Segregation In The Civil Rights Era

America has been described with different terminology depending on the era and the subject. However, speaking of race relations, phrases such as “segregated,” “integrated,” and “racially oppressed” describe the relationships between the black and white races.
Throughout history, the term “separate but equal” mostly worked one way. Separate was honored, but equal was not. In the southern United States, segregation was legal in many places including restaurants, public schools, restrooms, and public transportation. By practicing legal segregation, the non-whites were forced to use second-rate facilities that were separate from the white facilities. Non-white people were treated poorly, because they were thought to be lower class citizens. (Pinkett
(Hall, pp. 253-254) A local civil rights movement was formed in Minden, Louisiana as told in an interview with Mrs. Grace Richardson. Her parents Mrs. Eula Stevenson and Mr. Joe Willie Kirk Sr. along with Mr. J.D. Hampton, Mrs. Willie Mae and Mr. Jack Allums started the United Christian Freedom Movement in 1961 to help put an end to segregation within their local schools and businesses. They had many “colored” professionals that made monetary donations to the organization with the understanding that they would remain anonymous for the fear of becoming unemployed due to their association with the group. Many were teachers like Mrs. Stevenson. Her principal, school board officials, and ministers gave to the movement secretly. However, their intentions did not go in vain. Integration began at the local high school when Mr. Jack Allums’ oldest son attended Minden High School. Mrs. Stevenson’s daughter (Grace Richardson) and Jack and Willie Mae Allums’ daughter (Veneta Allums) were the next two blacks to attend Minden High School. The elementary schools were also integrated at this time by children of members from the United Christian Freedom Movement. Another goal of the United Christian Movement was to change the hiring practices and put an end to segregation. The businesses that were targeted for protest
The movement was a great success for many reasons, one of which was that Jim Crow was weakened. After World War II the United States was in a period of prosperity and abundance and less resistant to change. Therefore the dominant group felt less threatened by the demands for equality made by the civil rights movement. The movement was founded on traditional American values; liberty, equality, and fair treatment for all. Because of these traditional values whites did not feel as threatened because they saw them to be consistent with mainstream American values. The mass media was important to the movement because it allowed the American viewers to learn about the cruelty that the African Americans were being subjected to while demonstrating for their rights. The result of the public becoming aware caused them to be outraged and they eventually prohibited the racial prejudice along with the Jim Crow segregation. (Healey, pp. 185-186) The end of the civil rights movement was near when two of the “old guard” civil rights movement groups lost momentum due to funding problems and the inability to refurbish them. SCLA and MWSA simultaneously collapsed in 1973. (Lehman, pp.