Racial Segregation began with the Jim Crow Laws. These laws mandated separate but equal for African Americans. Jim Crow Laws were ordinances established between 1874 and 1975 to separate the white and black races of the American South. In theory, it was to create "separate but equal" status treatment but in practice Jim Crow Laws condemned black citizens to inferior treatment and facilities.
The most important Jim Crow Laws required that public schools, public facilities, water fountains, toilets, and public transportation, like trains and buses, have separate facilities for whites and blacks. These laws meant that black people were legally required to attend separate schools and churches, use public bathrooms marked "for colored only", eat in a separate section of a restaurant, and sit in the rear of a bus.
The book, "The Help" takes place around this time period. It goes back to 1962, in Jackson, Mississippi and the characters are Aibileen ( far right) and Minny(next to her on the left). They are both black maids and the story is about what it was like to work for white families and the struggles they had to face in the process. Not only that but also what it was like in the 1960's when racism was going on and how a person was treated for being African American. Minny works for Miss Hilly ( far right) and Miss Hilly never wants Minny to use her bathroom because she looks at African Americans as being full of diseases. There is a bathroom outside that was built for Minny, so that ties in with the racism, separate bathrooms. Also, Aibileen and Minny went to an all black church since back then the churches were separated. Also, they had to ride on separate buses in order to go to work and go home.
I like how you described the time period and the problems that many people faced. It helps readers understand the background to the story and gives them information to refer to and consider while they are reading the book. I would suggest adding some of your personal thoughts about the book about what is happening. It's nice how you gave a description of the characters and set the scene but you should talk more about the situation and what you think of it all. You could talk about the relationships between characters or about how different those times were. It would make the blog even better if you put personality into it and write more about your opinions.
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