MLK movie

Josephine Renforth

Soc 122

Movie: MLK

 

The video titled "MLK" depicted the Civil Rights Movement for the Southern African Americans in the  mid 1950's and 1960's and a two protests the occurred in California colleges protesting Vietnam.

The Civil Rights movement was a long process. It is common knowledge, or should be, that the Civil Rights Movement had started long before Rosa Parks made her stand and she had worked a long time for the movement. But that day, on that bus, with Rosa Parks arrest, and the young unknown, Martin Luther King, Jr. bailing her out of that Alabama jail, history was made.   The media was there to cover the release of Rosa Parks. This was an organized collective action, that was was both casual and as well as conventional organized, with Martin Luther King, Jr. and members of the NCAAP there with the media the framing of the injustice of the African American citizens in the South with the Segregation laws and social norms of that time. This event led to the collective action of the bus boycott.  The African American Activist stated they wanted fairer, more civil treatment, they weren ot seeking desegregation. The white power holders told them no.  This led to a bus strike of more then 480 days and the de-segregation of the bus line by the Supreme Court.

With the 16^th Avenue Church bombing.   The church was a mark by white people, but the white power suggested it was the result of two black action groups.  A bombing is akin to lynching and this was an "Intentional Disaster" created in an attempt to stop the change of the Civil Rights Movement and  changing the laws and changing their way of life for the white southerners.  The bombing killed 4 young girls and injured 15 others. It was shocking to the black community. The tragedy led to a wave of a collective behavior that increased the level of activism to including students from college to elementary school. 

Martin Luther King, Jr.  always framed the message as that his movement was peaceful. They were deprived of the rights of the laws and freedoms expressed in the United States Constitution.  The organization of the activists and communities were highly organized. The white southern politicians responded by stating "Segregation now, segregation tomorowa, and segregation forever." – Governor George Wallace.

The activists were highly organized, they essentially trained themselves for sit-ins, for marches, protests, and being attacked and arrested.  During these actions, police and other white people brought the hostility, violence and initiation of the chaotic rioting.

The activist also used the courts, challenging segregation, wisely selecting to use education – the children. Children aren't threatening. Brown v. Board of Education and Lucy vs. University of Alabama.  The white southerners would not permit desegregation of the schools.

 

Martin Luther King, Malcom X, Medger Evers, Fred Hampton, Black Panther group, were all gunned down.   The message from the white power, was we will kill you, no matter how powerful you are in your organization, a means of terror through violence.

The Civil Rights Movement lived on. The Civil Rights bill was passed.

 

The San Francisco students were protesting for Ethnics study.  The students collective movement was to perform a strike. The San Francisco Police, under direction of Governor Ronald Reagan, donned riot gear and over a PA system demanded the students disperse. The college president, President Horakowa, in support of the students, personally pulled the wires silencing the police broadcasting.  700 students were arrested.