Inquiry #5: The Clan of the One-Breasted Women

I think that Williams touches on a controversial topic in her writing. We have all heard about the Red Scare and the Black Lists that took place in the 1950s-60s; a dark hour in our countries' history in which if you didn't go with the flow (so to speak), you were obviously a Communist. It's funny to think of this after growing up into today's society, seems almost unfathomable, that the leaders of our country believed this. Today, differences are what make us the wonderful country that we are. We are all valued aspects of a growing nation.

Williams' story is compelling and somewhat tragic all at the same time. It is horrible to think of the the amount of loss her family has had over the years, that because of our government's ignorance in the past, people have died. How could they have deemed this legal? It is amazing what a few years of research can do to a country, but it is crazy to think that this happened to hundreds/thousands of Americans not too long ago.

Was she right in standing up for what she believed in even though, technically it was against the law? Do we shy away from what we truly believe by fear of being 'black listed' by our peers? Although we might be able to predict the outcome, is it okay to let issues as this slip through the cracks when they can possibly be prevented? One voice can make a difference.

This all plays back to our original question of social justice. Are we 'just' in questioning our government and the laws in which they pose? Do we let something happen even though it is wrong? Williams' parents knew that the cause for all the illnesses were because of the bomb testings that had occurred years before, were they wrong in not questioning authority?Or were they law abiding citizens who did not want to undermine authority?