On Sunday, March 7th, 1965 a group of civil rights marchers set out on U.S. Highway 80, heading East from the town of Selma Alabama. They were attempting to draw attention to the system of segregation and institutionalized disenfranchisement that prevented African Americans from being able to register to vote and to actually vote. Between 500 and 600 marchers peacefully walked from Selma headed towards Montgomery, peacefully until they reached the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
On the far side of the bridge a group of state troopers were waiting for the protesters and when they arrived the protesters were told to go home. When one of the organizers of the march, the Reverend Hosea Williams, tried to talk to the troopers he was told there was nothing to discuss. Moments later the state troopers started to attack the protesters with night sticks and tear gas. This day became known as "Bloody Sunday"
On March 9th, two days after the violent attack on the protesters 2500 people marched to the same bridge. On March 21st around 8000 people marched, on March 25th around 25,000 people marched. 25,000 people from around the country responded to the violence against a minority group in a small Southern town and traveled there to show their support for what the marchers had originally set out to do and to show their support for their fellow Americans.
In Murfreesboro Tennessee the sign for a proposed Islamic community center has been vandalized twice and more recently construction equipment at the site has been set on fire by arsonists. What will it take to bring busloads of people to this small, Southern, town to show their support for their fellow Americans? I hope it doesn't require the kind of violence that occurred on Bloody Sunday.
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People aren't as passionate as they once were. I think times are changing though people can't stand for this much longer.
ReplyDeletei suppose this is more of a "hey you lazy's! Get off your butt and do something" type of post... but I think the answer might be that in the 60's we didn't have as fast-paced a lifestyle as we do now and the social climate was such that more people felt empowered and motivated to actually act... where as now we have our facebooks to catch up on, txt messages to respond to and ever-increasing demands put on us at work, or trying to find work. Also, the massive increase in "quality of life" and creature comforts, I think serves as a pacifier to most young people these days. Additionally, with the sheer quantity of information we all receive, by the minute, renders a lot of people paralyzed because there are so many things wrestling for our attention, it's hard to pick an evil to fight when we're faced with more battles to fight than any one person has time to address.
ReplyDeleteHowever, you are right and I appreciate the contrast you've drawn between the inspiring years of the 60's and today. In some respects the 2 times are like apples and oranges... But, that's no excuse. FIGHT THE POWER!
-matt popovich-judge-