Elora Stack
REST 392L Civil Rights through Documentary
Dr. Mar Peter-Raoul
11/21/09
Final Reflection
Through this course I have learned both the obvious and the subtle. In regards to
the obvious, my eyes have been opened to the history in detail of the civil rights
movement, the leaders, and the struggles of the people under their leadership. I have
learned dates, names, places, and facts. In regards to the subtle, perhaps the more
important things students absorb and take with them throughout their lives, I have felt the
cries, the joy, the hope, the violence, and the peace. I have learned the valuable lessons
that history exists to teach us, and have been left with the knowledge, as Martin Luther
King once said, “that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”
Never before this class did I delve past the shallow surface of the civil rights
movement that my primary school years taught me. I thought that the basics were
substantive enough at capturing what this movement was, what this movement meant,
what this movement changed. After this class I realized my knowledge of this crucial
period of our history was missing names, faces, and the complete struggles of the African
Americans and the mostly white government.
Looking back at my critical reflections about the episodes in the documentary and
the textbook chapters, I can see my evolution as I have delved deeper. My first
observation was that a common theme in the earlier episodes of the documentary was that
whites viewed themselves as above the law, especially in the South. It aggravated me
that as African Americans made advances for themselves in the law, starting with the
desegregation of schools, that the local government officials denied them the rights they
had just won. My naivete regarding the government, both at the national and state level
working symbiotically together, was quickly shattered. For example even though Brown
Vs. the Board of Education ended segregation in schools, this transformation from
segregation to desegregation was not automatic, and Governor Orval Faubus did
everything he could against the Little Rock nine to keep them from integrating the high
school. This discrepancy between law and action happened again with the desegregation
of busses, and the finding of Emmett Tills murderers as “not guilty.” However, hope was
shortly restored to me when I found out that what is right will finally be made right, and
what is the law, eventually becomes the law. Watching the documentaries made me take
notice that I did not have to fret for the people of the civil rights movement too much,
because they were strong, persistent, and what one experienced or fought for, they all
experienced and fought for. “Indignity suffered alone is debilitating; indignity shared can
transform itself into power” (Williams 60).
As the documentary and chapters progressed I watched as Martin Luther King’s
leadership of nonviolence took shape, and many African American’s held strong, even in
jail cells. I watched as great marches took place that changed the America we know
today. I witnessed unbearable injustice in the South, especially Mississippi, with high
murder rates and racial brutality, mixed with moments of humanity in the fact that
African Americans and whites could co-exist. I watched as Medgar Evers was
assassinated, then Malcolm X, then Martin Luther King, then Robert Kennedy, until there
almost seemed no hope at all. I saw black power begin to resonate more with the youth,
than King’s teachings of nonviolence. However, through every struggle whether between
African Americans and whites, the civil rights movement and the government, or from
within the different organizations and leaders of the movement, change was evident. I
realized that without cooperation, determination, hope, and action none of the progress in
civil rights for African Americans could have been made. Power was in their possession.
Outside of the facts, and the story of this tumultuous, beautiful, and powerful
movement in history, this course made me investigate and explore the current injustices
in the world. I have seen commonalities between the injustice of inequalities for African
Americans, and the injustices that plague the world today, such as the unequal rights of
homosexuals, and the suffering of the children in Africa caught in a war beyond their
control. I have found moral leaders of today who possess the same caliber of
commitment, passion, and humanity as the moral leaders of the civil rights movement. I
have connected the past to the present.
This course began for me when my best friend, Robert Stone, encouraged me to
take this class saying, “Take it! Professor Mar is amazing.” Ironically it ends with the
passing of this dear friend. So in final reflection I have him to thank. The youngest and
most selfless, passionate, driven moral leader I have ever known to grace our present. He
fought for injustices, and inspired me, along with every one he came in contact with to
always be conscious, educated, and to always do what is right. This course has taught me
through the history of the civil rights movement, that today injustices still prevail, and
humanity is still a concern for all, and that moral leaders arise when needed most,
whether far away, or people we spend everyday with. I have been inspired by this course
to be an active and aware global citizen, to create peace, and spread humanity. King
wisely pointed out, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We are one
world, we are all citizens of it, and together we can conquer injustice, just as the African
Americans came together to conquer their own personal injustices. I leave this course
more aware of the importance of knowing our history, and more conscious of changing
the world.