Overview of Racism

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X meet bef...

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Racism of all kinds seems to have existed in the United States from the birth of the nation. Many of the founding fathers pushed to have the practice of slavery abolished since it was quite popular at the time. They wished to make it illegal to own or trade slaves in the laws of the Constitution of the United States.

This means as early as 1776, the issue of racism and human rights were being raised. Many point fingers at Thomas Jefferson, who drew up the Declaration of Independence which states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” While these words stir the human soul, some had to wonder at Jefferson’s preaching versus his own practices since it is reported that he, himself, owned approximately 200 slaves. On the other hand though, it is also rumored that he inherited these slaves and did not want to trade them or sell them to free himself since the act of buying and selling was unpleasant to him. Whether this is true, it is unsure. We do know though that racism and slavery was an issue from the beginning and that Jefferson did feel a strong passion for the equal rights of all men.

It would be years though before “equal rights would start to be enforced. The Civil War was fought to free slaves and gives them there rights. Nearly a century later, Martin Luther King and his followers would be continuing the work of generations of African Americans and whites to make changes. Since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, there has been an awareness of minority groups and the rights of all individuals. This flame continues to burn as minority racial groups seek equal equality in all aspects of life.

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Remembering the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Rosa Parks holds a name in the history of Black Heritage as a woman who took a stand for her civil rights and did not budge. On December 1, 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

She was arrested for her non-compliance with the Jim Crow laws of the time which legalized segregation on city buses.

It is interesting to note though, that this was not the first time this had happened. In March of 1955, Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl also refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus to a white man. Her case was reviewed by a committee. Martin Luther King was one of the committee members. It was determined though that this case should not be pursued since this school girl was pregnant and unmarried at the time.

So when the unfortunate occurrence with Parks happened, King and his followers were ready for peaceful action. Parks’ arrest gave birth to the Montgomery Bus Boycott which was led by King. This boycott changed the history of racial segregation in the United States.

In this boycott all African Americans in Montgomery were urged to not use the city buses in protest of the unfair laws which supported segregation. The boycott lasted for 385 days and caused much tension. In fact, Martin Luther King’s own home was bombed.

During the boycott King was arrested, but all these grievances did lead to change. In the end, the District Courts ruled that segregation on all Montgomery City Buses was no longer legal. King and all those who supported him were able to bring about change through peaceful means. This kind of action set a new civil rights law that influenced others around the country.

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Influences on King, Influences on the Country

Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Martin Luther King Jr. is a legend of heroism and a champion of civil rights. His cause was to overcome discrimination and racism and to strongly encourage the government to put in place laws that would guarantee rights to all Americans.

Americans, of all races hail him as one who was able to peacefully make a stand for right and influence the masses.

While many may know about King and his historical work, it is good to learn of the early influences in his life that shaped and molded him in to the great man the nation knows and loves.

One early mentor was Howard Thurman. He was a class mate of King’s father at Morehouse College and had done missionary work. King often looked to Thurman as a mentor while attending Boston University when Thurman was the dean of Marsh Chapel there. It has been said that the nation would not have had King without having Thurman, whose writings and work were very influential.

Mahatma Gandhi was also one who had a profound impact on King and the cause of Civil Rights. In 1959, King took a trip to India to visit the birth place of Gandhi. It was here that his understanding and appreciation for peaceful activism deepened. King became more committed to non-violent methods for change and grew in his unquenchable desire to move the cause of Civil Rights forward in America. He recognized that pin Gandhi that peaceful activists have a power and ability that can truly bring about change.

Bayard Rustin was a peaceful activist who mentored and offered counsel to King in the early years of the Civil Rights Movement. Rustin had studied and researched the writing of Mahatma Gandhi and was also influenced by this man’s ability to create change peacefully. Rustin supported King and urged him to maintain principles of peace throughout the Civil Rights Movement. Rustin is also known for his organization of the March on Washington in 1963.

As we celebrate Martin Luther King and all he did, we also celebrate those who influenced him and ultimately influenced the country.

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The Importance of Black Heritage and Racial History

Black heritage in America is a long and storied history, one that has much sadness behind it. On the bright side, black Americans have come a long way in a few short generations to hold offices varying from alderman all the way to the President. The tenacity of a few have benefited many. No more Jim Crow laws, no more separate but equal, no more overt discrimination.

All it took was one tired and obstinate woman, Rosa Parks, to fire the shot that was heard around the world. Overnight the US took a good look at itself and did not like what it saw. Things began to change. Whites marched with blacks in the South, an unprecedented event. No longer did the black man or woman have to go to the back of the house to enter. They could now walk in the front door, proud. No longer did disenfranchisement hold sway, preventing blacks from being able to vote as they pleased.

There were those who tried civil discourse in the first half of the 20th Century. They should not be forgotten, even though their efforts are by and large unknown today. Early Civil Rights pioneers led the way to the civil discourse that brought about the large changes leading to equality.

Black Americans cannot afford to forget the lessons of the past. For they will be doomed to repeat it if they do. These rights were hard won in recent memory. To dismiss what Martin Luther King did for equality is to deny the entire Civil Rights movement. Draw upon the past to find strength for the future, and to solidify the hold for the next generation. Each generation finds it easier and easier to survive in America as racism fades, but they should never forget.

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