Group 3

The Civil Rights Movement sparked a restlessness in the African American community as individuals who were still being discriminated against by racist America began to build incentives as to what could officially bring them to achieve full equality, especially during the early 1960s. Carson states, “The years 1960 and 1961 were a time of profound change, growth, and development in the civil rights movement” (Carson 107). The civil rights movement provided a path for black individuals living in America to raise national awareness about the discrimination still present in the south. Carson goes on to say that “student activism galvanized established organizations, brought about the creation of new ones, and generated mass support for the civil rights movement among all segments of the black populace” (Carson 107). As a result, more students became actively involved in the movement, which challenged racism present throughout America; it states, “The formation of SNCC helped transform the student movement from one that emphasized small-scale protests to a sustained force that would challenge racism throughout American society” (Carson 108). As black students became more involved, more young scholars had been put into leadership positions. Consequently, the Civil Rights Movement allowed individuals to challenge racist America which involved the entire black community as an effort to eventually achieve full equality. This is a prominent time in black history as African Americans recognized their own autonomy and began defining their blackness that challenged racist America’s already formed assumptions of the black race.  

During the Civil Rights Movement, black individuals were living in a society with a justice system that did not represent them. In actuality, the lack of representation resulted in a justice system that worked against black individuals. For example, in Robert F. Williams excerpt of “Ain’t Scared of Your Jails,” he describes the situation where a white male attempts to rape a black, pregnant woman. When tried in court, the court comes to a disturbing conclusion, “he’s not guilty. He was just drunk and having a little fun”(111). The court displayed a complete disregard for morale when approaching the case because of the understood dedication to racial discrimination. Allowing a black individual to win a court case against a white individual regardless of the circumstances was not in the interest of white American society. Stories such as those related to racial injustice created fear within the black community because many felt as though they were vulnerable. As a result of this, individuals such as Williams decided that self-defense was necessary for African Americans to protect themselves and eventually advance within society. The idea of non-violence felt virtually useless to those that were losing their loved ones at the hands of white individuals. Many believed that using violence would allow white individuals to have a reason to mistreat blacks; however, blacks were already being mistreated. For these reasons, Williams and many other black individuals sought the use of self-defense.

In Stranger in the Village, a unique instance is shown through a black man moving to Switzerland. We get to see white kids' first encounter with a black man which tells us a lot about what it means to new in a society of people who are all very different than you, and how the people saw this one outsider. This instance tells us a lot about black identity and what it means to be always looked at as inferior. One of the main quotes that struck us as a group was, “There was a great difference between being the first white man to be seen by Africans and being the first black man to be seen by whites (p 164)”. What this means is that the white people presented themselves as the leader of the blacks before they got to know each other and from this the systematic idea of race and hierarchy was born. From this the identity of the blacks and whites both changed creating positions in society. The world changed in many ways and up to this point in African American history, we have learned that, “This world is white no longer, and it will never be white again (p. 175)”.  

The preconceived notion of a white hierarchy as depicted in Stranger in the Village provides the basis for racial discrimination. White individuals immediately presumed blacks to be inferior, thus enabling the social construct of race to exist. Racial discrimination against blacks prevailed during the Civil Rights movement as well. It lead to racial injustice against blacks, thus causing many to turn to self-defense. It also led to creation of SNCC which allowed young, black students to be involved with the Civil Rights Movement in order to advance towards racial equality.