Reflecting on Democracy and Segregation

Listen to this interview here.

The StoryCorps mobile recording booths are in Washington, D.C., where 12-year-old Ezra Awumey interviewed his grandfather Sam Harmon. Among the questions Awumey asked was for Harmon, 75, to tell him what has made him saddest in his life.

Harmon recalls a day during his service in the U.S. Navy, when a tour of the nation’s capital from his home port of Norfolk, Va., ended with a belittling reminder of segregation.

After his time in the Navy, Harmon went on to work as an engineer and scientist.

The Washington sessions are the beginning of StoryCorps’ first national tour.

One thought on “Reflecting on Democracy and Segregation

  1. 1. What did Mr. Harmon say was the saddest moment of his life?

    2. What image was reflected in the ticket booth window of the movie theater? Why was this ironic? (Hint: Think about (1) what this image symbolizes, what it represents, and (2) how Mr. Harmon would have been dressed as compared to the treatment he received.)

    3. How would you have felt if you were in Mr. Harmon’s shoes? What would you have done differently/the same?

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