I'm watching the PBS Special on the Freedom Riders and my words can't express the emotions I am feeling. I vaguely remember learning about their journey in high school, but if I remember the civil rights movement was just a chapter in our history class. And as I watch this documentary, I find myself wondering, could I do it, would I have had the courage and guts to do what these individuals risked their lives doing, the non-violent statement they were making? And I don't know....part of me thinks, yes...but the other part of me is simply unsure.
And then I wonder why the civil rights movement is just a chapter in most high school history books, if it is even discussed at all.
I can't imagine treating another person the way these white people did, it is horrifying and are these people who committed these horrible actions remorseful? And does the younger generation really appreciate the groundwork that these silent hero's did for them? Yes, I'm not naive enough to pretend that racism doesn't exist, it does, however the difference now is that it is hidden, which is that any better? I don't know....
As a parent of two small children, I want my children to look past those differences regardless of the issue, I want my children to be compassionate towards their fellow being. No one should be made to feel they are inferior or less human and I struggle to grasp how others can be so blinded.
Anyway, I just wanted to share my thoughts on this powerful documentary and if you haven't seen it, you should.
"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men." - Abraham Lincoln
"Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with the illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength." - August Wilson
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