The Final Steps

The final pages of March start tragically with the beating, shooting, and subsequent death of Jimmie Lee Jackson. The tragedies continue with the assassination of civil rights leader Malcolm X. At Malcolm’s funeral, the idea of the titular march to Montgomery, Al, was born. The SNCC spent four days debating whether to include themselves in the march or not, they ultimately decided not to, but John Lewis, while still being a chairman on the SNCC, decided to march on his own without the support of the SNCC. The story jumps to the future where Mr.Lewis meets Obama, and they exchange a hug, and Obama signs a letter and gives it to Lewis. The next major scene is the tragic events of Bloody Sunday, where the non-violent protesters marching to Selma were stopped and beaten by state troopers. Next was turn around Tuesday, then the hearing of the SCLC’s injunction request. The Final major events of march depict LBJ’s American problem speech and his decision to allow the march to Selma to be completed untroubled. It had not yet truly hit me how hazardous participation in the civil rights movement was until I read the pages depicting the terrifying events of Bloody Sunday. The right to vote was given to me when I turned 18 this past October. I have not registered or even thought about voting in any election. This book changed that for me reading through it makes me want to get educated on the partisan topics dividing the country and put in my two cents. I believe Mr.Lewis’ intent towards the end of the novel was to send the message, “America was not always equal.” America, even now, is still believed to be unequal. The best solution I see right now is to protest. Maybe a march would work.

$1,500,000,000,000

I am a freshman at GSU. I worked hard in high school to be eligible to receive HOPE in order to attend GSU. At the current cost of tuition, without HOPE I would not be able to receive higher education. And tuition is not the only problem as I also have to pay for dorming and textbooks for each class.  I remembered that I couldn’t buy a book this semester that is mandatory for class and had to resort to using free PDF versions of textbooks that could fail at any time. I looked at how much I spent on food because I don’t have a meal plan. Then I started thinking about how the money being spent on my tuition would help me if I could use it for other necessities.

When a student walks into the first floor of the Georgia State University library they are greeted by a space that embodies openness. Massive windows in front and behind, Saxby’s that has a windowed front so anybody can see the whole restaurant. Stairs to the second floor surrounded by an atrium-like opening

A picture of the Georgia State University library
The GSU Library first floor

and tons of desk and couches lined up for anybody to sit. The white and sky blue-colored walls make it feel as if one is studying in the sky and the brightly colored cushioned chairs only add on to that effect. The help desk has tons of Georgia State merch behind the counter and smiling librarians to help with all GSU students’ needs. Of course in a library, there are books but the only books on the first floor are the new arrivals stood on the right side of the entrance.

In the back of the first floor on the right, there are also various video materials such as DVDs and VHS tapes for all entertainment and educational needs. On the opposite side of the video materials, there are old newspapers that show the older days of Georgia. On the right side of the library, most of the technology that students need is there. There are desks with plugs on the top so students can charge their devices. Next to that, there are two rows of computers and monitors with a printer on one end of one row usually lined with students. 

 

The rows of computers are lined with students doing online work and typing away for hours at a time so that they finish their assignments, so they could pass their classes. In the back of the library in the various desk sit many students. Most of them have their laptops out working on their assignments. Dressed in hats, jackets, and sweaters thick for the cold weather. The students are wrapped up in their various lives some intertwined with each other. Students are studying alone with headphones in. They could be listening to their favorite song, a podcast, or nothing, using the headphones to get people to stay away. There are students studying with each other, some ironically loud and other quiet and hardly noticeable.

 

 Looking across the desk there is a lone laptop with nobody nearby. The lone laptop has an HP logo and looks fairly new also fairly expensive. The student with the HP laptop eventually returned and it turns out he was just helping a fellow student out with some work. He had a black Supreme bomber jacket with an unstained white Supreme t-shirt underneath. He had dark blue jeans with a Gucci logo on the back and white socks and multicolored Balenciaga sneakers. The sneakers alone cost nearly 1,000 dollars and the other brands he was wearing were also notoriously expensive. This heavily contrasted his peers at the computer. The student at the school computers was wearing a zipped up grey jacket with frayed sleeves. Light blue jeans with holes in the knees and shoes caked with dirt and lacking aglets.

I overheard a conversation between the two about where to eat before they left HP student wanted to go get Zaxby’s but the student at the school computer said that he needs to buy something later that week and said he couldn’t. HP offered to buy for both of them and then they left.

Looking at interactions between people who have to worry about college costs and those who do not paint a vivid picture of the expenses of higher education. The expenses of college are infamous for their high cost. Books, Room and board, and especially Tuition make up the largest expenses of college. Most college students pay for tuition using loans and the debt that former and current college students owe makeup 1.5 trillion U.S dollars.

a man compared to 1 trillion dollars
A man compared to 1 trillion dollars taken from http://bit.ly/2CVxvNV

There is currently nobody in the world with nearly enough money to even touch the debt. The highest net worth in the world is only 111 billion USD. If someone cannot afford a meal plan at the beginning of the school year they will either spend more than what the meal plan cost or have days where they have to starve. Students suffer during college from lack of funds attempting to join a world where they’ll be deeper in debt from the interest on student loans. 

 

Hello world!

Welcome to your brand new blog at sites@gsu.edu!

To get started, edit or delete this post and check out all the other options available to you.

For assistance, visit the comprehensive support site, check out the Edublogs User Guide guide or stop by The Edublogs Forums to chat with other edubloggers.

For personal support, you can attend Georgia State’s training on Edublogs or stop by The Exchange for one-on-one support.

You can also reference the free publication, The Edublogger, which is jammed with helpful tips, ideas and more.