Diversity, today we define this term as one of the most dynamic characteristics of our nation in American history. The United States thrives on diversity. However, diversity has not always been a positive component in America; in fact, it took many years for our nation to become accustomed to this wide variety of mixed cultures and social groups. One of the major groups most commonly affected by this phenomenon were African American citizens, who were victimized because of their color and race. It wasn't easy being African American, back then they had to struggle to get to where they are today, other than slavery and discrimination, there was very little hope for freedom or even citizenship. This desire for hope began to shift around the 1950s during the Civil Rights Movement, when discrimination still existed, it is the moment in which African Americans began to defend their rights and honor to become free men like any other citizen of the United States. African Americans began to gain recognition after the ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868, which declared all natural-born persons in the United States and included previously declared free slaves. However, this did not stop the population from challenging the constitutional law, especially the population of the South, who continued to retaliate against African Americans and the idea of ​​integration in white schools. Integration in white schools played an important role in the battle for civil rights in the South, after the advent of independence for all African Americans in the United States, after a series of tribulations and loss of hope. During this time, the idea of ​​segregation was a very controversial topic among the c......middle of paper......ners who continued to fight. As more and more African American students were admitted to white schools in the South, segregationists continued to retaliate and defend their schools against them. No matter how difficult the situation was for some of them, and without much help from the government, African Americans did everything they could to protect their rights to education for the sake of their future and success, and in hope to promote equality for all African Americans in the United States. These students became the symbol of freedom and opened a window of opportunity for all Black people, their ancestors, and future generations to come. Works Cited “Eyes on the Prize – 02 – Fighting Back, 1957-1962.” YouTube. YouTube and Web. May 16, 2014."Fighting (1957-1962)." American experience. PBS and Web. May 16 2014.