How Did Alice Walker Influence The Civil Right Movement

The civil right movement of the 60s had a large impact on our country including our literature. “Everyday Use” , written by Alice walker is no exception. In a time of cultural change and acceptance younger people had a more worldly, liberal attitude than ever before. The 1960s and 1970s influenced the setting and attitude of the character Dee by exhibiting the cultural and civil change of this socially innovative era.
The shift in African American culture happened in the 60s as the civil right movement was in full swing. Dee had been growing up in the 60s because she was a young women in the 70s, would have seen many changes in law and culture regarding African American. She would have seen great marches, boycotts, sit ins and protests
The world was now open for Dee to become and do what she wanted to with the freedom of of the constitution to stand at her side. When Dee was in early childhood, “On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, that segregation in public school was unconstitutional” meaning Dee most likely went to school with Whites after a few years during the integration process (Appleby 474 ). “On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 demonstrators, African American and white, gathered near Lincoln Memorial. They heard speeches and sang songs. Dr. King then delivered a powerful speech calling for freedom and equality for all Americans.” (Appleby 483 ).Although Dee was not a part of these events as far as the reader knows it did have an effect on her. Alice Walker “became active in the Civil Rights movement” during the 60s in her college years which greatly influenced the setting and the personality of Dee in “Everyday Use” (Andrews 2604).
As the plot progressed in “Everyday Use” the reader can see how Dee has embraced the “African” part of African American. She changes her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo; this is very important to the historical aspect of this era. It was common for younger educated African Americans to take on African culture and change their names. Civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael changed his name to Kwame Ture and moved to Guinea. Stokely Carmichael is just one of many who tried to embrace the “African” part of African American (Appleby 489)