Essay on Soiling of Old Glory Photograph by Stanley J....

This photograph taken by Stanley J. Forman appears to show a young Caucasian man using the American Flag as an improvised weapon. He forcefully cocks a pole bearing an American flag as if it were a spear in an attempt to impale it through someone. His target, an African American dressed in a formal suit, struggles to free himself from another man holding him firmly against his will. He holds the victim as the assailant directs the distinct red, white and blue American flag into the bull’s-eye. Bystanders pause in time and space to witness the occurrence. They watch nonchalantly. Some watch with approval; others watch with shock. The flag is positioned horizontally. The red and white stripes clearly stand out. I also feel that there is an†¦show more content†¦In 1974, Judge Wendell Arthur Garrity Jr. of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts ruled that the schools were unconstitutionally segregated (Weinbaum). He ordered Boston to desegregate in all public schools by forced busing. This new plan forced students from white neighborhoods to go to school in black neighborhoods, and forced students black neighborhoods to go to school in predominantly white neighborhoods to balance the racial diversity. However, this ruling was highly unpopular among the White Americans who were still in favor of segregation. A series of protests began to follow soon after the desegregation orders, but the most significant protest would be captured in a series of snapshots. In the chilly morning of April 5, 1976, many white American teenagers boycotted their classes to go with their parents to protest against the desegregation ruling at the City Hall (Desmond). The White Americans, predominantly teenagers, wanted to forcibly segregate students of a different race on a separate bus. As the protesters walked around the plaza, an African American lawyer, Ted Landsmark, who works in the City Hall at the Contracts Association happens to be going towards the direction of the protest to attend a meeting as part of his daily routine. This time would be different. When the protesters see Landsmark coming towards them, hell would break loose. Stanley Forman arrives. On the morning of the event, Stanley Forman would arrive early