James Reeb

James Reeb

Heroes are a very important part of everyone's life. I think a hero should have certain characteristics. I think an important hero should be brave. Another characteristic a hero should have is perseverance and the ability to stand up for other people who are different. Above all, heroes should care about people and they should protect other peoples’ rights. A person who I think stands above all and meets all of these expectations is my grandfather’s cousin, James Reeb.

Bravery shows you are able to face your fears and stand tall. Bravery shows you are strong. James Reeb was a very brave man. He stood up for people who were different from him. He believed blacks were no different from anybody else in the world. James was in the Civil Rights Movement. I think he was brave to risk his life to save other peoples’ rights. Even though the problem didn’t effect him, he knew it was wrong and he was willing to stand up against it.

from Life Magazine: 1965: In early March, shortly before leading civil rights demonstrators from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., King attended a memorial service for Reverend James Reeb, a white clergyman from Boston who was killed by white thugs in Selma.

Things got tough in his life because many people in the United States were against him. That didn’t stop him, though. He kept on believing in what was right. All that hard work lead him to success in the future. Perseverance was a very important characteristic he had.

James stood up for what he believed in. He knew that blacks should be treated better. Nothing stood in his way of believing in what he thought was right. He never cared about anybody else's opinion. He knew his opinion was right. James cares about people who had problems that didn't effect him. He knew that by believing in other peoples’ rights, he had nothing to lose. He kept striving to keep other people from losing their rights. He cared about more than himself and his family. He cared about many people.

Back then, blacks didn't have as many rights as did white people. James acted as if whites and blacks were all the same, and they were. The white people had no good reason to push people around just because they looked different than blacks. James thought that your characteristic is what really matters.

During the Civil Rights Movement, James Reeb was killed. Nobody is sure who killed him, but he was with two men at a restaurant on the night of his death. James was a very important person in my family. Now, our whole family is stronger because of him. We know that he helped black people have the rights they have today. I think heroes should have the characteristics James Reeb had.