1964-S.N.S

1964 Timeline

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Historical Narrative

__My Diary__ * I decided that I would write from the perspective of a middle class white female teenage student in 1964. These are my personal thoughts on what I think a white student would have said during this time in history. You asked us to be creative, so this is what I came up with. *

My name is Billie Jean and I am 15 years old. I live in Garner, North Carolina and I am the only child in my family. My papa and mama were born and raised in North Carolina and pretty much my whole family has been here for years. My papa is a United Methodist minister, and my ma just stays at home. She helps out at the church sometimes, nothing too much. I have a little dog name “Randy,” he is a cute little mutt. I don’t have very many friends, they all say I am weird. I live in a nice little cul de sac and most of my neighbors are not nice, my parents and I hardly ever speak to them. I don’t have very many friends, so I just write. Writing is my way to escape from this crazy world. I write about everything, stuff that doesn't even make any sense. everything. My ma tells me all the time I am going to write a great book one day and be the first well known author from Garner. I believe her too. My favorite subject in school is history. I love studying about the colonies and World War I. I have decided that this year I will start to record all of the major events that take place in our nation. So here we go!

__Year 1964__ Dear Diary, Another year has started, and I can say that our nation is off to a pretty good start. After President Kennedy’s tragic death, the nation was kind of distraught and in a scare. But we got through it together, and now we are trying to pick the pieces back up. I was really sad after his death; I mean I really liked the guy. I thought he was a great president, and he was quite handsome (Jackie was one lucky woman)! But Rest In Peace Mr. President! Okay enough of that, so after his death we got this new president named Lyndon B. Johnson. Personally I thought he was going to be a jackass, but he so far is holding the fork down. It’s pretty crazy how much responsibility a president has, my hat goes off to the old man. Did I fail to mention that I live in a country where there is so much division. This whole segregation thing is getting on my last nerve. I don’t have a problem with black people, I actually like them. I don’t know why some people don’t like them or want to treat them bad. It hurts my heart to see all of this segregation stuff going on and especially because I live in North Carolina. I mean you can’t even go to the store without a white person talking bad about a black person. I just don’t get it, I feel so sorry for the black people. My dad and mom are not racist, but a lot of my family members are and it just cringes my skin when I go around them. But I am so proud of the black community. They are really taking a stand for justice. It’s this black leader everybody calls him MLK, I heard he was great. He is really helping to try and put a stop to all this segregation crap.

 Dear Diary, So today at school, all the talk was about this new policy the new guy on the block came out with. It’s called something like “war on poverty.” Everybody at school pretends to be so in tuned with politics and crap, but they don’t really know anything (they are dumber than a box of rocks). I personally love history but hate politics. I think a lot of them are big ole rusty liars and need to go get a life. But anyways to the big talk was about how the president was going come up with some new policies to help the poor people out. I thought that was really nice of the dude, I mean the President. I didn’t realize that the poverty rate in the country was that low, but I am glad the new President is trying to help fix it. My teacher mentioned today that he was going to create new policies like welfare for the poor people. My family is not poor (Thank God), but like my dad says all the time, because we are Christians we should always lend a hand to the needy and the poor. So yitteddeeee, because of this new policy Mr. President might just have a seat waiting for him in HEAVEN!!!!

Dear Diary, Today was not a good day. I went to this restaurant in town with my papa and I overheard some of the people that worked talking about how they will never want to eat in a place that serves black people. I leaned over at the table and told my dad that they were PIGS!!! (OINK OINK). He told me not to talk like that and that l should let God be the judge. I said “whatever.” I did not like my dad’s response. Something inside of me wanted to tell him to do something about it, say something to them mean little devils, but he didn’t. I got kind of upset about it so I’ll just keep this entry short today.

Dear Diary, I feel a little better today. My mama made me a blueberry pie last night, so all of that anger that I had bottled up inside went away with just one bite into that hot good ole cherry pie. One thing my mama knows how to do is cook. She says she learnt how to cook so good from the help Ms. Anna Bell lee. Mama tells me stories all the time about Ms. Anna Bell Lee and how one time she made this big ole feast with fried catfish, butter beans, collard greens, cornbread, fried chicken, biscuits smothered in gravy, and a good ole coconut pie. I love to hear my mama tell me stories about her cooking, because she lights up with the brightest smile. I wish my mama could make all of that food like Anna did, but her cooking is pretty good for a white woman. So enough about that, I have to remember sometimes this diary is just about historical events.

 Dear Diary, So a major event happened today. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act supposedly put an end to discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. I guess this is a long term for saying that racial segregation was now illegal. Yay! I hope this actually works, I mean I have faith in my country, but it’s a lot of mean people living in this country and especially right here in the south. So this means that whites and blacks can go to school together, we can work together, and we can eat together. Heck yea man! I think it will be real nice to go to school with the black kids. I wonder how will they view me, will they like me, will they think that I am a mean white girl? I’m curious to see, I wonder is this going to work? I sure hope so!!!!!! Papa and Mama said that they are really happy about this and God would be pleased to see our nation trying to get along.

Dear Diary, So excuse my laziness, but I haven’t really been up to writing in this thing, and plus nothing really amazing has happened in the country. However, I can tell you that I found a new crush. That is not, not one of this scumbags at my school, but with this hot new band called the Beatles. These dudes are hot. I love their hit song “A Hard Day’s Night.” This English band is really starting to hit the US, and everybody loves them. Their lyrics are the best and they Rock...no literally they ROCK!!!

Dear Diary, So things have not really gotten better. The South is just a horrible place to be right now. A lot of white people are still not trying to change and they are being big jerks about it too! And apart from that our country has gone to war with Vietnam. It’s sad when we get the report about the bombings and casualties over there. One of my classmates brother is in the military and he is over there. They say they haven’t heard from him and they hope everything he will get back home safely.

Dear Diary, OMG so our country and president has gone into a frenzy. Last week, out in the Ocean somewhere there was a ship battle between North Vietnam and the U.S. So because of that the President signed the “Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.” I think the resolution says that the U.S military can attack on anybody that attacks us. Something to that effect, so pretty much the Vietnam war would be expanded. Rooooohhhaaah Mr. President, I guess my classmate Mary will not be too happy about that.

 Dear Diary, So life is okay right now I guess. I have kind of stopped thinking about the country for a while. Keeping up with this stuff got to be a little hectic at times. I have good news though. The Civil Rights Activist name Martin Luther King he received a Nobel Peace Prize. I think this is great for the black community, and might I add the guy is a fighter. I mean with all of this segregation crap going on he took charge and led the black people with so much courage. I read in the newspaper today that he was the youngest person to win this prize and he won 54,000 dollars. Whoa that’s a heck of a lot of money!!

 Dear Diary, The end of the year is quickly approaching and nothing major has happened. So I think that I am through recording events. It’s been great and maybe I will try this again next year. Who knows I might really be a great author one day, who knows I might be able to publish this diary one day!

Signed:_______Billie Jean___