Hello, all. I realized I didn't space these posts out enough, but you may post on your Memphis figure that you were assigned either here or in the post on the Withers exhibit. As always, I am eager to hear your comments and insight, and grateful to have such a wonderful group.
Looking forward to seeing you on the 24th at the National Civil Rights Museum!
To say that I was disgusted and horrified would be a huge understatement. Growing up in the West our main focus was usually the Gold Rush; it is a huge contributor to the history of California. That is not to say that we were not taught about the civil rights movement, but certainly not in this depth. This is what “made” the South, what made Memphis. That was as far as my response to the video, when I completed my research, I too saw what Mamie Till and the rest of America saw at the open casket funeral of Emmett Louis Till, though only through old photographs; nevertheless, it still shook me to the core. Even Carolyn Bryant herself, many decades after the event occurred, stated in an interview to Timothy B. Tyson, who later published the book, “The Blood of Emmett Till” that “Nothing that boy did could ever justify what happened to him.” To mutilate a young boy, not even yet a man, murder him and, as if that was not enough, add insult to the tremendous emotional injury to his family by tying him to a cotton gin fan. Almost as if they were trying to remind people of color that they were still slaves, and because of the laws of that time, unfortunately, they still were. Every recount of the story I read, I did so with a churned stomach and choking back tears. I felt ashamed for America.
ReplyDeleteIt is horrifying, I know, to think of the monstrous things that have happened in this country. This is why I am as passionate as I am that we do not fail to remember the past and what it has taught us.
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ReplyDeleteOne thing that I am curious about is the emotional/mental state that Martin Luther King Jr. was in as he traveled, spoke, and advocated like mad. I imagine that it must have taken a major toll on him. There were clips in the documentary of him looking rather indifferent. Also, it was said in the documentary that King was fully aware that he would end up dead at some point as a product of his path. It seems that he wholeheartedly accepted his fate.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the Civil Rights figure that I did a bit of research on was Coretta Scott King. I get the idea that much of her activism was overlooked and that she was simply viewed as the wife of Martin Luther King Jr.
Coretta Scott King founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change where she was the president and chief executive officer. King also fought for fifteen years for her late husband's birthday to be recognized as a national holiday. I was not previously aware that it took that long for the holiday to come into being. King was also a columnist and contributor to CNN for pieces pertaining to social issues. Through contributing to CNN, King said that she wanted readers to learn more about developing countries. She was quoted as saying "I think that when people have a world view, they don't have as much opportunity to be biased. King also lent assistance in Ghana and was a mediator for various peace organizations around the world. King passed away at 78 from ovarian cancer.
Indeed, it had to have taken an immense emotional toll on the man to have faced all that he did--and that he was all but 38 years old at the time. You guys are so young now that 38 may look like a long way off, but I can tell you, it's quite a young age--especially for someone in his position. And I think you are quite right about Coretta: much of what she did on her own may have been overshadowed by the powerful man she married, which brings to mind the saying that "Behind every great man...is a woman" or words to that effect. Thought provoking comment. Good work.
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ReplyDeleteI've always been disappointed in Memphis's attitude during the Civil Rights Movement. People all over America were coming together for peaceful protests with respect for the cause, and Memphis was an embarrassment. This only added insult to injury when Martin Luther King's assassination. However, I do admire the fact that Memphis makes a decent attempt to right the wrongs they made. When King came to speak at Ellis Hall, Memphians were noted as rowdy and disrespectful. However, when he came back, everybody was uniting in positive lights. This encouraged King to march with them during the sanitation strike. Then Memphians followed their pattern of bad behavior and started looting and drinking. I can only imagine the pain in King's heart. He wanted the cause to be led with dignity and non-violence, and Memphis completely disregarded that. After King was shot, the sanitation workers were granted their rights and the Civil Rights Museum was established in King's honor. His determined drive is celebrated and will always be remembered.
ReplyDeleteA. Phillip Randolph also played a very important role in fighting for rights of the black working class. He spread the word and his political critiques in his magazine, "The Messenger," which was co-founded by Chandler Owen. His March on Washington in 1941 sparked political changes. Roosevelt passed the Executive Order 8802, banning discrimination in defense industries, and the same tactic was used to desegregate the army during Truman's term.
Nice work!
DeleteMy assigned Memphis figure is Medgar Evers. He worked in Mississippi for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP) as the first state field secretary. In Decatur, Mississippi, he was born on July 2, 1925. He took action for many causes, such as organizing economic boycotts and voter registration efforts. He also did investigations into crimes that were executed against blacks. He married his fellow college student, Myrlie Beasley, while attending Alcorn College which is now known as Alcorn State University. Other actions he took for the rights of African Americans were ordering a new investigation into the Emmett Till lynching, leading a boycott against gas stations that would not let blacks use their restrooms and leading demonstrations and boycotts against companies that were white-owned and practiced discrimination. He was involved in the Regional Council of Negro Leadership and volunteered with the NAACP to help integrate the University of Mississippi Law School with a lawsuit after being rejected. After he was assassinated while in front of his home, the public outrage over his murder raised support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He was also honored with full military honors at his funeral and by President Obama by making his home a national historic landmark. I believe he made remarkable contributions to the civil rights of African Americans.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited: “Medgar Evers.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 24 Jan. 2018, www.biography.com/people/medgar-evers-9542324.
I love a comment with a Works Cited! Very good research:)
DeleteOn February 16, I attended the production called "Euridyce" at the New Moon Theater in Memphis, Tennessee. The story is about a couple who are deeply in-love for each other. Eurydice and Orpheus get acquainted, fell-in-love, and got married. The unfortunate thing happened was Eurydice died after marriage ceremony. For this reason, a man was chasing her. She was running away from the man, stumbled upon a snake that bit her, and died. Eurydice's soul travels down to the underworld and Orpheus was devastated from losing her. Orpheus sings a sad song to serenade Eurydice's soul. Orpheus desperately wanted to bring his wife back to the upper world and decided to take action. Orpheus came down to the underworld to serenade the souls there. Orpheus met with the King of the underworld and request for his wife's soul to be released. The King of the underworld was convinced and willing to let go Eurydice;s soul in one condition. The King's condition was for Orpheus and Eurydice not to see eye to eye and she would walk behind him. Orpheus agreed with the King's restrictions and made their way back to the upper world. AS they are walking towards the upper world, the couple met face to face and completely forgot about the King of the underworld's restrictions.Euridyce was pulled back to the underworld and unable to step over the upper world. Orpheus tried to enter the underworld the second time, but was unsuccessful. Orpheus continues to serenade Eurydice's soul with sad songs. Until one moment, Orpheus came across with a woman and he ignores her presence. The woman got mad. Orpheus died and was able to see Eurydice face to face again in the underworld. And, they live happily ever after.
ReplyDeleteThe former President of the United States John F. Kennedy was a charismatic, made powerful speeches, and was concerned about the equality among black and white Americans. John F. Kennedy traveled to Memphis, Tennessee on September 21, 1960 during his candidacy for presidential election in America. John F. Kennedy held a rally at the Riverside Drive along Mississippi River. On the day he visited the city of Memphis, the city council didn't put an effort to solve the problem between white and black segregation in the community. The former President John F. Kennedy was concerned about the struggle for freedom among the blacks community in the United States and around the world. The former President J. F. Kennedy expressed his concern about other country's thinking that America is ranked second place in the world and weak. In the speech of the former President J. F. Kennedy, he mentioned that America is not second place and weak. America will be more powerful and stronger than other countries if black and white Americans unite and create a more advance technology to empower business and military endeavor around the world.
ReplyDeleteMy assigned figured was Stokely Carmichael. He was born in Trinidad in 1941. Stokely Carmichael is the originator of the slogan "black power". He also was one of the members of the freedom riders who traveled through the south to protest. While in school, Stokely enrolled in a committed called the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. While supporting the nonviolence approach during the civil right movement he got frustrated after seeing all the violence and during a march he backlashed causing the black power movement.
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King Jr. was a spokesperson, activist, a civil rights movement leader, and a pastor at Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama in early 1960s. He was the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference group, an African-American civil rights organization, in Atlanta. Dr. M. L. King, Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in the United States. He was a hero. Dr. M. L. King, Jr. helped liberate African-Americans from segregation in the United States and around the world. He led the nonviolent protest to end segregation between black and white Americans in the United States. Dr. M. L. King, Jr.'s nonviolent strategy was effective in gaining the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. His moral speeches focused on black American economic problems and hoping for the community to accept change. The white Americans were convinced and welcomed changed on desegregation in the society. Dr. M. L. King, Jr. was nearly sanctified by white Americans because of his persuasive speeches about the segregation. He was assassinated at Lorraine Motel in downtown Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968 and the world mourned for his death. The African Americans are now liberated in political, economic, and social way of life.
ReplyDeleteThis comment was sent by Emily DePriest: I found the video we watched on Dr. King to be nothing short of incredible. Up until our visit to the Memphis Brooks Museum, I was completely unaware of the fact that Memphis had such an appalling event take place on its own streets. The video opened my eyes to just how purely chaotic the sanitation strike was during its time. Without Martin Luther King, I'm honestly not sure that the hateful violence could've come to an end. Also, the historical figure that I was assigned to research for the Civil Rights Movement was Malcolm X. Just like Dr. King, he also rejected nonviolent direct action tactics and hoped to spread his message of self-empowerment to the entire black community. He preached nothing but hope into the lives of people who had long forgotten the meaning of the word and influenced a great change. It was to my surprise that Malcolm X unfortunately met the same fate as Dr. King by assassination. The two men died far too young, however through their sacrifices, peace was finally won and their hard work and determination lives on in everyone whose lives they impacted.
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