Epilogue

Summary: Epilogue

The author describes how the South, during the time that the Watsons visited Birmingham, had more race issues than anywhere else in the country. Segregation saw white students at nice schools and Black students at poor ones. Black people could not go to many restaurants, parks, and pools. There were laws against interracial marriage. Many organizations worked for equality and pushed for voter registration. While the characters in the book are fictional, there were many unsolved bombings in Birmingham, including one where four young girls were killed during Sunday school. Despite the danger, 200,000 people marched on Washington with Martin Luther King, Jr., to pressure Congress to pass the Civil Rights Bill. Many people decided to act when they saw that others were being treated unfairly.

Analysis: Epilogue

The Epilogue provides the historical context necessary for a more thorough and complete understanding of The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963. Although the story is a work of fiction, it is set during an actual period in the history of the United States, and the church bombing depicted in the novel is an actual historical event. The epilogue explains the historical context of discrimination and segregation that still existed in many parts of the American South in the early 1960s, the work of individuals and organizations to overcome the segregation, and the violence that broke out across the South in response. Understanding this context helps the reader make sense of the world in which the fictional Watsons live. It’s also a reminder of how far society has come in some ways, while still struggling with the many of the same issues decades later.