Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Eyes on the Prize


The documentary "Ain't Scared of Your Jails" really makes the struggle hit home. Many historically significant figures of the civil rights movement were interviewed in the documentary, it gives a really in-depth look as to what the African Americans were fighting for. What interested me the most was the non-violent direct action taken by the African Americans. During this time, blacks were not allowed to sit at certain lunch counters that were reserved for white people. These black students sat at a white lunch counter and refused to leave. This sit-in was a direct challenge to southern tradition. Trained in non-violence, the students refused to fight back and later were arrested by Nashville police. The students were drawn to activist Jim Lossen and his workshops of non-violence. The non-violent workshops were training on how to practice non-violent protests. If the African Americans didn't have their "Eyes on the Prize" I don't beleive it would've been possible for them to withstand such violence against them without retaliating. Violence is an unjust and unwarranted exertion of force or power. “Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” -M.L.K.

1 comment:

  1. I think that these students doing what they believed in was great. They wouldn't let anyone stand in their way, even if it mean't getting arrested. They did indeed keep their "eyes on the prize".

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