The Juan Williams Extravaganza; refreshments included: by Jillian, Robert and Alden

Robert, Alden and Jillian decided the following about the Juan Williams extravaganza:
He started his speech with firm logos. He spoke of the Voting Rights actin 1965, Civil Rights Act, the Brown decision, etc. to set the tone. After giving the basic foundations, he brought in the story of writing Justice Marshall’s biography, which clearly set his ethos. By working with Justice Marshall, Mr. Williams was letting the listeners realize the extent to which he is involved and the experiences he has had to back his knowledge. It was interesting to hear about the personal characteristics of this gruff judge, but this gave a huge example of ethos; knowing that not only did Williams interview and interact with this man, but he was not afraid to speak his mind and share his own opinions of him. Another way of establishing his character came when he was introduced and his book titles were read. He continued by telling the tale of oppression and activism in the civil rights movement, spicing his speech (and fueling his story/drawing thereader into the situations he spoke of) with words more commonly used during and before the movement. His decorum was designed to appeal to the listener’s pathos. Words such as “white power,” “evident evils,” “lynching,” “white supremacy,” “person of color,” “nigger-ape,” etc, were sprinkled throughout his stories. The stories he told were on a very personal level and very pathos driven. He didn't seem to hold much information back. It worked well with the logos driven theme of history.The huge difference of opinions he spoke of--the oppressed African Americans and those who wished to oppress them--is clearly epistemic. There were two points of view that required much arguing to come to ageneral consensus. Williams urged us to a better understanding and not to forget how Americans came to a more successful toleration of others (forensic.) The plight of those discriminated against, however, is more ontological. It is a truth to them/reasonable homosapiens, and through diligence and bravery they were able to persuade lawmakers and other important people (eventually) to help them. Towards the end, Williams brought up the topic of the previous election’s voting scandal and the importance of voting rights. We thought that he led us on a very personal journey through history and brought us to a sense of exigence. He incorporated the new situations in Iraq and how they affect us today, here, in America.
This is a summary of the crisis he wished to address: “[How democracy functions goes beyond the controversies of Ohio/Florida and to whether or not we feel as if our vote counts, to if our governmentis concerned about us, and to civil law enforcement. We have to protect these rights that those before have fought for.]”
Overall, we considered Juan Williams speech very effective. It refreshed the importance of black history month. It also called to mind the more important aspects of current general political distaste among citizens including our own. We also enjoyed the lovely buffet table and delicious refreshments that were provided.