response by Jaquinna and Bonnie

Juan Williams spoke Thursday night on the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Overall the speech was enlightening. Through interesting stories he was able to provide historical information and little known facts about well-known pioneers of the civil rights movement such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.

He established ethos early on in the speech. Because he serves as the senior correspondent for the NPR and is a political analyst for the Fox News Channel we found him to be a credible speaker on such topics as politics. As the author of the well-known book Eyes on the Prize, which discusses the civil rights movement from '54-'65, he is also a credible speaker on issues of racism and voting rights for African Americans.

When Williams gave historical accounts of the Rosa Parks' experience and of Joann Robinson's struggle to overcome racism and prejudice, he appealed to the emotions of the audience. As women in a time of turmoil, they went against society's expectations. Through these stories Williams also accomplished pathos by stating little known facts such as the chicken coop wire on buses and Rosa Park's struggle to receive help from Dr. King. Blacks also endured hardships to vote when faced with stupid questions such as, "How many soap bubbles are in a bar of soap?"

Through these same stories Williams covered logos by providing factual information and statistical data. He talked about the court cases of Thurgood Marshall that achieved equality in the school systems. He also spoke about the church burning that took the lives of the young black girls. During the question and answer section he addressed our current government and national security system.