Trip Reflection

THE MUSEUM
OF THE
CITY OF NEW YORK

        The trip to the Museum of the City of New York taught me many things about activism. It taught me some old issues that were dealt with and some recent ones that are being fought for. It also taught me old and new actions that were taken in order for the activists to get what they wanted.
One of the old issues that I learned more about was the segregation of black and white people. Even though the enslavement of African American people was over, many white people still disliked the idea of treating them equally or even sharing the same space as them. This was when all public spaces were segregated. Parks, theaters, schools; all were either only for white or black. Segregation was allowed because of the Jim Crow laws. It had been challenged but still was set as a law. The African Americans saw this as a problem and many people became activists. One activist, Martin Luther King Jr. fought with speeches that became memorable today.  Rosa Parks led the act into boycotting buses which caused buses to decrease in profits so seating arrangement on buses changed. These were acts that were non-violent, but led to a big change.
Another issue I saw was the bike lanes. This was a recent issue that was fought for by people who commute in bikes around New York. They were upset at the fact that cars took up there bike lanes and they were getting fined for it. However, instead of doing speeches or marches or boycotts, these people put humor into there fight. They dressed up as clowns and demonstrated what happened if a car was in the bike lane. They pretended to fall and crash because of the cars, yet they were the ones getting fined. This attracted the attention of many people and they laughed along and agreed. The overall outcome was that the clowns received the attention they wanted and hoped for more bike lanes and rules that enforced better care for the bikers and bike lanes.
Overall, it was fun to go to the museum and learn about activism. I learned many forms and that violence isn't the answer.  There are other, more civil ways to achieve your goal.

Equilibrium for Everyone

Whether we are female or male,
black or white.
We are all equal,
this is whats right.

We maybe different,
color or gender.
But to try to set different rights,
that fight must surrender.

No one is more better,
or even more strong.
We are all equal,
so let us create a better bond.