Melba Patillo Beals Analysis

Summon a vision of yourself in a crowded setting, surrounded by white men, women, children and seniors. With that image carved, draw yourself as a young African American in the 1960s, despised by the white man. Though you stick out like a sore thumb, eyes glance past you, blinded in your midst. An ‘outcast’ has now become your terminal label- segregated, judged, despised. Does this story sound familiar? Yes, it does, as millions of books in the 21st century alone, have exhibited these themes. While eloquently written, Melba Patillo Beals unoriginality in the subject of hardships in African American lives in the time of severe oppression makes this story a tale told too often, which should not be exposed to a classroom of easily distracted teenagers.
The reality is, even today, children grow up feeling uncomfortable, undoubtedly creating insecurities, later resulting in unnecessary loss of self-worth. Everyone seems to think that these are classified as "first world problems," casually making jokes, but it is the real deal. Most novelists’ refuse to touch on this topic, as it is “taboo” to include children in racist affairs. Readers can connect to Beal’s feeling of isolation from her peers- meaning that though we may not experience racism, hateful thoughts toward one-self can create the same impact. An example of this psychological experience can be taken from the report of race relations in 1957, “In October 1957, after civil rights issues reached a boiling point in the desegregation of the high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, the United States Information Agency (USIA) conducted a survey to determine how race relations affected America's image abroad” (Heger). The USIA concluded that even with their preconceived notion of the terrors of racism, foreigners still disagreed with the integration of Central High