Historical Spotlight: Powerful Protests
Happy Black History Month! When we think of “Jim Crow” Laws, Segregation, and The Civil Rights Movement, it’s sometimes easy to automatically assume it happened so long ago. However, when you really take a look at the dates, it’s astounding that most Black Americans fought for the freedoms we know today within the last 100 years. Join me as we shine a historical spotlight on some of the protests during the Civil Rights Movement that eventually led to change and improvements for Black Americans in society.
Before the Civil Rights Movement, Black Americans fought through extremely tough, hostile, and inhumane societal conditions. Slavery was an egregious act against Black Americans and their descendants, but what followed was equally as disparaging. “Jim Crow” laws and segregation were created to keep Black people marginalized and oppressed as second-class citizens. The Civil Rights Movement officially began in 1950 and was an empowering, yet dangerous time for Black Americans as they fought to end segregation, stop voter suppression, and remove discriminatory employment and housing practices.
The efforts of civil rights activists and protesters directly influenced new legislation and paved the way for Black Americans to have equal rights and freedoms. The Little Rock Nine, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. are among many civil rights leaders who fought for change and made history. They often used protests to showcase support for the various causes.
There were many different kinds of protests to fight against the racial injustices experienced during the time. Most began with peaceful intentions, but eventually rose to the point of violence. Many emotions were evoked, and those fighting the good fight had to stay brave when firehoses, police dogs, tear gas, jail time and all other kinds of deterrents were thrown at them.
On February 1, 1960, four Black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina refused to leave a Woolworth’s “whites only” lunch counter without being served. The Greensboro Four—Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil—were inspired by the nonviolent protests of Gandhi. It became known as the Greensboro Sit-In, and sparked similar “sit-ins” throughout the city and in other states.
“Sit-ins” didn’t just stop at public eateries, but also happened on public transportation as well. Rosa Parks led one of the most successful boycotts in history when she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery Bus on December 1, 1955. The Freedom Riders took bus trips through the South in 1961 to protest segregated bus terminals and attempted to use “whites-only” restrooms and lunch counters.
Marches were also used as protests to influence change. The March on Washington on August 28, 1963 embodied nonviolent support of over 250,000 people and was the place where Dr. King gave his famous “I Have A Dream'' speech for equal jobs and freedom. March 7, 1965 became known as Bloody Sunday as local Selma police blocked and brutally attacked around 600 civil rights marchers in the Selma to Montgomery March.
On June 18, 1964, a group of Black activists jumped in a whites-only pool at the Monson Motor Lodge in St. Augustine, Florida as an act against the hotel’s segregation policies. The demonstration was part of the St. Augustine Movement, a civil rights campaign that used nonviolent protests to challenge segregation in the city.
The hotel manager, James Brock, poured muriatic acid into the swimming pool in an attempt to force out the black swimmers. His actions were met with outrage from the civil rights community, helping to boost support for the St. Augustine Movement and garner national attention about racism and segregation. While the Monson Motor Lodge is no longer in operation, the area of the pool where Brock poured the acid is now a memorial to the St. Augustine Movement.
These protests were extremely dangerous and many Black people were targeted with violence. Local police weren’t of much protection and would sometimes use excessive force to make a statement when detaining some peaceful protestors.
The Deacons for Defense and Justice was founded in 1964 in Jonesboro, Louisiana to protect civil rights activists from the Ku Klux Klan. The organization was made up of black veterans from World War II, who believed in armed self-defense. About twenty chapters were created throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
The group provided protection for people participating in protest marches in Mississippi in 1966, including the March Against Fear. The Deacons' tense confrontation with the Klan was crucial in forcing the federal government to intervene on behalf of the local Black community. The national attention they created also persuaded state and national officials to initiate efforts to neutralize the Klan in that area of the Deep South.
The Deacons were one of the first visible self-defense forces in the South and as such represented a new face of the civil rights movement. Traditional civil rights organizations remained silent on them and their activities, but they were effective in providing protection for local Black Americans who sought to register to vote and for civil rights workers in the area.
It’s safe to say that while a lot has changed, this country is nowhere near where it needs to be to correct the wrongs and injustices experienced by multiple generations of Black Americans. There’s still ample room for improvements, reparations, course corrections, and changed policies. It all starts with us standing up and making the change we’d like to see in the world. It may be a struggle and a fight, but nothing worth having comes easy.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
