Assistant secretary of the NAACP Providence Branch Pilar McCloud came to visit Riverzedge Woonsocket on November 12, 2015 to give us a workshop on the meaning of civil rights. She shared how the Declaration of Independence was not made for everyone like we believed it to be.
“When the Declaration of Independence was written people of color were slaves. So we were not considered- even though it says "All men are created equal" they didn't consider us or women equal. [It was] written for Anglo Saxon American men, white men, not women, not even white women, although white women fared better than women of color.”(Pilar McCloud)
This was very surprising to me because I never thought of it like that. I just believed it had always been the same way as today, but I came to realize times have changed a lot. We have made great advances, but there are many things that could be better. That change is in our hands-- the youth. Pilar McCloud made it very clear that if we unite and work together, we have the power to do and change anything.
“How many people think that you don't have a voice? Whatever happens in your community, in your school, on your block, in your home, in your church that this is the way it is, be honest. I am here to tell you that you are wrong. Young people have had the power to change things in this country- the majority of the people in the civil rights movement, although older now are your ages when it started. They were the ones doing the sit-in. They were the one doing the marching, doing the protesting. They were the ones being chased by dogs. They were the ones being jailed. They were the ones being hosed down by fire hoses. Don't get me wrong, old folks played a lovely role. A lot of them were your age or college students...”(Pilar McCloud).
We are very happy and appreciative of the fact that she came all the way here to educate us. Many of us had never met a member of the NAACP, and it was a great and eye-opening experience, helping us understand civil rights and how it plays out and affects our daily lives.
photo credit Steve Ahlquist
