When the world marched on January 21st, 2017, I stayed at home. The Women’s March was a march for issues I cared about but I couldn’t bring myself to go because I had developed a fear of speaking. It was not that I was scared to say the wrong thing but rather that I might say the right thing in a place that wasn’t mine. Born as a citizen in a country of equals, it was hard to see myself as luckier than anyone else but born as the child of an immigrant I was often told to recognize my luck and privilege.
I travelled to India at the age of 13. Walking through my family’s concrete home in a small, self-sufficient village where fresh eggs are traded for roasted peanuts and plastic waste is burned along with the rest of the garbage, I realized my
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Questions ran through my mind: Is pain absolute in its value or is there a hierarchy to it? Is my pain worthy? Are my grievances important? Can I belong among women who have been fighting for years? That evening I turned on the television and saw masses of people marching around the world. Like many others I felt hopeful and empowered, but I also felt foolish. I had regarded my privilege all wrong. The March was not about individual people or individual groups getting their messages out. It was about the unity of everyone’s battles. It was as though all the voices coalesced to say ‘there is one good- the common good’ and in their march they were not just demanding change. They were hoping that in the climax of historical struggles, others could find a beginning. I didn’t want to be lucky, I wanted to be worthy. My privilege was not simply the result of a cosmic cookie crumbling in my favour. Instead it charged me with the duty to act in a way that made me worthy. I could now feel the weight of my cousins’ lacking opportunities on me and knew I’d have to work harder and be better. The genuine joy I found in learning and having my curiosity sparked through philosophy made the weight easier to bare but it didn’t relieve me of it, nor should it have. This is my weight to carry and I intend to carry it until I’ve affected some type of meaningful change to make the world less charged with hate and
The event that I have chosen is the Freedom Rides, which started May 4, 1961 and ended December 10, 1961. The Freedom Rides were inspired by the Greensboro Sit-ins, and started with 13 African American and Caucasian protestors riding buses into the segregated south to challenge the lack of enforcement to the Supreme Court ruling that segregated buses were unconstitutional. While the activists were peaceful the local law enforcement and people against their message were not. The activists were beaten at several stops along their journey from Anniston to Birmingham with chains, bricks, and bats by Ku Klux Klan (KKK) members in Alabama, and activists that were injured would be refused hospital treatment. Bull Connor, Commissioner of Public Safety
This book represents those who were discriminated against based on their race and who were put down based on the color of their skin. This fight against discrimination had been happening for many years and thousands of individuals were tired of getting treated differently. The march on Washington was a peaceful protest where more than 250,000 people joined to have their voices heard as stated by Evans. The goal of this march was to create changes within the minority community. Where African Americans in specific had equal-paying jobs, where they would be able to have access to the same places and things as other Americans.
“Mass protests and a groundswell of activism have raised infuriated, exhausted, and all too often ignored minority voices across the nation. As the country comes together to demand accountability, ID has gathered prominent voices from all areas of this movement to discuss these recent events and how we can take tangible actions to make long-lasting changes.” stated the panel host Tony
My take away from listening to this article is to learn to turn the other cheek in situations. If people can peacefully march while being treated terribly and not retaliate, then I can learn to control myself in certain
Feel the Bern “Finally, let us understand that when we stand together, we will always win. When men and women stand together for justice, we win. When black, white and Hispanic people stand together for justice, we win” (Bernie Sanders Quotes). For too long, Americans have been dealing with discrimination, inequality, and racism. Disputes over gay marriage, transgenders, immigrants, and race have preoccupied what is truly important to this country, freedom.
Then, in 2016, the earth shifted beneath our feet. The rebellion started as a quiet protest, spoken by families of all colors and creeds — families who just wanted a fair shot for their children, and a fair hearing for their concerns. But then the quiet voices became a loud chorus — as thousands of citizens now spoke out together, from cities small and large, all across our country.
An important consequence of the Birmingham Campaign was the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. The March on Washington was a protest that took place August 28th, 1963, where about 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. During the march, Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. In the speech, he stated he and others had come to the memorial because “the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination... he is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.”
On August 28th, 1963, many people from different cultures and races came together to form the March on Washington. This March made great progress for the civil rights movement because it brought many different people together to show that they can be the same even though their skin is a different color (Engelbert 81). The event two days ago, advanced the African American voice into the White House and is continuing to help them get the rights they deserve. Many of the civil rights leaders’ speeches were very enthusiastic and raised the spirits of the crowd, which was just one of the positive effects of the March on Washington. For example, Martin Luther King’s speech demonstrated that they can be equal even though their skin is a different
On August 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands of people marched to support freedom. They marched up and down Constitution and Independence avenues in Washington D.C. before the long awaited speech. They wanted to listen to the dream that Martin Luther King Jr. had, and they wanted to be the people to make that dream real. The March on Washington was an important part of the Civil Rights Movement, including the “I Have a Dream” speech. The effects of this event can still be seen today, and have changed how our nation has developed.
In order to achieve true freedom one must discover that you can break unjust laws through peaceful protest. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and “The Speech at The March Washington” by Josephine Baker each article passionately argues about the disadvantages of the black community, the equality and power of education. We must learn to act with patients and not guns we must protect are self’s with a pen and paper not violence. Dr. King once4 said “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is unique in history which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.
Change and Revolution have always been in the American bloodstream; from the first wave of immigrants that came to the states, the search for change and the rebellion of injustice has been constant. Through each of our distinctive eras, we’ve had profound leaders that gave our present time the voices and opportunities to achieve the goals they never could. Martin Luther King Jr. , a civil rights activist, and Henry David Thoreau, an 1849 transcendentalist, both are common public figures of their time, pushed the ideas of ethical nonviolent protest. Their diligence made them influential activists of their time in favor of making a change in American society. King and Thoreau strongly encouraged citizens to advocate for nonviolent protest
The graphic memoir, March, is a biography about Congressman John Lewis’ young life in rural Alabama which provides a great insight into lives of black families in 1940s and 50s under Jim Crow and segregation laws. March opens with a violent march at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which the gruesome acts later became known as “Bloody Sunday,” during this march, 600 peaceful civil rights protestors were attacked by the Alabama state troopers for not listening to their commands. The story then goes back and forth depicts Lewis growing up in rural Alabama and President Obama’s inauguration in 2009. This story of a civil rights pioneer, John Lewis, portrays a strong influence between geography, community, and politics. The correlation between these pillars of March is that they have to coexist with other in order for John Lewis to exist that the world knows today.
March Rhetorical Analysis The 1960’s civil rights movement often used persuasive language to echo the unheard voices of many individuals. Some more than others possessed the ability to exercise their potent use of language to bring forward prominent changes. In the book, March by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, eloquent methods of speech play an important role. John Lewis, Martin Luther King, and George Wallace are some that expressed their beliefs through persuasive empowering words.
Social movement is not the task of a few persons, called to a specific purpose, but it is the responsibility of the whole community. They must learn the commitment to shared goals, consensus decision making, open and honest communication, shared leadership, climate of cooperation, and collaboration. Partnership and collaboration with others need sacrifices from both sides to be able to share vision, open up for communication, confrontation, etc. …, and most importantly, to sacrifice oneself in order to reach the vision or the plan that they have set out to achieve. For instance, the Indian Independence March, the Selma March, and the Sharpeville Massacre showed “self-sacrifice” of the protest through many deaths to gain independence (Howard).
Undocumented immigrants live with fear of deportation every day of their lives. Those with control of state institutions who do not consider undocumented immigrants as worthy American residents in our society, take advantage of their power by instilling fear of deportation. The restrictive federal and state laws towards migration in the U.S. has become a way to keep undocumented immigrants and their families living in the shadows. Arrocha (2013) claims that the paradox of the U.S. migration seems be that our free democratic republicanism is viewed as the land of freedom, equality, and justice. Yet, these undocumented immigrants aren’t treated equally or given the freedom to live in our society without intimidation.