The Help Entry 2: Equality

   In the next part of The Help, Miss. Skeeter's thoughts and actions help to further demonstrate why she is so determined to publish these interviews with the maids. She tells Minny and Aibileen, "We want to show your perspective...so people might understand what it's like from your side. We--we help it might change some things around here" (164). Miss. Skeeter is doing what people should have done a long time ago. She wants to show the world what horrible things they are doing to black people, and through this, people will be able to recognize that change is needed. I find Skeeter to be a strong and brave women to be doing this. Most people--even if they know discrimination is wrong--will still let it happen because they are too afraid to speak up. The world, especially during this time period, needs more women like Skeeter so that others can recognize the mistakes they are making. The interviews will be a start of change; it will promote equality for everyone.
   Another part that stood out to me was where Miss. Skeeter first saw the list of Jim Crow Laws. She was shocked to read about a twenty-five page book filled with laws that exist solely to separate whites and blacks. She was surprised, because even though she knew about these laws, seeing the long list written out on paper was upsetting and came as a shock. It makes me wonder if more white people took a good long look at this ridiculous long list of laws if maybe they would have recognized how unnecessary they were. For example, one Jim Crow law states that "Books shall not be interchangeable between the white and colored schools" (173). It is as if white people are worried they might get sick if they touch something that a black person has touched. Knowing that laws like these used to exist in our country makes me embarrassed; I am incredibly thankful that I no longer live in a world with this type of inequality. 
   So far, this book is quite enjoyable. I have also learned a lot about what life was like in the early 1960s. Although the story is filled with comedy and happiness, there are definitely parts that anger and upset me. For example, the thing that prompted Skeeter to interview black maids was when Hilly decided that it was only sanitary to have maids have separate bathrooms than whites. It is upsetting to think that back then, people truly believed that blacks were "contagious." It is ridiculous that separate bathrooms were needed in every household just so black maids did not have to use the bathroom that the owners used. Reading about things such as this make me even more hopeful that Skeeter will be successful in creating change and equality in her town.