Final Exam Files

1 Reading 1
She has lost four sons to gun violence. No one has gone to prison. Do these black
lives matter?
By Petula Dvorak Columnist September 26 at 2:00 PM
Taken from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/shes-lost-four-sons-to-gun-violence-noone-has-gone-to-jail-do-these-black-lives-matter/2016/09/26/f01c9d1e-83da-11e6-a3eff35afb41797f_story.html

The fourth time around, it doesnt get any easier to bury a son lost to gun violence.
Phyllis Gray is 53 and tired. Tired of the calls, tired of the funerals, tired of T-shirts with the
faces of four dead sons. Tired of no justice.
She tried to lift her spirits a bit over the weekend with a new haircut, but, of course, it didnt
help.
Justice is what I want, she told me, leaning against the fence outside her apartment
building on a leafy street in Southeast Washington, where three young boys like hers
once were played soccer on the small lawn.
For the fourth time in her life, Gray got the news that a son had been gunned down on a
D.C. street.
And as the nations elite a president and a former president, billionaires, lawmakers and
celebrities gathered just a few miles away to celebrate the opening of the National
Museum of African American History and Culture, Gray was stuck in a cycle all too familiar
in her neighborhood.
Violence, silence. Violence, silence.
Over and over.
The first time she became a grieving mother was in February 2001, when her son Samuel
Phillips, 23, was killed at a D.C. halfway house.
A suspect was arrested, but before his trial began in 2004, Gray got the call again.
Samuels 21-year-old brother, Demetrius, one of the prosecutions witnesses, was killed.
No one was convicted in either sons death, Gray said.
No justice.
I met Gray the day before Thanksgiving 11 years ago, right after she received the same call
a third time.
On a November night it was Carlos Phillips, 26, who was living in an apartment that his
mom kept up for him because she said the father of nine was mentally disabled.
Again, for 11 years, there was no justice. And Gray kept working as a home health-care
aide, and her remaining four children got older, finished school, gave her grandbabies.
And then the call came again this month.

It was her fourth son, Scorpio-Rodney Alonzo Phillips. He made it to age 31. Like his three
dead brothers, hed gotten into trouble with the law. But for the past five years, hed been
living a relatively quiet life. He worked as a landscaper, rooted for the Redskins and had a
daughter who just started first grade.
On Sept. 17, he was at Dorsey Day, an annual neighborhood block party at Barry Farm,
where there was barbecue, a bounce house and go-go bands.
About 8 p.m., when the party was going strong, two men pulled up, unloaded their guns
into the crowd and sped off. Nine people were shot, two of them died.
Still, no arrests. Do these black lives matter?
There will be a candlelight vigil for Phillips this week, but no protests. No outrage. Just
resignation.
Its a complex problem, this persistent cycle of violence that plagues Americas poorest
neighborhoods. The victims and shooters are mostly young black men.
Homicide rates may rise and fall heck, D.C. went from 248 homicides in 2003 to 88 in
2012, then back up to 162 last year but the rate at which they are solved stays relatively
the same, which is about 60 percent nationwide.
And its that heartbreaking lack of closure that helps feed the cycle of mistrust and,
sometimes, of people exacting their own form of street justice.
Violence, then silence, then violence again.
Detectives often struggle to solve crimes in places where mistrust for the police runs deep.
Phyllis Gray knows the deadly repercussions of talking to police all too well, after one son
was killed as he was about to testify about the death of another.
So the detectives ask questions, no one talks and no one is arrested, let alone convicted.
And the lack of justice only deepens the divide between the community and those who are
sworn to protect it.
In Southeast Washington, many people describe being hassled or harassed by officers.
How does a community trust police who have pulled a son over a dozen times, but cant
find his killer after that horrific call comes?
In Charlotte, in Baton Rouge, in Dallas, in Baltimore, in Ferguson, protesters demand
accountability when a black man gets killed at the hands of police under questionable
circumstances. And justifiably so.
But Phyllis Gray and mothers like her still want police to solve the killings of their sons. In
their neighborhoods, black lives matter also means finding a way to end the cycle of
violence, then silence.

Final Exam Files

2 Reading 2

Occupation: Prime Minister of Cuba Born: August 13, 1926 Best known for: Leading the
Cuban Revolution and ruling as dictator for over 45 years Biography:
Fidel Castro led the Cuban Revolution overthrowing Cuban President Batista in 1959. He
then took control of Cuba installing a communist Marxist government. He was the absolute
ruler of Cuba from 1959 until 2008 when he became ill.
Where did Fidel grow up? Fidel was born on his father's farm in Cuba on August 13, 1926.
He was born out of wedlock and his father, Angel Castro, did not officially claim him as his
son. While growing up he went by the name of Fidel Ruz. Later, his father would marry his
mother and Fidel would change his last name to Castro.
Fidel attended Jesuit boarding schools. He was smart, but wasn't a great student. He did
excel in sports, however, especially baseball.
In 1945 Fidel entered law school at the University of Havana. It was here that he became
involved in politics and protesting against the current government. He thought the
government was corrupt and there was too much involvement from the United
States. http://www.ducksters.com/biography/world_leaders/fidel_castro.php

President of South Africa and Activist Born: July 18, 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa Died:
December 5, 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa Best known for: Serving 27 years in
prison as a protest against apartheid Biography: Nelson Mandela was a civil rights leader
in South Africa. He fought against apartheid, a system where non-white citizens were
segregated from whites and did not have equal rights. He served a good portion of his life
in prison for his protests, but became a symbol for his people. Later he would become
president of South Africa.
Where did Nelson Mandela grow up? Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in Mvezo,
South Africa. His birth name is Rolihlahla. He got the nickname Nelson from a teacher in
school. Nelson was a member of Thimbu royalty and his father was chief of the city of
Mvezo. He attended school and later college at the College of Fort Hare and the University
of Witwatersrand. At Witwatersrand, Mandela got his law degree and would meet some of
his fellow activists against apartheid.
What did Nelson Mandela do? Nelson Mandela became a leader in the African National
Congress (ANC). At first he pushed hard for the congress and the protesters to follow
Mohandas Gandhi's non-violence approach. At one point he started to doubt that this
approach would work and started up an armed branch of the ANC. He planned to bomb
certain buildings, but only the buildings. He wanted to make sure that no one would be hurt.
He was classified as a terrorist by the South African government and sent to prison.

Mandela would spend the next 27 years in prison. His prison sentence brought international
visibility to the anti-apartheid movement. He was finally released through international
pressure in 1990.
Once released from prison, Nelson continued his campaign to end apartheid. His hard work
and life long effort paid off when all races were allowed to vote in the 1994 election. Nelson
Mandela won the election and became president of South Africa. There were several times
during the process where violence threatened to break out. Nelson was a strong force in
keeping the calm and preventing a major civil
war. http://www.ducksters.com/biography/nelson_mandela.php.

Occupation: Civil Rights Leader Born: January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, GA Died: April 4, 1968
in Memphis, TN Best known for: Advancing the Civil Rights Movement and his "I Have a
Dream" speech Biography:
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s. He led nonviolent protests to fight for the rights of all people including African Americans. He hoped
that America and the world could become a colorblind society where race would not impact
a person's civil rights. He is considered one of the great orators of modern times, and his
speeches still inspire many to this day.
Where did Martin grow up? Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, GA on January 15,
1929. He went to Booker T. Washington High School. He was so smart that he skipped two
grades in high school. He started his college education at Morehouse College at the young
age of fifteen. After getting his degree in sociology from Morehouse, Martin got a divinity
degree from Crozer Seminary and then got his doctor's degree in theology from Boston
University.
Martin's dad was a preacher which inspired Martin to pursue the ministry. He had a
younger brother and an older sister. In 1953 he married Coretta Scott. Later, they would
have four children including Yolanda, Martin, Dexter, and Bernice.
How did he get involved in civil rights? In his first major civil rights action, Martin Luther
King, Jr. led the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This started when Rosa Parks refused to give
up her seat on a bus to a white man. She was arrested and spent the night in jail. As a
result, Martin helped to organize a boycott of the public transportation system in
Montgomery. The boycott lasted for over a year. It was very tense at times. Martin was
arrested and his house was bombed. In the end, however, Martin prevailed and
segregation on the Montgomery buses came to an end.
When did King give his famous "I Have a Dream" speech? In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr.
helped to organize the famous "March on Washington". Over 250,000 people attended this
march in an effort to show the importance of civil rights legislation. Some of the issues the
march hoped to accomplish included an end to segregation in public schools, protection
from police abuse, and to get laws passed that would prevent discrimination in
employment.
It was at this march where Martin gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. This speech has
become one of the most famous speeches in history. The March on Washington was a
great success. The Civil Rights Act was passed a year later in 1964.

How did he die? Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4. 1968 in Memphis, TN.
While standing on the balcony of his hotel, he was shot by James Earl
Ray. http://www.ducksters.com/biography/martin_luther_king_jr.php