“The Life of Eldrewey Stearns and the Integration of Houston” by R.Thomas Coursework

Thomas R. Cole describes the life of Eldrewey Stearns. The book covers different periods of his life, including his participation in protests for desegregation and racial equality between 1960 and 1961, achievements, arrests, and alcohol abuse. The writing is important since it could remind society of the hardships of desegregation, thus preventing younger people from forgetting the price of their improved access to opportunities in life.

Analysis

Regarding strengths, the book enriches society’s knowledge regarding the Civil Rights Movement in Houston. Desegregation or the elimination of laws to create artificial barriers is widely discussed as Stearns’s and his supporters’ ultimate goal.¹ It covers black students’ typical challenges but highlights that they were lucky to surpass the times of lynching – extrajudicial killings by groups.² Also, the events are described very thoroughly – the battle for the integration (the practice of making particular public places accessible for all citizens) of the City Hall cafeteria in Houston is detailed.³ The author mentions earlier events to provide the context for discussions. Thus, the role of the NAACP’s (a civil rights organization established in 1909) previous political achievements in Houston desegregation is addressed.⁴ Regarding weaknesses, the book reveals facts about Stearns’s addictions, which might undermine its historical value as perceived by the audience.

Be Free – J. Cole

Chapter one describes one of the first protests near the administration of Texas State University. Being among thirteen black young adults that gathered near the U.S. flag, Stearns inspired “the students with the symbolism of freedom.”⁵ In his song that conveys the feelings of exhaustion and anger, J. Cole claims that “all we wanna do is break the chains off.”⁶ This song could be used in the cited passage since both of them refer to desperate calls for unity in the name of freedom. J. Cole’s performance is very emotional, which makes it suitable for the scene.

Battle Scars – Lupe Fiasco and Guy Sebastian

One scene in chapter two covers the awful experiences of Felton Turner. After a violent attack, Felton saw “two sets of the letters “KKK” gouged into his stomach.”⁷ I would illustrate this heartbreaking scene using Battle Scar. It is a melancholic rap song that contains the following lines: “these battle scars, don’t look like they are fading, don’t look like they are ever going away.” ⁸ Because of the themes of battle and scars that never heal completely, the song is in line with Turner’s suffering during and after the attack.

People Are People – Depeche Mode

In chapter three, Stearns remembers his plans about the Dome Stadium and its anticipated role in causing a positive change in Houston citizens’ attitudes to racism. He pronounces with satisfaction, “We won the thing.”⁹People Are People, an energetic synth-pop song, could be used here. It discusses the ability to achieve mutual understanding after some time, thus sharing Stearns’s optimism. Focused on misunderstandings between those of “different colors and different breeds,” the song states that one’s common decency “takes a while to travel from your head to your fist”¹⁰

I’m Going Slightly Mad – Queen

Chapter eight covers Stearns’s tragic fate after his success as a protest leader. During the insanity hearing, one witness confirms that Sterns “had been of unsound mind” since he first sought psychiatric help.¹¹ Being melancholic but strong, the song by Queen could be used to demonstrate the sense of helplessness and frustration that Sterns probably had. “I am one wave short of a shipwreck” is the line that properly demonstrates this desperate state of mind.¹² The wreckage of the activist’s dreams is what the song would imply.

Amazing – Aerosmith

One passage in chapter nine covers Stearns’s joyless days in 1966 when he suffered from alcohol addiction. He says, “I’d go and drink my whiskey and … [make expensive purchases]… just to get out of my misery.”¹³Amazing could be used since it describes the experiences of a person who “just can’t tell what tomorrow brings.”¹⁴ The song is a good illustration of dangerous addictions that deprived Stearns of his will. The singer’s emotional performance could chime with Stearns’s restlessness.

Bibliography

Aerosmith. “Amazing.” Track 13 on Get a Grip. Geffen Records, 1993.

Cole, Thomas R. No Color is My Kind: The Life of Eldrewey Stearns and the Integration of Houston. Austin, University of Texas Press, 1997.

Depeche Mode. “People Are People.” Track 3 on Some Great Reward. Mute Records, 1984.

J. Cole. “Be Free.” Dreamville Records, 2017.

Lupe Fiasco, and Guy Sebastian. “Battle Scars.” Track 11 on Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1. Atlantic Records, 2012.

Queen. “I’m Going Slightly Mad.” Track 2 on Innuendo. Parlophone Records Limited, 1991.

Footnotes

1. Thomas R. Cole, No Color Is My Kind: The Life of Eldrewey Stearns and the Integration of Houston (Austin, University of Texas Press, 1997), 31.
2. Cole, No Color Is My Kind, 35.
3. Cole, 51.
4. Cole, 56.
5. Cole, 38.
6. J. Cole, “Be Free,” Dreamville Records, 2017.
7. Cole, 43.
8. Lupe Fiasco and Guy Sebastian, “Battle Scars,” track 11 on Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1, Atlantic Records, 2012.
9. Cole, 66.
10. Depeche Mode, “People Are People,” Track 3 on Some Great Reward, Mute Records, 1984.
11. Cole, 156.
12. Queen, “I’m Going Slightly Mad,” Track 2 on Innuendo, Parlophone Records Limited, 1991.
13. Cole, 167.
14. Aerosmith, “Amazing,” Track 13 on Get a Grip, Geffen Records, 1993.