The period of Reconstruction (1867–1877) is often presented as a brief moment of hope, where African Americans participated fully in creating new state constitutions. However, this progress was quickly suffocated. As the chapter notes, "reconstruction failed to truly change the racist social order". The withdrawal of federal troops allowed Southern states to enact Jim Crow laws and resort to outright violence, such as the lynching of "more than 4,000 Black people" between 1877 and 1950. This sequence illustrates a chilling connection: the legal codes of slavery were simply substituted with the social and political codes of segregation, supported by terror.

This historical pattern connects the early 20th-century debate between Booker T. Washington's call for accommodation, or gradual economic progress, and W.E.B. Du Bois's demand for immediate political and civil rights, as expressed through the Niagara Movement. The fact that this debate was necessary, decades after emancipation, proves the enduring nature of institutional racism. It shows that African Americans were continually forced to choose a strategy for survival and advancement against a white society constantly seeking to maintain a subordinate status, a dynamic that tragically continues to be challenged by modern movements like #BlackLivesMatter.

It made me reflect on my own work in shelters today. The majority of the families I work with still face systemic obstacles grounded in that history—housing discrimination, educational disparities, and racial profiling. Slavery ended more than 150 years ago, but its contemporary effects are experienced in the ways laws, policies, and even community spaces operate. Chapter 7 reminded me that in order to assist families, we also have to deal with the legacies of oppression that continue to shape daily life.

Reading chapter seven I learned of how the systems of slavery influence society still. The thing that stuck out the most to me was how contradictory one of their policies was. As discussed on page 162, as slavery developed, slave codes were implemented to state the status and limitations of slaves. The interesting, yet contradictory law was that slaves could not inherit anything due to the fact that they could not own a will. On the same page it says that slavery was inheritable. This to me shows how powerful and unchallenged slavery was. Even while being challenged as discussed later on page 163, abolitionists and their outspokenness negatively impacted the treatment of slaves. The brighter the light shined on slavery, the harsher the conditions were for the people in bondage. These systems influenced the oppression of non-whites even in politics. When the supreme court declared literacy tests and poll taxes constitutional, this was another move made to keep black people from equality. This agenda only possible because of the attitudes brought forth through the power obtained and maintained by slavery.

Two Visions for Black Progress

Chapter 7 explores the contrasting philosophies of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, two influential Black leaders. Washington, born enslaved, promoted vocational training and gradual progress through White acceptance—a strategy known as the politics of accommodation. He believed Black Americans could earn equality by proving their economic value and loyalty.

DuBois, born free and the first Black Ph.D. from Harvard, rejected Washington’s emphasis on compromise. He argued for academic excellence, protest, and leadership through the “Talented Tenth”—a call for educated Black leaders to uplift the broader community. DuBois believed Washington’s approach stifled activism and diverted resources from intellectual development.

Their clash shaped early civil rights movements. DuBois’s Niagara Movement, though underfunded, laid the foundation for the NAACP, blending Black militancy with White liberal support. Their debate still resonates today: Should change come through patience and cooperation, or through direct challenge and protest?

“Nigger, Don’t Let the Sun Set on YOU,” (Schaefer, p169). This statement right here is enough to make anybody irate. The fact that in 2016 the town of Lacrosse, Wisconsin is just apologizing for being a sundown town truly baffles me and puts me under the suspicion that there are more places in the United States where this statue still exists even if the intimidation is subliminally subtle. The slave codes and the Jim Crow era, and currently the fight for reparation being fought right now across the United States of America are all reasons I stay alert as far as my skin goes for the next racist agenda. There is nothing in this chapter that I am not aware of, through lessons and self-education. In my opinion racism is not only a mindset it is a lifestyle that exist and plays out in the backwater towns and counties all over America, not to mention the luxurious homes of the super elite; And that is why I am not surprised when I see it repeat itself like the comparison made with Colin Kaepernick and the runners in the 1968 Olympics with the reactions being exactly the same. Someone once told Lebron James to shut up and play basketball when he voiced an opinion, and while I was reading I thought about this and I couldn't help comparing it with the town in Iowa that suspended their sundown town ordinance for one night so that an interracial band could play at their festival; This to baffles me. I acknowledge that progress has been made. But I can't deny that racism has evolved.

Therefore, it reminds me of the chapter when institutional racism and the dynamics of power were outlined with focus on how, since slavery began, systems had been put into place with subsequent generations to reduce Black Americans. Furthermore, it's clear that this systemic racism continues as many Black communities boast minimal options for caregivers, housing, schools and more. This reaffirms how racism adapts and transforms like time but despite generations looking for equity and justice it still has not come for all.