The Civil Rights Movement has always glanced over in many history books. What many fail to see and grasp is that this historic moment had many different layers than what has been taught. The Civil Rights Movement has multiple perspectives than just that of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. There were underlying stories that have not been focused in the mainstream media such as the tremendous impact that black women had in the movement and the misinterpretation of self-defense as violent means to acquire change. Charles E. Cobb beautifully painted the picture of how self-defensive tactics kept many black civil rights activists and their families alive in That Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed. He also broke the notion that self-defense …show more content…
Charles E. Cobb is a journalist and he was an activist during the Civil Rights Movement. In 1962, he left Howard University and became the secretary of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). During the interviews he had with The Real News, he detailed that slaves organized to revolt, escape, or assassinate white plantation owners. There has always been a history of black people uniting together against white supremacy. The Civil Rights Movement was just a manifestation of the traditions that black people had been a part of since late 18th and mid 19th centuries. Cobb also detailed that guns were a part of the tradition of the South, and that formed the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement in the South. It was a means of protection. In chapter one, Cobb stated that many black veterans who returned home from Civil War were “considered dangerous and disarming them was a priority for the white supremacists of the defeated Confederacy.” This white supremacy …show more content…
Cobb detailed that Ella Baker was a pivotal piece in the insertion of youth into the Civil Rights Movement. She had organized SNCC, and even the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was even the temporary executive director as well. However, many pastors felt uncomfortable with a woman power. Baker advocated that one should listen to the voices of the people of from the bottom like the farmers, maids, cooks etc. That was where the true leaders of the communities could be found and that leadership was waiting to emerge as well. Thus she believed that the use and involvement of the student youth were crucial. She idealized that “if you want to see change, it needs to be organized from the bottom to the top, not from the top to the bottom” and that “strong people do not need strong leaders.” This was different from what many others believed. The Civil Rights Movement had originally been centered around leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. who told people how to struggle and how they should protest. What was really important was how does the common man want to protest. King had been against violence as a whole and “misunderstood Robert Williams as inviting blacks to kill whites with impunity. For his part, Williams may have equated nonviolence with pacifism, not fully understanding the forcefulness of nonviolent direct action.” King had not fully understood
In this book, it discusses Ella Baker and her involvement in the civil rights movement. In one chapter of the book, Chapter 3: Harlem During the 1930s, it touches base on Baker’s involvement in radical activism during the Great Depression. Specifically, Ransby explains how Baker began her involvement in the activist community after she graduated from college and moved to New York City, where she was emerged into an environment with left wing views. In Harlem, she would participate street corner discussions in regards to the black freedom movement and radical visions.
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide Book Review Draft 1 White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide is about the history of African Americans’ fight for civil rights in the United States. The author, Carol Anderson creates a meticulous time line of the struggle for civil rights starting with the passing of the 13th Amendment to the election of President Donald Trump after the only black president, President Barack Obama. Anderson goes much deeper than any normal history textbook and gives cultural context to major events for African Americans and the white reactions to these events which mitigated these gains. The author argues that with every African American civil rights victory there is a strong detrimental reaction
Ella Baker "In order for us as poor and oppressed people to become a part of a society that is meaningful, the system under which we now exist has to be radically changed. It means facing a system that does not lend itself to your needs and devising means by which you can change that system. That is easier said than done –Ella Jo Baker (Shetterly)." Ella Josephine Baker, was an African American civil right activist born in Norfolk, Virginia on December 13, 1903. Ella grew up in the North where she developed an intellect for social justice.
The civil rights movement was an extremely important battle to be won. It was a long and tough road but the people who passionately stood firmly for what they believed in are revered as heroes. They changed the world and even their smallest their efforts did not go unnoticed. Another fight that branded our past is the Woman’s rights to vote. For 100 years women had been battling for their right to vote among other equality rights.
People make history and history makes an impact on the world; Ella Baker did just that. Never putting herself at the center of attention, Baker’s main involvements in history include the establishment of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, working as a director of branches for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and lastly, forming meetings for the people from the Greensboro sit-ins that transformed into the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee (SNCC). Although unable to face any grave consequences, Bakers mainly impact on history was during the Civil Rights era from 1931-1986. Baker was against segregation at the time when there was racial discrimination of African Americans and minorities.
A Look at "Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement'. While overall the book Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement reads as being dry, somewhat emotionally detached and like a text book, it does not diminish the incredible work, strength, knowledge, leadership and life of Ella Josephine Baker overall this book has greatly broadened my knowledge of the incredible force that was Ella Baker. Author Barbra Ransby begins by going into great detail about how Ella Baker was first molded by the careful life her parents and family built up around her and the community service and charity that was an integral and emphasized everyday part of her childhood.
The Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950’s to the 1960’s began as social movements in the United States whose goals were to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans; Although, in gain of national recognition, support, and respect participants broadened their goals to achieving federal recognition and protection of citizenship, the right to vote, as well as their basic and civil rights granted to them by The American Constitution. The movement gained recognition respectfully through nonviolent techniques even after facing violent and brutal backlash. Many of the successful nonviolent techniques included boycotts, sit-ins, marches, and similar tactics had relied heavily on mass mobilization, nonviolent resistance, and civil disobedience.
Ella Baker once said, “ Give light and people will find the way.” Ella was a respected activist who left an indelible footprint on society. A civil rights leader is “a leader of the political movement dedicated to securing equal opportunity for members of minority groups.” A civil rights activist is a person who dedicates their life to help better societal inequalities. Ella was a civil rights leader who wasn’t going to give up until the job was done.
organize the 1961 Freedom Rides (“SNCC”, n.d.). In 1964, SNCC turned their focus to Mississippi (“SNCC”, n.d.). That year those young activists helped create the Freedom Summer (“SNCC”, n.d.). This was an act to get national attention on Mississippi’s racism and to assist black voters for registration (“SNCC”, n.d.). Baker, along with her other counterparts, believed that voting was the key to freedom (“SNCC”, n.d.).
Introduction The story of the Civil Rights Movements of African Americans in America is an important story that many people knew, especially because of the leadership Martin Luther King Jr. Black people in America, between 1945 and 1970 had to fight for rights because they had been segregated by white people, they didn’t have equal laws compared to white people. So they initiated the Civil Rights Movements to fight for getting equal civil rights.
The African American Civil Rights movement existed at large between the early fifties and the late sixties in a society that was constantly on the verge of social destruction. The black rights movement existed politically, socially, and economically everywhere in the United States. As time progressed the movement developed and saw many changes along with schisms separating activists and how they approached getting their rights. In the early fifties there was a large non-violent integration based movement spearheaded by figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. However, as the time progressed, the movement started seeing a more aggressive leadership with figures such as Malcolm X, but eventually it turned into an extremist movement
Contradictory to Ella Baker, Martin Luther King Jr. believed that the church and ministers were fundamental in organizing a movement, due to the importance of church-based guidelines. It was important to King that leaders of the civil rights movement were either educated or a minister, and should be male. For example, Ella Baker had experience and proved herself to be a good leader, “yet King kept [Baker] at arm’s length and never treated her as a political or intellectual peer. As Baker put it: ‘After all, who was I? I was female, I was old.
The Civil Rights Movement promoted an ideology that hard work and sacrifice could mean the freedom of millions of people. An idea that scares many and inspires
In order to further prove that nonviolence is the way to stop racism and gain equality, Dr. King writes: “I'm grateful to God that, through the Negro church, the dimension of nonviolence entered our struggle. If this philosophy had not emerged, I am convinced that by now many streets of the South would be flowing with floods of blood” (). In this quote, Dr. King once again argues that non violence and peace are the best ways to stop the cycle of violence. The phrase “the dimension of nonviolence entered our struggle” shows that even though they are struggling, nonviolence can help them.
In order to look at the impact that the Civil Rights Movement had on society today it is important to first look back at where it all began. The author will base her opinion around the change in American culture, as America is one of the most powerful countries in today’s modern society and many countries follow the lead of America. The fight for justice and equality went on for many years in America and it has become one of the most well known movements in history. The note to take action all started when the African-American citizens decided that they