Tradition In Civil Rights Movement

When the Civil Rights Movement first began it was met with both support and opposition. Check your privilege 1950s white folk- those that felt that there was no need for protests, uprisings, and marches against the ones holding the power of continued racial segregation were the ones perpetuating the racism itself. It seemed, and still seems to many in this country, that the leaders that held the power to carry the tradition of continued racism were the people who most needed to be affected by the Movement. Remember- tradition doesn't have to be good. In fact, much of the widespread ideological traditions include the horrendous mistreatment of another group of people. Nobody asks to be mistreated. Nobody asks for their lives, actions, or bodies
They believe that what they hear on the radio is the way they should be living, and that the tradition their community supports is being forced upon them. They want to know, see, feel, believe the fact that they too have a voice in what happens to their own bodies (sounds familiar, hm?). But power struggles run rampant throughout the village, and Collé and her fellow women are unable to share their thoughts and opinions safely to Dougoutigi and the Salindana- representations of the tradition within the village. One of these figureheads is a bit more than that- the Salindana actually carries out the tradition. An example of steady calmness and largely nonviolent defiance is found when Collé is literally being beaten for her cause by none other than her husband, forced by another in power to prove his own worth. Rebellion, successful or not, nonviolent or not, is painful. However, by showing that they are unwavering in their convictions and truly believe what they are fighting for, the women are able to rebel
Many attempts to rebel against tradition have been thwarted, at the expense of the safety and survival of those trying to uprise. But, rebellion is rebellion, successful or not. The women of the village in Moolaade were able to successfully fight against the unfair tradition of cutting, while the slaves succeeded in only really causing destruction to the area around them, if also briefly cathartic feeling at having succeeded short-term. Whether it be the Civil Right Movement of the 1960s, or the almost daily protests surrounding the globe right now, citizens everywhere know exactly how and when to fight against tradition. As long as groups of people are still forced into unfair situations, there will be rebellions. Right now, rebellion shows no sign of stopping in this world. Perhaps that’s a good thing- each one changes a little part of history, and one can only hope that one day, rebellions will wash out the unfairness in the world. It’s a thin hope, but then again, rebellion is built on hope for change. Without hope, the world has