A Champion for Equal Education
Many years ago, Mose Yvonne Brooks-Hooks made a decision. She wanted to help make the world a better place. She started by fighting for the rights of African Americans. Today she works to make sure all people are treated the same.
A Girl Named Mose
Mose was born in Jackson, Tennessee. When she was four years old her family moved to Memphis. Her mother was a teacher. Her father was both a teacher and a minister.
When Mose was a child, some of the United States was segregated. Segregation laws kept African Americans and whites apart. In some states, African American people could not shop in the same stores as white people. They couldn't eat in the same restaurants. They couldn't go to the same schools.
Mose's parents tried to protect her from segregation. She had a loving family. Mose did not realize how unfair these laws were.
Troubled Times
Mose grew up and left home. She went to college in Nashville, Tennessee. She traveled around the country. Mose began to experience segregation. She was made to sit in the back of a bus. A restaurant in an airport would not serve her.
Mose and students from her college wanted to stop segregation. So did many people all across the country. They joined together to protest the laws they believed were unfair. They fought to change them. This was called the Civil Rights Movement.
Some people went to jail for protesting against segregation. Mose and others would pick them up when they got out of jail. She went to marches where people got together to protest the unfair laws. One time the police turned fire hoses on them.
A Lifelong Teacher and Learner
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 put an end to segregation. There was still work to do. Schools had to change. They would have to include both African American and white students. Schools also needed African American teachers.
Mose was asked to teach French at a high school. Her students loved her. She went on to teach in elementary schools and in colleges.
Mose believes that everyone should have a good education. She believes all children everywhere should be able to learn. Today Mose works at Langston University in Oklahoma.
Mose likes to travel. She likes meeting people all across America and the world. She has been to China. Mose has learned one important thing from her travels. She believes that people are more alike than different.