Lukasz Pomian African American Literature Professor S.Tretter 10 February 2010 Journal The period of Reconstruction was a time in which gender roles, class hierarchies, and racial discrimination were scrutinized and re-examined. During that time, limited suffrage rights were granted to black men, there was the burgeoning feminist movement and the abolition of slavery. Also, the Civil War had just ended, and black men and women were needed in the workforce. Such great change in a short period of time is almost too much for me to conceive of. An African American perspective of those times is something that was lacking in my education. I was given only the lens of the white male through which to learn about the period of Reconstruction. I had never thought of writing from the Reconstruction period as a medium through which to make the personal public, and the local universal. The struggle of the writers is not just on the page, but is a living, breathing body of work. It is not allowed to merely be writing, but is instead a cry for freedom and equality. I can see how it inspired and galvanized people, for my reaction to it was one of awe. I felt as though I were reading the opening sentence of the Bible, that I was reading the Word. These readings were truly transcendent for me, and I know that they affect my world today. Finally, I must say that this resonated with me on a visceral level as well: so many Americans are struggling to receive adequate health care, and our President Obama is trying to pass a health care bill through the Senate and the House of Representatives which would change the future of all of our lives, as well as have a global impact and setting a precedent for our country. I feel that Big Pharma is oppressing our Nation, and that grassroots organizations can really make a difference. From these readings, I have much more hope for the health care bill to pass. America might not be ready for abortion rights, but that may be the next step, much as black men were at first permitted only limited voting rights. Prejudice and racism and classism run so deep that I used to feel that one person could not make a difference. I am so grateful to be able to write that these readings give me a spark of hope that big changes can happen if we only work hard enough and stay true to our cause. Just as these writers universalized their individual experiences, so too can we universalize the cause of free (or low-cost, as an unfortunate compromise) healthcare, thus making our struggle as well as our goal known: to obtain equal health care for all.