What Would You Do?

Engl 165-04 Fall '22

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Honestly, the level of violence in this week’s reading shook me to my core. As I sat there scanning over the gruesome depictions of these events, I couldn’t help but think, “This makes me sick.” The thought of people suffering these horrendous crimes was enough to make my stomach churn. That’s how I fell deeper into my thoughts. What would I do if I were in that situation? Would I be able to take it without fighting back like they did? Would I run away? Or would I even be involved in the first place?

The thought of having to live in the past is always an interesting one. Putting yourself in the shoes of the people that came before us is something I find myself doing often. Thinking about the actions I would’ve taken really put things into perspective. These people did not fight back. Their peaceful protests spoke louder than any violence they could’ve shown in return. It showed the real extent of how far they would go for their freedom. Every time I imagined myself in that position, I couldn’t help but cringe at the thought. Being spit on, stepped on, beaten half to death, have slurs shouted in my face. All of those things made me gain a new level of respect for them.

It’s hard to picture myself in those situations. It’s hard to picture those situations now. What’s even crazier however, is knowing that there are people fighting these same battles today. These same battles that we thought had come to an end, are still being fought. There are clear parallels between the freedom riders and the Black Lives Matter protests. Their choice to protest peacefully and be met with unnecessary violence is identical. I can confidently say that people today are willing to go even further when fighting for these causes.

 

Let Freedom Ring! The Freedom Rides and Their Influence Seen Today. (March: Book Two)

Engl 165-04 Fall '22

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The phrase “Let Freedom Ring” evokes the ideals of America. The ideal evoked in March is that every man is equal without regard to race, and that’s what the Freedom Rides were ensuring within southern states. John Lewis, a proponent of the Civil Rights Movement, and the author of March took part in the Freedom Rides in an effort to cement the ruling of Boynton v. Virginia which ended segregation on buses.

The Fight for Freedom Taken

The freedom that we take for granted today is almost inconceivable and incomparable to the people that grew up just a century ago. If that freedom were to be taken away at the drop of a hat tomorrow, I think most people would be in shock. They wouldn’t be able to wrap their head around it and they’d be angry. Angry enough to fight about it, and I’d be right there with them. Just like during the Civil Rights Movement, there would be different groups with different goals. Some groups would be willing to fight and kill for their freedom, while others like Dr. King’s movement and the Freedom Rides would fight with words and nonviolence. With that said, I don’t think that a group like Dr. King’s would be nearly as effective today because people have become used to their freedom, and taking a beating is less than appealing.

The Fight for Freedom Yesterday, Today

The Civil Rights Movement was a war for freedom and the Freedom Rides were an effort to cement the results of that war. The influence of that war, and the war itself can still be seen today. When you look at the news, almost every week there is a murder or an effort forming in response to a murder. Certainly, the Civil Rights Movement made waves in the politics of the nation, but the nature of the people in the nation didn’t change. The nature of men can’t be changed by other men, and it never will. The Civil Rights Movement itself is a testament to that fact. African Americans fought against their oppressors, men who tried to change their nature.

 

March Book 2: Let Freedom Ring, Forever

Engl 165-04 Fall '22

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Today in labor history: Freedom Riders attacked in AlabamaAretha Franklin through the years

In March Book Two pages 62 to 123, the audience gets to take a look at what it was like for the freedom riders of the time. The section starts when Lewis and a bunch of other freedom riders take a trip down to Montgomery, Georgia. The freedom riders were a group of civil rights activists, both whites and colored people, who took trips through the south on buses to protest against segregation, but most importantly, segregation on buses and other means of transportation. The images shown in the book of the freedom riders’ trip were quite hard to look at. There were a series of images that showed the freedom riders getting attacked by the citizens of Alabama. 

When the beating was over, the story cut to the future where it illustrated Aretha Franklin singing “Let Freedom Ring”. I looked up the video of her singing it on YouTube, and it was very powerful. It was sung in DC in 2009, the day that President Barack Obama was first inaugurated. The phrase “let freedom ring” is defined as “a statement that the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should be spread across the Earth and allowed to flourish”. This was the message that was spread by Lewis and other civil rights activists through the period of segregation. They wanted everyone to be equal. I think that the song was a perfect fit because Obama, the first elected black president being inaugurated, shows how far society has come. 

I think a lot of people take freedom for granted. My family wasn’t negatively affected by segregation, but I’m sure if they were, they would have fought for their freedom, and I’m sure most people would have done the same. If no one would have stepped up, nothing would have ever happened, and that’s crazy to think. It’s hard for the generation, myself included, to try and imagine what it was like for people fighting for their freedom at the time. We’re used to an accepting society. I would hope people nowadays would be willing to fight for their freedom as people did back then, but it’s not an easy task whatsoever, so it’s hard to predict if they would or not. 

I’ve been thinking since the book was first brought to our attention that it’s a good thing to be reading. Society has definitely improved a lot, but it’s still far from perfect. I feel like certain events in the last few years have really shown that we still have a ways to go. However, society has recognized this, and we’re getting there, we just need more time. This book makes me, and hopefully everyone else reading this, realize how lucky we are and how much we owe it to civil rights activists. Even with society against them, they risked their lives fighting for what was right. We as a society need to keep carrying out the message that they carried out back then: let freedom ring.

 

African American and Black protesters buying movie tickets

Engl 165-04 Fall '22, March Blog Prompt

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The book discusses dramatizes the struggles of the freedom riders who traveled through the American South in the early ’60s. The narrative spotlights pivotal moments in the civil rights movement and shows some of the progress made in the intervening decades. The book also emphasizes the power of nonviolent protest. The black and white protesters risked life and limb for what was right. In Book Two, Lewis’s story continues with the events that took place on November 10, 1960, in Nashville, Tennessee, as “…our young organization had successfully ended segregation at the lunch counters downtown and turned its attention to fast-food restaurants and cafeterias using the same strategy.” It then continues with events that took place in the South between 1960 -1963, culminating with the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. The tension in the South and in Washington as events unfold. Finally, while Lewis introduces us to the giants of the Civil Rights Movement, he never loses touch with the fact that the real heroes were those who sacrificed their goals, their times, and sometimes their lives to advance civil rights. Furthermore, while Lewis was a key player, he modestly downplays his own role in the events. As Lewis’s life unfolds, we learn that with the success of the nonviolent protests at the Nashville lunch counters, the SNCC decides to expand their protests to fast food restaurants and cafeterias and then on to movie theaters. We see that their use of nonviolence is met with increasing uses of violence  from brutal beatings to being subjected to fumigation “used only for killing pests.” And we learn that after a march at a local movie theater, Lewis along with 25 others spent his 21st birthday on February 21, 1961, in jail.

I feel like we could stop the BLM protests if everyone agreed and got along with everyone. It is also putting the police officers in jeopardy because police should focus on effective management during the protest to contribute to keeping protests peaceful. One of the things that really hit home for me is having all these protests so close to my house and feeling like I can’t go anywhere or anything because I don’t want to be harmed. During one of the protests in my area, the protesters got very aggressive towards the police officers and started to destroy buildings, run a car through the local Walmart. The protesters were very angry and brutal to the officers.  I hate seeing the killings of police officers it hurts my heart. Especially the school shootings like the one at Bridgewater college. One of the police officers graduated from one of the local high schools in my area. Seeing a protest break my heart and I never join in the protest because I don’t want to be hurt personally.

https://www.insidenova.com/headlines/five-arrests-seven-officers-hurt-in-manassas-protest-local-leaders-question-use-of-force/article_a4c58560-a361-11ea-a534-97a1024a5189.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/02/09/bridgewater-officers-shooting-memorial/

 

 
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Diving into March Book Two

Engl 165-07 Fall '20

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It was February 1961 in Nashville, Tn and the movie playing was Cecil B Demille’s, The Ten Commandments NTS. Tennessee was a southern state during the freedom riders act against segregation.

In this scene people of color were denied the right to movie tickets at a majority white theatre to see a christian movie about the Ten Commandments. As they were refused the right to tickets they would continuously get back in line for another chance. The tactic being used by the workers of the ticket booth was derived from students in Texas. The ticket booth workers would say that they started stand ins a segregated theatre’s. After, this interaction they would march back to the end of the line to try again. When doing do some bystanders would make fun of them for marching related to civil rights march.

This scene demonstrated some of what we have been seeing in Richmond with the movements for the monuments. Individuals are being mocked for doing what they want and standing up for what they believe in. It is unfair for individuals to be denied the right to attend or do something and then get made fun of for trying. Standing up for what you believe in and continuing to try is important because one day you will make a change and even be the leader of change that other people will look up too.

 
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