Pushing The Civil Rights Movement Onto The National Agenda
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_rights_movement
By the late 1950s slavery had been outlawed in the United States for almost one hundred years, but southern racists had devised
By the late 1950s slavery had been outlawed in the United States for almost one hundred years, but southern racists had devised
other forms of of tyranny to keep black Americans in their "place"(Streitmatter174). Poll taxes, unfairly administered literacy tests and
various acts of intimidation denied African Americans their right to vote. The
concept of "separate but equal" deprived African Americans of public
facilities and a good quality education. They weren't allowed to go to the same
restaurants or schools that white people went to and they weren't even allowed
to use the same bathrooms or drink from the same water fountain. There were
even signs that said "White Only" and "Colored". In 1954
the U.S. Supreme Court said that "Separate education facilities are
inherently unequal." Journalism, especially TV had a huge impact on the
USA during the Civil Rights Movement. Northern newspapers like the New York
Times and the Boston Globe covered the movement but it was television news that
had a bigger impact. TV cameras showed African Americans being cursed, spit on,
attacked by police dogs, and blasted with fire hoses for trying to exercise the
rights that were guaranteed to them by the Constitution.
The First Great TV News Story
By the late 1950s, television news was competitng with newspapers on a daily basis, and the Civil Rights Movement was the first great television news story.(Streitmatter 175). However, just because The Civil Rights Movement was great televison it didnt mean it was accepted by all. The South didnt want the television networks reporting on the matter.When segregationist realized that television was disrupting
the system they started to see reporters as enemies. They started putting signs
up on motels that read "NO DOGS, NIGGERS, OR REPORTERS ALLOWED."Many southerners came up with nicknames for ABC, NBC, and
CBS. The nicknames were: Afro Broadcasting Company, Colored Broadcasting
Company, and Nigger Broadcasting Company. But name calling wasn't all, violence
also became a part of the Southerners fight against the journalist. Once in
Alabama in 1965 NBC's reporter Richard Valeriani was hit with an ax handle. Valeriani recalled how and
a state trooper saw the whole thing and all the state trooper did was take the
ax away from the guy told him that he "had done enough damage for one night and
didn't even arrest the guy".(Streitmatter176).
Big Deal at Little Rock
One of the giant moments in The Civil Rights Movement, took place in Little Rock Arkansas. In the summer of 1957, African American leaders in Little Rock challenged the segregated school policy by enrolling nine black students in the city's most highly regarded public high school, which was all white(Streitmatter177).Network cameras were all over this story readfy to record the students walking into the school however Governor Orval Fabus ordered soldiers to stop students from entering the school.That day, Black leaders arranged for the students to be brought into the school by a police car for their own protection. Elizabeth Eckford, one of the nine students didnt hjave a phone and was not aware of the plan.So Elizabeth walked to school alone and she was greeted by a
crowd of angry segregationists yelling out "Lynch her! Lynch the nigger
bitch!" President Eisenhower ordered the soldiers to protect the Little
Rock Nine. So for the rest of the school year news’s cameras televised the
soldiers protecting the students pointing their bayonets to the mob of angry
white segregationists. Every morning and afternoon the nation would watch as
military jeeps escorted the students to and from school.
Breaking Barriers at the University of Georgia
By early 1961, the country had a youthful new president, and
civil rights leaders savored in the new hope that John F. Kennedy’s Democratic
administration would provide more support for their march toward racial equality
(Streitmatter178). Federal court ruled that the University of Georgia, for the
first time in its 175 year history had to admit African-American students. The
only two African-American students that attended the university were Hamilton
Holmes and Charlayne Hunter. Since Hunter was a female she was required to live
on campus and Holmes being a male was allowed to move off campus. The image of
Hunter staring at the ground while being insulted and spit at by white students
was transmitted on TV every night for days. One night a white girl tossed a
quarter on the ground in front of Hunter and yelled at her saying "Here,
nigger. Here's a quarter. Go change my sheets." Another scene of hatred
and racism was when students gathered outside Hunter's dormitory holding a banner
that said "Nigger, go home!" Similar scenes of violence unfolded time
and time again as educational institutions in the south became desegregated.
Two of these institutions were the University of Mississippi in 1961 and the
University of Alabama in 1963.
Riding Buses for Freedom
The next phase of coverage evolved from a Supreme Court
decision banning segregation travel(Streitmatter179).To make sure that this new
law was intact in May 1961 a racially mixed group of college students purchased
bus tickets to take them from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans. These students
were now known as "freedom riders". NBC cameraman Moe Levy boarded
one of the buses with the students recording images of the ride. The freedom
riders traveled through the Carolinas and Virginia being taunted by
segregationist but this stopped as soon as they entered Alabama. But when the
bus pulled into the Montgomery station a mob of 2,000 segregationists armed
with bricks, bats and pipes attacked the freedom riders. There was no footage
of the attack because the mob destroyed the camera. The students lost teeth,
suffered broken bones and some were disfigured for life. Levy was clubbed
repeatedly and one of his legs suffered permanent injuries.
Television Images Nourish a Social Revolution
Congress ultimately passed two pieces of legislation that became the most important tangible products of Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and probitbited restaurants, hotels, theaters, and other facilities of public accommodation from turning away any person on the bias of race. The voting rights act of 1965 banned all barriers to Americans exercising the rights to vote(Streitmatter190).Television played a major factor in both of these laws being passed by showing their graphic images such as blacks being attacked by dogs. Television is a more powerful tool then news papers of gettin a poitn across because when you see the images in motion it really hits you harder then just reading about it.
I am so grateful that we finally live in a world that is equal. I cant nor do i ever want to imagine what it was like to live during these times. Their is still some racism going on in the world today that disgusts me, but however we have made major strives in our country and it will only continue to get better. We are all equal and free members of the beautiful United States of America.
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