On Saturday, August 20,1955, Simeon’ s cousin Emmett Till came to visit him. They would spend time together in the cotton field, picking up cotton. Most of time, they would drive to swim in a river and buy pops or candies at a store not far from their place in a town called Money. One day, they decided to go to back to Money after a long day at the cotton field with a couple of family members and neighbors. Like they usually do, they swam in the river before stopping off at the Bryant grocery. As they were leaving the store, they saw Mrs. Bryant ,who was behind the counter, walking towards her car. Without knowing the “rules” in Mississippi, Emmett Till whistled at her. Days after that event, Emmett Till was abducted by Mrs. Bryant’s husband Roy Bryant and her brother in law, J. W. Milam. Emmett then became missing for a couple of days and was tragically found dead in Money, however, the white murderers were not convicted.
The book Simeon’s Story by By Simeon Wright speaks to the unjust compromises in American Core Democratic Values. One of them is “Fairness”. In the story, there was lack of fairness and equality. Black people didn’t have as much power as whites. Another Core Value in that relates to the book is the importance of “Life”. It seemed like black people’s lives truly didn’t matter. In the story, Emmett Till was murdered by two white men without any conviction and justice.
Reading this book will enlighten anyone about the history of civil rights. It helps to understand the current society in America and enables gratitude in seeing the difference and progress today. This book is easy to read and recommended for all ability levels. Anyone who wonders about how hard it was for African American to live during the Civil Rights Movement will be changed when they read this true account.