Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Eyes on the Price

Eyes on the Price

Nashville, Tennessee the Athens of the South, a city with of rich progressive tradition, a center for the arts and education, but freedom for all is a precious and valuable principle that African Americans were deprived of. Nashville was still under the oppression of segregation, all public service was divided by the discrimination of color, and sings designated places for whites and blacks. Society accepted the inept concept and logo in which the country lived under “separate but equal”. Nashville had four black colleges which attracted students from all over the country. Jim Lawson and other ministers coordinated nonviolent work shops in order to organize students to take non violent step towards freedom. These work shops were strikingly impressive, students were prepared to take blows ‘and still respond with some kind of dignity’. It was a strong and bold step towards liberation. This step which may have seemed small evolved into a scale of events that would soon play a major part in the freedom of African Americans. Soon thereafter the African American society began to back up the students in a struggle which they were all partakers of.
It seemed almost irrational that for the sake of ‘law and order’ many people were against a movement that was none violent; despite thought many viewed these freedom pursuers as agitators and disturbers of peace. The step taken by the students and freedom riders was a catalyst for a change that could not wait any longer. One of the most memorable facts of the of the civil rights movement that is portrayed in the documentary is that young, old, women and men joined together to obtain a common precious goal. Regardless of the circumstances imprisonments, bombings, beatings they worked under the wings of none violence. Chanting and singing in jail and demanding the rights that were guaranteed for them also under the constitution, they chased freedom till ‘Alabama is going to face the fact that we are determined to be free’ (Martin Luther King).

1 comment:

  1. "It seemed almost irrational that for the sake of ‘law and order’ many people were against a movement that was none violent"
    This is a great comment and it just goes to show that this wasnt a battle over civility it was a war over human rights.

    ReplyDelete