Civil Rights Movement Reflection

There are a lot of lessons we learned from the Civil Rights Movement this year. We learned that America was not always the way it is today. It used to be a place where everyone was divided and not everyone could make the decisions for themselves. The steps people took to gain freedom was shown in the exhibits during the days we spent looking at people's projects. There were different approaches to gaining freedom, Martin Luther King Jr. believed in a non-violent approach while Malcolm X wanted people to act against the government because of the way it was. Some people also took it into their own hands by doing sit-ins and other types of demonstrations, such as D-Day. Another time that people got fed up with the way America was was the Detroit Riots, where people burned cars and buildings to make a point that things weren't even for everyone. Eventually, the government started making Civil Rights Acts to make the freedom equal.

America still isn't perfect when it comes to giving everyone in the country full equality. There are still a ton of stereotypes that people deal with daily. We read about kids still dealing with being bullied because of their race or other characteristics that they may not be in control of. There are stories on the news that show acts of racism throughout America, and even though you might deal with the single person, the beliefs they have are shared with other people around them. Just a few years ago, there was a shooting at the Oakland BART station which gained national attention because some witnesses believed the incident was fueled by racism. There were also riots in Los Angeles because of the beating of Rodney King. Another example of problems we have in the present in white flight. If the safety and luxuries of the community depends on what kinds of races live there then there is a problem that hasn't been fixed.

Ideas and events from the Civil Rights Movement can be connected to how our country is run today. During the Movement, the idea was to gain freedom and equality for everyone in America, today we are trying to retain those beliefs and it has become part of our daily lives. An event from the Civil Rights time period that compares to an event in today's news is the Detroit Riots vs. the LA Riots. They both happened because of racial issues at the time and both instances were probably unnecessary. Sit-ins are also a form of protest today just like they were during the Civil Rights Movement. People use non-violent protest to prove points every day because it was shown to be an effective way of voicing your opinion. Some acts of hate over race still occur today, which shows that we as a country are not all on board for everyone having freedom. I am not sure whether that trend will continue or not but if we learned one thing from the Civil Rights Movement, if you want something bad enough and work for it, you can get it.