Atlanta, GA

The idea of King-ian non-violence was emphasized by Dr. Glenn Eskew during his account of his historical expertise on the Civil Rights Movement. King-ian non-violence utilized theology and principles from Mahatma Gandhi while applying it in a relevant way to the African American community. Furthermore, he emphasizes the point that this is not a new concept because the United States itself was founded on non-violence whether it was through boycotts, or events such as the Boston Tea Party. Dr. Glenn Eskew emphasizes the idea that historians reflect on events in the past, but then transitions into the idea of reflecting on the emotions of the past which was presented by Dr. Anthony Grooms. Tony Grooms is a historical fiction author who writes retrospective literature regarding the Civil Rights Movement. He believes that we need to remember to “de-mythologize” or “un-ghost” American culture today and understand the growth process that took place within most of the country because not everybody was supportive of the Civil Rights Movement. Much of the change that occurred, according to Mr. Charles Person, an original Freedom Rider, was due to encouragement which fueled support for the youth to participate in the movement. He emphasizes four principles in which he strongly believes are the keys to success in order to achieve affective change. The first was outreach and involvement. The community needs to be aware of what goals are trying to be achieved. The second is allyship. It is important to diversify allies, this way the change being made is more effective and can reach different communities. The third is being responsible for the consequences and safety of all those involved. He emphasizes these principles with anecdotes of his experiences, and how he was grateful to be alive because he had individuals to reach out for help to when his safety was jeopardized. Lastly, the goals attempting to be achieved must be purposeful and beneficial to the community.

A reoccurring theme during today’s visit was the emphasis on community when initiating change. When visiting the MLK Center today, I noticed both the church and MLK’s homes were extremely close in distance from each other. This allowed and emphasized the idea that MLK was able to spread his ideas of direct-action nonviolence protests through his sermons and through his church community in order to spark the initial seeds of change.  Overall, the power of non-violence is crucial in order to create effective change.

Hannah Kuruvilla

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