Brief Background On the Civil Rights Era

The 1960's were a time of a new age.  It was a time to break free from oppression.  Prominent figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X wanted to be an integral part in the fight to break the chains of segregation and oppression.  King wanted to see the world live together in harmony and sought a nonviolent approach to gaining freedom.  Malcolm X was a little more aggressive.  He spoke of holding the black community together in unity, and said that if this could not be accomplished then, as a last resort, a revolution may need to occur.  Although each man had his own separate views on how to break free from oppression, they both had a heavy impact in the fight for civil rights.

Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X helped to fight the social turbulence of the 1960's.  Social turbulence is the treatment that could be seen during the decade.  The riots, protests, and beatings are all examples of turbulence.  There is no doubt that African -Americans had to fight for their rights.  The Civil Right Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination in the workplace, was a step in the right direction.  But it did not halt the constant oppression African-Americans had to endure each day. They were not the only ones, though, that fought to break out of oppression.  At the ending of World War II, the Japanese and German Americans were not looked at too fondly by many Americans.  Because of their involvement in the Axis Powers during the war, they were involved in discrimination as well.  They too had to struggle to gain a certain sense of freedom from oppression.

In present times, one would say that race relations have greatly improved.  Many people have increased their interaction with all the different races and look at them as equals.  The past can still be seen today, though.  Prejudice is not going to go away anytime soon, and one can still see examples of it today.  Each year the Klu Klux Klan, a racist organization, gets a permit to put a cross up in Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati.  This year, though, they were not quick enough to get a permit and in the place of their cross went a multi-racial cross that displays the many races throughout the world.  This is an outstanding example of how well interactions with African-Americans and other cultures have improved.  We are headed in the right direction, although there are still instances of prejudices today.
 

ATTITUDES

In an area dominated so heavily by whites it is uncommon for many to remember first hand, the Civil Rights Movement of the sixties.  The Greater Cincinnati Area played no major role in the movement for civil rights.  There were no major riots or  protests, no lynching, and few if any sit-ins.  Even as far back as the Civil War the Ohio River was considered the Gateway to the North, making segregation here during the '60's uncommon to say the least.  The memories of the Civil Rights Movement for those who experienced it here came mainly from Television and the Newspapers and their perceptions changed greatly from town to town.

The common belief for most area residents is that their families are becoming less racist and more accepting of blacks and other minorities.  Another common bond is that most say they liked Martin Luther King Jr. and his ideas of peace and hated Malcolm X and his ideas of black militance.

It's not uncommon for many elderly people to feel they must constantly reassure others that they are not racist. One grandmother of a student said, "I would not have married an Italian if I were racist."  Another grandmother of a student commonly tells people, I'm not racist; "My favorite show is Oprah."  This brings up an important point; that point is that there are many levels of racism.  Some racists have an all-out hatred of blacks, some racists believe they are a superior breed, and some just don't want anything to do with them. One student writes that her family feels, "everyone should stay with their own race." Another student tells us her grandfather always said, "niggers should stay where they belong."

In the rural areas of Kentucky where the black population is close to none, some  people have never interacted with someone of another race.  One student writes, "I don’t think that my grandparents ever saw a black person up close until they started going shopping in Ohio.  The only person who has interaction with blacks is I, now that I go to college."  "I never had an interaction with a black person until I got my license and drove to different towns and went to Panama City for spring break."  While this seems incredibly hard to believe, it is in fact true.  In all actuality, towns like this still exist today, totally isolated and separated from outside ways of life.

Here in Greater Cincinnati, it is uncommon for many to remember first hand,
the Civil Rights Movement of the sixties.  For the people of this area the memories
of the Civil Rights Movement came mainly from Television and the Newspapers.  In many ways the once segregated south is today, far more integrated than our Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati Areas.

ANALYSIS

We did not gather any substantial amount of information from our research.  Most of the information that we did get was from white suburban kids who didn't necessarily grow up in a multi-cultural society.  There would occasionally be an instance in which someone witnessed a racial act, but no one that was talked to had a huge amount of info.  Still, the civil rights era is an intriguing time during American History, and if one ever has an opportunity to read something by Malcolm X, King, or anyone else involved in the movement, he or she should jump at the chance.
 

LINKS
1. Martin Luther King Jr. - American Civil Rights Leader
http://www2.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe/lucidcafe/library/96jan/king.html
2. Malcolm X - An Islamic Perspective
http://www.colostate.edu/Orgs/MSA/docs/m_x.html
3. Martin and Malcolm and the African-American Struggle
http://www.uts.columbia.edu/~usqr/pllrd.htm
4. Overview of Civil Rights Movement from 1955-1965 
http://www.seattletimes.com/mlk/movement/PT/Seattle_marchers_1963.html
http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/civilrights-55-65/
5. Official Northern Kentucky University Web Site
http://www.nku.edu/
6. Time Line of Important Periods in US History
http://www.nku.edu/~eng/history/weaving.html

7. Created by Mike Adams &  Kevin Warwick