Civil Rights

Civil Rights Vocabulary:

Bias: A tendency or inclination toward or against something or someone – (ex. favoritism). Everyone has biases because we tend to favor people similar to ourselves. Biases can be conscious or unconscious. stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination are all types of bias.

Stereotyping: A cognitive bias (in your brain). The belief that certain attributes, characteristics, and, or behaviors are representative of an entire group of people.

Prejudice: An emotional bias. A pre-formed feeling or attitude about an entire group of people.

Discrimination: A behavioral bias (your words and actions). Unfair treatment of a person or group because of their race, gender, ethnicity, etc.

Civil Rights: fair and equal treatment, regardless of race, sex, gender, age, ability, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, etc.

In the United States, civil rights are protected through numerous local state, and federal ordinances, laws, and court decisions.

The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is the basis for many of these laws/decisions.

Civil Rights Movement: Efforts made to achieve fair and equal treatment for a particular group of people.

How do people bring about change?

Change is brought by action, byusing discouraging and advertising the thing that the person wants to change – for example, changing unfairness in society by protesting, making others more aware, boycotts, etc.

Strategies and Organization: They protested peacefully, called meetings, made signs, and passed out papers. Protesting was exhausting work. Police officers wrongfully arrested protesters.

Grassroots Campaign: Organized at the local/community level and built from the ground up. Leaders were ordinary citizens who wanted to end racial injustice in the U.S.

Nonviolent Direct Action: Strategy of peaceful protest. Whereas, people refuse to obey unjust laws (ex. segregation laws). People did not resist or fight back, even if attacked. People had to be prepared to face the consequences. People would do boycotts, demonstrations, sit-ins. It required discipline and courage. Inspirations: Jesus: Love your enemies, turn the other cheek; Henry David Thoreau: civil disobedience – refusing to obey unjust laws. Susan B. Anthony/suffragists of early 1900s - civil disobedience; Mohandas Gandhi: resist oppression without violence; Philip Randolph: organizing massive demonstrations.

CORE: Congress of Racial Equality. It was founded in Chicago in 1942 by James Farmer and others. Mostly, middle-class people in the group. The goal was to bring equality for all people, and it was the first civil rights group to conduct sit-ins. A form of non-violent protest in which protesters seat themselves and refuse to move. It is effective because it forces business owners to choose between serving the protesters or risking disruption and loss of business. Conducted two sit-ins in Chicago in 1943, in STt. Louis in 1949, Baltimore in 1952, and Wichita, Kansas in 1958. COORE was not involved in the planning of the Greensboro, NC sit-in in February 1960 that sparked the nationwide sit-in movement.

SCLC: Southern Christian Leadership Conference. It was founded in Atlanta, GA in 1957 by Martin Luther King and other southern black church leaders/civil rights leaders. The goal of the group was to fight racism and discrimination with nonviolent protest.

SNCC: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Founded in Raleigh, NC in April 1960 y Ella Baker. The goal was to organize direct action protests (like sit-ins) to end segregation. Brought young, college-age activists into the civil rights movement. Often criticized the SCLC for not pushing harder for more immediate change. Instead of ‘‘top-down;; control, as was the case with most organizations a that time, decisions in SNCC were made by consensus. Also helped to organize the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, and Freedom Summer. Became more militant (aggressive) after 1966.

Letter from Birmingham City Jail: Written by Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1963. King was in Birmingham, AL to lead a series of demonstrations to bring attention to the problems. Clergy said the demonstrations were an ‘‘ill-timed threat to threat to law and order by an outsider.’’ A court order was issued for him to stop the protests, he refused and was put in jail.