What We Don’t Forget

March Blog Prompt

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We look back on history with the notion of certain events happening in the distant past. It’s so distant that, more often than not, we forget that the offenders are still alive today. Even though we have moved forward as a society, looking down on the actions of our ancestors. Some people never change. They pass on their radical beliefs down from one generation to the next, which leads us to today.

Their Activity Today

The KKK is known as one of the oldest and most violent hate groups across the states. Nowadays, their hate is not only directed at black people, but also directed towards other minorities. Members of the LGBTQ+, immigrants, and Jewish people have all been targets of the KKK. As of recent years, there has been a decline in active KKK member activity. This can be chalked up to COVID-19, however, there has been a trend of their decline for the past few years.

Now, they work as separate groups and continue to cause each other problems. Infighting, disloyalty among groups, and lack of media coverage were some of the main issues that caused their decline. As well as, in 2021 several cases of members getting doxed. In 2022, many internet forums, websites, and social media but continue to get banned and kicked off different platforms for their continuous hate speech.

We Don’t Forget

As we move forward, we refuse to forget the violence of the past. Deep southern states like Alabama and Mississipi have a tendency to look the other way when it comes to facing their own history of racism. However, in 2018 a memorial was opened in Montgomery, Alabama. This museum was dedicated to the victims of slavery, Jim Crow Laws, and lynchings. This museum aimed to bring these horrible acts of violence to light, but also to let us come to terms with our history.

Corridor in the National Memorial for Peace and Justice

Works Cited

https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial
https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/combating-hate/tattered-robes-state-of-kkk-2016.pdf
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/ku-klux-klan
https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/anonymous-doxing-missouri-kkk-ferguson/

 
1 Comment

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.