The African American community created schools to train civil rights activists in effective methods of non-violent protest, voter registration, literacy and the like. Education and training was one way that helped African Americans gain back their freedom not only legally but most importantly… mentally. The training helped them approach the judicial system educated and informed of their rights, equality and prepared them to face the repercussions of asking for this basic right. Asking for their rights came with the price of harassment, abuse, lynching and many other forms of violence and aggression from the police and the rest of the Caucasian community in that day. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and many other leaders also went to similar schools to be taught and trained in non-violence, social change, pacifism, etc. The following are just a few pictures from the schools created to help educate and train African Americans in becoming civil rights activists.
This is a very important post, one that many black youths need to read because during my many years in the classroom, I noticed that some of them don’t take educating themselves seriously. I spent quite a bit of time talking to them about the importance of a good education, and how it could transform their lives. I get angry every time I’m in my car driving somewhere during school hours and see many black youths walking the street when they should be in the classroom. I don’t know how they get away with this because if you lived in my parents’ house, you were going to school. My parents were so serious about school that if we missed a day, we couldn’t do anything except stay in the house. My mom always said that if we were too sick to go to school, we were too sick to go anywhere else, and she didn’t put up with us coming home from school and saying we didn’t have homework. If that was the case, she made us read a book.
Speak on it, majiir. Everything that white folks tried to strip from us, is the very thing we need to survive as HUMAN BEINGS.
If we are not educated, we might as well start digging our graves. And I don’t mean their idea of education either.
Thanks for this great article on the School for Black Civil Rights Activists! Great photos!
On the Civil Rights Vets’ page is this article:
” Why We Trained in Tactical Nonviolence”
http://www.crmvet.org/info/nv3.htm
“Notes from a Nonviolent Training Session (1963)”
http://www.crmvet.org/info/nv1.htm
YVW! These activists were awesome. And they got things done too.
Great post and gallery, SG2.
Education and training folks is something that is sorely LACKING today.
Now some young folks are just roaming streets with signs and dissing their elders. some of the elders roll in to town to put in appearance and then bounce out. *looking@youcornywest*
MLK Jr.’s rolling in his grave.
Tell it!
You can’t change any system without changing your consciousness and coming up with a strategy.
Look at Ferguson! It’s still a HOT MESS.
Ametia, you are correct when you write:
“You can’t change any system without changing your consciousness and coming up with a strategy.”
Also, when one strategy no longer works, it is important to regroup, consider/analyze the strategies being used against the movement, and then come back with a new strategy.
The chokehold that the Ferguson “powers that be” have on the residents and the unethical justice system highlighted by McCulloch’s grand jury methods make change in Ferguson a hard nut to crack.
The community’s steadfast effort to push for a community oversight committee of the police is making progress….you can see this in that Roorda lost it last week.
The Ferguson police came out of the gate during last August’s protest in a militarized manner that reflected the style of Bull Connor and Jim Clark. Now the police are using the methods of Police Chief Pritchett in Albany, Ga at the beginning of the 1961. In Albany people had marched, boycotted, and occupied bus stations.
From Wikipedia:
It is interesting that divisions, much like Ferguson, then developed within the Albany movement as noted in Wikipedia:
This caused the movement’s and MLK’s progress to stall and achieve little success. The movement led by MLK gained momentum again when King went on to Birmingham:
What is important is that the Albany locals did not stop when they were no longer in the nation’s spotlight but continued to push for change in Albany.
Howard Zinn’s words (quoted in Wikipedia) might provide encouragement to those involved in today’s movement:
” What is important is that the Albany locals did not stop when they were no longer in the nation’s spotlight but continued to push for change in Albany.”
Seriously, folks have to put in the TIME, EFFORT, the ENERGY. Older folks are tired, and the younger folks want everything accomplished in a “New York minute.”
The information age has nearly everyone on OVERLOAD with data. It’s truly become a “microwave society. Back up, slow down, and think through a process to get shit done!
Something that ticks me off is that many of them prefer “roaming the streets with signs and dissing their elders” to registering people to vote—something which would change the political dynamics in Ferguson and in other cities. I was happy when I heard some were registering people to vote during the Ferguson protests and disappointed when I learned they hadn’t registered as many citizens as they needed to. Registering to vote and voting in every election is important to effect change, not only in Ferguson but across the nation and in D.C. I’ve stopped listening to those who don’t vote but complain about not “liking” the way things are.
Again, folks don’t want to earn their freedom, and the man is more than willing to keep them in chains.
God helps those who help themselves.
God created everything, this includes EDUCATION, tand hat’s a good place to start.
Many insist that the system is rigged and voting doesn’t matter because it’s already set up to work for those who control and have rigged it in their favor.
I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard this and realize it’s being pushed hard in communities of color to demoralize and discourage participation. Sadly some have fallen for it.
I just read this tweet:
Rebelutionary Z @Rebelutionary_Z · 7h 7 hours ago
#Ferguson to elect 3 new city council members – One protestor, @Bob_Hudgins, is running against the former Mayor..
http://m.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/article_4126ef5e-ace4-11e4-8539-7f72629f34ba.html?mode=jqm …
Hopefully, more in the Ferguson Black community will start registering to vote.