An Insight Into Civil Rights

To hear several prominent figures from the Civil Right Era speak in the documentary "Ain't Scared of Your Jails" was a powerful experience for me. The film gave an in depth look at the actions of African Americans fighting for equal rights. What was most fascinating to me was the excitement that the students experienced as that stepped into unknown territory. John Lewis compares the experience to "being part of the Holy Crusade", and Diane Nash has a certain twinkle in her eyes as she recounts her days. The African Americans would often not know what might happen to them, whether they get beaten or arrested, and yet they continued to fight for what they believed in.

Also interesting was the views of some of the white people featured in the documentary. They all had invalid reasons for keeping the city segregated like it would somehow harm them or their family. When asked, however, Mayor Ben West says that he, "could not agree that it was morally right" to continue segregation. Though many people disagreed with what was going on, they still did not do anything, preferring to sit at home than stand up and be heard.