Civil Rights: Not just a black and white issue
Buck receiving an award from Eleanor Roosevelt ("Pearl S. Buck Photo Gallery").Pearl Buck reached adulthood around the time that women gained the right to vote, and her adult years were framed by the revolutions in China, the civil rights era, the birth of her mentally challenged baby girl, and the adoption of her mixed-race children. Due to all of these major events, it is no wonder that Buck became a very publicized activist throughout her long life. The revolutions in China made Buck and her family flee Nanking, and put her in the position of being a refugee; this experience, coupled with her love fusing East and West cultures, created a deep commitment to social justice, not only in America, and not only in China, but everywhere (Buck, 1972). Many of her books and writings focus on racism, poverty, the disabled and women’s rights. While in China, Pearl gave birth to a mentally challenged baby girl, named Carol. Buck wrote a very personal, detailed account of what life was like for the mother of a disabled child, and it was the first time a public figure in history acknowledged having a mentally challenged child, which started to begin to spotlight these people in our nation’s history (Buck, 1972).
Pearl was also very active as a civil rights activist during her life towards the equality of African Americans. She was a large contributor towards the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as early as 1934, years before the civil rights movement truly gained momentum (Conn, 1996). The secretary of the NAACP spoke at a rally at Madison Square Garden in 1942 and stated that only two white Americans understood the reality of black life, and both were women: Eleanor Roosevelt and Pearl Buck (Conn, 1996). Buck understood the trials that African Americans had to deal with, because she had adopted mixed race children and were looked down upon in the same light. One day when traveling in North Carolina, Buck and her children were not admitted into a restaurant. She ended up having a picnic outside with a African American mother and her children. Buck and the woman became lifelong friends. The woman was Dr. Selma Burke, who was responsible for the design of President Roosevelt on the dime (Buck, 1972). Buck also served on the board for the Urban League and was also a trustee at Howard University, a historically black college. In 1949, Buck co-authored a book on racism, American Argument (Conn, 1996). Years before the rest of American society started to talk about racial inequality, Buck had already published her thoughts on it.
Pearl was also very active as a civil rights activist during her life towards the equality of African Americans. She was a large contributor towards the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as early as 1934, years before the civil rights movement truly gained momentum (Conn, 1996). The secretary of the NAACP spoke at a rally at Madison Square Garden in 1942 and stated that only two white Americans understood the reality of black life, and both were women: Eleanor Roosevelt and Pearl Buck (Conn, 1996). Buck understood the trials that African Americans had to deal with, because she had adopted mixed race children and were looked down upon in the same light. One day when traveling in North Carolina, Buck and her children were not admitted into a restaurant. She ended up having a picnic outside with a African American mother and her children. Buck and the woman became lifelong friends. The woman was Dr. Selma Burke, who was responsible for the design of President Roosevelt on the dime (Buck, 1972). Buck also served on the board for the Urban League and was also a trustee at Howard University, a historically black college. In 1949, Buck co-authored a book on racism, American Argument (Conn, 1996). Years before the rest of American society started to talk about racial inequality, Buck had already published her thoughts on it.