By then, Mrs. B had already fled South Africa to Canada due to the governmental opposition, and many Africans who left the country at the time were issued “exit permits.”  Exit permits would entail loss of citizenship, and criminal penalties if the person returned to South Africa. 

Yet still, Nelson Mandela’s dedication and commitment to anti-apartheid during his imprisonment would later spark a political revolution out of which many leaders would rise against apartheids strongholds.  “I was angry, angry, until they had the truth and reconciliation and I thought, that's me, those are my people talking, Reverend Tutu is my people talking.  That is the only way to get over it, forgiveness. I was losing my faith yes, I still have moments where I get very angry because of racism, but I go back to that thought, forgiveness.  Forgiveness will always heal everything,” said Mrs. B.  Ideals of “peace as a weapon,” would again spring forth as religious leaders like Desmond Tutu were in the peripheral.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu was born on October 7, 1931, in Klerksdorp, South Africa.  He was born a Methodist, but later became an Anglican when his family changed denominations.  When the Tutu family moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, Desmond, now age twelve, met Anglican priest Trevor Huddleston, who was strongly against apartheid and became a role model to Tutu.  Their meeting would plant a seed within Tutu out of which would grow a deep passion for equality amongst all peoples. 

Thirty-five years later, Tutu’s recognition as a critic of apartheid became internationally know when he was appointed first general secretary of the South African Council of Churches in 1978.  Later, he was elected the archbishop of Cape town, making him the first black person to head the Anglican Church in southern African history.

“So Desmond Tutu and Mandela, along with others from the ANC started a big huge court case, it's called the Truth and Reconciliation case.  What they did is they tried all the white South Africans that they knew had committed atrocities and they healed it with forgiveness, it’s true, it's absolutely true…People give Mandela the credit but Reverend Tutu who did it…He was the one who rallied the people throughout the world…and this is something that we, as Christians, I'm catholic, but as Christians have to learn that forgiveness does work, it does work, all people are equal...”  Forgiveness became a force undefeated, developing into a powerful political committee known as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), fully backed by Nelson Mandela and chaired by the archbishop.  

 

TRC was part of the political compromises made during the negotiations that ended apartheid.  Their job was to investigate the different cases of human rights violations that were committed between 1960 and 1994. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was the first truth commission to offer amnesty to individuals who fully admitted their involvement in crimes that were view as being politically motivated.   

Desmond  Tutu and Nelson Rolihlahla Nelson had achieved the unachievable.  They had delivered the gift of peace to the doorsteps of the unmerciful through the political powers that be, to a country that has seen oppression age well over five hundred years before even being considered a universal immorality. “Forgiveness does work! It does work!” said Mrs. B.  And forgiveness covers a multitude of sins.    

“If we would only believe, that which we desire to achieve would find its way into our midst.”

 –Team Freedom Fighters