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In Birmingham 1959, a 10 year old African-American girl named Josephine was walking home from school. When Josephine turned on the corner of the damp street, busy with protesters. Five boys came out from behind the bushes. ! “Get lost! You blacks donʼt belong here! You have no right to be here!” the boys teased. ! ! !
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! “No!” She yelled. The boys laughed at her pretending they didnʼt hear her.! Scared Josephine ran away crying home not saying a thing, leaving the boys laughing hysterically. ! When Josephine got home she was still sobbing. Her mom turned around as the door slammed closed. ! “What happened Josephine? Are you okay?” her mom exclaimed with a worried face, while Josephine sat down on their bed. ! “These white boys teased me” she replied, while wiping the tears from her eyes. ! “Oh...its okay” her mom said, pulling Josephine into a hug. ! “It happens all the time. They are bullying me, just because I am African-American!” she complained, even though she felt a little better. ! “Donʼt worry about it, but if it happens again just stand up to them,” her mom told her, while Josephine looked confused. ! “But, I canʼt stand up to them. They are so rude and if I tell them that what they are doing is wrong. Then they will tease and laugh at me again!” she exclaimed. !
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! “Then be strong and do not worry if they tease you” her mom replied, with a very worried voice. ! “Iʼll try to stand up to them! But, what if they tease and laugh at me!” she whined, wiping the last tears from her eyes. ! “Donʼt worry, you can do it” encouraged her mom. “Come on, letʼs have dinner! We are having your favorite” ! After they ate their small dinner. Josephine left to go see her dad. He was protesting for equal rights. ! On the way, Josephine walked through the crowds on the streets. There was yelling, shouting and barking everywhere. The streets were damp from the police hosing the poor protesters. ʻWhy are they doing this?ʼ Josephine thought even though she knew the answer. ! When she got to the area where her dad was protesting, she looked through the crowd for her dad. “Dad, Dad!” she screeched hoping he would hear her through all the noise. !
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! Luckily, he heard her and turned his head around trying to find where she was. Josephine ran towards him. ! “Dad, mom wants to know what time you will be home.” She said. ! “Go tell her I will be home soon” he replied. ! “Okay, bye dad! Protest well!” she said running back home. ! “I will. Bye, Josephine” her dad yelled after her. ! On the way home, Josephine stopped when she saw the white boys that she saw that afternoon sitting in a restaurant with a Whites Only sign on the outside. Trying to avoid them she turned around and ran the other way home. Passing the signs on the street. Josephine hated those signs, they showed segregation as much as the town did. When she got home Josephine was panting with exhaustion. ! “Hey what did dad say? Also why are you panting?” asked her mom who was lying on their bed. ! “He will be home soon, I am panting because I saw the bullies so I ran away!” she answered. ! “Donʼt worry about them. They are wrong to tease you!” her mom yelled “I want to have a talk with their parents if this happens again!” ! “Mom, calm down. Iʼm fine, Please donʼt talk to their parents” Josephine pleaded “That will make it so much worse!" ! “Fine” her mom said, calming down “Why donʼt you get ready for bed, You have school tomorrow.” ! The next day was typical, Josephine got up, got dressed, had breakfast, brushed her teeth and went to school. On the way to school she met up with her friend, Lily. They talked, laughed and shared what was happening at home with each other. ! After school, Josephine waved goodbye to Lily and walked home leaving the dark, gloomy, segregated school behind her. The walk home was long and windy. She passed many stores and restaurants with signs on their doors. ! On the way home she turned on the same corner where the boys jumped out the day before. Continuing walking Josephine looked everywhere to see if the boys were there. Suddenly someone jumped out from behind her and yelled “Boo!”, Josephine started to scream and turned around to see the five boys laughing. ! “You guys are freaks!” she yelled at them ! “Well, little black girl. I thought we told you, you donʼt belong here!” one of the boys sneered “Get lost!” ! “No!” she screamed “I will not get lost!” the boys started laughing causing Josephine to get more angry. “You guys have no right to tease and bully me because I am African-American!” she yelled and screamed.
! Two of the boys stopped laughing and started to look like they felt sorry for her. But, the others were still laughing. ! “I donʼt even care if you feel sorry for me, because no matter what I will never run away from you!” she yelled like she never yelled before “I will always stand up to you!” ! Josephine stomped away not looking back to see the boys laughing. When Josephine got back home she ran up and hugged her mom. ! “What happened Josephine?” her mom asked. ! “I stood up to the boys today and I think that some of they felt bad for me!” Josephine exclaimed. ! “Good job! See I knew you could do” her mom said looking at her daughter with a proud look. ! When her dad got home, Josephine shared the great news with him. He looked proud of his only daughter for standing up to the boys when she told him. ! That night after they had dinner and Josephine did her homework and got ready for bed. She laid down in their families only bed and thought about what happened that afternoon on the walk home from school with a big smile on her face. ! ! “Good night” her mom said to her turning of the light. ! “Good nightʼ Josephine echoed. ! Josephine went to sleep that night with a huge smile on her face feeling proud of herself.
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