You see, the "Greygoose" is a shuttle bus for inmates traveling between prisons, and my destination today is San Quentin State prison. ... As we travel up I80 past the San Francisco bay I am struck with fear, wondering what will happen to me in there and if I will I ever get out alive. ... You see, San Quentin is not only home of California's only still operational gas chamber, it is also mainly used for receiving inmates and housing them until they get classified as to what type of prison they belong in. ...

• Word Count: 2223
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

When Gaines was fifteen years old, he moved to San Francisco to join his mother and stepfather. ... (Bouque 31) Gaines attended Vallejo College, San Francisco State College and in 1957, he graduated at Stanford University. ... In 1957 he won a Joseph Henry Jackson Award from San Francisco Foundation. ...

• Word Count: 1754
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

Other things that Chuck talked about were the problems in society due to the growth in black population, the way his mother taught him how to survive in a segregated system, the fact that not only the southern states but the entire country has a racist past, and the unique system of segregation in San Francisco, which was the requirement of being in a union to get a job, and the union members could only be of the white race. ...

• Word Count: 475
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

After reading the book, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" I thought a lot about what the book was trying to explain. Throughout the awful events of the black girl, Maya's life, she stayed patient and strong. I do believe that this book belongs among the classic works read by young adults. Maya went...

• Word Count: 577
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

After finding herself, Margarite returns to her mother in San Francisco. ... She does not give up and "fights" with racist hiring policies in San Francisco to get her first real job as streetcar conductor "The Black female is assaulted in her tender years by all those common forces of nature at the same time that she is caught in the tripartite crossfire of masculine prejudice, white illogical hate and Black lack of power" (231). ...

• Word Count: 1584
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

In the book I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings , by Maya Angelou, Marguerite, Uncle Willie, and Vivian are faced with many defeats but are never defeated. There are many times in which Marguerite is faced with difficulties that she overcomes. Growing up in the poor South as a black and yet triumphing ...

• Word Count: 787
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Many social changes that were addressed in the 1960s are still the issues being confronted today. The '60s was a decade of social and political upheaval. In spite of all the turmoil, there were some positive results: the civil rights revolution, John F. Kennedy's bold vision of a new frontie...

• Word Count: 1339
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Strengths of a Woman Through the Looking Glass with Maya Angelou's Poem "Phenomenal Woman". As we go through life, we have many experiences such as reading poetry. It may not be fun all the time, but it is one of those things that, whether we can admit it or not, is a good experience for all of us...

• Word Count: 1242
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

It is not at all uncommon today in 21st century America to see sports teams with members of different races and cultures. In fact, one would think it strange to see a team that was not multiracial. As common as interracial athletics is today, things have not always been this way. Obviously, in th...

• Word Count: 1632
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School