In the 1950’s, to be black in America was to have the odds stacked against you. Segregation in the South and universal racial prejudice created a lack of respect towards African Americans; instead of oppression, however, black America found a collective empowerment towards gaining freedom in spite of living in a segregated society. As a result, the Civil Rights Movement arose as African Americans pushed towards acquiring equal rights: they wanted to be included in American society, not constantly pushed to the side. Leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X organized protests, boycotts, sit-ins, marches, freedom walks, and other public actions to draw the attention of white America. They hoped to convey to them that African Americans deserve equal rights, and show the nation that they must be recognized as full and equal American citizens. Their outspoken ideals also reached marginalized African Americans and communicated that they no longer need defer to white Americans, but that the time had come to take pride in their identity. The Civil Rights movement existed to gain equal legal rights; with those came equal rights to identity and pride.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." |
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech appeals for racial equality and unity through a recounting of the struggles of the past and present. He claims that 100 years after slavery was abolished, the black man is still not free, but held by bonds tied to the color of their skin. His dream is that in the future, identity is only not linked to skin color but to who someone is as a person. This speech, heard first by hundreds of thousands and later millions of people, communicated to the world in 1963 that racial prejudice needs to end, and that black identities are far more than a skin color.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. "I Have a Dream." 28 Aug. 1963. American Rhetoric, www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017. Speech. |
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In this video, Martin Luther King Jr. expresses the four demands of the Civil Rights movement. All of their demands revolve around being treated as equals of whites, having the same opportunities as whites, and receiving the same respect from the courts and government as whites. While the primary goal and focus of black America at the time was equality, there was in addition a sense of the unique black struggle and experience following slavery; however, this was insignificant compared to the fight for rights.
"Martin Luther King, Jr. Presents Four Demands of Civil Rights Movement." Civil Rights Digital Library, Inst. Museum and Library Services, 5 May 1963, crdl.usg.edu/cgi/crdl?action=retrieve;rset=002;recno=1;format=_video. Accessed 31 Oct. 2017. |
Malcolm X was one of the most radical and influential civil rights activists of the era, who was both praised and criticized by many people of all races. A pin such as this would openly and proudly show an identification with him and his ideas such as separatism, black independence from whites, and black superiority. These ideas combined into the belief that black identity should be fully and completely separated from any ties to white, European, or Western influence. Malcolm X's prominence and popularity spread his beliefs to people all across America who had never considered such ideas before.
Pinback button which reads "Malcolm X Speaks For Me". Smithsonian, www.si.edu/sisearch/collection-images?edan_q=identity. |
A Black man said, "I'm the greatest." We weren't taught like that. We were taught the Black had the bad luck... So, me being Black. "I am the greatest. I'm pretty..." Blacks was supposed to be humble, me, and then me being the supreme... |
This quote from Muhammad Ali encapsulates how he saw himself, and why he shared he was adamant in sharing that identity. Muhammad Ali had a tangible impact on how African Americans saw their own identity and how they should act. He was brash and bold, and used the platform provided by his excellent boxing career to show other African Americans that they were allowed to be brash and bold as well. Ali had confidence pride in his identity- his black heritage and muslim faith- and had a widespread impact in convincing others to have confidence and pride in their identities as well.
Ali, Muhammad. Interview with Muhammad Ali, 2008. http://digital.wustl.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=eop;cc=eop;rgn=full%20text;view=toc;idno=ali5427.0743.004 |
This is an image of a notice advocating for equal rights for African Americans during the era of Segregation. This image is from the Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois. The notice expresses the voice of African Americans during the era of Segregation and their sense of empowerment while also facing racial discrimination. As an African American race, they unified to develop a racial identity that began to flourish while seeking equality and freedom.
March-On-Washington Committee. Wake Up Negro America. 16 June 1943. Digital Public Library of America, collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm/ref/ collection/nby_chicago/id/1568. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017. |
This is a self portrait by an artist named John Woodrow Wilson where he exhibits this idea he referred to as "racial consciousness." His painting shows the experience of an African American men in a predominantly White society and the sense of pride they had throughout the Civil Rights Movement. His portrait ultimately relays that the African American experience is a unique and difficult experience since racism was present centuries before Wilson's time yet it's also present today and this is a key factor leading to the development of the African American Identity.
Wilson, John Woodrow. Self-portrait, pastel. 1963. Digital Public Library of America, collections.si.edu/search/ results.htm?q=record_ID%3Anpg_S_NPG.2002.367&repo=DPLA. Accessed 1 Nov. 2017. |
Gregory Swanson, in the picture on the left, was the first black college student admitted to the University of Virginia. Further integration of universities opened up opportunities not previously available to African Americans; anti-discriminatory laws ushered in during this era led to this and many other improvements in quality of life and opportunities.
Gregory Swanson Admitted to UVa. 1950. University of Virginia Library, search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/ uva-lib:2163481#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=2637%2C902%2C1341%2C1536. Accessed 31 Oct. 2017. |
Hamilton Holmes was one of two black students integrated into the University of Georgia. At the time, there were state laws that order all funding to be removed from any white school admitting black students; this and racial prejudice led to a riot outside Holmes's dormitory on January 11 of the following year. In the end, however, the rioters were condemned and the laws were repealed.
Young, Bill. Hamilton Holmes, one of the first two African Amerian students to integrate Georgia University. Jan. 1961. Umbra, www.umbrasearch.org/catalog/ ece22591e69c690240dd5eea8353d36d72bce3e4. Accessed 2 Nov. 2017. |
These buttons were given out during the March on Washington and at SNCC meetings respectively. Used as identifiers for the nonviolence movement, the buttons themselves were often found on college campuses and at protests and rallies. The nonviolence movement itself was the reason that civil rights laws were passed in the first place; without it and its leaders, namely Martin Luther King Jr., segregation would have lasted far longer. In fact, if violent anti-discrimination movements had become more prevalent, it could have led to even more discrimination. Supporters of the anti-violence movement were put through hell and back, especially during marches, but in the end, they were successful in their goals, proving to America the power of concentrated resistance.
Pin-back button for the 1963 March on Washington. 1963. National Museum for African American History and Culture, nmaahc.si.edu. Accessed 31 Oct. 2017. SNCC nonviolence button. 1965. National Museum of African American History and Culture, nmaahc.si.edu. Accessed 31 Oct. 2017. |