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Shattered Colours Many events have greatly affected the way Canadians live today. Some have helped us have technical advances, while others helped us grow together as a society. Today, some of these make us wonder if our world would be the same if they never happened. Imagine a world where Blacks and Whites lived isolated and secluded from one another; sadly, that is the way it used to be. The relationship between Rubin “Hurricane” Carter and the White Canadian Social Workers revolutionized the way society lives today: “I am extremely thankful for the love, help, and support I received from those kind people. They helped me find myself.” (Rubin Carter) He stated this directly after he was released from prison in 1985. This relationship, the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, and the poem “Reach Out And Touch”, all show how society broke this colour barrier. Born on May 6, 1937 in Paterson, New Jersey, Rubin Carter grew up in a poor area surrounded by crime. (The Hurricane Biography) He survived living in a broken down home and came out of his ruined neighborhood with the upper hand. Rubin Carter was on top of the world, he was a professional boxer and was the number one contender for the Middleweight Championship of the World. The fans loved him and soon he would acquire the nickname “Hurricane” because of his speed and lighting quick hands. In the early morning of June 17, 1966, three white patrons were gun down inside the Lafayette Grill in downtown New Jersey. Later that morning on their way home from a party Carter and friend John Artis were pulled over. The only information the police had about the suspected gunmen was that it was two Negro’s. The police asked no questions to the men and proceeded to arrest them for a crime they did not commit. Carter and Artis were tried by an all White jury and were found guilty and sentenced to life behind bars: I’m not in jail for committing a murder. I’m in jail partly because I’m a black man living in America, where the powers that be will only allow a black man to be an entertainer or a criminal. (Rubin Carter) A similar case occurred in the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, where the county of Maycomb despised the Black community: “ The Sheriff hadn’t the heart to put him in jail alongside Negroes.” (Harper Lee,11.) Atticus Finch a very successful lawyer in the town, accepted a case where he would be defending a man by the name of Tom Robinson, a Negro: “My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an’ that Nigger oughta hang from the water tank.” (Harper Lee, 76.) Tom was accused of raping the daughter of, Mr.
Approximate Word count = 1590
Approximate Pages = 6.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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