Diwali by Katie Smith

 What actions were taken during the civil rights movement and were they successful?

Olivia Pernesky

 

Before and during the civil rights movement, life for people of color was not good. There were black codes in place for voting, there was lots of segregation, and people of color could not speak their mind without being punished for it. However there were actions taken by abolitionists and the slaves themselves to gain freedom for people of color. Some people spoke out and wrote about the violence in hopes of gaining support from more people, such as Dr. King. Another action taken was the civil rights movements and disobedience. The Black Panther party was founded to protect black people from police brutality, educate people, and provide food for children who needed it. This inspired more black people to join in on these movements. John Lewis also played an important role in almost every civil rights movement to help gain freedom for people of color, he inspired people and stood on the front lines of all the marches he participated in. Another example is the Montgomery bus boycott where Rosa Parks stood up against the police and would not give up her seat to the white man. This sparked a major movement where people of color did not ride the buses for about 7 months. All of these actions were taken during the civil rights movement in hopes of gaining freedom for black people.

These actions did help people of color gain freedom and full voting rights. Many court cases such as Brown vs board of education. Which made it unconstitutional for segregation in schools, helped lead to black people getting more freedom. The Montgomery bus boycott and Rosa Parks helped put an end to segregation on buses, thus adding more rights and freedom for people of color. Another person who helped create freedom for black people is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. All of his speeches inspired abolitionists and people of color to fight harder to gain more rights. Despite all the actions of people of color, abolitionists and then the passage of time, racism is still around today and there are many incidents that are very similar to things that happened in the past, such as the murder of Trayvon Martin over a parking spot. Although we have come far from racism it still exists, kills black people and covers the white man up from getting in trouble