Examples Of Nonviolence In African American Culture

Vincent 1

Amy Vincent
Professor Sartin
AFRS 100 Sec 02 5511 Composition II
December 15, 2014
Nonviolence in African American Culture
Is violence actually a strategic method of obtaining equality? Throughout the years,
African Americans have struggled to find the answer to this question. Quite often, violence rather than verbal or written communication has been used throughout history as a means of th subduing people of color. For example, in the last half of the 19 century, blacks were terrorized

by many discriminatory groups, the Ku Klux Klan perhaps being the most famous. Due to the centuries of racism against African Americans, they have struggled to find a solution to this dilemma. There has been much debate as to which path is more effective, violence or
Choosing peace over strife helps opposing forces to come to a decent conclusion. In the event that the agreed terms aren’t met, nonviolence gently reminds rather than forces the adversary of the terms. In addition, throughout the debates, it may also have helped whites to treat blacks more humanely if they saw that indeed, blacks were people that could be honorable, reasonable, and respectable.
Nonviolence has proven to be a more effective method of obtaining one’s goals when it comes to eradicating racism. This is largely due to four reasons: it is far more orderly, it resolves the issues entirely, it increases participation rates, and it strengthens unity among blacks and weakens unity among whites. Mahatma
Gandhi believed that nonviolence would lead to a much more disciplined and orderly nation than violence could ever lead to. Violence creates chaos and ruin whereas nonviolence promotes order and peace. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Violence solves no social problems; it merely creates new and more complicated ones” (
Nonviolence and
Racial Justice
). The loss of lives and damage of possessions due to violence creates
Du Bois wrote in his text “On Segregation” that “It is the race­conscious black man cooperating together in his own institutions and movements who will eventually emancipate the colored race” (400). The participants of the nonviolent riots know that they have a bond in common. They are, in essence, united in their cause. Secondly, nonviolent protesting weakens the unity among whites, whereas violence actually increases the determination and unity between them. As Roberts said, “Non­violent action has a serious chance of undermining white unity” (231). Nonviolent riots against racism have in the past invoked sympathy from many white people, which creates a divide in their unity. This sympathy can be seen in the following examples: in 1961 many whites joined black students in their nonviolent sit­ins, in the
Nashville Student Movement hundreds of whites joined a silent march through Nashville, and even as recently as earlier this year when over a hundred whites, including a few white police officers, joined a nonviolent protest against the ruling of State of Missouri vs. Darren Wilson.
Unity is essential in the fight against racism.
Despite the aforementioned claims, in some situations, violence is a superior