In an interview with Studs Terkel, Virginia Foster Durr, a prominent American civil rights activist, reflects on life during the Great Depression, particularly the way that people on government relief felt shame and guilt over their own suffering and poverty, rather than blaming the capitalist system.
In this segment of an interview conducted by Studs Terkel, Eileen Barthe, a government relief case worker during the Great Depression, remembers an experience that caused a recipient of relief to face deep humiliation.
After the Federal Judge ordered integration in Little Rock, Arkansas, the "Little Rock Nine" prepared for their first day at Central High School. Governor Orval Faubus, in defiance of the order, called out the Arkansas National Guard. One of the students, Elizabeth Eckford, could not be reached and was therefore not informed of the plan. This is her story.
This reading covers an excerpt from The Autobiography of Malcolm X, where Malcolm Little's teacher told him his race limited the career opportunities available to him.
In a letter to her daughter, Lisa Delpit reflects on how racism has shaped her worldview and her hopes and fears for her child. This reading is in Spanish.