Civil Rights - EOTO

After completing a mock trial on the historical case of the Board of Regents v. Bakke, we had a chance to hear about civil rights from both an anti-civil rights and pro-civil rights side. The information I heard provides some insight on the struggle for racial equality I kept mentioning in my previous post. There were events such as Eugene Connor refusing to provide police protection to the Freedom Riders as they were battered with much violence. As well as things such as Alabama Governor, George Wallace, not allowing the admission of black students into the University of Alabama and the NYT v. Sullivan libel lawsuit. Then you had the historical Montgomery Bus Boycott where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger in a silent protest for civil rights. Or, the Selma March which was to encourage blacks to register to vote but violence struck and 600 participants was killed. As a result of that violence we were finally given to Voting Rights Act of 1965. Along with all these events many prominent leaders in America who stood up for rights of African Americans were killed. Those killed were people such as Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Andrew Goodman to name a few. Another interesting thought for me was the violence and hatred. This is still a problem today however I just don't understand how people get to a level of anger and hatred to incite violence of such manner. The manner I talk about is the manner in which they are able to kill countless human beings solely because they are different. Everyone on this world is unique but I don't see them as different. At the end of the day we are all human therefore in my eyes we are the same but yet unique in ways. That may be part of why I have such problems in wrapping my head around the struggles faced during the Civil Rights Era.