This is the first image that pops up
when you search “images of Civil Rights Movement” and I have questions.
Throughout the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans were attacked with
police dogs, hosed with fire hoses, and faced terrorism in the streets daily.
Everyday American citizens, black American citizens, faced hate and
discrimination nationally. They continue to today. And yet images, like the one
shared above, are what we see and remember of the movement. Men, black and
white, hold hands and marching side by side – all fighting for equality.
However, these images fail to recognize the horrible realities of the Civil
Rights Movement and the factions and it created and underscored.
Just as Martin Luther King Jr. has a
master narrative, the Civil Rights Movement has a master narrative that has
been whitewashed. Instead of acknowledging the various ways in which white
people systematically oppressed, and continue to oppress, African Americans
when thinking about the movement we think of the Kennedys – who are credited
with being fantastic white allies to the black community. While at times the Kennedys
did serve as allies, there were plenty of other times where the Kennedys sat
back and let racism continue. For example, during the Freedom Rides the riders
faced immense violence. In order to quell this violence, Robert Kennedy struck
a deal with Mississippi Senator James Eastland and allowed for the Freedom Riders
to be arrested immediately upon arrival in Jackson – so long as they faced no
violence.[1]
While ultimately this action may have been for the best, for both the Freedom
Riders and the population of Jackson, Kennedy’s action completely went against
what the Freedom Rides stood for, and therefore undermined the explicit purpose
of the Freedom Rides.
The whitewashing of history continues
today. White stories are told and too often black stories are forgotten. With
the Civil Rights Movement it is imperative that we remember the black story,
and stop whitewashing history. Whites and blacks did not all get along in the
20th century – in fact most of them didn’t. Therefore images, like
the one attached above, only serve to perpetuate the whitewashing of history –
which removes some of the negativity attached to the identity “white American.”
However, it is important that white Americans today are forced to carry the
burden that their ancestors created: white people did (do) horrible things – we
must remember that.
[1] Mary
Tourek, “Freedom Riders Immediately Arrested in Jackson, MS – Secret Deal...,” Today
in Civil Liberties History (blog), July 3, 2013,
http://todayinclh.com/?event=freedom-riders-arrested-in-jackson-secret-deal-by-ag-robert-kennedy.
This is a really good mini-analysis of a really giant topic. There could be an entire class about the whitewashed master narrative of the Civil Rights Movement. I think that they try to make it seem like most white people were allies because they're still alive. No one wants to think they're sweet old grandparents were racists. Everyone wants to cover their tracks for some reason. Like, why can't people just recognize that their ancestors were trash and be sorry about it?
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% with this. It seems that also our educators throughout our life tried to do this same thing. They tried to act like everything was not all that bad and America the brave whatever that meant. I also remember them only pointing out the highlights within the Civil Rights Movement, and portraying white people in the "savior" light. They would only mention the good white people did in the movement, and if they did mention white people doing bad then it was very quickly. Whitewashing of history is more than a problem, and a trend that has to be stopped.
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