Stories of the Quest for Civil Rights

One of my favorite stories about the quest for civil rights is The Freedom Writers Diary. There is also a movie about it. The book is about a teacher and 150 teens who used writing to change themselves and the world around them. The students recorder their thoughts and feelings in diaries and called themselves the “Freedom Writers” in homage to the civil rights activists “The Freedom Riders.” This all started when their English teacher confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. One day she intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature, and declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust. The class then read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo. After reading the novels they had a different outlook on life. They voiced their opinions so others could have the chance to discover what they did. This reminds me of what Bessie did in Having our Say. She also voiced her opinion. Along with the "Freedom Writers" she made a difference and protested her beliefs.